Day 1 Notebook: Big talk & big hopes make the rounds

HOOVER, Ala. — The reigning Heisman Trophy winner plays in the Southeastern Conference. So does a quarterback that has led two national championship teams.

Yet, there is a large faction that believes that best player in the SEC isn’t Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel or Alabama’s A.J. McCarron, but instead South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, a 6-foot-6, 274-pound monster who runs a 4.4 40-yard dash and posted 13 sacks last season.