Southeastern Conference

Coming live from Tampa soon ... 👀🌴📽️ #SECMD26 x #ItJustMeansMore

Enhancing student-athlete opportunity for generations to come. 🎓 🎙️ @GregSankey #SECMD26 x #ItJustMeansMore

“In just a few weeks, stadiums across the Southeastern Conference will once again come alive. Families will gather. Campuses will fill. Rivalries will be renewed. New leaders will emerge. New champions will be crowned. Every season begins with hope and possibility. Our responsibility is to preserve everything that makes those moments possible.” #SECMD26

“Whether we discuss the future of the College Football Playoff or the future of SEC Football, our responsibility is not to chase the next headline or simply react to the issue of the day. Our responsibility is to make principled decisions that strengthen college football, preserve what makes it special, and position it for long-term success.” #SECMD26

“When you look at our schedule, no one has created the kind of weekly competition our fans will experience in the Southeastern Conference. If we believe we are the best conference in college football, we should also be willing to embrace the best schedule in college football.” #SECMD26

“We recognize that a nine-game conference schedule, coupled with our longstanding requirement to play a quality non-conference opponent, creates one of the most demanding schedules in college football. After years of thoughtful discussion, careful analysis and spirited debate, our membership concluded it was the right decision.” #SECMD26

“Leadership is not about having an immediate answer. Leadership is about asking the right questions before making decisions that will shape the future. Some decisions—like expanding the CFP format—are too important to make before we have the right information.” #SECMD26

“If Congress is going to act—and I believe it should—we have one opportunity to get this right. If a bill is passed, Congress will not return in a year or two to fix errors or fill in the gaps. That is why it is important the common-sense issues we have raised be addressed now before the bill becomes law.” #SECMD26

“There are four principles we believe should guide any federal legislation:   First, national standards must be enforceable. Second, the framework adopted should truly be national. Third, transparency and accountability are essential. Finally, the legislation should treat similarly situated organizations equally while preserving institutional choice. The areas of concern are not simply SEC issues. These are college athletics issues, which demand a national solution.” #SECMD26

“We believe changes to the Protect College Sports Act are necessary. The changes we have suggested are both achievable and reasonable, and we are committed to working with Congress to help move this legislation across the finish line.” #SECMD26

“The Senate bill contains many provisions we support, including enhanced protections for student-athlete health and safety, educational opportunities, scholarship protections, oversight of agents, increased student-athlete participation in governance, and national standards governing eligibility, transfers, and tampering.” #SECMD26

“The message from student-athletes’ remains the clearest message we have heard: hold everyone to the same standard.   Congress has no shortage of critical issues competing for its attention, and we appreciate the bipartisan work of members of the House and Senate, as well as the engagement of the President and his Administration, in addressing the future of college athletics.” #SECMD26

“One of the greatest responsibilities before us is establishing a stable national framework for college athletics. Over, and over, our student-athletes tell us the same thing. When they line up for kickoff, tipoff, the first pitch, or step into the starting blocks, they want to know that every competitor—on other teams, from different campuses located in different states—that every competitor is held to the same standards.” #SECMD26

“Our responsibility is not simply to celebrate victories and championships. Our responsibility is to provide the leadership needed to preserve the values, opportunities and competitive integrity that have made college athletics so meaningful for generations.” #SECMD26

“SEC Football remains the second most-watched sports property in the United States, trailing only the National Football League, while accounting for more than 40 percent of all live viewing hours among the Autonomy conferences and Notre Dame. Our football programs continue to draw an average of nearly 80,000 fans per game—the highest average attendance for any sports league in the world.” #SECMD26

“While navigating transformational change, including implementation of the House settlement, we also continued to invest in the student-athlete experience through leadership development, mental health initiatives, sports wagering education, enhanced medical resources, and the addition of over 1,200 athletics scholarships with over 700 of those new full scholarship opportunities provided to female student-athletes.” #SECMD26

“On the field and in competition, SEC programs once again achieved historic levels of success. Our universities captured a Conference-record 13 national championships, placed more teams than any conference in the College Football Playoff, and led the nation in NCAA Championship participation across most of the sports we sponsor.” #SECMD26

“The 2025-26 academic year will be remembered as a defining chapter in the history of college athletics. Together, our institutions successfully navigated meaningful change while remaining focused on what has always mattered most — providing an outstanding educational and competitive experience for our student-athletes.” #SECMD26

“Our relationship with the Tampa Bay Sports Commission continues to grow. That partnership led to today’s event and our decision to bring the SEC Gymnastics Championships to Tampa in both 2027 and 2028.”

“Good morning, and welcome to the first Southeastern Conference Football Media Days to be held in the Sunshine State and here in Tampa.” #SECMD26