It would be hard for Florida head coach Todd Golden to recognize the league he now coaches in compared to when he first left it.

Golden was an Auburn assistant during the early years of Bruce Pearl. He left in 2016 to go to San Francisco where he would eventually become the head coach before returning to the SEC to lead Florida in 2022.

His press conference Wednesday in Birmingham to kick off SEC basketball media day for the 2023-24 season marks the beginning of his second year back in the SEC.

During his time at Auburn, Golden saw an SEC dominated by Kentucky and without as many highly regarded coaches as the league has now. It’s a league that was dominated by football, Golden said.

“But you look back at when I first got to Auburn, I think it was 2016, the league was trying to find ways to get basketball at the same level that football was, whether it was creative scheduling, there were a lot of different initiatives they were taking on,” Golden said Wednesday.

The SEC still is a football conference. It can be seen as simply as the comparison between the massive hotel ballroom in Nashville and the week-long ordeal that was football media days and the much smaller room with just a few dozen seats for basketball in Birmingham.

What changed between 2016 and 2022, Golden said, was the influx of top coaches. Pearl brought Auburn to a Final Four in that time. Nate Oats and Eric Musselman came to the league. Rick Barnes brought Tennessee into a consistent contender, too. Buzz Williams appears to have Texas A&M in position to compete for the SEC title.

It’s taken a league dominated by Kentucky to one that is deep and with parity.

“It certainly is going to be the most competitive year in the SEC,” Barnes said.

Barnes’ Volunteers are the preseason pick to win the SEC.

There are five SEC teams ranked in the AP preseason poll. Another four SEC teams received votes. That’s more than half the league with top 25 consideration.

In his time at San Francisco, Golden said he didn’t learn much new, but instead affirmed much of what he learned under Pearl at Auburn. It’s helped him prepare to come back to the SEC. Florida went 16-17 last year under Golden but is one of the nine SEC teams receiving votes.

“It’s one of if not the best league in America,” Golden said. “Every night you’re going up against NBA players on the other side. If you don’t put your best foot forward, if you’re not competitive, physical, ready to go, you’re going to get popped.”

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at [email protected]