For the first time in several years, Georgia will travel to Fayetteville to play Arkansas on Sept. 19. Georgia coach Mark Richt was asked about Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino, who’s in his second year after leaving Louisville and a short stint with the Atlanta Falcons. Richt had some interesting comments regarding both Petrino and the Louisville job.

“What he did at Louisville was really phenomenal,” Richt said. “Since he’s been gone, they’ve struggled mightily. It’s probably not a coincidence that it had to do with him arriving and leaving.”

Richt went on to add, “He knows what he’s doing. He absolutely is a great quarterback developer, and he has a scheme that will allow that quarterback to have a chance to be great. He knows it takes defense and special teams to win also. I mean, he’s just an outstanding coach.”

The SEC’s heavy hitters will be in full force at Media Day on Thursday. On tap is perhaps the top four teams in the league: defending national champion Florida, defending SEC West champ Alabama, perennial contender Georgia, and Ole Miss, a chic pick in the West.

That means appearances from college football’s poster boy, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, and two of the country’s highest-profile coaches in Urban Meyer and Nick Saban.

Check back with Kentucky.com and my blog for updates throughout the day

Many reporters spent the first day of SEC Media Days trying to figure out which coach did not vote for Florida’s Tim Tebow as the first-team All-SEC quarterback. So far there are no answers. Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino, Vanderbilt Coach Bobby Johnson, and Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen, who was Tebow’s offensive coordinator at Florida before relocating to Starkville, all said they voted for Tebow.

UK Coach Rich Brooks also said he cast his vote for Tebow.

“How could I not vote for (Tebow)?” Brooks said. “He basically killed us two years in a row. It wasn’t me. I’m not the guy. Good luck in your search.”

Kentucky coach Rich Brooks had a nice little one-liner to start off his session at SEC Media Days. Noting that he was the last coach to speak on the day, Brooks said, “That’s where we’ll be picked (in the SEC) anyways. It’s kind of appropriate.”

When Rich Brooks arrived as the head coach at Kentucky in 2003, he said he hoped to become the longest tenured coach in UK history. Brooks would need to coach four more years to surpass Fran Curci’s nine-year run, but Brooks is now saying that he doesn’t expect that to happen. He didn’t give a specific timetable for his departure but said he would turn the program over to coach-in-waiting Joker Phillips before he reaches his tenth year.

When asked what changed his mind, Brooks, who will turn 68 in August and has five grandchildren, said, “I’ve been going to too many memorials.”

UK Coach Rich Brooks has arrived at the Wynfrey and held court with several Kentucky media members before he addresses the national media.  Brooks was asked about the eligibilty of some members of his incoming class of 28 freshmen. Brooks said that LaGrange (Ga.) defensive end Demetri Merritt would not be enrolling, while Tupelo (Miss.) wide receiver Justin Bean and HIram (Ga.) Terrell Mitchell would be attending junior college in the fall. Brooks said he’s still uncertain about the status of defensive end Donte Rumph and tight end Anthony Kendrick, who both have coursework to complete before they can attain freshman eligibility.

Merritt’s high school, Steve Pardue, has said that Merritt would likely attend Southwest Mississippi Junior College, which is where former UK signee Mychal Bailey is currently attending.

Arkansas coach and former University of Kentucky nemesis Bobby Petrino led off SEC Media Days, and Petrino is hoping to take a quantum leap in his second year in Fayetteville after finishing 5-7 in 2008.

The Razorbacks appear to be equipped for a solid turnaround, as they return 17 starters. That includes sophomore quarterback Ryan Mallett, a Michigan transfer who was rated as the nation’s No. 2 quarterback by Rivals.com and Scout.com in 2007. Petrino said the 6-foot-7 Mallett has lost nearly 30 pounds and is now down to 238.

“We will be better a better football team,” Petrino said. “How many wins that adds up to remains to be seen. We’re going to have to win some of those close games in the fourth quarter.

Petrino was asked about the job that Rich Brooks has done at Kentucky. Petrino was 4-0 against Brooks at Louisville before losing to UK 21-20 last year at Commonwealth Stadium.

”You need to take your hat off to what Rich has done there,” he said. “When we first got there, Kentucky was on probation and didn’t have the full amount of scholarships. (Brooks) has done a great job with consistenecy, with recruiting, and with his coaching staff. You also have to give credit to the administration. They understood (Brooks)had a good plan knew what he was doing, and they stuck behind him and gave him a chance to turn the program around.

Petrino hired former U of L coach John L. Smith, whom Petrino served as an offensive coordinator at U of L in 1998, as his special teams coach. Petrino’s son, Nick, has also transferred to Arkansas as a walk-on. The younger Petrino started his college career at Georgetown before transferring to Arkansas Tech then Montana State-Northern.

Got my hands on the 2009 UK media guide upon arriving at SEC Media Days, and here’s the latest depth chart heading into fall camp:

(Note: True freshmen are not included on this depth chart)

OFFENSE

Left Tackle-Zipp Duncan, Billy Joe Murphy, Trevino Woods

Left guard-Christian Johnson, Marcus Davis, Sean Stackhouse

Center-Jorge Gonzalez, Matt Smith, Osaze Idumwonyi

Right guard-Stuart Hines, Jake Lanefski, Dustin Luck

Right tackle-Justin Jeffries, Brad Durham, Dave Ulinski

Tight end-T.C Drake, Maurice Grinter, Ross Bogue

Wide receiver-Kyrus Lanxter, Matt Roark, Nick Melillo

Wide receiver-Randall Cobb, E.J. Fields, Aaron Boyd

Wide receiver-Gene McCaskill, Eric Adeyemi, Michael Harper

Quarterback-Mike Hartline, Will Fidler, Tyler Sargent

Fullback-John Conner, A.J. Nance

Tailback-Alfonso Smith, Moncell Allen, Derrick Locke

Placekicker-Lones Seiber, Ryan Tydlacka, Patrick Simmons

DEFENSE

End-Collins Ukwu, Greg Meisner, Jacob Lewellen

Tackle-Ricky Lumpkin, Mark Crawford, Antwane Glenn

Tackle-Corey Peters, Shane McCord, Luke McDermott

End-Chandler Burden, Taylor Wyndham, Michael Gardner

Strongside linebacker-Sam Maxwell, Jacob Dufrene, Antonio Thomas

Middle linebacker-Micah Johnson, Ronnie Sneed, Mikhail Mabry

Weakside linebacker-Danny Trevathan, William Johnson, Brandon Thurmond

Cornerback-Trevard Lindley, Cartier Rice, Daryl Faulkner

Strong safety-Calvin Harrison, Ashton Cobb, Greg Wilson

Free safety-Winston Guy, Matt Lentz, Taeido Smith

Cornerback-Randall Burden, Paul Warford, Anthony Mosley

Punter-Ryan Tydlacka

The 2009 SEC Media Days have just got going. SEC Commissioner Mike Slive just finished his presentation, and now ESPN executive vice president John Wildhack is now discussing ESPN’s new television deal with the SEC.  Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino will be the first coach to address the print media at approximately 2:10 EST. UK Coach Rich Brooks will hold court with the assembled Kentucky media at approximately 3:30 before meeting with the national press starting at 4:10.  Check my blog all day for continuous SEC Media Day updates, including Brooks’ take on the many issues surrounding the 2009 season.

University of Kentucky football student season tickets have sold out for the second consecutive year. The total of approximately 6,300 surpasses last year’s record mark of 5,909. For the general public, less than 50 season tickets remain.  These upper-level sideline tickets cost $235 each.  Information is available at UKathletics.com, by calling 800-928-2287 or in-person at the Joe Craft Center Ticket Office.