10 takeaways from 2026 SEC Media Days ...Middle East

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SEC Media Days kicked off on Monday and concluded Thursday. All 16 SEC head coaches, as well as 3 player representatives per team, fielded questions from reporters, sat for TV interviews and took part in other media appearances away from the podium. Collectively, their answers give us an intriguing insight into each program heading into the new season.

Here are 10 takeaways from this year’s SEC Media Days in Tampa, Florida.

1. Greg Sankey confirmed that a breakaway from the NCAA is still on the table

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey reiterated this week that discussions related to the SEC breaking away from the NCAA are real and not being used simply as a leverage point.

What does that really mean, though? Truthfully, it’s a little hard to tell right now.

In an interview with Brandon Marcello, Sankey said that he likes to think of these talks less as promoting a severance from the NCAA and more as “conference-led change” towards a split from the current college structure. He says that SEC schools are frustrated by the uncertainty and don’t want to continue down a path where there is a clear lack of leadership, open to volatility.

I asked SEC commissioner Greg Sankey to explain the NCAA “breakaway” comments he made. As I expected, it’s not what is being portrayed in the headlines. pic.twitter.com/qUyNjIyGY7

Kirby Smart reaffirmed that he supports breaking away from the NCAA and has for some time. While speaking with ESPN’s “Get Up” on Tuesday, Smart said, “Until [the SEC] gets governance and we have someone that actually has the power to make decisions, or we can make decisions within our own community, we’re not going to have much control.”

One option floated as a potential problem-solver is the Protect College Sports Act, a bi-partisan bill introduced by Senators Maria Cantwell and Ted Cruz which aims to regulate college sports. It’s worth noting, however, that the SEC and Big Ten do not support the bill in its current form. Sankey said Monday that talks with congressional leaders are ongoing as the 2 sides attempt to come to common ground before the senate takes its August recess.

2. Will Stein certainly isn’t lacking in confidence

Will Stein gave the answer of the week when asked why Kentucky will win big under his watch.

“I think because of me, to be honest. I think ’cause of me,” he said.

It’s hard not to respect the confidence it takes to say that as a first-year head coach in the SEC. Some would rather use the word overconfident to describe Stein’s answer, but we’re talking about Kentucky here. If the Wildcats want an Indiana-like turnaround, it’s going to take a borderline arrogant attitude.

Several on social media have already made the comparison: Could this comment prove to be Stein’s “Google Me?” Considering what Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti did last season will forever be considered one of the greatest turnarounds in sports history, it might be best to temper expectations and file this one away in the “let’s wait and see” folder. Still, how do you not come away from the week even slightly more intrigued by Stein and the Wildcats?

“You just got to believe, man,” Stein said. “You just got to put the ball down and play. There’s really nothing else to be said.”

3. Lane Kiffin regrets his messy exit from Ole Miss

Lane Kiffin made a few life changes this offseason, and I’m not talking about his recent decision to delete social media.

Speaking with ESPN on Thursday, Kiffin said, in general, he’s trying to look at things from a new perspective: “How could I have done them better?” Kiffin revealed this perspective shift after insisting he regrets the way he handled his messy exit from Ole Miss.

Specifically, Kiffin wishes he just walked away when told no during his meeting with Ole Miss AD Keith Carter.

“I wish I would have gone in when I met with Keith and said, ‘I’ve made the decision to go,'” Kiffin said. “I wish I would have just said, ‘Hey, I’d like to coach the team,’ and he’d say, ‘No.’ And I’d say, ‘Hey, OK, I appreciate it.’ [I wish I’d] move on [and] never even discussed it again.”

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4. There’s no beef between Pete Golding and Lane Kiffin

If the SEC were to hand out a trophy for “best SEC Media Days appearance,” Pete Golding would win this year’s award pretty handily. The crowd of reporters in Tampa actually gave Ole Miss’s new head coach a round of applause when his time at the podium was up.

Why? Because Pete Golding was refreshingly authentic, that’s why.

