ATLANTA — North Carolina football coach Larry Fedora became a topic of discussion Thursday at Southeastern Conference Media Days.
Fedora made headlines Wednesday when he said he isn’t convinced a link between chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, and football has been proven. The former Southern Mississippi head coach also said football is “under attack” by those who support the findings of the concussion studies.
“I fear the game will be pushed so far to one extreme that you won’t recognize (it) 10 years from now,” Fedora said at the Atlantic Coast Conference Media Days in Charlotte, North Carolina. “I believe that if it gets to that point, that our country goes down, too.”
In his turn at SEC Media Days on Thursday, South Carolina coach Will Muschamp disagreed.
“I don’t think our game’s under attack,” Muschamp said. “I don’t know a whole lot about Larry’s comments. As far as CTE and concussions, all of those things that we’re talking about, I feel very comfortable with the policies and procedures we have in place at the University of South Carolina. We have a neurologist on the field. We have a neurologist at practice.
“Our training staff work with Micky Crum, who is a specialist in Pittsburgh that really changed our whole procedures when I was at Florida of our concussion protocol. I think the more research we’re able to do, the better off we’re going to be. The number one point of all of this is health and safety of our student-athletes.”
Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason said he tries to “stay in my lane,” and that Fedora has a right to his opinion. He added Vanderbilt takes measures to protect its student-athletes and added “with that being said, I don’t have much commentary on it.”
Mason enjoying CEO duties
In recent years, more and more new head coaches have continued the play-calling duties that earned them their jobs as head coaches. Mississippi State, for example, has experienced it for a decade now, as Dan Mullen called his plays as head coach and Joe Moorhead will do the same.
When Mason left Stanford to become Vanderbilt’s head coach, he didn’t want to call plays for the offense. Instead, he called Vanderbilt’s defense for the last three seasons. He never wanted it to be a long-term deal. He was just waiting for the right person.
Mason found the right person in Jason Tarver.
“There were only two guys in the country I would have relinquished my defense to: one is at Stanford University, Lance Anderson, and the other is Jason Tarver,” Mason said.
Tarver and Mason met in 2011 at Stanford, when Tarver was the defensive coordinator. Tarver left Stanford for the NFL, where he worked with the Oakland Raiders for three years and three more with the San Francisco 49ers.
Tarver’s presence has allowed Mason to return to a CEO role, to rave reviews.
“I feel as good as I’ve ever felt,” Mason said. “I’m having more fun now than I’ve had in the last four years. These last six months have been incredible.”
Deebo’s return
South Carolina’s all-around threat Deebo Samuel was off to the start everyone projected him to have. He returned a kickoff for a touchdown in each of his first two games and was averaging more than 16 yards a catch and had three receiving touchdowns and one rushing.
But Samuel broke his leg in a 23-13 loss to Kentucky in Columbia, South Carolina, on Sept. 17. Without him for the rest of the season, the Gamecocks finished 12th in the SEC in yards per game. With him back in the fold, all of that changes.
“Deebo for 11 quarters last year was probably the most explosive player in college football,” Muschamp said. “We’re looking forward to getting him the ball a bunch and having him have a healthy senior season.”
With the rehabilitation complete, Samuel said all he does is pray he makes it through the season injury free. He knows what is possible if he does.
“I’m capable of anything,” Samuel said.
Aeris Williams on watch list
Mississippi State running back and West Point native Aeris Williams was named Thursday to the Doak Walker Award watch list. The award is given to the nation’s best running back. Last season, Williams rushed for 1,107 yards to become the first MSU running back to eclipse 1,000 since 2014 (Josh Robinson).
The Doak Walker Award is the only major collegiate award that requires all candidates to be in good academic standing and on schedule to graduate within one year of other students of the same classification.
Williams was on the Doak Walker Award watch list after earning consideration as a preseason candidate in 2017.
Ole Miss’ Brown named to Biletnikoff Award watch list
Ole Miss junior wide receiver and former Starkville High School standout A.J. Brown was one of 50 players named Thursday to the initial watch list for the Biletnikoff Award.
The award recognizes the top receiver in college football.
Any player, regardless of position (wide receiver, tight end, slot back, and running back) who catches a pass is eligible for the award.
Brown, a preseason first team All-American by multiple publications, set Ole Miss single-season records in receiving yards (1,252) in 2017. He also tied for the top spot in receiving touchdowns (11). Brown led the SEC and ranked sixth nationally in receiving yards per game (104.3).
Brown, who was named to the Maxwell Award watch list earlier in the week, was a 2017 semifinalist for the Biletnikoff as a sophomore. His six 100-yard receiving games tied for best in a single season, equaling Laquon Treadwell’s mark in 2015.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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