Mizzou, Ole Miss, and LSU kickoff SEC Media Days in Atlanta

The Missouri Tigers are hopeful of a surge up the standings in 2022, with a highly-ranked recruiting class headed into Columbia to bolster the continuing rebuilding job done by third-year head coach Eliah Drinkwitz.

MU was one of three schools, including LSU and Ole Miss, to meet with the media on Monday, on the opening day of Southeastern Conference Media Days in Atlanta, Georgia.  Drinkwitz spoke about his excitement over the state of the Tigers roster heading into fall practice starting in August: 

Senior safety Martez Manuel, a native of Columbia, spoke with the SEC Network’s Alyssa Lang about the upcoming season: 

First on the to-do lists for Drinkwitz and the Tigers will be deciding on a starting quarterback, with seventh-year transfer Jack Abraham, sophomore Brady Cook, and redshirt freshman Tyler Macon, and true freshman Sam Horn to be in an August competition for the job. 

Missouri opens the season with a Thursday night home game on September 1st against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, with a 7 o’clock kickoff on ESPNU.  A short road trip to Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas to play the Kansas State Wildcats follows on ESPN2 on Saturday, September 10th at 11 o’clock.  A final non-conference test, in Columbia with Abilene Christian, is slated for September 17th at 11 o’clock.  The Tigers SEC opener will be at Auburn University on Saturday, September 24th, with the following Saturday bringing the defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs to Faurot Field in Mizzou’s conference home opener on October 1st.

In Oxford, Mississippi, head coach Lane Kiffin saw tremendous success in the 2021 season for the Ole Miss Rebels, with a 10-3 mark that saw a trip to the prestigious Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.  Despite a season ending 21-7 loss to Big 12 champion Baylor, the Rebels did boast an Egg Bowl victory over bitter rival Mississippi State, a 29-19 win over nationally-ranked Texas A&M, a 31-17 win over LSU, and a heart-stopping 52-51 win over Arkansas in the Rebels Homecoming game in early October.  

Heading into 2022, the explosive offenses from Coach Kiffin continue to be his and the program’s calling cards: 

This year’s Rebel squad will open the season at home against Troy University on Saturday, September 3rd.  After four non-conference games, Ole Miss jumps into SEC play on October 1st with the homecoming game in Oxford against the Kentucky Wildcats, with a trip to Vanderbilt slated for the following Saturday, October 8th.

One of the biggest stories of the college football offseason saw a rarity in the sport, with the head coach at Notre Dame choosing to leave his position for another head coaching job.  In perhaps a ton to the power and prestige of the SEC, Brian Kelly is the new head coach at powerhouse LSU, knowing that the talent is in place for success, with the job of finding winning intangibles in Baton Rouge this fall: 

Per usual, LSU will feature one of the country’s toughest schedules, opening in the Superdome in New Orleans against the Florida State Seminoles on Sunday night, September 4th.  Coach Kelly’s SEC debut will be at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge against Mississippi State on September 17th, with the conference road opener at Auburn on Saturday, October 1st.

While Brian Kelly moving from South Bend to Baton Rouge was big news, so was the earth-moving noise of power programs Oklahoma and Texas leaving the Big 12 Conference to join the SEC by July 1, 2025.  SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, in comments provided by the SEC Network, is aware of the challenge of protecting rivalries and traditions in a soon-to-be 16 school mega-conference: 

SEC Media Days continues on Tuesday with four additional schools, Alabama, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, and South Carolina set to take their turns in introducing themselves and their team to the assembled media.