Hugh Freeze, Kirby Smart headline Day 2 of SEC Media Days

Auburn football head coach Hugh Freeze kicked off the morning chatting with media on the current state of the team, reacted to recruiting and detailed the team’s view headed into the new year.

“We couldn’t have been more excited about this fall,” Freeze said, addressing media. “I like our squad, I like the make up of it, I like the staff, I love the energy that’s in the building and I can’t be more excited about us having a chance to prove that we can compete in every single game that’s on our schedule.”

Freeze added, “Heading into our third year, with respect obviously to our great league, our roster is just better. We’re bigger, we’re faster, we’re stronger, our culture is strong and our chemistry and our carry over in coaching is here for a second consecutive year and most of our locker room is bought in to the standard to which we think it will take for us to win football games.”

Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart also addressed media Tuesday morning and he discussed his impact players in CJ Allen, Gunner Stockton and Daylen Everette, while also explaining the mix of younger and veteran talent his team now consists of heading into the new college football year.

“Our team is going to be comprised of 54% first, second year players. Very big change for us,” said Smart. “I thought last year was one of the most veteran teams I been a part of. You guys know the ‘COVID-class’ has kind of aged out. So we had multiple players that were in their fifth and sixth year, last year especially across the offensive and defensive lines.”

He added, “What do you get with that? You get youthful exuberance. We’ve had practices that have been spirited. We had a great spring practice that we talked about the words, ‘fire, passion and energy,’ I think the biggest thing that separates college football teams today is complacency among players versus fire passion and energy among players.”

Check out what both coaches and players from Auburn and Georgia had to say on Tuesday below:

• Watch Auburn’s Hugh Freeze, Connor Lew, and Keldric Faulk:

• Watch Georgia’s Kirby Smart, CJ Allen and Gunner Stockton: