SEC football media days: Live updates from Day 2, headlined by Texas, Georgia
After getting started on Monday, the nearly week-long spectacle of SEC football media days rolls on.
The second day of interviews with coaches and player representatives will take place on Tuesday, July 15 at the College Football Hall of Fame and Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park.
Each day of the four-day event features press conferences and interview breakout sessions with four of the league's 16 teams.
After LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Vanderbilt were highlighted on Monday, Tuesday features an even more loaded slate. Three of the conference's projected top title contenders — Texas, Georgia and Tennessee — taking their turn at the dais and behind the microphone, with Auburn rounding out the quartet.
Paste BN Sports had updates and highlights from Day 2 at the SEC media days in 2025. Check them out below:
Watch SEC media days live with Fubo (free trial)
Steve Sarkisian praises Arch Manning's maturity, poise
There's perhaps no player in college football with more excitement surrounding them heading into the 2025 season than Texas quarterback Arch Manning, the former No. 1 recruit and the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning. With that hype has come a bit of mystery surrounding a player who has never been a full-time starter.
From what his coach has seen of Manning, he has been impressed.
Speaking on Tuesday at SEC media days in Atlanta, Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian praised Manning for his maturity and poise, noting that he carries himself "as if he is 30 years old."
"He's got a very even keel about him," Sarkisian said. "He's very quick-witted. He's got a great sense of humor about himself and he's OK to laugh at himself. I think that's a great quality to have because at the end of the day, there's going to be adversity that's going to strike this season. We all talk about resiliency and grit and all those things that are needed when adversity strikes, but resiliency can come from remaining calm. Arch definitely has that about him. He's a great guy. He's a great teammate. He's got an unbelievable work ethic. If he stays true to himself, that's going to help him navigate these waters as they present themselves."
Arch Manning holds grandfather's jersey
The location of SEC media days this year at the College Football Hall of Fame allowed Arch Manning to get close to a piece of history with some personal meaning.
The Texas quarterback got the opportunity on July 15 to hold up a jersey that his grandfather, Archie, wore at Ole Miss during his career there from 1968-70.
Steve Sarkisian walks out to Aggie War Hymn
If something seemed a bit off about Steve Sarkisian's introduction to the dais at SEC media days on July 15, it's because it was.
The Texas football coach's walk on the stage in Atlanta was accompanied by the "Aggie War Hymn," which serves as the fight song for rival Texas A&M, rather than "Texas Fight," the Longhorns' official fight song.
Michael Taafe honors Camp Mystic victims
Texas safety Michael Taafe is honoring the victims from Camp Mystic at SEC media days, as his tie includes the initials of those that died in the devastating floods in Central Texas in early July.
Taafe is from Austin, Texas.
SEC Now desk tabs Anthony Hill Jr. as best player in SEC
SEC Now analysts Cole Cubelic and Dusty Dvoracek agree that Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. is the best player in the SEC as the two-year starter enters his junior season.
Hill Jr., a former five-star recruit, was a first-team All-SEC selection last season after recording 113 total tackles with eight sacks.
Josh Heupel discusses Tennessee QB situation, Nico Iamaleava transfer
Few stories this offseason rocked the college football world quite like quarterback Nico Iamaleava transferring from Tennessee around the program's spring game, ultimately ending up at UCLA. What ensued was a discussion on the impact of name, image and likeness deals, but also a trade of sorts, with UCLA quarterback Joey Aguilar transferring to Tennessee shortly after Iamaleava's commitment to the Bruins.
Without specifically mentioning Iamaleava, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel stressed the importance of "having the right guys that want to be there" while noting he's excited about Aguilar and the rest of the Vols' quarterbacks.
“At the end of the day, it’s never about who’s not in your building; it’s about who’s in your building," Heupel said. "For us, you can lose a quarterback at a lot of different times — December transfer portal, spring transfer portal. You can lose one Week One, first quarter of a ballgame in your opener and now you’re on to number two through injury. You’ve got to have a next-guy-up mentality. At the end of the day, having the right guys that want to be there, that want to compete with their brothers that are inside of that locker room, building that connection, but also having the right guys in there. At the end of the day, I’m really excited about who we have in there.”
