HOOVER, Ala. (AP) - People are talking about the Tennessee Volunteers as potential Southeastern Conference contenders again.
After making steady progress the past three years under coach Butch Jones and bringing in three straight highly-rated recruiting classes, the Vols are again regarded as legitimate contenders in the SEC Eastern Division.
Many of the questions Jones and his players faced Tuesday at the league's media days concerned dealing with hype and divisional front-runner status. It's a fairly dramatic change from a few years ago.
"I remember standing up here at the podium three short years ago, and the room was half filled and nobody was talking about Tennessee football," Jones said. "That's why you coach. That's why you play, is to be in a program like the University of Tennessee where everybody is talking about you. That's what you work for. Now it's what you do with that opportunity."
Tennessee hasn't won an SEC title since the 1998 national championship team. The Vols last played in the SEC title game in 2007, largely falling behind Georgia, Florida and other programs at times during that stretch.
Jones has led the Vols on a climb from five wins to seven to nine during his first three years. They finished second in the East last season after blowing a fourth-quarter lead in a 28-27 loss to eventual division champion Florida.
Now, quarterback Joshua Dobbs is trying to help continue the rise. Dobbs calls the hype "outside noise" but enjoys being part of Tennessee's resurgence under Jones.
"The biggest thing it shows is just how far we've come from when guys like me, Cam (Sutton) and Jalen (Reeves-Maybin) were freshmen," Dobbs said. "There wasn't much talk about Tennessee. That's the biggest thing. It's good to see that Tennessee has definitely risen and Tennessee is back to where traditional Tennessee has been."
Georgia's backfield situation uncertain for opener
Kirby Smart's backfield uncertainty going into the season extends beyond who will be the starting quarterback.
The first-year Georgia coach already had Nick Chubb working his way back from a knee injury when 1,000-yard rusher Sony Michel broke his left forearm in an all-terrain vehicle accident July 3.
"That's a tough situation," Smart said Tuesday at Southeastern Conference media days. "Who would have thought at this point in time both guys would be on the sideline rehabbing?"
Both Chubb and Michel are among the league's top runners, but it remains to be seen if either will be available for the opener Sept. 3 against North Carolina.
Georgia has said Michel was expected to be out 6-8 weeks recovering from surgery. Chubb was averaging 124.5 yards per game when he went down against Tennessee last October. Michel replaced him and racked up 1,161 yards during the season, only to sustain the off-the-field injury two months before the 2016 season.
"I don't know the expectation for Sony, if he'll be back or not," Smart said, referring to the first game. "We'll know a lot more when we get closer to the season."
Smart said Chubb won't start out in preseason camp going through scrimmages and full contact work and has to continue regaining confidence in the knee. Freshman Elijah Holyfield, son of former heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield, is among the potential fill-ins.
Meanwhile, Georgia's quarterback battle continues going into preseason camp among returning starter Greyson Lambert, Brice Ramsey and freshman Jacob Eason.
Mississippi State's four-man QB race continues
Mississippi State enters preseason practice with a four-man quarterback battle. Coach Dan Mullen admits it's not an ideal situation.
"I will be a happy guy to name a starting quarterback and find somebody that has separated themselves from the other three," Mullen said.
So far, the race to replace Dak Prescott has been too close to call. Prescott was easily the most productive quarterback in program history - throwing for more than 9,000 career yards and running for more than 2,500. He threw 70 touchdown passes and ran for 44 more.
He even caught three touchdown passes.
Good luck filling those shoes.
It's safe to say none of the four candidates for the job - sophomores Nick Fitzgerald and Elijah Staley, junior Damian Williams and freshman Nick Tiano - will match Prescott's production right away.
But Mullen and players are confident someone will step forward to keep the Bulldogs competitive in the SEC's Western Division.
"They all bring a little different skill set to the table, but they all can throw and they all can run," Mullen said. "I think when you have that dual threat, it makes the defense have to account for all 11 players on offense on every single snap."
The 6-foot-5 Fitzgerald was Prescott's primary backup in 2015. He completed 11-of-14 passes for 235 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Staley and Williams also have some game experience.
"It has definitely been different without Dak," Mississippi State receiver Fred Ross said. "All of the quarterbacks have been working hard and doing things the coaches have asked of them."
Texas A&M, Sumlin trying to reverse slow slide
The trajectory of Kevin Sumlin's tenure at Texas A&M has not been going in the right direction.
The fifth-year coach hopes a transfer quarterback and some talented defensive linemen can get the Aggies back into the conversation as a serious threat in the Southeastern Conference.
"I like where we are," Sumlin said Tuesday at SEC Media Days. "I like the chemistry of this football team. I like where the locker room is. I like where their mind is."
Senior Trevor Knight was named the team's starting quarterback in the spring after coming to Texas A&M as a graduate transfer just a few months before. Knight previously played at Oklahoma, where he started 15 games over three seasons and threw for more than 3,000 career yards.
Knight was needed after Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray both transferred during a tumultuous stretch in December. He's thrilled to have another chance at leading a team after an up-and-down career with the Sooners.
"It's been a leap of faith in a lot of ways, but looking back on it, it has been perfect," Knight said. "I did get to step in and the culture at A&M, specifically the team, wrapped their arms around me and let me know that I was a part of the family."
Knight should have plenty of playmakers around him: Sophomore receiver Christian Kirk was the 2015 SEC Freshman of the Year after catching 80 passes for 1,009 yards and seven touchdowns, and Josh Reynolds and Ricky Seals-Jones also return.
Sumlin hopes that will change this year because Texas A&M has two of the league's best pass rushers in junior Myles Garrett and senior Daeshon Hall.
The 6-foot-5, 262-pound Garrett led the SEC with 12 sacks, 19 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles. Sumlin said one of the best things about Garrett is he's a rarity in college football: a low-maintenance star.
"All he wants is maybe his headphones and to know what time practice is, when to go to class, when meetings are and when game time is and where's the food," Sumlin said.