SEC Media Days upon us once again
It’s not the official kickoff to the college football season, but perhaps it should be. SEC Media Days is upon us.
This year, there’s a twist.
As you probably know by now, this year’s event is being held in downtown Atlanta after 33 straight years in Birmingham, Ala.
For those unfamiliar with the event, here’s a quick rundown.
Starting Monday, the media who covers the SEC will hear from all 14 head coaches and 42 student athletes (three from each school) representing their respective universities.
Fans are also being encouraged to stop by.
Remember all those shots from the lobby of diehard supporters hoping to catch a glimpse and an autograph from their favorite coach? Well, this year, coaches and players will hold their primary press conferences at the College Football Hall of Fame and the league will have a blue carpet for the participants to traverse while enroute to the proceedings. Fans are encouraged to lineup and get as close as they can.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart was scheduled to get in on the fun early.
He, along with Auburn head coach Gus Malzhan were scheduled to take part in a segment Sunday afternoon the SEC Network, kicking off what will be five days of wall to wall coverage through the end of Media Days Thursday afternoon.
This year, the event it’s taking two venues to host the event.
The main press conference will be held at the College Football Hall of Fame with the floor where fans typically take part in the various interactive games turned into a giant staging area for the throngs of media set to attend.
Other events will take place at the Omni Hotel, right across the street.
Georgia takes its turn at the four-day event on Tuesday.
Joining Smart will be wide receiver Terry Godwin, defensive lineman Jonathan Ledbetter and defensive back J.R. Reed. The Bulldogs will share the Tuesday stage with Ole Miss, Arkansas and Florida.
The rest of the schedule is as follows:
| School | Coach | Player | Player | Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Texas A&M |
Jimbo Fisher |
Kingsley Keke |
Erik McCoy |
Trayveon Williams |
|
Kentucky |
Mark Stoops |
Josh Allen |
C.J. Conrad |
Benny Snell |
|
LSU |
Ed Orgeron |
Foster Moreau |
Rashard Lawrence |
Devin White |
| School | Coach | Player | Player | Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Georgia |
Kirby Smart |
Terry Godwin |
Jonathan Ledbetter |
J.R. Reed |
|
Ole Miss |
Matt Luke |
Josiah Coatney |
Sean Rawlings |
Jordan Ta'amu |
|
Arkansas |
Chad Morris |
Hjalte Froholdt |
Dre Greenlaw |
Santos Ramirez |
|
Florida |
Dan Mullen |
David Reese |
Martez Ivey |
Cece Jefferson |
| School | Coach | Player | Player | Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mississippi St. |
Joe Moorhead |
Nick Fitzgerald |
Gerri Green |
Mark McLaurin |
|
Tennessee |
Jeremy Pruitt |
Kyle Phillips |
Marquez Callaway |
Eli Wold |
|
Alabama |
NIck Saban |
Damien Harris |
Anfernee Jennings |
Ross Pierschbacher |
|
Missouri |
Barry Odom |
Drew Lock |
Terry Beckner |
Terez Hall |
| School | Coach | Player | Player | Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Auburn |
Gus Malzahn |
Jarrett Stidham |
Deshaun Davis |
Dontavious Russell |
|
Vanderbilt |
Derek Mason |
Kyle Shurmur |
Justin Skule |
LaDarius Wiley |
|
South Carolina |
Will Muschamp |
Jake Bentley |
Deebo Samuel |
D.J. Wonnum |
Storylines? It’s probably the coaches. Six schools have new head coaches, including Florida (Dan Mullen), Tennessee (Jeremy Pruitt), Ole Miss (Matt Luke), Arkansas (Chad Morris), Texas A&M (Jimbo Fisher) and Mississippi State (Joe Morehead).
The preseason All-SEC team and league predictions as selected by the media will be announced on Thursday.