LIVE BLOG: Kentucky Takes Center Stage at SEC Media Days

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Instead of waiting until the final day, Kentucky is stepping into the spotlight on day one with a day one. Will Stein will make his SEC Media Days debut when he takes the Main State at 1:30 p.m. EST on the SEC Network. That’s not the only time he’ll be talking about the Cats. KSR has plenty to share from Florida’s Gulf Coast. We’ll be sharing the most noteworthy updates from the Kentucky Wildcats — Stein, Kenny Minchey, Willie Rodriguez, and Ty Bryant — throughout the day. Buckle up, BBN. It’s almost Football Time in the Bluegrass. SEC Network Schedule 9 am: Greg Sankey10:05: Brent Venables11:25: Eli Drinkwitz1:30: Will Stein2:55: Josh Heupel Friends of Coal is dedicated to informing and educating Kentucky citizens about the coal industry and its vital role in the state’s future. We provide a united voice for an industry that has been and remains a critical economic contributor to Kentucky. By working together, we can provide good jobs and benefits for future generations. Coal is RESILIENT, RELIABLE, and AFFORDABLE. By:Nick RoushJohn Mateer + Terry Bradshaw07/20/2026 09:56:16 AMThe Oklahoma QB got the Sooners to the CFP, but it wasn’t because of their high-powered offense. John Mateer shouldered the blame for the inconsistencies without blaming his finger injury. Plenty of folks have picked apart his throwing motion this offseason. He addressed it and is moving forward. To help deflect, he shared with folks that he recently met with Terry Bradshaw. Mateer has been watching his tape to get ready for the season. What a combo. All offseason, people have picked apart his throwing motion. Meanwhile, John Mateer has been in the lab, watching Terry Bradshaw film. pic.twitter.com/jivSzHqRF9— Nick Roush (@RoushKSR) July 20, 2026 By:Nick RoushIs Oklahoma still hard to kill? 07/20/2026 09:30:04 AMThe Sooners used “Hard to Kill” as a slogan last year. They invited 50 Cent to the opening round CFP game. He wore a Hard to Kill shirt, performed Many Men, then Oklahoma got killed by Bama in the fourth quarter. Is that slogan coming back? How about 50 Cent? “I don’t think we’re going to hang our hats on any slogan,” said Brent Venables. By:Nick RoushConference Championship Talk07/20/2026 08:39:51 AMIf every conference is ready to ditch its championship game, will the SEC cling to its in Atlanta?Sankey reminded people that it took about a decade for other leagues to implement conference championship games. They’ll keep playing it in the SEC for the foreseeable future, until the CFP forces their hand. By:Nick RoushRef Question!07/20/2026 08:37:41 AMLove the guy who asked about transparency with questionable calls. That’s my kinda SEC Media Days. People want refs to take questions after games. That ain’t happening. But he did acknowledge that they are introducing ABS, using that as an example to share that the SEC is innovating. By:Nick RoushSEC Break Away?07/20/2026 08:33:23 AMNow we got some news cooking. SEC’s Greg Sankey asked if its real about SEC breaking away or just a negotiating ploy: “They’re real. The frustrations (for some) that bring them to the point of saying we should look at something significantly different.”— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 20, 2026 By:Nick RoushSankey on CFP Expansion 07/20/2026 08:24:02 AMThe commish danced around what he wants to happen. Even though he was light on specifics, he’s ready to wrap it up. ”We need to bring this conversation to a conclusion in short order.” He also acknowledged that the league expanded to 9 SEC games to prepare for a larger CFP. It irritated the coaches at spring meetings that they caved to that request, but didn’t get a larger CFP to go with the more difficult schedule. By:Nick RoushSankey News07/20/2026 08:16:16 AMThe first interesting tidbits from the commish: The SEC averaged 80,000 fans per game at college football games, the highest of any league in the world. He also shared that Media Days will return to Nashville next year. Maybe they’ll figure out WiFi then?He’s now talking politics, asking for “reasonable change” to the Protect College Sports Act. If you believe this lobbying will result in a compromise everyone can agree on to create national standards in college sports, I got some swampland in Idaho for sale. By:Nick RoushNo Internet!07/20/2026 08:10:43 AMWe’re off to one heck of a start in Tampa. The SEC is hosting a convention of Internet workers without Internet. It’s so much fun! At least my phone is still working? I fear I am going to cause a scene, one that only compares to the time they ran out of Diet Coke at the NFL Combine. 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