Expected to take the podium on the final day of ‘talking season’ in the SEC are Missouri’s Eliah Drinkwitz, Kentucky’s Mark Stoops, Arkansas’ Sam Pittman and Texas A&M’s Mike Elko — as well as three players from each team scheduled to speak with reporters in side breakouts.
Following a late-season collapse — which consisted of going 1-4 after starting 7-1; falling out of the top 10; and removing itself from College Football Playoff contention — Texas A&M enters the 2025 college football season with considerable pressure to bounce back. Sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed is expected to enter his first full season as the Aggies’ starting quarterback.
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Missouri retooled its roster heavily through the portal with 22 transfers, which included landing former Penn State dual-threat quarterback Beau Pribula and former Georgia five-star EDGE rusher Damon Wilson III.
Elsewhere, Arkansas looks to build off its strong 2024 campaign and Kentucky looks to improve from an underwhelming 4-8 season.
USA TODAY Sports has live updates and coverage from the final day of SEC football media days in Atlanta. Follow below:
Mike Elko ‘excited’ about Year 2 at Texas A&M
Texas A&M coach Mike Elko says after spending much of Year 1 of his tenure in College Station laying the foundation of what he wants the program to become, he is excited about getting at it in the 2025 college football season in Year 2.
He also mentioned that he is excited about the development of quarterback Marcel Reed over the offseason going into his first full season as the Aggies’ starting quarterback.
Mike Elko makes joke in opening statement
Before he could get into his opening statement at SEC football media days, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko had one thing to get settled: he wasn’t walking out to Texas’s fight song after Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian walked out to the Aggies’ fight song the other day.
‘For all of you that had the Eyes of Texas as the song I was walking out to (today), you lost your bet,’ Elko jokingly said.
Arkansas’ Ismael Cisse likely out for season
Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said that wide receiver Ismael Cisse is the lone Razorback who won’t be ready to go for the season opener vs. Alabama A&M due to wrist surgery.
‘Tore some ligaments in there. … He’ll likely be out for the season,’ Pittman said.
Jordan Lovett said Kentucky defense will ‘surprise’ people
‘We will surprise people. Like I said, we are the underdogs of defenses. It’s been a little bit rough around the edges (in the last) but like I said, be prepared. Be prepared for me to give my all too. I’m not going to lie, I’ve been working my butt off.
Josh Kattus talks about message at Kentucky for 2025 season
Appearing on ‘SEC Now,’ Kentucky tight end Josh Kattus talked about the message is for the 2025 season for the Wildcats after going 4-8 overall last year.
‘Obviously, the year didn’t go as we planned it, but we are looking to move forward. We start 0-0 this season. We have 50 new guys coming in from the transfer portal so they don’t know much about that. They know about the culture and what we are trying to do this year,’ Kattus said.
‘ … Our core values are attitude, toughness and pride and we are trying to live those out everyday.’
Mark Stoops on College Football Playoff format model
Mark Stoops said he admittedly hasn’t ‘analyzed’ the different College Football Playoff format models that are being discussed, as his hands are full with his own program right now and he doesn’t have the time to follow it ‘that close.’
‘I have a lot of work to do. I say that with a grain of salt, but it is true,’ Stoops said. ‘I think expansion is good. I think there is a lot of people who are looking at it and analyzing it. They gave us different options to look at in our meeting.
‘Whatever it is, it is. It’s like our schedule. Whether we play eight or nine (conference games).’
Mark Stoops had to ‘take good look’ at program after 2024 season
The 2024 season was an underwhelming one for Kentucky, as the Wildcats finished 4-8 overall and 1-7 in SEC play. Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said he had to ‘take a good look’ at his program after that season to turn it around going into the 2025 college football season, which is his 13th season in Lexington.
‘After last season, obviously not a very good year for us, we had to take a good look at it,’ Stoops said. ‘… We know the great teams that are in this league, and there have been many of us that had a year off here and there. And you do that and a year like that, I had to take a good step back and analyze each and everything in our program.’
He also mentioned that Kentucky ‘needed’ some roster change after last season. The Wildcats brought in 50 players from the transfer portal, according to Stoops.
Eliah Drinkwitz in favor of nine-game SEC schedule
Earlier this week at SEC football media days, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey talked about the conference continuing to evaluate a potential nine-game SEC regular season schedule, which would mirror the Big Ten’s regular season schedule format. The SEC currently plays an eight-game conference schedule.
During his appearance at SEC football media day on July 17, Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz said he’s in favor of the nine-game schedule.
‘I’ve been for the ninth game. If it’s for the players and fans, it’s a nine-game (schedule),” Drinkwitz said.
