SEC football updates: Here’s the latest news about fall sports on Aug. 18
Southeastern Conference football teams found out the dates to their revised 2020 schedule on Monday.
The anticipated release happened on a made-for-TV special on the SEC Network.
Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and Auburn were among the teams to start practice Monday. South Carolina will hit the practice field Tuesday.
Here is the latest news on how the conference and its teams are preparing for the week ahead.
Alabama vs. LSU on Masters weekend
One of the highlights of the SEC football schedule release was the date of the annual Alabama-LSU matchup.
The two powerhouse programs will play Nov. 14, the same weekend as the rescheduled Masters golf tournament.
Other highlights of the schedule include:
▪ Mike Leach’s debut at Mississippi State will be against defending national champion LSU on Sept. 26.
▪ Georgia is at Alabama on Oct. 17.
▪ The annual Florida-Georgia in Jacksonville will be Nov. 7.
▪ Alabama-Auburn won’t be played on the final weekend of the season but will be Nov. 28, a week before the final week of the regular season.
A complete team-by-team SEC schedule can be found here.
Some Florida players are no-shows
Florida held its first full practice on Monday without some of its top players.
Kadarius Toney, Trevon Grimes and Jacob Copeland and Zachary Carter were no-shows, according to Sports Illustrated and the Tampa Bay Times.
Gators coach Dan Mullen didn’t address which players specifically weren’t there in a Zoom video call with reporters after practice.
“We had a couple guys not practice today,” Mullen said, “but we’ll see how that goes moving forward for us. But, you know, I wouldn’t be surprised if you have guys opt out. I’m going to support them fully.”
Tennessee to appeal NCAA’s decision on Mays
Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt said Monday that the school would appeal the NCAA’s decision on transfer Cade Mays.
According to Pruitt, the NCAA denied Mays’ waiver to be immediately eligible. Mays transferred from Georgia and was expected to play a big role on the Vols’ offensive line.
“I know everybody that has transferred from our place that I have written a letter of recommendation for them to the NCAA and requested that they be approved for immediate eligibility,” Pruitt told reporters Monday after practice. “I know it’s frustrating for Cade, and it’s frustrating for our team.”
Auburn announces COVID-19 testing numbers
Auburn coach Gus Malzhan said Monday that his program had 33 players and one staff member positive for COVID-19 since testing began this summer.
According to Malzhan, the players were tested seven times and staff members five times over the summer beginning June 4. The team had no positive tests last week.
Two Tiger players, linebacker Chandler Wooten and Travion Leonard, opted out for the season.
