The 2026 SEC Media Days are held Monday-Thursday at Tampa Marriott Water Street and JW Marriott in Tampa, Florida on SEC Network.
Tuesday's schedule is as follows:
• Auburn head coach Alex Golesh at 10:35 a.m.
• Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea at 12:30 p.m.
• South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer 1:55 p.m.
Live updates:
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart
Smart on studying OKC Thunder's culture
Kirby Smart said that he will have Georgia study other very successful sports team, noting the Bulldogs have studied the Thunder.
"We enjoy the success of others more than the success of ourselves, and that's what what our team and program is built on, ..." Smart said. "We study successful programs all the time. So if you're not studying how other people are doing it and you're just fixated on your own team and your own roster, I think you're missing out. ... It's very unqiue what the Thunder was doing, especially when they won the championshipnin terms of leading in so many categories."
Josh Heupel
Heupel on facing Lane Kiffin in Knoxville in 2026
Heupel shared that he looks forward to playing LSU head coach Lane Kiffin in Knoxville after Tennessee fans expressed frustration with Kiffin in 2021 when he returned after a controversial departure from the program in 2010.
"Certainly hope our fanbase hasn't cooled off, whether it's the grocery stores being fully stocked with mustard or our sports stores making sure they've got reinforcements on the golf balls. Hopefully, Knoxville is ready for his arrival."
Will Stein
Stein on Joe Sloan
The Wildcats hired a new offensive coordinator this offseason in Joe Sloan, who previously coached at LSU. Stein had high praise for Sloan at SEC Media Days.
"One of the best quarterback coaches I've been around, ... I love him to death," Stein said. "I'm fired up he's here."
Eli Drinkwitz
Drinkwitz provides update on Ahmad Hardy
Drinkwitz provided an updated on the status of running back Ahmad Hardy after being shot at a concert in May, while noting there is currently not a clear timeline for his return.
"Ahmad has been medically cleared from the bullet that struck him," Drinkwitz said. "He is on the road to recovery. ... The bullet struck a bone in his body that has been fully healed and cleared. And today was his first day back towards a full recovery. We anticipate that he will make a recovery. What that recovery will look like after having a bullet strike you is still to be determined."
Brent Venables
Venables on run game
Venables emphasized the team's need to improve in the run game after the Sooners ranked No. 13 in the conference in rushing yards last season.
"It puts tremendous pressure on every part of your team when you can't consistently run the football, and so fortunately, for us, a year ago, guys stepped up at times and were a big part of us helping win at times," Venables said. "But at the end of the day, for us to be who we want to be, the vision that we have, we've got to run the ball a hell of a lot better."
Venables on team's leadership
Venables said that this year's leadership is the best it has been since he arrived in Norman.
Greg Sankey
Sankey on new 5-in-5 eligibility rule
The NCAA adopted new eligibility rules in June, giving student-athletes up to five years after their 19th birthday. It does not guarantee every student-athlete five years but only ones who delay enrollment. The new rule replaces making decisions through different variables with a consistent model.
Sankey said that there should have been more careful thought put into the decision.
"Transition into this five-year eligibility model, that it happened when it did and the way it did, that magnifies frustration," Sankey said. "We went through a College Football Playoff discussion for years and introduced a 12-team playoff, where it just sat because colleagues couldn't move, and they had reasons. But those reasons didn't resonate and so understand that, beneath the observation is frustration.
"A national expectation that we participate in a national organization, that national organization must function in a healthy manner."
Opening statement
Sankey said in his opening statement that the 2027 media days will be July 12-15 in Nashville.
Sankey said the SEC placed more teams in the College Football Playoff than any other conference. He added that football teams within the SEC draw an average of 80,000 fans each game, making it the highest average attendance for any sport league in the world.
Sankey said there should be changes made to the Protect College Sports Act, based around four principles:
• If Congress establishes national rules, individuals and organizations who comply with those rules should not be subject to ligitation simply for following the law.
• The framework should be truly national.
• Transparency and accountability are essential.
• The legislation should treat similarly situated organizations equally, while preserving institutional choice.
