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2026 College Football SEC Media Days: Full Schedule, TV Channels and Streaming Guide

The SEC's four-day roadshow lands in Tampa for the first time, and the headline race starts before anyone runs a single play.
Matt De Lima|
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart serves as the tip of the spear in the SEC as the Bulldogs look to regain their place atop the sport with a national championship run in 2026.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart serves as the tip of the spear in the SEC as the Bulldogs look to regain their place atop the sport with a national championship run in 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

In this story:

Georgia BulldogsLSU TigersAlabama Crimson TideKentucky WildcatsMissouri TigersOklahoma SoonersTennessee VolunteersAuburn TigersSouth Carolina GamecocksVanderbilt CommodoresFlorida GatorsOle Miss RebelsTexas A&M AggiesArkansas RazorbacksMississippi State BulldogsTexas Longhorns

College football has an unofficial opening ceremony, and it doesn't happen on the field.

It happens in a hotel ballroom, under stage lights, with a rotating cast of coaches, star players and TV personalities all trying to say the right thing before a single snap counts. That's SEC Media Days, and the 2026 edition kicks off Monday, July 20, running through Thursday, July 23.

For the first time in the event's history, the show sets up shop in Tampa, Florida, splitting time between the Tampa Marriott Water Street and the JW Marriott. Dallas, Nashville and Atlanta handled the previous three years and before the traveling roadshow era, Hoover, Alabama, held the event for two straight decades.

It's a four-day audition for headlines, and the coaches who work the room best often walk away controlling the story straight into fall camp.

Where to watch 2026 SEC Media Days

Dates: Monday, July 20 to Thursday, July 23
Location: Tampa Marriott Water Street and JW Marriott, Tampa, Florida
TV: SEC Network
Streaming: ESPN+, fubo, ESPN app

Continuous live coverage runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET each day on SEC Network.

Monday opens with commissioner Greg Sankey's state-of-the-conference address, which sets the tone for a week loaded with hot-button topics: the SEC's move to a nine-game conference schedule for the first time, NIL, the transfer portal and a title drought that now stretches three seasons. In 2022, Georgia was the last SEC program to win it all.

What's actually driving the week

Six first-year head coaches headline the storylines, and the biggest name change is impossible to miss. Lane Kiffin bolted Ole Miss for LSU in the middle of a College Football Playoff run, and he'll take the podium Thursday wearing a very different shade of purple and gold.

Kentucky's Will Stein, Auburn's Alex Golesh, Florida's Jon Sumrall, Arkansas' Ryan Silverfield and Ole Miss' Pete Golding round out the newcomer class.

LSU president Wade Rousse, head coach Lane Kiffin, athletic director Verge Ausberry
It's a new era in Baton Rouge as LSU president Wade Rousse, left, head coach Lane Kiffin and athletic director Verge Ausberry will have all eyes on their program in 2026. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Then there's the star power. Texas quarterback Arch Manning enters his second full season as the undisputed starter with a preseason Heisman spotlight already trained on him, and the Longhorns close the whole week Thursday afternoon.

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and Oklahoma's John Mateer are also among the Heisman names expected to command attention.

Full 2026 SEC Media Days schedule

The SEC broadcasts every session across all four days. Below is the coach and player lineup for each team.

Monday, July 20

  • Kentucky: HC Will Stein, S Ty Bryant, QB Kenny Minchey, TE Willie Rodriguez
  • Missouri: HC Eliah Drinkwitz, OL Cayden Green, RB Jamal Roberts, LB Nicholas Rodriguez
  • Oklahoma: HC Brent Venables, QB John Mateer, OL Eddy Pierre-Louis, DL Taylor Wein
  • Tennessee: HC Josh Heupel, RB DeSean Bishop, LB Arion Carter, LB Jeremiah Telander

Tuesday, July 21

  • Auburn: HC Alex Golesh, DB Champ Anthony, QB Byrum Brown, K Alex McPherson
  • Georgia: HC Kirby Smart, OL Drew Bobo, QB Gunner Stockton, LB Raylen Wilson
  • South Carolina: HC Shane Beamer, WR Nyck Harbor, QB LaNorris Sellers, DB Peyton Williams
  • Vanderbilt: HC Clark Lea, RB Sedrick Alexander, DL Issa Ouattara, WR Junior Sherrill
Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer
Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer calls a play during the Alabama A-Day spring football game at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Wednesday, July 22

  • Alabama: HC Kalen DeBoer, DB Zabien Brown, WR Ryan Coleman-Williams, DB Bray Hubbard
  • Florida: HC Jon Sumrall, RB Jadan Baugh, LB Myles Graham, WR Vernell Brown III
  • Ole Miss: HC Pete Golding, QB Trinidad Chambliss, DT Will Echoles, RB Kewan Lacy
  • Texas A&M: HC Mike Elko, LB Daymion Sanford, S Marcus Ratcliffe, QB Marcel Reed

Thursday, July 23

  • Arkansas: HC Ryan Silverfield, OL Caden Kitler, DE Quincy Rhodes Jr., RB Sutton Smith
  • LSU: HC Lane Kiffin, LB TJ Dottery, TE Trey'Dez Green, LB Whit Weeks
  • Mississippi State: HC Jeff Lebby, WR Anthony Evans III, CB Kelley Jones, QB Kamario Taylor
  • Texas: HC Steve Sarkisian, OL Trevor Goosby, QB Arch Manning, DE Colin Simmons
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Matt De Lima
MATT DE LIMA

Matt De Lima is a veteran sports writer and editor with 15+ years of experience covering college football, the NFL, NBA, WNBA, and MLB. A Virginia Tech graduate and two-time FSWA finalist, he has held roles at DraftKings, The Game Day, ClutchPoints, and GiveMeSport. Matt has built a reputation for his digital-first approach, sharp news judgment and ability to deliver timely, engaging sports coverage.

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