10 storylines O'Gara is watching at SECMD26

Why, hello talkin’ season. It’s good to see you again.

SEC Media Days is set to kick off on Monday, July 20, which means we’re in for four days of predictions, takes, viral quotes and everything in between. Some might argue that the SEC overdoes it with having a four-day event. Others would argue that the SEC doesn’t exactly “under-do” anything, so why start with the unofficial kickoff to the season?

Despite what this offseason would suggest, there are actual on-the-field storylines galore in the conference that’ll be worth following. In honor of that, I thought it’d be fitting to dig into the 10 SEC storylines that I’ll be watching for in Tampa.

1. How will these six new coaches come across?
Think about that for a second. Never before in the history of the Southeastern Conference has there been six programs with new head coaches. That changed in 2026 with the likes of Ryan Silverfield, Alex Golesh, Jon Sumrall, Will Stein, Pete Golding and, of course, Lane Kiffin set to take the stage with their respective teams at SEC Media Days for the first time.

Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Lane Kiffin is set to represent his third different school at SEC Media Days as LSU joins Tennessee (2009) and Ole Miss (2020-2025).

Perhaps some new blood — we now have half of the conference’s coaches with birthdays in the 1980s — will ignite some new rivalries and new talking points. The conference is certainly younger than ever, with the oldest coach being the 55-year-old Brent Venables, AKA the guy who runs stadiums in his free time. Who among that new group will win over the most people in Tampa? Sumrall is my pick there, but don’t count out Stein.

2. Speaking of new coaches, Lane Kiffin is already doing Lane Kiffin things ahead of Media Days
What do I mean by that? Look no further than his player attendee list, and you’ll see TJ Dottery. As in, the Ole Miss linebacker who transferred late in the cycle to LSU after leading the SEC in tackles in 2025. Calculated? It feels like it, especially after Kiffin has been insistent on winning that breakup.

It’s also worth noting that LSU’s high-priced QB1, Sam Leavitt, won’t be representing the Tigers in Tampa. The Arizona State transfer is coming off the Lisfranc injury that sidelined him all spring, so perhaps Kiffin just wanted to dodge that potential issue, but it’s still an interesting move by a coach who has had as noteworthy an offseason as anyone.

3. You’d better believe Sept. 19 in Oxford will be discussed
One of the most anticipated SEC regular-season games of the Playoff era — I’d put it tops on that list if you’re just talking about offseason hype — will be a popular topic of conversation. Kiffin’s return to Ole Miss to take on his former squad should be great theater. We’ve already gotten the announcement that it’ll be a night game, much to the chagrin of the Oxford Police Department. It also helps that the matchup is being played in Week 3, so players and coaches have a bit more freedom to discuss that matchup than if it were in early November.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss will be among the Ole Miss representation in Tampa on Wednesday.

Would I expect true bulletin-board material from either party? Maybe not, but with the way these fanbases have gone at each other on the internet in extremely Texas-Texas A&M-like fashion, Lord knows it won’t take much to get them going.

4. We won’t get A&M’s fight song played during Texas’ introduction again … right?
I still can’t believe that happened last year. Whoever made that mistake in Atlanta by dropping the “Aggie War Hymn” certainly understands a good rivalry. More likely, it was someone who just didn’t understand the difference between Texas schools. Nonetheless, it did diabolically set the stage for those two programs in a unique way.

Will Texas be on the minds of A&M in Tampa? That always feels like a safe bet, especially after a couple of seasons in which the Longhorns were the last thing standing in the way of reaching the SEC Championship for the first time. Some shots fired across the bow would add even more juice to a rivalry that isn’t lacking in that.

5. We’ve got a bunch of new quarterbacks who’ll be in Tampa
Of the nine quarterbacks who’ll be in Tampa, five of them have never been to SEC Media Days. That list is Marcel Reed, Kenny Minchey, Trinidad Chambliss, Byrum Brown and Kamario Taylor. All five of those guys are in completely different situations, but all of them are loaded with intrigue.

Will Huffman, TexAgs

Marcel Reed accounted for 31 total touchdowns in 2025 while passing for 3,169 yards and rushing for 493 more.

Reed is the most experienced of that bunch, at least at this level, though this will be his first appearance at SEC Media Days. How does he come across after leading A&M to its best regular season of the 21st century? Will he divulge stories about his Lionel Messi jersey exchange? And on the flip side, what will we learn about someone like Minchey after his well-documented portal flip from Nebraska to Kentucky? Those podiums should be packed.

6. And obviously, Arch Manning, Part II, will draw quite the crowd
I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but Manning is indeed back for another year as the QB1 in Austin. Whether he lives up to more incredibly high expectations remains to be seen. What seems inevitable is that he’ll address working through the ups and downs as a Year 1 starter and how that experience shaped him.

To Manning’s credit, he handled the SEC Media Days frenzy well last year before he had ever started a game. Will he come across even more confident and prepared for the spotlight in Year 2? And will Steve Sarkisian do everything in his power to talk about how prepared he is for 2026? That feels like a safe bet.

7. Which non-QB will draw the biggest crowd? Ryan Coleman-Williams
Perhaps the most polarizing SEC player will make his SEC Media Days debut. If you can believe it, the receiver formerly known as Ryan Williams is still only 19 years old. He’s lived several college football lifetimes in his first two seasons in Tuscaloosa. It might’ve surprised some that Coleman-Williams stayed at Alabama instead of finding a new home, but that would ignore the loyalty that Kalen DeBoer has shown the former five-star receiver.

Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

Ryan Coleman-Williams has 1,554 receiving yards and 14 total touchdowns to his credit through the first 27 games of his collegiate career.

Coleman-Williams has done more than most have done in this conference before turning 19 — 1,623 scrimmage yards and 14 touchdowns through two seasons isn’t nothing — but because of the way he burst onto the scene for a post-Nick Saban Alabama, he’s been criticized for falling short of the bar he set as a freshman. How guarded he comes across in front of what figures to be a sea of media will be worth observing.

8. Will there be coaches who advocate for a 24-team Playoff?
Greg Sankey has been adamant that the SEC’s support of an expanded Playoff is related to 16 teams, not 24. Will we see coaches advocate for a 24-team Playoff? Will everyone be on the same page about that after there was frustration over the expanded conference schedule failing to yield the Playoff result that SEC coaches hoped for?

Some, like Mike Elko, have said that an expanded field will help coaches avoid getting fired. It’s hard to imagine that there’ll be a universal sentiment about a decision that could have a huge impact on the rest of the decade in college football. Everyone will likely continue to look out for themselves.

9. Fingers crossed that Pete Golding lets it rip
The new Ole Miss coach might already be the best cursor in the sport. Whether that’s evident on live television in front of hundreds of media members remains to be seen. Golding is as blunt as the day is long. He’s completely different from his predecessor in that nothing feels calculated or cultivated for the sake of content. Golding, to this point in his career, has won people over by being himself.

If Golding gets up to the podium clean-shaven without a single curse word to be spoken during a perfectly-crafted 20-minute opening statement, it’d be a massive disappointment. We need original personalities like Golding in the SEC.

10. Sign me up for more “Protect College Sports Act” discussion!
Just kidding. Let’s talk ball, or literally anything else.

Talkin’ season, it’s great to have you back.