College football has an unofficial opening ceremony, and it doesn't happen on the field. It happens in a hotel ballroom, under stage lights, with a rotating cast of coaches, star players and TV personalities all trying to say the right thing before a single snap counts. That's SEC Media Days, and the 2026 edition kicks off Monday, July 20, running through Thursday, July 23.For the first time in the event's history, the show sets up shop in Tampa, Florida, splitting time between the Tampa Marriott Water Street and the JW Marriott. Dallas, Nashville and Atlanta handled the previous three years and before the traveling roadshow era, Hoover, Alabama, held the event for two straight decades.It's a four-day audition for headlines, and the coaches who work the room best often walk away controlling the story straight into fall camp.Where to watch 2026 SEC Media DaysDates: Monday, July 20 to Thursday, July 23Location: Tampa Marriott Water Street and JW Marriott, Tampa, FloridaTV: SEC NetworkStreaming: ESPN+, fubo, ESPN appContinuous live coverage runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET each day on SEC Network. Coming live from Tampa soon ... 👀🌴📽️#SECMD26 x #ItJustMeansMore pic.twitter.com/Mrq9JUulZY— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) July 20, 2026Monday opens with commissioner Greg Sankey's state-of-the-conference address, which sets the tone for a week loaded with hot-button topics: the SEC's move to a nine-game conference schedule for the first time, NIL, the transfer portal and a title drought that now stretches three seasons. In 2022, Georgia was the last SEC program to win it all.What's actually driving the weekSix first-year head coaches headline the storylines, and the biggest name change is impossible to miss. Lane Kiffin bolted Ole Miss for LSU in the middle of a College Football Playoff run, and he'll take the podium Thursday wearing a very different shade of purple and gold. Kentucky's Will Stein, Auburn's Alex Golesh, Florida's Jon Sumrall, Arkansas' Ryan Silverfield and Ole Miss' Pete Golding round out the newcomer class.It's a new era in Baton Rouge as LSU president Wade Rousse, left, head coach Lane Kiffin and athletic director Verge Ausberry will have all eyes on their program in 2026. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectThen there's the star power. Texas quarterback Arch Manning enters his second full season as the undisputed starter with a preseason Heisman spotlight already trained on him, and the Longhorns close the whole week Thursday afternoon. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and Oklahoma's John Mateer are also among the Heisman names expected to command attention.Full 2026 SEC Media Days scheduleThe SEC broadcasts every session across all four days. Below is the coach and player lineup for each team.Monday, July 20Kentucky: HC Will Stein, S Ty Bryant, QB Kenny Minchey, TE Willie RodriguezMissouri: HC Eliah Drinkwitz, OL Cayden Green, RB Jamal Roberts, LB Nicholas RodriguezOklahoma: HC Brent Venables, QB John Mateer, OL Eddy Pierre-Louis, DL Taylor WeinTennessee: HC Josh Heupel, RB DeSean Bishop, LB Arion Carter, LB Jeremiah TelanderTuesday, July 21Auburn: HC Alex Golesh, DB Champ Anthony, QB Byrum Brown, K Alex McPhersonGeorgia: HC Kirby Smart, OL Drew Bobo, QB Gunner Stockton, LB Raylen WilsonSouth Carolina: HC Shane Beamer, WR Nyck Harbor, QB LaNorris Sellers, DB Peyton WilliamsVanderbilt: HC Clark Lea, RB Sedrick Alexander, DL Issa Ouattara, WR Junior SherrillAlabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer calls a play during the Alabama A-Day spring football game at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectWednesday, July 22Alabama: HC Kalen DeBoer, DB Zabien Brown, WR Ryan Coleman-Williams, DB Bray HubbardFlorida: HC Jon Sumrall, RB Jadan Baugh, LB Myles Graham, WR Vernell Brown IIIOle Miss: HC Pete Golding, QB Trinidad Chambliss, DT Will Echoles, RB Kewan LacyTexas A&M: HC Mike Elko, LB Daymion Sanford, S Marcus Ratcliffe, QB Marcel ReedThursday, July 23Arkansas: HC Ryan Silverfield, OL Caden Kitler, DE Quincy Rhodes Jr., RB Sutton SmithLSU: HC Lane Kiffin, LB TJ Dottery, TE Trey'Dez Green, LB Whit WeeksMississippi State: HC Jeff Lebby, WR Anthony Evans III, CB Kelley Jones, QB Kamario TaylorTexas: HC Steve Sarkisian, OL Trevor Goosby, QB Arch Manning, DE Colin SimmonsAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow