SEC Media Days 2026
by GEORGE SOMERVILLE
THE TOUCHDOWN’s SEC CORRESPONDENT
Football is Back!
The return of Conference football media days means football on Saturdays is just around the corner. Yes, friends, football is BACK!
By the time you read this, BIGXII media days will have concluded, kicking off what we affectionately call “Talkin’ Season”.
Next week, the SEC rolls into town, and by then, the show is well and truly on the road!
From now until the last weekend in August, we will obsess over the new season with talk of “Who’s favourite”, “Who’s not”. “Who’s going to be a Heisman favourite?” & “Which Coach is on the hot seat?”
Talking season is all about what we “think” will happen across the conferences and how each team will fare in this new season.
Given the spectacular end to last season, with Indiana winning a National Championship, the 2026/27 SEC football season is eagerly anticipated. The bar has been set high!
All Change in the SEC
In the SEC this year, there is a huge change. Six teams start the season with different coaches than they started last season. Most talked about is Lane Kiffin, who left behind a trail of destruction in Oxford after jumping ship to Baton Rouge. Kiffin will lead the LSU Tigers this year. This is a storyline which will continue to dominate the headlines during Talkin’ Season. In turn, Pete Golding looks to steady the ship at Ole Miss while Will Stein, Alex Golesh, Ryan Silverfield and Jon Sumrall experience the intensity of the SEC for the first time as Head Coaches. And that’s just to begin with!
Much of what the media and fans debate over the ensuing months will come from the conference Media Days being held all across the country. This is the first opportunity to hear directly from Head Coaches and Players about their preparation for the upcoming season.
This year, SEC Media Days will be held over four days across two Marriott Hotels in Tampa, Florida.
Over the four days, more than 1,000 members of the media will speak with selected members of the 16 SEC football teams, all of whom will be on site in Tampa.
This year will mark my fourth time at SEC Media Days, and I’ll be working hard to bring you all the news from the four-day event on these pages and on social media throughout the week of the event.
SEC Media Days are just like the Conference itself – big and intense. However, if you’re not familiar with what happens during media days, I thought I’d provide a guide to what to expect during that middle week in July.
sec media days - a guide
what are media days?
Media days are held all across college football, providing the media with access to the teams in their respective conferences. This coming together enables the media to preview the upcoming season.
Media days are the beginning of “talkin’ season,” which runs all the way until the start of the new college football season on August 23rd.
Rankings, predictions, speculation, even hot seats will be debated from here until August, and a large part of this will be fueled by the chatter which comes out of media days.
how do media days work?
Southeastern Conference media days are held over four days from July 20th to 23rd. When media days were born, the media visited each school campus to meet with the teams. However, with conferences expanding, this meant that media packs could be on the road for significant periods of time – not an efficient use of everyone’s time.
When the decision was made to hold a central meeting, SEC media days were held in Birmingham, Alabama, which is home to SEC Headquarters. However, it wasn’t until recent years that Media Days have started to revolve around the Conference landscape.
This year, the event will be held in Tampa, Florida, for the very first time. It will be only the sixth time it has been held outside Alabama and the third occasion when it hasn’t been held in Alabama or at the College Football Hall of Fame.
The SEC hosted the first Media event in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1985 before moving to Hoover, Alabama, where Media Days were held for the majority of its existence.
And a little bit of history for y’all. In 1985, 100 media members attended that first event in Birmingham. Today, only the CFB National Championship game attracts more media interest than any other in college football. While this year’s event is likely to attract a larger media presence, last year, 1,300 members of the media were on site in The College Football Hall of Fame to speak with the SEC teams.
who appears and when?
The structure of SEC media days is complex and large, and they run like clockwork.
A team’s timetable is set out precisely for the day they are on site, allowing the head coach and players to navigate from area to area efficiently and on time.
The event is divided into different areas based on the type of media. The main room is designated for general media, while an electronic media room is reserved for web, audio, and podcast media members. There is a large radio row, this year called Digital Drive, where interviews are conducted on an almost production-line basis. The SEC Network is set up in various parts of the venue. SEC Nation is based in the main hall alongside the Finebaum show, while Marty and McGee have their own purpose-built sets.
This means that head coaches and players have precise times to be at set locations, with a specific amount of time allocated to each media outlet for interviews. This is set out in a matrix that allows anyone to see, for example, where Lane Kiffin is at any given time. It is a well-oiled machine.
