SEC media days are being held this week in Tampa

July 20, 2026 – TAMPA, Florida – Coaches, athletic directors and even some star players from the Southeastern Conference are enjoying the heat in Tampa Bay, Florida this week for SEC media days. The 2025 football season ended poorly again for the SEC with a Big 10 team (Indiana) winning yet another national championship. SEC coaches, players, and administrators are optimistic that 2026 will be different.

For the Texas Longhorns this is a make-or-break season. Five-star quarterback sensation Arch Manning is back for his fourth season. Texas fans watched as Arch sat on the bench for two years. Last year was Arch's first as a starter. He was good, but not the Heisman frontrunner that he was hyped to be this time last year. He completed just 61% of his passes – not top 10 in the SEC. Texas went 10 and 3 and defeated Michigan in the Citrus Bowl last year. For most programs 10 and 3 would be good enough, but not for Texas. The University spent over $73 million in operating expenses directly on its football program for the most recent fiscal year. The school's total investment for the player roster and compensation is estimated at $40 million, a budget that includes revenue sharing and collective payouts. Arch Manning makes more money than most Group of 6 schools. Texas isn't paying that to watch other teams in the playoffs. If this team disappoint the seat could get hot for Steve Sarkisian next year.

Georgia is the best football team in the conference and Kirby Smart is the best coach in the conference. They won the SEC, destroyed Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, received a first round playoff bye; but fell short in the playoffs. Quarterback Gunner Stockton is back. If he elevates his play and Georgia avoids major injuries, they could be back in Atlanta competing for another SEC title, but Georgia was the SEC team with the most recent national championships and Bulldog fans want to be back in the national championship chase. Georgia does not have the depth that they had when they won back-to-back national championships, but the NIL and the transfer portal make stockpiling athletes like Kirby and former Alabama Coach Nick Saban used to do impossible for any program.

LSU fired a winning coach – Brian Kelly – because they believed that just winning games and going to a bowl game was not enough. They went out and openly courted Ole Miss Coach Lane Kiffin during the season. LSU has spent a lot of money on this team and Kiffin has been very active in the transfer portal bringing in talent to get the Tigers back in the championship hunt. Kiffin earned the first playoff spot of his career last season with Ole Miss, can he repeat that with a huge NIL budget and a big transfer portal class at LSU? Sam Leavitt - the top quarterback prospect in the 2026 transfer portal after previous stops at Arizona State and Michigan State – should make LSU an instant contender. Can Kiffin have the same early success through the portal that Curt Cignetti had at Indiana or is LSU a year away?

Texas A&M for much of the season was among college football's elite. They were undefeated coming into the Texas game but lost that game to the Longhorns and then lost to Miami in a home playoff game where their offense really struggled. Mike Elko is one of the ten best coaches in the country; but Aggie fans were a little shaken by those two losses. Quarterback Marcel Reed is back for his second year and if he can elevate his game, A&M could be back in the playoffs with real championship hopes.

Alabama achieved every (realistic) expectation. After a really bad opening day loss to Florida State, Alabama beat Georgia, Tennessee, Auburn, and LSU. Ty Simpson exceeded excelled as quarterback. Alabama not only made the playoffs but won a playoff game over Oklahoma. Coach Kalen DeBoer received a massive contract extension in the offseason that will keep him in Tuscaloosa for the foreseeable future. The loss of Simpson to the Los Angeles Rams was a major loss. Keelon Russell is widely projected to be the Tide's QB for 2026. He brings athleticism that the Tide did not have with Simpson; but will he have the same decision-making ability? The Tide could help out their young quarterback with a running game. Sophomores Daniel Hill and Kevin Riley will compete with freshman AK Dear for playing time at running back this year for the Tide. Replacing Kaden Proctor on the offensive line (who left for the NFL) is another major concern in Tuscaloosa.

Ole Miss had the best year for the program in its modern history last year, finishing in the College Football Playoffs semifinals. Lane Kiffin did not wait for the playoffs before he left. Pete Golding went from defensive coordinator to interim head coach, to head coach, to the winningest SEC Coach in the 2026 playoffs including an unlikely win over Georgia. Ole Miss perhaps got its biggest win in the offseason when a Mississippi Judge gave fifth year Senior Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss another year of eligibility. Chambliss arrived through the transfer portal to give the Mississippi quarterback room some depth and veteran leadership. Instead, he became the surprise starter and arguably the best quarterback in the conference in 2026. What will he do for an encore?

Oklahoma upset Alabama to win a playoff spot only to fall to the Tide in a home playoff loss. Coach Brett Venables is back for his fifth season. The Texas game looms large for the Sooners. Venables has a 1 and 3 records against the Longhorns. He doesn't want that to go to 1 and 4. John Mateer is back at quarterback. He had flashes of brilliance early on but got injured versus Auburn. He came back for Texas, but he might have come back too early. The Sooners are hoping that he stays healthy, and they see more of that special type play this year.

Missouri was able to hold on to Coach Eli Drinkwitz even though there were a lot of open coaching positions. Missouri - under Drinkwitz - is always one of the better SEC teams. Is this year they step up and become an elite team. Junior Quarterback Austin Simmons transferred in from Missouri giving the Tigers (at least on paper) its best QB prospect in years. Can Drinkwitz turn that potential into yards, touchdowns, and wins and a potential playoff berth?

