The SEC announced on Thursday that the 2023 SEC Media Days had been set. The annual football Media Days will be held July 17th-20th in Nashville, Tennessee. South Carolina Gamecock Head Coach Shane Beamer will speak with the media on Thursday the 20th.
The annual event allows for media, both local and national, to sit in on press conferences and ask questions of the league’s fourteen head coaches. Coaches also take up to three players with them, and these players take part in interviews and interact with fans who make the trek to the event. Conference officials, including SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, will address the media, as well, especially if there are any new changes to rules, schedules, or the conference’s alignment; because of the impending additions of Oklahoma and Texas and the schedule ramifications of that conference expansion, fans can expect to hear extensively from Sankey and his office this year.
SEC Media Days had historically been held in Birmingham, Alabama but has bounced around the south some in recent years. It typically follows the SEC Spring Meetings, and the news from the Spring Meetings is often discussed again during Media Days.
As part of the initial announcement, the SEC released the dates of when each head coach would have their extended media availability:
Monday, July 17th: Brian Kelly (LSU), Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri), and Jimbo Fisher (Texas A&M)
Tuesday, July 18th: Hugh Freeze (Auburn), Kirby Smart (Georgia), Zach Arnett (Mississippi State), and Clark Lea (Vanderbilt)
Wednesday, July 19th: Nick Saban (Alabama), Sam Pittman (Arkansas), Billy Napier (Florida), and Mark Stoops (Kentucky)
Thursday, July 20th: Shane Beamer (South Carolina), Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss), and Josh Heupel (Tennessee)
At this point, it is not known who Coach Beamer and his staff will elect to represent their team’s players at this year’s Media Days. Last season, Dakereon Joyner, Zacch Pickens, and Jovaughn Gwyn traveled to Atlanta with Shane Beamer.
The SECNetwork (and ESPN App) will air complete coverage of the 2023 SEC Media Days, and local radio stations like Columbia’s 107.5 The Game will air most of the media availability that is relevant to their local markets. Additional interviews and other media opportunities will be made available through the outlets present.