Back to Destin
DESTIN, Fla. — It’s a familiar drive made annually the week of Memorial Day that was missed the past two years.
Athens to this Florida panhandle beach town for the SEC spring meetings.
A lot can change since 2019.
There’s three new breakfast places I passed near to the hotel here Sunday.
When I went through my photos for the picture that’s running with the newsletter today, I saw shots of Dan Mullen, Will Wade and Tom Crean.
None of them will be here this week.
Josh Brooks will, though. It’s his first time here as Georgia athletic director, but that’s not such a big deal in his eyes for someone who moved into his job in January 2021.
After all, Brooks sat next to then athletic director Greg McGarity in meetings in Destin in past years before moving into the chair himself.
“I’ve had like five rounds of SEC meetings (as AD),” Brooks said. “This is the first time for the whole Destin thing. We’ve had two day meetings in New Orleans.”
There’s been meetings in Birmingham and Nashville, too.
This time he will bring the whole family--wife Lillie and sons Jackson, James and Davis.
Kirby Smart and new basketball coaches Mike White and Katie Abrahamson-Henderson will be here for meetings.
NIL and SEC future football scheduling format will be the hot topics.
“I think everything is being discussed,” UGA president Jere Morehead said of scheduling. “We’re going to have a joint presidents-AD meeting during the Destin meeting. But I’m not at a point of predicting what outcomes will occur at this stage. The athletic directors have been in much more discussion about this, so part of this is for the presidents to have a discussion with the athletic directors to see where they are.”
A lot of business will get done this week, but Thursday there’s time for golf and tennis for those that want to play in the Florida sun. Some things don’t change.
Follow me on Twitter @marcweiszer and email me at mweiszer@onlineathens.com
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Back to Destin
