Steve Spurrier will open his first season at South Carolina against Central Florida, which went 0-11 in 2004. AP
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HOOVER, Ala. -- "Well, thanks. I've missed all of you, too."

Those were the initial official words new South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier uttered Wednesday upon returning to the Southeastern Conference's preseason media days for the first time in four years Wednesday, and it was soon obvious he really meant them. "I found out it was a lot more fun hanging around the SEC than that other league I hung around for a couple years," he said.

During a star-studded first day at the conference's annual media circus, Spurrier's mere presence managed to overshadow both the unofficial unveilings of first-year coaches Urban Meyer (Florida) and Ed Orgeron (Ole Miss) as well as the much-anticipated return of local arch-enemy Phillip Fulmer, the Tennessee coach who skipped last year's festivities to avoid being subpoenaed as a witness in the defamation lawsuit former Alabama assistant Ronnie Cottrell brought against the NCAA. (Fulmer, who was fined $10,000 by the conference for his no-show, used his opening statement Wednesday to deliver a prepared sermon defending his well-documented role in Alabama's NCAA punishments, then deftly deflected all questions on the subject.)

As if there was ever any question whether Spurrier's aura still looms large in this part of the country, it was quickly answered the first time he tried to walk through the main hallway of the Wynfrey Hotel's convention area. A paparazzi-like throng of more than 20 cameramen documented his every move, with one poor schlub stumbling backward into a post in the midst of the chaos. "I thought it was the president walking by," joked Gamecocks linebacker Lance Laury, who was standing nearby.

While Spurrier's rivals didn't necessarily miss him (Fulmer said his initial reaction to hearing Spurrier had taken the South Carolina job was, "Aw, crap"), there's no question the media did. Reporters ate up every word as Spurrier delivered his customary share of aw-shucks one-liners. But Spurrier's comments on Wednesday were of a markedly different nature than those the typically made during the 12 years he lorded over the conference while at Florida.

He has been humbled by his two-year, 12-20 stint with the Washington Redskins in that "other league" and is realistic about the talent level he has inherited in Columbia. The brash, ultra-confident Spurrier of old has been replaced by a new, self-deprecating model -- which, for entertainment purposes at least, isn't necessarily a bad thing. Among his best offerings Wednesday:

• On whether he's really more humble now: "I don't think I was quite as loud or cocky or arrogant as you guys thought, because all of my cute little comments usually occurred at [booster] clubs in the middle of the summer. Those people want to hear something funny."

• On his advocating for a college football playoff system while he was at Florida: "I've got to admit, my [stance] on that has changed a little bit, mainly because I don't think I have to worry about that right now."

• On South Carolina's lone conference championship, the 1969 ACC title: "We were 6-0 in the ACC in 1969, the [Chinese] Year of the Rooster ... and '05 is [also] the Year of the Rooster. ... All I'm saying is we've got the rooster year on our side. That's about all we've got going for us right now."

• On the recent announcement that NCAA rules violations occurred at South Carolina under predecessor Lou Holtz: "A lot of people didn't even know we were being investigated. When the news broke last week, our freshmen were like, 'We were under investigation? No one ever told us.' It's not like I bothered to tell them."

That Spurrier would bring a much-needed dose of levity back to the ultra-serious SEC was never really a question. The curiosity surrounding him this preseason has more to do with the fact that no one really knows whether his famed Fun 'n' Gun passing offense will work at traditionally mediocre South Carolina. He indicated as much Wednesday by dismissing the inevitable comparisons between his current situation and the one he walked into in 1990 at Florida, where the Gators, like this year's Gamecocks, were coming off a five-loss season the year before (they improved to 9-2 under Spurrier's direction).