July 11, 2016
Season Ticket Information | @VandyFootball | Quotes
Media Days Recap | Media Days Central
Running back Ralph Webb knew it wasn’t just Vanderbilt that he was representing on Monday at SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala.
“I kept thinking about my mom today — and how excited she would be to see me on TV doing this,” said Webb, the junior from Gainesville, Fla. “I know she is going to be at home, watching, and she’ll be screaming and stuff each time that I am on there. That makes me feel good.”
Webb is quickly becoming a veteran of SEC Media Days, having participated in each of the past two years. At Monday’s event, which was held at the Wynfrey Hotel, Webb was joined by a pair of Media Day rookies — Zach Cunningham and Oren Burks — along with head coach Derek Mason.
“Last year, I didn’t really know what to expect other than what (Sports Information Director) Larry Leathers had prepared me for,” said Webb. “But this year, it was kind of my job to tell the other guys what Media Day was all about. So I did my best to do that. But really, it’s hard to get a feel for it until you actually experience it.”
Webb, Cunningham and Burks — along with a few members of the support staff — arrived at the Wynfrey Hotel around 1 p.m., and soon began working their way through a four-hour maze of interviews and video shoots.
The afternoon started with the players making a run through “radio row” — a hallway that is lined with tables on both sides, occupied by talk-show personalities. The majority of the radio stations are from around the southeast but the room also included some national flavor, including satellite radio stations.
From there, the players embarked on an extensive tour of interviews, which included making stops in nearly a dozen different rooms. The list featured Q-and-As with ESPN, CBS, Sirius/XM Radio and the SEC Network, among others. The players also made a pair of stops in two of the hotel’s giant ballrooms, where the players were available to print media and television stations.
Along the way, the players were asked a wide range questions, many of which were not football-related. “What’s your favorite Halloween costume?” and “What’s your biggest pet peeve?” were among the inquiries.
“It was a little repetitive at times,” said Webb with a smile, “but it’s a good time. I was glad to come back and do this again this year. It’s always good to promote Vanderbilt football.”
