{"id":346269,"date":"2026-07-20T17:50:42","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T17:50:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/346269\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T17:50:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T17:50:42","slug":"inside-tampas-push-to-bring-sec-football-media-days-to-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/346269\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Tampa’s push to bring SEC Football Media Days to Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEC Football Media Days began Monday in downtown Tampa, marking the first time the Southeastern Conference has held its annual football event in Florida.<\/p>\n

The four-day gathering is expected to draw roughly 1,200 to 1,400 people, including 900 to 1,000 reporters, the conference\u2019s 16 head coaches, student-athletes, school staff and sponsors.<\/p>\n

Lanness Robinson, executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, said Tampa landed Media Days after years of working with the SEC.<\/p>\n

\u201cI primarily think it came about because of the relationship that we had with the SEC, hosting previous events for them and being scheduled to host future events,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cI think it\u2019s ultimately connected to that previous relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tampa\u2019s relationship with the SEC has already brought the conference\u2019s men\u2019s basketball tournament to the city twice and will bring the gymnastics championships in 2027 and 2028. The city is also scheduled to host the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2029.<\/p>\n

\"SECSEC Commissioner Greg Sankey addresses attendees during the 2026 SEC Football Media Days in Tampa.<\/p>\n

Media Days remained in Birmingham and nearby Hoover for most of its history before the conference began expanding the event to other markets. Atlanta hosted it in 2022 and 2025, followed by Nashville in 2023, Dallas in 2024 and now Tampa.<\/p>\n

Although the Tampa Bay area does not have an SEC school, it has one of the conference\u2019s largest alumni concentrations, including more than 20,000 alumni and fans connected through the Tampa Gator Club and more than 1,800 University of Tennessee alumni.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know we\u2019re going to have a lot of people coming down and we know that they\u2019re going to be in hotel rooms,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cThey\u2019re going to spend money in restaurants<\/a>. They\u2019re going to visit attractions. Some will extend their stay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reporters and broadcast crews will also produce four days of coverage from Water Street Tampa, placing the city in front of college football audiences across the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time we can put our destination in front of people from around the country and the world, you can\u2019t beat those marketing dollars,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n

Regions Bank, which operates 53 branches across the Tampa Bay region and held about $8.7 billion in local deposits as of June 30, according to Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. data, is using SEC Football Media Days to host clients, launch a four-part video podcast and continue financial literacy programs it developed after NIL opportunities reshaped college athletics. The bank has been the SEC\u2019s official banking partner for more than 30 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cTampa is a priority market for Regions,\u201d said April Grajales, Tampa Bay market president and commercial banking area executive. \u201cHaving SEC Media Days in Tampa in a priority market for us really brings home why Tampa is an important community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grajales said the financial literacy programs do not require student-athletes to open a Regions account or establish a banking relationship.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are truly educational resources,\u201d said April Grajales, Tampa Bay Market President & Commercial Banking Area Executive for Regions Bank. \u201cWe\u2019ll follow that up with more individualized sessions in which they have the opportunity to have a more open conversation. They may have some reservations about wanting to ask questions in front of a large population.\u201d<\/p>\n

The podcast features Ryan Silverfield of Arkansas, Alex Golesh of Auburn, Jon Sumrall of Florida and Pete Golding of Ole Miss. SEC Network personalities Peter Burns and Chris Doering host the episodes, which Regions plans to release beginning July 27.<\/p>\n

Paul Hodges, experiential marketing manager at Regions, said the conference\u2019s coaching turnover created an opportunity to profile four first-year SEC head coaches away from the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an interesting moment in SEC football lore to have this many openings occur over the course of an offseason,\u201d Hodges said. \u201cI think it\u2019s indicative of how college football has changed with the advent of NIL, the transfer portal and the speed at which college football moves.\u201d<\/p>\n

One episode follows Golesh as he settles into Auburn after leaving the University of South Florida, with Burns and Doering helping him unpack moving boxes before heading out to fish.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something unlike what you might hear in a postgame press conference,\u201d Hodges said. \u201cThe relationship those hosts have with those coaches really built the trust that allows us to give some unique content to the viewer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read More Tampa Bay Business News<\/p>\n

\n Explore the latest Tampa Bay business news, real estate deals, development projects, executive moves and company updates shaping the region.\n <\/p>\n

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