Notes and Quotes from the American Athletic Conference Football Media Kickoff

Coach Monty and the Players … Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery along with defensive players DE Trevis Gipson and SAF McKinley Whitfield, and offensive players WR Justin Hobbs and OT Willie Wright made the trek to Newport, Rhode Island Monday morning for American Athletic Conference Football Media Days, Monday and Tuesday … flight was pretty comfortable … if you're wondering it's 1,548 miles from Tulsa to Newport, RI.

Best part of the Clambake… For Tulsa's four student-athletes attending football media day kickoff festivities, it was each of their first times in Rhode Island and their first clambake … they each enjoyed feasting on the spread at the Annual Clambake Monday night … wondering what their favorite dishes were? … Justin Hobbs – lobster … Trevis Gibson – lobster, just needed a little more seasoning … McKinley Whitfield – cornbread and chicken … Willie Wright – cornbread and sausage … a note worth mentioning, none of the four tried the clams.

Defying the Odds… It was probably not unexpected that Tulsa would be picked 6^th in the 2018 media preseason poll for the American Athletic Conference, since finishing in 6^th place a year ago … since joining the league in 2014, Tulsa has not been picked any higher than 4^th in the preseason … but preseason polls are just that, preseason polls … after being picked 6^thin the West Division in Philip Montgomery's first season as head coach in 2015, Tulsa finished in 4^th place, and in 2016 Tulsa finished 2^nd in the West with a 6-2 American record after a 4^th place preseason ranking.

What did They Like… All-in-all it was a great experience for the Tulsa player contingent … here's what they said … Willie Wright said, "it's been a good time. We were able to see the downtown area a little bit, and got to see $30M yachts … McKinley Whitfield chimed in, "had a good time. It was just different, it gets you pumped up to see that Tulsa didn't get much mention" … Justin Hobbs commented "we've had a good time, 'it's been an honor to represent the city of Tulsa and the team up here with the other teams from our league" … and Trevis Gipson added "I enjoyed the photo shoot on Monday, the food has been good too."

Catching Up … Good to see former Tulsa graduate assistant offensive coach Mike Norvell at Media Day … Norvell enters his third season as the Memphis head coach and has his Tigers picked first in the West Division in 2018 … he says his 4-year old has kept him busy in the off-season … Tulsa will face Memphis this year at Liberty Bowl Stadium in Memphis on Saturday, Nov. 10.

Bowl Reps … Bowls represented at American Athletic Conference Football Media Kickoff were the Sugar, Liberty, Gasparilla, Birmingham, Orange, Peach, Dollar General, Fiesta, Frisco, Cotton, Armed Forces, Military and Independence Bowl … it was great to catch up with reps from a couple fairly recent Tulsa bowl games – Harold Graeter of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl and Trey Giglio of the Independence Bowl.

Fifth Year Anniversary … The American Athletic Conference begins its sixth year of existence … commissioner Mike Aresco said about the league "I take great pride in what this conference has accomplished over its five-year history, what our schools have accomplished. We know where we were in 2013 when we launched this reinvented and rebranded conference, and how we are perceived now. It is night and day, and the potential we had in the wake of realignment is being realized, much faster and on a much greater scale than anyone could have imagined. Brick after brick has been laid and now the foundation has been built. For our conference this is, paraphrasing something Churchill once said, not the end or even the beginning of the end, but it is clearly the end of the beginning. We have much work to do, but we are confident and established and we have opportunities not many thought we would have."

Commissioner Aresco on the Power6 … "You've heard a lot about the Power 6, or P6 as we refer to it in shorthand, and I have said that it is no longer a media or promotional campaign, it is reality. This conference has proven time and again that it belongs in the so-called power group. Tremendous energy has been invested in the P6 campaign. 2017 was another major step forward as UCF went undefeated and defeated #7 Auburn in the Peach Bowl. When you win 26 P6 games in the past three years, including high-profile wins against Oklahoma, Florida State, Auburn, Ole Miss, UNC, NC State, Pittsburgh, Louisville (twice), among others, it is no fluke. When you have 90+ games each with one million or more television viewers, it is no fluke. When you have 15 NFL draft picks to the Big 12's 14 in 2017, it is no fluke. When you have set NCAA all-time receiving records, when you have an Outland Trophy winner, a Nagurski Award winner and two Sullivan Award winners, and a host of other individual awards, it is no fluke. If this is not power, then power loses its definition. There is a symmetry in the tagline "P6 in Year 6", but never has it been more on point."

Notes and Quotes from the American Athletic Conference Football Media Kickoff

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