For one week this summer, Downtown Tampa is going to be the epicenter of the college football universe. The televised spectacle of SEC Media Days is being hosted at the Tampa Marriott Water Street and JW Marriott July 20-23, bringing an entire nation of TV stations, news outlets, and reporters to town, alongside the head coaches and biggest players from all 16 teams.
For locals, the highlight will be the SEC Kickoff Fan Fest on Sunday, July 19, from 5 to 8:30 PM, on Thunder Alley at Benchmark International Arena. The free and family-friendly event is the official kickoff party for the first-ever SEC Media Days in Tampa. The event features a live broadcast on SEC Network, interactive games, live entertainment, fan activations, giveaways, special appearances, and more.
ADVERTISEMENT
While it is free to attend the festival, attendees must RSVP in advance, which you can do here. SEC Media Days was long held in Birmingham as a small gathering for reporters to chat with coaches and players across the league before the season began, but it slowly grew into something much larger, fueled by the boom of digital media and the insane capacity of Alabama fans to show up to anything in hordes even if it’s the middle of a Tuesday.
That it now has a Kickoff Fan Fest shows the spectacle it has grown into, and one that welcomes fans of all 16 schools. While the rest of the week is “officially” a media-only experience, you can expect to see fans of each school lined up looking for autographs on the day of their appearance.
Having SEC Media Days here is another win for the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, as every outlet covering college football will be showcasing the city all week long. If you’re around a TV while it’s happening, tune in for a live look.
“We couldn’t be more excited to host SEC Football Media Days festivities for the first time,” said TBSC Executive Director Lanness Robinson. “The Kickoff Fan Fest will be the perfect opportunity and backdrop to get the week started, and will provide guests a fun, up-close experience with SEC football, whose motto is “It Just Means More”. From the hundreds of media in attendance to the Kickoff Fan Fest followed by four days of SEC coach and player spotlights, as well as the other impactful programming, it’s sure to be a memorable week for all involved.”
Here’s the daily schedule, in case you feel like staking out the hotel for an autograph or selfie. In addition to the head coach, each school selects three players to join as representatives. And a note for college football fans: when you’re watching games this fall and you see interviews with coaches and players in nice suits talking about everything from Christmas traditions to armed forces appreciation, you’re watching what will happen in Tampa during SEC Media Days. Networks stockpile evergreen interviews to use throughout the year.
MONDAY, July 20
Kentucky – Will Stein
Missouri – Eliah Drinkwitz
Oklahoma – Brent Venables
Tennessee – Josh Heupel
TUESDAY, July 21
Auburn – Alex Golesh
Georgia – Kirby Smart
South Carolina – Shane Beamer
Vanderbilt – Clark Lea
WEDNESDAY, July 22
Alabama – Kalen DeBoer
Florida – Jon Sumrall
Ole Miss – Pete Golding
Texas A&M – Mike Elko
THURSDAY, July 23
Arkansas – Ryan Silverfield
LSU – Lane Kiffin
Mississippi State – Jeff Lebby
Texas – Steve Sarkisian