Later on ‘SEC Now,’ Drinkwitz further talked about the eight or nine-game schedule and said that the eight-game conference schedule better fits his program.
‘I think eight games is probably great for the University of Missouri because it allows us to schedule what we need for the (other) four games. But again (what) it comes down to me (is), what is best for the players and what is best for the fans,’ Drinkwitz said.
‘Because if I’m worried about what is best for me as a coach, what is best for the commissioner, for the league all of us are subsidiary to those two people (players and fans). We don’t have players, we don’t have a game. If we don’t have fans, we don’t have anyone showing up to play. So we got to answer these questions based on that.’
Daylan Carnell talks Beau Pribula
In an interview with ‘SEC Now’, Missouri safety Daylan Carnell was asked about Penn State quarterback transfer Beau Pribula, who remains in the mix for Missouri’s starting quarterback job. Here’s what he said:
‘Anytime I go up to the facility to get some extra work in, he is already there,’ Carnell said of Pribula. ‘He is a real dedicated guy. He is about his business as well. He likes to get stuff done for sure.’
Pribula was one of 22 players who transferred to Missouri this past season, and perhaps was the biggest one for Eliah Drinkwitz and his staff. Due to the rules of the NCAA Transfer Portal, the dual-threat quarterback transferred to Missouri back in December during Penn State’s College Football Playoff berth run. Pribula completed 26 of 35 passes (74.3%) for 275 yards and five touchdowns to one interception last season for the Nittany Lions. He added 242 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns on 38 carries.’
Eliah Drinkwitz talks renewed Missouri-Kansas rivalry
When Missouri left the Big 12 in 2012 for the SEC, it ended the Border War rivalry between Missouri and Kansas. That rivalry between the Tigers and Jayhawks is set to be renewed on Sept. 6 in Columbia.
‘Rivalries are great thing for college football. This one goes back a long way,’ Drinkwitz said. ‘It’s very deep and something our team is keenly aware of.’
Eliah Drinkwitz talks Missouri quarterback battle
Asked about the quarterback situation in Columbia, Eliah Drinkwitz mentions that all three of Missouri’s quarterbacks — Beau Pribula, Sam Horn and Matt Zollers — remain in contention for the starting quarterback position for Week 1 vs. Central Arkansas.
‘We got three quarterbacks. All a little bit different. All with different traits,’ Drinkwitz said. ‘… Very excited about that room. Whoever emerges as the quarterback will be in a really good position because he won’t have to do it alone.’
Eliah Drinkwitz expects Sam Horn to remain with Missouri
Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz told reporters at SEC media day that he expects Tigers quarterback Sam Horn to remain with the program despite being drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 17th round of the 2025 MLB Draft over the weekend. Horn is a two-sport athlete at Missouri, as he is also a right-handed pitcher for Missouri baseball.
Drinkwitz also noted that Horn remains in the mix for the starting quarterback position this season going into training camp.
Eliah Drinkwitz makes fight song joke in opening statement
Eliah Drinkwitz took a joking jab at Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian walking out to Texas A&M’s fight song on July 15 at SEC football media days.
‘Well, we got the right fight song, so that’s important,’ Drinkwitz said. Reminds me a little bit of Disney, just got back from Disney with the family. And I was going to say that fight song reminds me of Disney since they play it because if you didn’t know, Walt Disney was born in Marceline, Missouri.’
SEC football media days: Day 4 speakers schedule
Here’s a look at the schedule for Day 4 speakers at SEC football media days:
All times Eastern
9:05 a.m.: Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz | Daylan Carnell (Safety) | Connor Tollison (Center) | Zion Young (Defensive End)
10:50 a.m.: Kentucky coach Mark Stoops | Alex Afari Jr. (Linebacker) | Jordan Lovett (Defensive Back) | Josh Kattus (Tight End)
1 p.m.: Arkansas coach Sam Pittman | Cam Ball (Defensive Lineman) | Taylen Green (Quarterback) | Xavian Sorey Jr. (Linebacker)
2:45 p.m.: Texas A&M coach Mike Elko | Will Lee III (Defensive Back) | Ar’maj Reed-Adams (Offensive Lineman) | Taurean York (Linebacker)
Where are SEC football media days in 2025?
The 2025 SEC Football Media Days are being held at the College Football Hall of Fame and the Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park in Atlanta.
What channel is SEC media days on?
TV channel: SEC Network | ESPN2
Streaming: ESPN app | ESPN+ | Fubo (free trial)
SEC Network will nationally broadcast Day 4 of SEC football media days across the network’s ‘SEC Now’ and ‘The Paul Finebaum Show.’ ESPN2 will air one hour of the proceedings, from 8 p.m. ET until 9 p.m. ET.
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