Tennessee, after going through one of the worst Coaching carousels in program history following Phil Fulmer's departure, has found program stability under Coach Josh Heupel. Heupel has shown the ability to develop or rehabilitate quarterbacks, and he is once again having to develop a new signal caller for the Volunteers. Will Brandon Faizon (the number one QB in the 2026 class) be able to play or does Tennessee give the reins to redshirt freshman George McIntyre. McIntyre only saw action in two games last year and lacks the raw athleticism, but he has had a year in Heupel's offense. Tennessee is hopeful that new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles (previously at Penn State) will bring improved performance on that side of the ball.

Former Troy University Coach John Sumrall takes over the Florida Gators after Billy Napier was let go this season. Florida, much like Auburn, had a lot of high NIL dollar talent that played below expectations. Sumrall needs time to build this program back to where it was under Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer; but Florida's program has not shown a lot of patience or realistic expectations. Aaron Philo - the transfer from Georgia Tech – is the projected Florida starter at this point. Depth on the offensive line is a concern. Florida will be better than they were last year, but will they contend for a playoff spot? It seems unlikely at this point.

Vanderbilt has been on a ride. For the last two years Vanderbilt has been the best story in the SEC. Transfer Quarterback Diego Pavia (despite his small stature) wowed the whole conference with his arm, his ability to run with the ball, and his ability to take hit after hit and get back up; but now he is gone. Freshman Quarterback Jared Curtis is the highest rated recruit in Vanderbilt history. He is a lot bigger than Diego, but can he command the huddle as a true freshman in an offense that like Ole Miss's demands an enormous amount from its QB. This is not the same old Vanderbilt. They have SEC level talent all over the field and Clark Lea has shown that he is one of the best Coaches in the League, but he does have to do it with a freshman QB and freshmen usually struggle in their first year of SEC action.

Auburn has been a dumpster fire since inexplicably firing Gus Malzahn in 2020. Alex Gollesh gets the challenge of rebuilding the moribund Auburn football program. The entire 2025 offense left in the transfer portal. Senior Quarterback Byrum Brown followed Gollesh from South Florida. He brings athleticism that Auburn has not had in years at quarterback and he knows Gollesh's system. Keeping DJ Durkin as Defensive Coordinator and numerous standout players on that side of the ball means that Auburn should be able to stay in games. The big question marks at Auburn are the rebuilt offensive line and the wide receiver room. Auburn mixes three USF transfers who have history with Brown with a lot of young talent. Will that work against SEC defensive back talent? If it does Auburn could be a problem for some SEC schools – something they haven't been since 2020 – we will find out.

Kentucky fired longtime Coach Mark Stoops last year after a disappointing season. Will Stein comes in from Oregon where he developed Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel into NFL starters as rookies. Junior QB Kenny Minchey transferred in from Notre Dame. Can Stein get Minchey to play to his potential? Nobody knows what this team is going to look like. Nobody had more transfer movement than Kentucky. Every wide receiver and ever offensive tackle in the program left and were replaced with new transfers. Key pickups include wide receivers Dane Key and Barion Brown, Defensive linemen Justin Rogers and Keeshawn Silver, and offensive tackle Kiyaunta Goodwin. If Stein hits on this team, Kentucky could be in a New Years Day bowl game – if not this could be a long year in Lexington.

Arkansas was the worst team in the conference with a 3 and 8 finish (0 and 8 in conference) in 2025. Ryan Silverfield has replaced Sam Pittman as the Arkansas Coach. Longtime Arkansas starting Quarterback is a question mark for the Razorbacks. KJ Jackson and Bradeon Fuller will compete to be the opening day starter, Silverfield has brought in: running back Ja'Quinden Jackson from Utah, wide receiver Tyrone Brooking from USF, offensive tackle Dylan Spencer from Texas, offensive guard Jaden Muskrat from Oklahoma State, linebacker Jordan Crook from Oklahoma State, edge rusher Davion Carter from Memphis, and veteran SEC cornerback Keionte Scott from Auburn. Arkansas will be better this year, but it is hard to find wins in the highly competitive SEC.

South Carolina Coach Shane Beamer is on the hot seat after a 4 and 8 2025 season (1 and 7 in conference). The Gamecocks struggled during SEC play last year and struggled to find an offensive identity. Junior Quarterback LaNorris Sellers is 6'3", 240 lbs and is entering his third year as South Carolina's starting quarterback. He threw for 2,437 yards and 13 touchdowns with 8 interceptions in 2025. He also had 270 yards rushing and five rushing touchdowns. Much like Manning, Sellers needs to raise his game this year for South Carolina to achieve his potential. He needs to make better decisions on third downs to keep drives alive and keep the defense off the field. South Carolina also needs better offensive line play in order to run the ball effectively. If they do, they can be in a bowl game. If they don't, they will be holding a coaching search.

Mississippi State was much improved last year under new Coach Jeff Lebby finishing 5 and 8 and playing in a bowl game. Sophomore Quarterback Kamario Taylor is back for 2026 after earning the starting job last year. His dual threat ability will be a challenge for many SEC defensive coordinators to prepare for. While they looked like an SEC team and played well enough that they weren't the worst team in the conference, Mississippi State still just went 1 and 7 in conference play and this year the number of conference games increases to 9. They should be better than last year, but it is still difficult to find four (or more) SEC wins on their conference schedule.

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