SEC Media Days: How 1,200 Credentials And Sixteen Teams Make For A Wild Week Of Talkin' As Season Arrives

ATLANTA - Imagine waking up at 3am local time so you can drive four hours to get an autograph from your favorite team's head coach and players, or attending your first ever media event as the face of the organization, knowing the attention will far surpass your expectations. This is SEC Media Days. 

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that the yearly event is a glorified press conference that provides listeners with the opportunity to hear from players and coaches that you might not have the chance to interact with during the year. But, that's what truly makes an event like media days special for those whose job is to give you enough to talk about as we head towards the college football season. 

While you might think that some of these athletes are going to say something that will make headline news across the country, the fact is that they are trained by very good media relations staff members to avoid just that. 

But, that doesn't mean everything always goes according to plan, even if you've prepared for weeks leading up to the event. While the Big 12 held their yearly event last week, with the ACC and Big Ten scheduled to hold their press gatherings next week, it's officially that time of year when you can stop talking about a Mount Rushmore of your favorite athletes. 

If you missed out on any of the interviews from OutKick's ‘Hot Mic’ crew of Chad Withrow and Jonathan Hutton, make sure to click this link. 

SEC Media Days is an experience that coaches might not enjoy, but the players are all-in. Via: Trey Wallace

As you make your way from the hotel to the College Football Hall of Fame, it's almost as if you are walking into a Disneyworld experience for fans of the sport. And yes, at the end of the day, we are fans. Why do you think we got into this business? 

Sitting at a table that is surrounded by some of the richest history in all of college football is somewhat terrifying, but thank goodness most of the valuable artifacts are enclosed in a glass case, as I tip-toed around coax-cables on the ground, with wires strung across the floor. 

SEC Media Days is an experience that coaches might not enjoy, but the players are all-in. Via: Trey Wallace

One day you’re listening to Brian Kelly talk about the upcoming season and what it will take to get over the hump to win a national championship. The next morning, it's Arch Manning being baptized into the media pool that is unrelenting. 

And let's be clear about this week: It was Arch Manning's opening night, and all the attention was on the legacy quarterback who now has the keys to the Texas Longhorns offense. The only other player I can recall who had more attention would be Johnny Manziel, which turned into a frenzy for those in attendance. 

Obviously, I could discuss the time former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer skipped the event in Hoover because he knew a subpoena was waiting for him when he landed in the State of Alabama. So he decided to hold his ‘press conference’ by speakerphone, which is still one of the wildest events in SEC Media Day history. 

SEC Commissioner, Greg Sankey joins the OutKick 'Hot Mic' show from media days

What Is Radio Row Like For An Event That Credentialed 1200 People? 

It's pretty crazy, if I'm being honest. 

From the moment you step foot in the building, if you are a player or coach, you're shuffled around to different tables that have already requested your presence. Now, you better be on the list, or your chances of interviewing either the head coach or star athlete are slim to none. 

And yes, you pay to have a table on radio row, just as you would at the Super Bowl or any other event that will garner this much attention for your brand. But if you think of it as the unofficial kickoff party to the season, it all makes sense at the end of the week. 

I watched as Alabama's Kalen DeBoer was escorted from one table to the next, with SID Aaron Jordan doing his best to accommodate as many shows as possible, knowing that all DeBoer wants to do is finish his obligations and get back on the private jet to Tuscaloosa. 

No, the coaches don’t enjoy this week, which is why I'd imagine Lane Kiffin was ecstatic when he found out he'd be appearing on the first day. Even though Josh Heupel might enjoy talking about his team, he was in no way excited to field questions about how his Tennessee team responded when Nico Iamaleava left for the West Coast pastures. 

Heck, he would've enjoyed pulling a ‘Fulmer’ and doing this all by zoom, but that's why he's paid for the media obligations. 

Oh, and it's not personal when a coach doesn't have time to sit down for an interview, as they can't entertain 50 different outlets in the short time period they are at the event. There are a few who have grown to enjoy it, just as long as they’re not entering the season on the hot seat, or having to explain why they like playing so much golf. 

SEC Media Days is an experience that coaches might not enjoy, but the players are all-in. Via: Trey Wallace

The Players Enjoy The Experience Of Representing Their Team

Even though they might be prepped for questions before arriving, there will always be a few questions that catch a player off-guard. One of the more interesting dynamics that we've seen play out over the years is the transfer portal guys who are asked questions about their former team, who just might happen to be in another room nearby. 

For someone like Arch Manning, while he said that he didn’t quite understand all the hype for a guy who had only started two games at Texas, he most assuredly understood the circumstances. Before players make their way over to the main room and radio row, they will meet with the local media that traveled to the event, usually in a small room away from the chaos that awaits. 

This is the case for every team, but as I listened to Manning discuss his first two years at Texas, it was easy to recognize that this was just a young man living life as a college student, though he's seemingly walking around with a massive invisible sign that says "I’m important," though not because of his own doing. 

The same could be said for DJ Lagway, who assuredly saved Billy Napier's job last season at Florida. Walking to the podium, you could see the crowd already awaiting his arrival, as we hoped to get the latest news on his shoulder, with the season rapidly approaching. 

Obviously, he was going to tell us everything was fine, so it wasn't as if we were waiting for him to say "No, it’s all kinds of messed up," though it would have been an interesting way to start the day. 

While Kadyn Proctor was peppered with questions about what Alabama can do this season to make the playoffs, he also had the chance to speak about his love for different colognes, which was actually fascinating to learn that someone could have 170 different bottles of fragrances in one house. 

Alabama's Kadyn Proctor SEC Media Days is an experience that coaches might not enjoy, but the players are all-in. Via: Trey Wallace

This is the type of question-and-answer session that you most of the time hear at the Super Bowl, but it's the different flavor of inquiries that allows players to feel comfortable with cameras and microphones shoved in their faces. 

And to be honest, it's the small moments like these that make an event like this so fascinating. Sure, the same can be said for just about every preseason media event, but more importantly, this is a time to learn something about these players that most of the time would go unnoticed. 

While Texas A&M will be the last team to take the podium this afternoon in Atlanta, Mike Elko might have the easiest job of all the coaches that traveled to SEC Media Days this year. 

If you’re not on the first day, you might as well be the last. Thank goodness the 2025 season is almost here, because talkin' season is more about NIL and the transfer portal these days, than it is the upcoming product on the field. 

See ya in Columbus!