Paul Finebaum on SEC Spring Meetings: 'This was all about Commissioner Sankey'

The 2024 SEC Spring Meetings had a different feel to them according to Paul Finebaum. That’s because, for the first time in a long time, Greg Sankey took the spotlight over the course of the conference’s time in Destin.

Finebaum discussed the feel around the league’s meetings from last week during ‘McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning’ on Monday. He said that the proceedings centered upon their commissioner with him leading the way throughout the week.

“Well, I think it was clearly Greg Sankey’s meeting. In the past, you may have seen Nick Saban command the stage. Or the Saban-Jimbo feud from two years ago,” noted Finebaum. “I mean this was all about Commissioner Sankey because he really is now in that position of everything goes through him in relation to what happens in the future.”

That did prove a certain point to Finebaum, though. With them all going into the first year without Saban in the SEC in 17 years, he said Sankey’s positioning made it clear to many that none of the coaches are yet able to take his place in that context.

“Not to harp on Nick Saban but you could clearly feel his absence everywhere you went. Kalen DeBoer was likable and engaging. Same for Sarkisian, Kirby Smart, and all these other coaches. But that superstar, that supernova that this league has had for the last 17 years was gone,” Finebaum said. “We knew he would not be easily replaceable but, walking around for three days at that hotel, it became pretty self-evident that nobody is going to replace Nick Saban.”

Sankey’s position also led to a shift in the usual conversation from those meetings. Rather than what will go on on the field, the discussion more so focused on the guidelines around the sport. However, Finebaum felt he and many were okay with considering where college football is today.

“I thought it was good in one way because we did not have a lot of football conversation. We’re about to have that. I mean we are, what, five weeks away, six weeks away from the beginning of the SEC Media Days? So we’ll get all that all day, all night,” said Finebaum. “This was really about the technical issues. I think some of the coach’s conversations were a little bit overheated but I get it. I mean for Kirby Smart to argue passionately about walk-ons is exactly what a head coach needs to be doing considering everything is going through a megaphone or being messaged.”

Greg Sankey has the status as one of the most powerful men in collegiate athletics by leading the Southeastern Conference. That effect, per Finebaum, is what led to his newly established effect on the league that they felt over the course of last week in Florida.