JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – SEC Media Days have become the de facto start to the college football season in the South. This year, the event returns to Hoover, Alabama on July 15-18. Each team in the SEC brings their head coach and three players to meet the media.
The Gators will be represented by head coach Dan Mullen, quarterback Feleipe Franks, running back Lamical Perine and defensive lineman Jabari Zuniga.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart will be joined by quarterback Jake Fromm, defensive back J.R. Reed and offensive lineman Andrew Thomas.
The two quarterbacks both enjoyed productive seasons in 2018. Franks tossed 24 touchdown passes and was intercepted only six times while Fromm set career bests with 30 touchdown passes and six interceptions.
As a junior, Perine ran for a career-high 826 yards and seven touchdowns, scoring another touchdown on a pass reception. Perine figures to shoulder more of the load in the running game with Jordan Scarlett now in the NFL, but Perine will also get help from junior running back Malik Davis.
Zuniga started all 13 games for Florida, finishing the season with 6.5 sacks, including 2.5 sacks in the Gators' win over Colorado State.
News4Jax will be at SEC Media Days to hear from the Gators and Bulldogs, both of whom figure to contend for the SEC East again this season.
Reed, the son of former NFL wide receiver Jake Reed, considered leaving for the NFL after his junior season but decided to return to Athens. As a team captain, Reed started every game for the Bulldogs, finishing second on the team with 66 tackles and two interceptions. Reed has already graduated with his bachelor's degree.
As a sophomore, Thomas started at left tackle for the Bulldogs and was named as a second-team All-American by The Associated Press. Sports Illustrated named him to its first-team All-America squad.