Can’t spell “Tampa” without A&M.
On Tuesday, the Southeastern Conference announced the player representatives for SEC Media Days 2026.
Along with head coach Mike Elko, quarterback Marcel Reed, safety Marcus Ratcliffe and linebacker Daymion Sanford will represent the Maroon & White next week in Tampa.
SEC Media Days begin on Monday, July 20, at the Tampa Marriott Water Street at JW Marriott as the preseason event makes its Sunshine State debut.
The Aggie delegation features three new faces — each a team captain in 2026 — for the league’s talking heads, as none of them have attended SEC Media Days before.
For the first time since Kellen Mond in 2019, an A&M quarterback will step into the SECMD spotlight as Reed steps into his redshirt junior season in Aggieland. This fall will be the Nashville native’s third season as the Aggie starter but his first as a team captain. In 2025, Reed passed for 3,169 yards and rushed for 493 while accounting for 31 total touchdowns as he led A&M to its first 11-win season since 2012. He is one of eight returning FBS quarterbacks to amass 5,000+ passing yards and 1,000+ rushing yards across his 27 career games.
Ratcliffe is entering his third year as an Aggie after spending one season at hometown San Diego State. The safety has appeared in 26 games for the Maroon & White, making 24 starts and amassing 113 total tackles with three interceptions — each of which came in 2024. Last fall, he made a career-best 65 total stops with three TFLs and three pass breakups. Beyond his veteran presence on the gridiron, Ratcliffe gives back to veterans off the field through his charitable NIL initiative Mission 3:12. For every turnover forced by the Aggie defense, he donates $312 to Walk Among Heroes, which is dedicated to preserving the stories of World War II vets and sponsoring annual trips back to Normandy.
Despite suffering an injury during the 2026 Maroon & White Game, Sanford is still making the trip to Tampa, where he will undoubtedly be asked about his status for A&M’s Sept. 5 opener and beyond. While other outlets rushed to report that Sanford’s timeline could jeopardize the linebacker’s senior campaign, the fact that he’s traveling may be another sign that he’ll be available sooner rather than later. Of course, that’s great news considering the team captain is A&M’s third-leading returning tackler, finishing with 57 total stops as a junior in 2025. Sanford also registered 9.5 TFLs and 3.5 sacks to go along with an interception.
With team representatives officially official, all that remains to be announced for the 2026 edition of SEC Kickoff is specific timeslots for each of the league’s 16 member institutions.
It is already known that Texas A&M will take center stage on Wednesday, July 22.
2026 SEC Media Days Schedule
Monday, July 20 (Alphabetical by school)
Kentucky – Will Stein
Missouri – Eliah Drinkwitz
Oklahoma – Brent Venables
Tennessee – Josh Heupel
Tuesday, July 21
Auburn – Alex Golesh
Georgia – Kirby Smart
South Carolina – Shane Beamer
Vanderbilt – Clark Lea
Wednesday, July 22
Alabama – Kalen DeBoer
Florida – Jon Sumrall
Ole Miss – Pete Golding
Texas A&M – Mike Elko
Thursday, July 23
Arkansas – Ryan Silverfield
LSU – Lane Kiffin
Mississippi State – Jeff Lebby
Texas – Steve Sarkisian
SEC Media Days Player Representatives
Alabama
Zabien Brown, DB
Ryan Coleman-Williams, WR
Bray Hubbard, DB
Arkansas
Caden Kitler, OL
Quincy Rhodes Jr., DE
Sutton Smith, RB
Auburn
Champ Anthony, DB
Byrum Brown, QB
Alex McPherson, K
Florida
Jadan Baugh, RB
Myles Graham, LB
Vernell Brown III, WR
Georgia
Drew Bobo, OL
Gunner Stockton, QB
Raylen Wilson, LB
Kentucky
Ty Bryant, S
Kenny Minchey, QB
Willie Rodriguez, TE
LSU
TJ Dottery, LB
Trey’Dez Green, TE
Whit Weeks, LB
Ole Miss
Trinidad Chambliss, QB
Will Echoles, DT
Kewan Lacy, RB
Mississippi State
Anthony Evans III, WR
Kelley Jones, CB
Kamario Taylor, QB
Missouri
Cayden Green, OL
Jamal Roberts, RB
Nicholas Rodriguez, LB
Oklahoma
John Mateer, QB
Eddy Pierre-Louis, OL
Taylor Wein, DL
South Carolina
Nyck Harbor, WR
LaNorris Sellers, QB
Peyton Williams, DB
Tennessee
DeSean Bishop, RB
Arion Carter, LB
Jeremiah Telander, LB
Texas
Trevor Goosby, OL
Arch Manning, QB
Colin Simmons, DE
Texas A&M
Daymion Sanford, LB
Marcus Ratcliffe, S
Marcel Reed, QB
Vanderbilt
Sedrick Alexander, RB
Issa Ouattara, DL
Junior Sherrill, WR