Golding had a lot to say. He called out tampering hypocrisy, revealed his method for keeping Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy in Oxford and cleared the air on his relationship with former Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin.

“I have no ill will towards Coach Kiffin,” Golding said. “He texts me on a regular basis and there are certain things we’ll talk about and certain things we don’t talk about. He’s very competitive just like I’m very competitive. So obviously a lot of this went a different direction. Now he has a new job with new responsibilities and he’s going to be super competitive to be the best he can at that job, which is his job.”

“Lane and I are good … I have no ill will towards coach Kiffin.” Pete Golding on his relationship with Lane Kiffin pic.twitter.com/DE3yl895Py

While Golding affirmed that he and Kiffin are on good terms, he also shared that he was brutally honest with him during the decision-making process.

“I’ll be the first one to tell you I told him I would think he was dumb if he was to leave. I wanted him to stay. It was a selfish decision because I loved being the DC where I was at. He decided what was better for him and his family and that’s for him to decide. No ill will towards him at all. Wish him the best of luck. We play him like every other SEC team, and we are going to both show up and spot the ball and play.”

5. Jon Sumrall isn’t going to whine and complain about a 9-game SEC schedule

Eli Drinkwitz and Lane Kiffin both made comments that suggest they are against the SEC’s adoption of a 9-game conference schedule. “I think we’re all saying it when we look at our schedules,” Drinkwitz said, responding to a question asking if SEC coaches will ever regret the 9-game adoption. “It’s gonna be a real challenge.”

Kiffin, who Drinkwitz said largely led the charge against the 9-game schedule in offseason meetings, shared a similar sentiment: “What you’re going to have is more conference losses. You don’t prove anything… If we keep playing each other, we don’t prove we’re better than anyone else.”

Jon Sumrall took a different approach when asked about the 9-game league schedule on Tuesday.

“I’m not going to whine and complain about being an SEC head football coach,” Sumrall said.

That answer perfectly sums up Sumrall’s first appearance at SEC Media Days. It’s said that a team takes the personality of its head coach — that can only be a good thing for Florida football moving forward.

6. Arch Manning is poised for a “heck of a season,” per Steve Sarkisian

Steve Sarkisian commented on Arch Manning’s mindset heading into the 2026 season on Thursday, and it was a great look into the mindset of the Longhorns’ star quarterback.

Sarkisian started by mentioning that Manning didn’t arrive at Texas with a sense of entitlement. He didn’t take a TV interview and say he was going to be picked No. 1 overall, and he didn’t say he was going to win the Heisman Trophy. Instead, he put his head down and went to work.

Manning ended 2025 very strong, leading the Longhorns to a 7-1 finish after posting early losses at Florida and at Ohio State. He did this amid harsh criticism, largely fueled by those who deemed him to have failed the expectations they themselves set for him.

“I think the weight of what he got put through probably would have melted or destroyed 99% of people in his shoes,” Sarkisian said of Manning. “All he did was stay consistent and true to who he was, which was to continue to work hard, continue to be a great teammate, try to get better, and he did.”

In one of his interviews on Thursday, Manning said he learned a lot about himself following 2025’s early struggles and vowed it’ll be different when the Buckeyes come to Austin on September 12. “I don’t want to repeat that game,” Manning said.

“I’m very proud of Arch for the way he’s carried himself, the way he represents the University of Texas,” Sarkisian concluded. “I think right now he’s a very dangerous player because he learned a lot from last season, and he is surrounded by some good players. I think that he’s a guy that’s poised for a heck of a season.”

7. No promises for Jared Curtis at Vanderbilt

Despite Jared Curtis being the highest-rated recruit in Vanderbilt football history, head coach Clark Lea isn’t making the true freshman any promises. Nor, he says, does he feel the pressure to name the top 3 prospect Vanderbilt’s Week 1 starter solely based on his prior accolades.

Lea acknowledged that Curtis and senior QB Blaze Berlowitz are the primary contenders in an ongoing quarterback battle that will be decided in fall camp. Berlowitz attempted 17 passes last year as Pavia’s backup following a lone season at New Mexico State in 2023.

