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LOOK: SEC goes above and beyond to squash Jimbo Fisher-Nick Saban feud at annual spring meetings

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz05/31/22

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(Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)

All eyes are sure to be on Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher at the SEC spring meetings after their public spat two weeks ago. The seating chart for the meetings is out — and the two coaches aren’t sitting close together.

Previously, SEC officials said the seating chart would be in alphabetical order by school. WJOX’s Pat Smith tweeted a picture of it, and Fisher is sitting between four SEC officials. David Cutliffe and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey are two his left, and four officials are on his right. William King, Mark Wommack, John McDavid and Herb Vincent are all between Fisher and Saban.

Saban and Fisher had a public back-and-forth earlier this month after Saban offered some interesting comments at an event in Birmingham. He alleged Fisher and Texas A&M “bought every player on their team,” and Fisher turned around and called Saban a “narcissist” during an emergency press conference. Saban later apologized on SiriusXM.

That led to a public reprimand from Sankey and the SEC, and it adds to the intrigue of the meetings. Still, the league seems to be making sure the two coaches aren’t sitting near each other.

Eli Drinkwitz on SEC spring meetings seating chart: Mike Leach is not a quiet talker

Another interesting group on the seating chart is Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz and Mississippi State coach Mike Leach. The two are sitting next to each other, and Drinkwitz had a hilarious response about spending time with Leach.

“Eli Drinkwitz said the coaches are seated in alphabetical order by school, so he sits next to Leach,” ESPN’s Heather Dinich tweeted. “He said Leach is NOT a quiet talker and he’s always worried Leach is gonna get him in trouble.”

The SEC spring meetings take place all week in Destin, and the topics of conversation include NIL and a potential change to the league’s intraconference transfer portal deadline.