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As the dog days of summer slowly but surely creep along, we’re about to pass an important checkpoint in the college football offseason calendar: media day.
The SEC’s football Media Days are scheduled to begin this upcoming Monday, July 19. LSU will open Media Day and are grouped with Florida and South Carolina.
It was announced earlier this week that junior corner Derek Stingley Jr. and senior right tackle Austin Deculus will make the trip to Birmingham alongside head coach Ed Orgeron.
“Very proud. Can only bring two, I wish I could bring five,” Orgeron said on his weekly Tuesday interview with 104.5. “It’s a neat day. As you guys know, they get to fly on the private plane, we get to get together. For many guys, it’s the first time they’ve flown on a private plane. This year, we’re bringing Derek Stingley and Austin Deculus two great leaders.”
There’s never really a surprise with who represents the team in Birmingham, but this one is about as big a layup in recent memory. Stingley is a two-time All-American, the best player on LSU’s roster and a surefire top-10 pick in next April’s NFL Draft.
“Derek is the finest corner in America and also a great leader for us,” Orgeron said. “So, I can’t wait to bring him.”
Deculus, on the other hand, is a fifth-year senior and has been a stalwart on the LSU offensive line. He has played in 49 games with 35 starts and could be the first Tiger to ever play in 60 games. He also played a key role in re-recruiting left guard Ed Ingram and center Liam Shanahan to come back for another season in Baton Rouge.
“Think about the job he’s done. He was very instrumental in helping me recruit the offensive line to come back this year,” Orgeron said. “I think that’s probably the biggest key to our season is that offensive line coming back so very proud to bring both of those guys. They’re going to represent LSU in the best way possible.”
The schedule for the 2021 SEC Media Days is as follows:
- July 19: Florida, LSU, South Carolina
- July 20: Georgia, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee
- July 21: Alabama, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
- July 22: Arkansas, Auburn, Missouri
Media Day will once again be carried jointly by SEC Network and ESPN. SEC Network will, as usual, have wall-to-wall coverage of the four-day event. Keep it locked on and the valley shook dot com for coverage of such a marquee event.