Something Lea said during Media Days was interesting and sheds further light on the ongoing battle: “We have to focus on ways to strengthen as a team to take pressure off that position,” Lea said. “I don’t know how it’s going to look. The story is yet to be written. I do know that I’m excited for it, and we’ll be excited to kind of see it unfold through training camp.”

One thing to remember here: Not only is Diego Pavia gone, so are 4 offensive lineman who started for the Commodores last season. And while Curtis’s talent is obvious — he has a higher ceiling as a passer than Pavia — you have to wonder where his processing is at as a true freshman.

Definitely a battle to keep an eye on.

8. Speaking of… here’s the latest on other SEC QB battles

Several quarterbacks are going to have to go compete and earn their team’s starting job in fall camp. While no SEC coach revealed their team’s starter this week, answers out of Tennessee, Florida and Alabama shed some more light on their respective competitions.

Let’s start with Florida.

Jon Sumrall said he views the Gators as having 2 starters as it stands right now. Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo followed new OC Buster Faulkner from Atlanta and has the most familiarity with the system, but Tramell Jones Jr. popped in the spring and can’t be counted out. “None of them need to be Tim Tebow,” Sumrall said.

Admittedly, Sumrall’s answer doesn’t exude quite as much confidence as Josh Heupel when the Vols coach was asked about the ongoing competition between George MacIntyre and Faizon Brandon. It’s all déjà vu for Heupel at this point: “Over the last 9 years, I think we’ve had 7 different starting quarterbacks,” Heupel said. “We’ve also had 7 offenses that were top-10 in the country in scoring.”

Heupel’s offenses definitely put quarterbacks in a position to succeed. To add to Heupel’s stat, Tennessee will have started a new quarterback across each of the past 5 seasons once MacIntyre or Brandon take the field on Sept. 5.

Kalen DeBoer said that the decision between Keelon Russell and Austin Mack is not going to be an easy one. “They’re both more than capable,” DeBoer said. “I think they’re high-level elite quarterbacks…it’s going to be a tough decision.”

9. Ahmad Hardy medically cleared for action, return timetable still unclear

Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz gave reporters and fans a positive update for star running back Ahmad Hardy on Monday.

Hardy, who was shot in the upper leg in May while attending a concert in Mississippi, has been medically cleared and is set to work his way back across the next 5-8 weeks. “The bullet did strike a bone in his body, and that’s been fully healed and clear,” Drinkwitz said. “Today (Monday) was his first day back to a full recovery.”

According to Drinkwitz’s timetable, Hardy should be back for the Tigers by the time SEC play kicks off against Mississippi State on September 26. It’s worth noting that Mizzou‘s Week 2 matchup at Kansas is about 7 weeks away. Last year, for reference, Hardy rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown in a 41-32 win over the Jayhawks.

It was just another day in the office for Hardy, who led the SEC in rushing yards per game (126.85) and average yards per carry (6.44). For the season, Hardy totaled 1,649 rushing yards with 16 rushing touchdowns.

“My anticipation, from what I’ve seen, from the way he’s attacked his rehab, he’s going to be a better Ahmad Hardy than he was before,” Drinkwitz said.

10. Dante Dowdell’s status is uncertain for Georgia following an ATV accident

Georgia running back Dante Dowdell was injured this past week in an ATV accident. Smart didn’t have much to say, but what he did say was pretty telling.

“We don’t know when his return will be,” Smart said. “… He’s out of the really tough range, but as far as his complete health and coming all the way back, I don’t know what that looks like in terms of this year.”

Dowdell transferred in from Kentucky after totaling 560 yards and 3 touchdowns last season. Previously, Dowdell played for Oregon and Nebraska, and for his college career he’s amassed 16 total touchdowns. He was set to star in the Georgia RB room alongside returners Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens, who combined for 1,463 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns last season.

10 takeaways from 2026 SEC Media Days Saturday Down South.

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