Mark Stoops takes the mic: When Kentucky hits the SEC Media Days stage
ATLANTA — It’s officially Talkin’ Season in the SEC.
The 2025 edition of SEC Media Days kicked off Monday morning inside the College Football Hall of Fame, as the nation’s most powerful football conference takes center stage once again.
This year marks the third time since 2018 that the event has been held in Atlanta. The four-day media showcase, which runs from July 14–17, features all 16 head coaches, dozens of players, and the usual dose of preseason optimism and pressure.
As for Kentucky, Mark Stoops will take his turn at the podium on Thursday, July 17, at 10:50 a.m. ET. He’ll follow Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz and precede Arkansas’ Sam Pittman — a trio of coaches all sitting on various shades of hot seats heading into the fall.
Stoops is coming off a disappointing 4–8 campaign in 2024, Kentucky’s worst record since 2012, and has spent the offseason reshaping his program from the inside out. The offensive staff has been overhauled, the roster has been churned through the portal, and most notably, Stoops himself has admitted the culture had to change.
It’s time #secmediadays pic.twitter.com/ZLO2UrEptV
— Jake “JBOY” Crain (@JakeCrain_) July 14, 2025
You don't often hear a coach in year 13 talk about how a culture change is needed. He was the one who built the culture, and he is talking like a new coach coming in to clean house. But will that work? it has to.
With a $30 million buyout and a fan base growing restless, the 13th-year head coach enters a prove-it year. Thursday's appearance gives Stoops the stage to reset the narrative, signal confidence in his team, and remind the league that Kentucky football doesn’t plan on fading quietly.
Among the highlights of this year’s Media Days lineup:
Kirby Smart and Georgia led off Tuesday morning
New Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer took center stage Wednesday
And on Thursday, Stoops shares the spotlight with Pittman and Mike Elko (Texas A&M)
The stakes are high. And for Mark Stoops, the message on Thursday has to be crystal clear: Kentucky is coming to fight its way back.