HOOVER, Ala. -- After looking like it would be an afterthought at SEC Media Days -- and especially after the Nick Saban/ Paul Finebaum dust-up -- Missouri became THE story on Wednesday when news broke about the abrupt departure of athletic director Mack Rhoades.

It was an unenviable situation for Missouri’s contingent. Barry Odom said Rhoades told him he accepted the Baylor job on Tuesday night; no one else seemed to have any idea what was coming. And, even if Gabe DeArmond didn’t break the news around 1:15 PM, it was still coming out -- Baylor had planned to announce the hire that afternoon originally.

It just so happened it came during Odom’s time at the podium in the main room.

To his credit, Odom was very diplomatic about the situation, saying, “I respect Mack calling me and having the conversation.”

But Odom made sure to turn his time in front of the media into almost a State of the Union, saying, basically, that all is well in Columbia.

“I know I got a group of guys coming back that are anxious and excited about getting the 2016 season started,” Odom said. “And when I have the opportunity to tell people about the University of Missouri and get them on campus and show them my feelings towards the place, Mizzou is in a really good spot.”

Odom, of course, was also asked about last year’s team boycott and the protests on campus, and he had a really good response as to how he continues to increase the communication with his players about those situations.

“I think if you look at the things that have happened in America in the last two weeks, there’s still ongoing discussions that we have every day with what’s going on,” Odom said, “and I think that’s important for me. I treat the kids just like I do my kids at home, and I’m going to treat them fairly and honestly and I want them to have a relationship that we can sit down and talk through a lot of those issues to make sure that it’s not a fair judgment to me to put anything on -- I haven’t walked through his shoes. He hasn’t walked through mine.

“Let’s get together, share ideas, share our philosophies and our believes and make sure that we’ve got all the facts before we do anything from there.”

It’s always interesting to see which players will discuss their NFL draft intentions early in the season, and which will try to avoid the topic.

Count Charles Harris as one of those in the former category.

After being named to the All-SEC second team as a redshirt sophomore, Harris said he never really considered the draft because he wanted to play one more year with Harold Brantley, who is returning after missing the 2015 season.

But after this year? Harris said his eyes are set on the 2017 NFL Draft, but there’s always a possibility plans could change.

“I’m looking to make this year my last year, for the most part,” Harris said. “But I want to break records. I want to make sure I play with Harold. I want to make sure I leave a great name. If that doesn’t happen, then we’ll see.”

In another interesting note, Harris said he is friends with Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett, and the two talk about their trade and their experiences at their respective schools. Both Barnett and Harris, along with Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett, could be first-round picks in next year’s draft.

There’s no Kentrell Brothers in the middle of Missouri’s defense this year, but Michael Scherer joked that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

“I don’t hear about how good the linebacker I’m playing with is now,” Scherer said, smiling. “From the other linebacker. I don’t hear that everyday.”

But, seriously, Scherer said he knows he has to fill that void in more than just the stat category.

“It’s just more responsibility on my part,” the redshirt senior said. “More people look up to me, and more people expect me to make more plays, to be better. I actually like that. It’s made me work harder. It’s made me get my life, off-the-field, together and realize that, hey, this is my last shot and I’ve got to make something out of it. It’s just made me a lot more focus.”

After posting 114 tackles in 2014, Scherer dropped off a bit with 93 tackles last year -- although he added nine tackles for loss, which ranked 14th in the conference among linebackers. Scherer said he had little injuries that nagged him last year.

“It was in my head all year,” Scherer said. “And then, it’s not like I was doing terrible, but I got a guy next to me who was a world beater. It can kind of weigh on you over the season, and then we had things happen. It’s just kind of like things tumbled down hill.

“Once, toward the end of those few games where I felt completely healthy and was great, I had great games against Mississippi State, Tennessee, and then there were other games I didn’t do so well and I would stay up, pounding my pillow with my fist. Not happy. But I’ve put in a lot more work this year and corrected what was wrong in the past.”