SEC Media Days, which mark the unofficial start to the college-football season, are upon
SEC Media Days can be wild and unconventional. The four days are the unofficial start of college football.
us once again. The 14-member conference with the media will head to the Hyatt Regency Birmingham-Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Ala., from July 10-13.
After an offseason discussing nearly every topic that comes up since the season ended, the media and coaches sometimes go off-script. A few major examples are Florida Gators quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow being asked if he was a virgin and former Vanderbilt University coach Robbie Caldwell discussing turkey insemination.
Mostly the questions are safe, and the coach’s answers are even safer. But who knows what will happen when players and coaches step to the podium.
SEC Media Days will open on July 10 with conference Commissioner Greg Sankey. University of Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema, senior quarterback Austin Allen, senior offensive lineman Frank Ragnow and senior defensive back Kevin Richardson II will follow him.
Louisiana State University head coach Ed Orgeron, along with senior wide receiver D.J. Clark, senior defensive back Christian LaCouture and junior running back Derrius Guice, meet with the media next. Orgeron’s thick Cajun accent sometimes makes it hard to follow what he is saying, and he is the coach most likely to pull a Caldwell.
The University of Tennessee closes out day one with head coach Butch Jones, senior defensive back Emmanuel Moseley, senior offensive lineman Jashon Robertson and senior defensive lineman Kendal Vickers.
Day two will begin with the University of Florida head coach Jim McElwain, senior defensive backs Duke Dawson and Marcell Harris, and junior offensive lineman Martez Ivey. Even as offensively challenged as they are at times, the Gators have won the last two SEC East titles.
The University of Georgia head coach Kirby Smart follows Florida with senior running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, and junior linebacker Roquan Smith.
Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason faces the media next with senior linebacker Oren Burks, senior running back Ralph Webb and junior quarterback Kyle Shurmur. The Commodores are the final team of four straight East teams at the podium.
Day two ends with Mississippi State University head coach Dan Mullen, senior wide receiver Donald Gray, senior linebacker Dez Harris and senior offensive lineman Martinas Rankin. Mullen’s shoes could be a topic of conversation once again at media days for his interesting style.
The University of Alabama, which has been the most dominant team in the SEC for the last decade, begins day three with head coach Nick Saban, senior offensive lineman Bradley Bozeman, junior defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick and junior wide receiver Calvin Ridley.
Next up is the University of Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops, senior quarterback Stephen Johnson, senior linebacker Courtney Love and junior safety Mike Edwards. The University of Missouri follows the Wildcats with head coach Barry Odom, senior linebacker Eric Beisel, senior wide receiver J’Mon Moore and junior quarterback Drew Lock.
Day three ends with the Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin along with senior defensive back Armani Watts, junior wide receiver Christian Kirk and junior offensive lineman Koda Martin. Sumlin’s job security could be a major topic at the end the day.
The final day of media begins with Auburn University head coach Gus Malzahn, senior kicker Daniel Carlson, senior defensive back Tray Matthews and senior offensive lineman Braden Smith. Malzahn is another coach that could be on the hotseat at the beginning of the season.
The University of Mississippi is up next with head coach Hugh Freeze along with junior offensive lineman Javon Patterson, junior defensive tackle Breeland Speaks and sophomore quarterback Shea Patterson. Freeze will have to answer questions about the NCAA investigation at some point during media days.
Finally, the University of South Carolina closes out the 2017 SEC Media Days. Head coach Will Muschamp, junior tight end Hayden Hurst, junior wide receiver Deebo Samuel and sophomore quarterback Jake Bentley are the last coach and players to face the media.
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