SEC Media Days: What To Expect As The 2025 Season Officially Kicks Off This Week In Atlanta

ATLANTA – While Beyoncé and the MLB All-Star Game might be one of the hottest tickets in town over the next couple of days, it's SEC Media Days that has the attention of college football fans, as "Talkin’ Season" is upon us. 

If you were looking for the "bat signal" for the kickoff to football season, look no further than the 16 SEC coaches who will take the stage this week inside the College Football Hall of Fame. 

The unofficial start to the college football season was last week in Dallas, with Big 12 coaches taking the stage, but there will be plenty of eyes on what transpires in Atlanta, as many questions linger about the sport's future. 

Hope you aren't tired of hearing about NIL, how players are going to be paid, what kind of problems have already arisen, and how many transfer portal periods there should be, because you're going to hear a lot more about those subjects this week. 

Make sure you follow OutKick for the latest news and interviews, as I will be joined this week by the "Hot Mic" crew at the SEC Media Days. 

Trust me, I'm ready to start talking about the upcoming season just as much as you are. 

Ok, now don't get all excited thinking we're going to get quotes from a few participants that will trigger opposing fan bases, but we're usually treated to a few moments that cause fans on the message boards to lose their collective minds. 

SEC Media Days are here. (Credit: Trey Wallace)

Even though every player who will take the podium in Atlanta has gone through a media training course, there will still be plenty of viral moments that will get us through the next 48 days before kickoff. 

And while Lane Kiffin has softened his tone over the past few years, besides his ongoing Twitter jokes, you can expect plenty of coaches to discuss the ongoing problems related to NIL and the House settlement. Thankfully, Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia is heading to Atlanta with fierce confidence, which usually leads to the quarterback saying a few things that will be used as bulletin board material for opposing teams. 

Yes, I said Vanderbilt and bulletin board material in the same sentence. 

Who's Headed To SEC Media Days? Arch Manning Will Be Swarmed

In terms of scheduling each day, there will be plenty of opportunities to listen to coaches discuss how much better their team is going to be this season, while knowing that half of them probably don't believe the words coming out of their mouths. 

Here's the daily list of coaches you'll be hearing speak: 

• Monday, July 14: LSU’s Brian Kelly, Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin, South Carolina’s Shane Beamer, Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea
• Tuesday, July 15: Auburn’s Hugh Freeze, Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Tennessee’s Josh Heupel, Texas’ Steve Sarkisian
• Wednesday, July 16: Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, Florida’s Billy Napier, Mississippi State’s Jeff Lebby, Oklahoma’s Brent Venables
• Thursday, July 17: Arkansas’ Sam Pittman, Kentucky’s Mark Stoops, Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, Texas A&M’s Mike Elko

As for the players joining their coaches on the podium, you can expect Tuesday to be the wildest of them all because of Texas quarterback Arch Manning making an appearance. 

While there are plenty of people who have already proclaimed Manning to be the second coming of his uncle Peyton, folks might want to pump the brakes. Sure, the Longhorns quarterback has the chance to be great, but we still haven't seen the young man compete at a high level, save for the two starts he got in 2024. 

This week should also be the starting point for South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers to start his unofficial Heisman Trophy campaign, as he speaks with the media alongside his head coach, Shane Beamer, on Monday. 

Prevalent Burning Questions Coaches Will Try To Skirt

Is Ty Simpson going to be the starting quarterback for Alabama that can lead them back to the College Football Playoff, under second-year coach Kalen DeBoer? 

What about Austin Simmons at Ole Miss? It will be difficult for Lane Kiffin to replace Jaxson Dart, but Simmons might actually be the guy. Kiffin will almost certainly be peppered with questions regarding the transfer portal, and how his Rebels will be looking to make the College Football Playoff after striking out last season with a loaded roster. 

How many times will Josh Heupel be asked about Nico Iamaleava leaving Tennessee on the final day of spring practice? Yes, you can expect that question to be asked a lot. Would it have made sense to just pay the quarterback and avoid all the offseason nonsense? Sure, but that whole ordeal was deeper than just Iamaleava looking for a pay-bump. 

Josh Heupel and Tennessee have moved on from Nico Iamaleava, but the questions will still be asked  (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

You can expect Heupel to give the whole "we’ve moved on, and I'm excited about our quarterback room, with a true competition taking place during Fall camp". speech. And, yes, the addition of Joey Aguliar will be a topic of conversation. 

Oh, and let's not forget about the other coach who will be peppered with questions, but not particularly about the on-field product.

How Is The Golf Game Of Auburn's Hugh Freeze? Yes, It Will Be Asked

For the past month, it seems just about every Auburn fan has been concerned about how many times head coach Hugh Freeze has hit the golf course. No, I'm not kidding, and neither was Golf Digest, when the magazine decided to jump into the fun. 

While Auburn has been getting beat on the recruiting trail lately, plenty of Tiger fans have blamed this on Hugh Freeze playing several rounds of golf. Yes, folks think these coaches don't have a life outside of football. Do you know how many coaches sneak off to play a round of golf during the regular season? 

I'm sure the number would force you to retract some of your statements about Hugh Freeze. 

Even Lane Kiffin took a jab at the Auburn coach on social media. The best response from Freeze should've been asking how many times Kiffin has hit the "Gulf of America" for a fishing expedition over the past few months, but Freeze didn't take the bait. 

I would not expect you to learn much about your favorite team this week in Atlanta at SEC Media Days, but I can almost promise you there will be some entertaining quotes that come out of the College Football Hall of Fame. 

So, strap in. Make sure you're following OutKick for the latest news and interviews this week.