The schedule is now set with head coaches confirmed for each of the following days
Monday, July 20
- Kentucky — Will Stein
- Missouri — Eli Drinkwitz
- Oklahoma — Brent Venables
- Tennessee — Josh Heupel
Tuesday, July 21
- Auburn — Alex Golesh
- Georgia — Kirby Smart
- South Carolina — Shane Beamer
- Vanderbilt — Clark Lea
Wednesday, July 22
- Alabama — Kalen DeBoer
- Florida — Jon Sumrall
- Ole Miss — Pete Golding
- Texas A&M – Mike Elko
Thursday, July 23
- Arkansas — Ryan Silverfield
- LSU — Lane Kiffin
- Mississippi State — Jeff Lebby
- Texas — Steve Sarkisian
2026 Football Media Days Student-Athlete Attendees
Alabama
Zabien Brown, DB
Ryan Coleman-Williams, WR
Bray Hubbard, DB
Arkansas
Caden Kitler, OL
Quincy Rhodes Jr., DE
Sutton Smith, RB
Auburn
Champ Anthony, DB
Byrum Brown, QB
Alex McPherson, K
Florida
Jadan Baugh, RB
Myles Graham, LB
Vernell Brown III, WR
Georgia
Drew Bobo, OL
Gunner Stockton, QB
Raylen Wilson, LB
Kentucky
Ty Bryant, S
Kenny Minchey, QB
Willie Rodriguez, TE
LSU
TJ Dottery, LB
Trey’Dez Green, TE
Whit Weeks, LB
Ole Miss
Trinidad Chambliss, QB
Will Echoles, DT
Kewan Lacy, RB
Mississippi State
Anthony Evans III, WR
Kelley Jones, CB
Kamario Taylor, QB
Missouri
Cayden Green, OL
Jamal Roberts, RB
Nicholas Rodriguez, LB
Oklahoma
John Mateer, QB
Eddy Pierre-Louis, OL
Taylor Wein, DL
South Carolina
Nyck Harbor, WR
LaNorris Sellers, QB
Peyton Williams, DB
Tennessee
DeSean Bishop, RB
Arion Carter, LB
Jeremiah Telander, LB
Texas
Trevor Goosby, OL
Arch Manning, QB
Colin Simmons, DE
Texas A&M
Daymion Sanford, LB
Marcus Ratcliffe, S
Marcel Reed, QB
Vanderbilt
Sedrick Alexander, RB
Issa Ouattara, DL
Junior Sherrill, WR
key storylines to follow
Tough at the top
In my spoiler alert at the start of this piece, I talked about wholesale changes at the Head Coach level for 6 schools. At one point last season, 38% of SEC schools were without a Head Football Coach, which, while a sign of the times, was completely unprecedented.
With the exception of Kiffin – who we will talk about next – the other coaches have never been Head Coaches in the SEC, so they will make their Head Coaching debut this season. Alex Golesh will be at Auburn, Ryan Silverfield at Arkansas, Will Stein at Kentucky and Jon Sumrall at Florida.
Pete Golding was promoted from Defensive Co-ordinator to Head Coach at Ole Miss while Lane Kiffin moved to LSU.
This means the off-season has brought much moving and shaking for these programs at a time when, frankly, recruiting is at its most critical stage. Remember, players can automatically transfer when their Head Coach leaves. So keep an eye on LSU & Ole Miss, and especially Auburn, Kentucky, Florida, and Arkansas, as players report back for fall camp to see how rosters are shaping up.
Chaos and Kiffin
These words seem to fit hand in hand a little too easily these days. Even before Kiffin announced that he was leaving Oxford for Baton Rouge, Kiffin was box office. Social Media loves Lane Kiffin, and Lane reciprocates this love. Or should that be past tense? Recently, the now LSU Tigers Head Coach has been very quiet on social media. It is rumoured that LSU Athletic Director Verge Ausberry has asked Kiffin to dial back his public persona as he settles into his new role. And truth be told, we haven’t had an X update on Kiffin or Juice, his dog, in a long time. Is Kiffin a changed man, or can a Tiger not change its stripes? See what I did there……
Anchor Down or Anchors away?
