Finally getting a chance to digest everything from the two day event in New Orleans, here's some quick hits from conversations and observations.
- Taking with ADs and Commish Gill, realignment doesn't look to be a concern this year with the Pac12 and AAC movements happening and forthcoming.
- Sun Belt viewership through ESPN nearly doubled last season from the previous year
- Every team in the league discussed their offensive line, so it's not a concern just at ULM but across the board
- The growing metric for speed is no longer the 40-yard time but through the catapult vests - some offensive linemen running upwards of 22 mph
- Other than pre-season all conference P/K Dominic Z of Arkansas St, not a single team mentioned their special teams.
- No one really thinks JMU is the team to beat in the east, in the west it's a 2 team show - USA and Troy
- ODU is still a mystery that no one across the league can figure out.
Specifically for ULM
- There's a strong desire to start having a bigger digital media presence. Lumen (still weird calling it that) has a full video/audio production studio at the recently donated campus and there's a big desire to start leveraging that.
- The Pursuit is going to be a big deal and Hartwell said that he's be more hands on with its planning and execution to get it to being a big deal
- Across the league, there's a real concern for ULM and the week 2 match-up vs. Lamar. While that should be a fairly easy win, there's concerns of the appearance should it not be pulled off.
- Jyra said that he's been working with receivers a lot and things offensively are starting to really come around.
- The defense is going to be good based on everything that was said, and it's going to be what carries this year's team.