Hugh Freeze defends his love of golf
Auburn's recruiting struggles thus far in the 2026 class have found an unlikely scapegoat over the past few weeks — coach Hugh Freeze's fondness for golf.
The Tigers' 2026 class is ranked No. 78 in 247Sports' team rankings, putting them behind, among others, Appalachian State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Miami (Ohio), Tulane and Sacramento State, the last of which is an FCS program. Last month, it was reported that Freeze had played almost a dozen rounds this summer, according to the USGA's Golf Handicap Information Network database. Lane Kiffin, as he's wont to do, poked fun at it on social media.
Freeze addressed his affinity for golf at SEC media days on July 15, dismissing the impact it has on his day job.
"I really haven't had to defend it," he said. "It's something I enjoy doing, but I assure you it doesn't take away from my time working to take Auburn back to the top of the college football world."
Jackson Arnold says he 'didn't play good' at Oklahoma
Auburn's hopes in its third season under coach Hugh Freeze will depend at least in part on the performance of quarterback Jackson Arnold, an Oklahoma transfer. The former five-star recruit will get to face his former team on September 20 in Norman, which Arnold said he is "extremely excited for."
Arnold said he has "no animosity whatsoever" toward the Sooners, where he played for two seasons before transferring after the 2024 season. When asked what went wrong at Oklahoma, he said "for whatever reason, I just didn't play good."
"Sometimes, things don't work out the way it's supposed to be," Arnold said. "We're on god's timing, not our timing. I thought the best decision for me was to move on and move on somewhere else and get a fresh start."
Kirby Smart stresses value of 'relationships over transactions'
Several years into college athletes being able to earn money off their name, image and likeness, Kirby Smart discussed the importance of coaching and identifying players who can be pushed despite having six- and sometimes seven-figure NIL deals.
"A 17-year-old needs to be pushed," Smart said. "It doesn't preclude them from gaining monetary value. They can do both those two things. But a lot of coaches aren't willing to do that. People don't want to confront and demand anymore for fear of losing a player. I would rather go get the right player that buys into that and then I've got something special when they do develop and get all those reps."
Kirby Smart 'almost laughed' hearing Nick Saban might come back to coaching
Perhaps no piece of chatter echoed more from the first day of SEC media days Monday than former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy, citing a "notable" source, saying that Nick Saban will coach college football again.
One of Saban's most decorated former assistants isn't buying it, with Georgia head coach Kirby Smart dismissing the notion when asked about it at SEC media days on July 15.
"It was like somebody needed something interesting to talk about yesterday, so they chose to go to coach Saban to do it," Smart said.
The Bulldogs coach added that any final decision on a return to coaching for Saban is out of the 73-year-old's hands.
"Make no mistake about it — the boss at home (Saban's wife, Terry) is going to make that call for him, not him," Smart said.
Kirby Smart says Will Muschamp is still with Georgia
Heading into SEC media days, it was reported that former Florida and South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp was leaving Georgia, where he has served in various roles since 2021, including as co-defensive coordinator the past two seasons. Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart shot down those reports on July 15, noting that Muschamp is still with the program and “still going to help us.”
Muschamp is listed on Georgia's official roster as a defensive analyst.
SEC media days interview schedule
Each day of SEC media days will highlight four teams from the conference, with players and the head coach from those squads speaking on a designated day.