Vanderbilt Head Coach Clark Lea has transformed the football program in Nashville. Last season, the Commodores recorded their first 10-win season in the history of the football program. It is fair to say that the period when Vanderbilt was the whipping boy of the SEC is over, and Nashville-born Lea has been pivotal in the cultural change seen at the program.
The question for this season is whether Vanderbilt can repeat this feat and even go one step further without their talismanic quarterback, Diego Pavia?
This seems a little disingenuous to Lea and his coaching staff; however, there is no doubt that Pavia was the spark that made the Commodores catch fire. This is an interesting one to watch.
Coaches already on the hot seat
Given that six SEC Head Coaches had moved on by the end of last season, it seems ridiculous to suggest that even more Head Coaches could be on the hot seat. But it is the SEC and in a college football landscape where winning has never been important – yup, coaches are on the hot seat.
So who makes the list even before a ball is thrown in anger?
I would caveat this list by saying that of the names below, the relevance of being on the hot seat is mostly down to the huge expectations of their respective fan bases.
Kalen DeBoer
Alabama’s humbling at the hands of eventual National Champions Indiana in the Rose Bowl left Crimson Tide fans with a sour taste last season. Year three for Head Coach DeBoer is crucial. DeBoer cannot afford another 8-win season in Tuscaloosa. In his first two seasons in Tuscaloosa, DeBoer has had two four-loss years. This is virtually unheard of in T-Town, so DeBoer knows he has a short time to deliver, at the very least, an SEC Championship. That said, signing a contract extension after last season helps DeBoer significantly as he leaves his stamp on the program.
Shane Beamer
Somehow, Shane Beamer’s name always appears on hot seat polls at this time of the season. The problem is that Beamer has taken this Gamecocks team far, and expectations are high. Beamer himself says he understands the hot seat chat. The Gamecocks have been consistently good under Beamer but have succumbed to defeats at the wrong times, derailing their seasons. Columbia, SC remains one of the hardest places to go play football and would not be atop any list of teams’ choice of venue to play in a CFB Playoff. The problem is the Gamecocks have to get into the playoffs, which is no mean feat.
Josh Heupel
Talking of unrealistic expectations, Tennessee Vols fans are right up there. Surprising to many that Josh Heupel appears on the tongues of folks talking about Head Coaches who are under fire. But Heupel is, and this is as a result of his own success. Only two years ago, Heupel took the Vols to the College Football Playoff. Last season, the Vols were 8-5 with no Playoff berth secured. Vols fans are a testy bunch and have let Huepel know that this isn’t what they expect. Heupel needs to have found his quarterback this year.
Steve Sarkisian
This might seem ridiculous; however, the Texas Longhorns are in win-now mode. While not confirmed, this is likely Arch Manning’s final year in Austin before heading to the NFL. Having a generational talent like Manning and not bringing the best out of him and winning a National Championship? Unforgivable. Remember this: the Texas team hasn’t won an SEC Championship yet, and the rumours of Sark being wooed by the NFL won’t go away.
how to keep up with all that's going on
In 2019, the SEC Network began live wall-to-wall coverage of the event. If you have access to the SEC Network, you can watch the whole day live, along with scheduled shows such as SEC This Morning, SEC Nation, and The Paul Finebaum Show. ESPN Radio will also broadcast live and is available via the ESPN app, free to use in the UK.
Alternatively, given the over 1,300 media members on-site, established media outlets such as CBS and ESPN, among others, will have content available on their websites.
Of course, you are reading the Touchdown, and just like last year, I will be live in the room in Tampa. Please stay up to date via Touchdown’s X and Instagram accounts, as well as our SEC-specific YouTube channel, “It’s Only SEC,” available here.
You can follow me on X and Instagram at @geosomerville.
We will post as much content as possible over the week from Tampa.
It is shaping up to be a truly amazing and fascinating week ahead. Buckle up, folks, it’s going to be a wild ride!
GEORGE SOMERVILLE
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WRITER
GEORGE IS A LONG STANDING FANATIC OF LIFE AND FOOTBALL IN THE DEEP SOUTH AND WRITES HIS WEEKLY COLUMN CALLED “IT’S ONLY SEC” FOR THE TOUCHDOWN. HE IS ALSO CO-HOST AND ONE THIRD OF THE COLLEGE CHAPS PODCAST, THE UK’S FIRST PODCAST DEDICATED TO THE COLLEGE GAME.