Here's a look at which teams will be appearing on each day of the event, with schools listed in alphabetical order, not the order in which their coach will be speaking at their press conference:
Monday, July 14
- LSU
- Ole Miss
- South Carolina
- Vanderbilt
Tuesday, July 15
- Auburn
- Georgia
- Tennessee
- Texas
Wednesday, July 16
- Alabama
- Florida
- Mississippi State
- Oklahoma
Thursday, July 17
- Arkansas
- Kentucky
- Missouri
- Texas A&M
SEC media days — Day 2 speakers
Here is who will be speaking at which times on the second day of SEC media days on Tuesday, July 15:
All times are Eastern
- 8:30 a.m.: John McDaid, SEC Coordinator of Football Officials
- 10:05 a.m.: Georgia coach Kirby Smart, LB CJ Allen, DB Daylen Everette, QB Gunner Stockton
- 12:15 p.m.: Auburn coach Hugh Freeze, QB Jackson Arnold, DL Keldric Faulk, OL Connor Lew
- 1:30 p.m.: Tennessee coach Josh Heupel, LB Arion Carter, TE Miles Kitselman, DT Bryson Eason
- 3:15 p.m.: Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, LB Anthony Hill, QB Arch Manning, DB Michael Taaffe
Where are SEC media days 2025?
- Location: College Football Hall of Fame and Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park (Atlanta)
The 2025 edition of SEC media days will be held at the College Football Hall of Fame and Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park in Atlanta. It will mark the third time since 2018 the event has been held in the Georgia capital, where the league stages its annual football conference championship game.
SEC media days schedule
Here's a look at the player representatives for each of the league's 16 teams at 2025 SEC media days, as well as the dates they'll be appearing:
Monday, July 14
LSU
- Chris Hilton Jr., WR, Senior
- Garrett Nussmeier, QB, Senior
- Whit Weeks, LB, Junior
Ole Miss
- TJ Dottery, LB, Junior
- Cayden Lee, WR, Junior
- Austin Simmons, QB, Sophomore
South Carolina
- LaNorris Sellers, QB, Sophomore
- DQ Smith, DB, Senior
- Nick Barrett, DT, Senior
Vanderbilt
- Randon Fontenette, S/OLB, Junior
- Martel Hight, DB, Junior
- Diego Pavia, QB, Graduate
Tuesday, July 15
Auburn
- Jackson Arnold, QB, Junior
- Keldric Faulk, DL, Junior
- Connor Lew, OL, Junior
Georgia
- CJ Allen, LB, Junior
- Daylen Everette, DB, Senior
- Gunner Stockton, QB, Junior
Tennessee
- Arion Carter, LB, Junior
- Miles Kitselman, TE, Senior
- Bryson Eason, DT, Senior
Texas
- Anthony Hill Jr, LB, Junior
- Arch Manning, QB, Sophomore
- Michael Taaffe, DB, Senior
Wednesday, July 16
Alabama
- Tim Keenan III, DL, Senior
- Deontae Lawson, LB, Senior
- Kadyn Proctor, OL, Junior
Florida
- Caleb Banks, DL, Senior
- Jake Slaughter, OL, Senior
- DJ Lagway, QB, Sophomore
Mississippi State
- Blake Shapen, QB, Graduate
- Isaac Smith, S, Junior
- Brenen Thompson, WR, Senior
Oklahoma
- John Mateer, QB, Junior
- Robert Spears-Jennings, DB, Senior
- R Mason Thomas, DL, Senior
Thursday, July 17
Arkansas
- Cam Ball, DL, Senior
- Taylen Green, QB, Senior
- Xavian Sorey Jr., LB, Senior
Kentucky
- Alex Afari Jr., LB, Senior
- Jordan Lovett, DB, Senior
- Josh Kattus, TE, Senior
Missouri
- Daylan Carnell, S, Graduate
- Connor Tollison, C, Graduate
- Zion Young, DE, Senior
Texas A&M
- Will Lee III, DB, Senior
- Ar’maj Reed-Adams, OL, Graduate
- Taurean York, LB, Junior
What channel are SEC media days on?
- TV channel: SEC Network | ESPN2
- Streaming: ESPN app | ESPN+ | Fubo (free trial)
All four days of SEC media days will air live on the SEC Network. ESPN2 will air one hour of the proceedings, from 8 p.m. ET until 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 15.
Streaming options include the ESPN app (requires a TV provider login) and ESPN+, which requires a subscription. Another option is Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to potential subscribers.