What to expect at SEC Spring Meetings in Destin

The new league year in the NFL starts in March when free agency agreements can be officially announced by organizations. College football operates differently. High school and transfer additions have been announced by schools, but a new year doesn’t really start until spring meetings take place. That is the sign that rosters are set and conferences are now looking ahead to the upcoming fall sports schedule.

The SEC will step into the spotlight this week in Destin.

Commissioner Greg Sankey, university presidents, athletic directors, head football coaches, head men’s basketball coaches, and much more will all be down in the Florida panhandle for the league’s big event this week. There is much to cover with some big picture changes on the horizon.

What storylines could emerge on the beach this week? Let’s a closer look at some of the potential talking points we could see Sankey and some of the other members of the conference discuss.

Waiting on the settlement

All of the work has been done for the House v. NCAA settlement. The NCAA — and their attorneys — have restructured their roster limit rules by setting up a grandfather system for players currently in school. Now all that is left is for this to passed so revenue-sharing with college athletes can officially begin on July 1.

During SEC spring meetings (May 27-29), this settlement will be discussed whether it passes this week or not.

Schools will be allowed to spend $20.5 million but we still aren’t sure if the league will have a blanket plan across the conference or if individual schools will get to determine how much each sport gets. There will also be Title IX questions that come along with that that Greg Sankey and his commissioner colleagues will eventually have to address.

This is the No. 1 topic in college athletics because of the payment and everything that comes with it. Once the settlement is passed, the College Sports Commission (CSC) will be formed and a CEO will be named. That person will make a seven-figure salary and will quickly become a face in the college sports space as the CSC will handle punishments and oversee the NIL clearinghouse that will determine if deals have fair market value or not. We have not heard Sankey open up on this commission. Maybe that comes this week.

Playoff expansion

The College Football Playoff (CFP) will remain at 12 teams for 2025. This year’s edition of the postseason will include straight seeding instead of the four highest-ranked conference champions receiving byes. But big changes are coming in 2026 when ESPN’s new contract kicks in.

All signs point to the CFP expanding to 16 teams with a format that could include play-in games the week after the conference championship on the same December Saturday as the Army-Navy game. There are numerous thoughts about this structure where the SEC and Big Ten could each get four automatic bids.

Play-in games, going head-to-head with the NFL, and a season that could last until February. There is much to parse through. Expect Greg Sankey to be asked about all of this playoff expansion commotion.

SEC vs. Tennessee (and others)

Earlier this month, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee passed a bill that essentially would allow schools in his state to disobey the new rules that are coming with the revenue-sharing settlement. Essentially, the Tennessee Volunteers could keep its pay-for-play train rolling through its collective — the exact thing the NCAA wants to stop.

We now could be reaching a public fight stage between school and conference.

Last week, news leaked that conference leaders have spoken with league institutions and want each school to sign a membership contract that would waive its right to sue the NCAA for this new structure and help eliminated the antitrust threat that keeps on coming up over and over. Tennessee got a bill made to create a loophole. After that news leaked, athletic director Danny White publicly said he wants athletes to become student-employees — this is exactly what Greg Sankey and others in the NCAA have been trying to avoid this entire time.

We might not hear what goes on when Sankey has his meeting with the league’s athletic directors but odds are high that meeting becomes intense. Will White and Vols fall in line or will this public spat continue? We might get some fireworks between these two parties at the Sandestin.

The 9-game schedule conversation is ongoing

With playoff expansion and House v. NCAA getting most of the attention, the future of conference scheduling has taken a backseat. That will change soon. The 2026 campaign for the SEC does not have a scheduling model locked in. That probably needs to change this week.

Does the 9-game structure finally get passed?

ESPN is now reportedly willing to pay more for the extra league game and the additional access being secured by Greg Sankey in the CFP takes away some of the cons with the extra league game. Schools also are looking for more revenue so they can pay athletes. Getting an additional SEC home game every other year — on top of the additional money from Mickey Mouse — can be added to the pros list.

Expect this to pass sooner rather than later. There are other big problems to figure out but time is ticking. The league must find a solution for 2026 soon.

Transfer Portal and spring OTAs

There are some additional calendar issues with college football that have been discussed all offseason that will come up this week in Destin. Coaches want to eliminate the portal and have just one portal window in January. There is also a push being made for a revamped spring practice schedule that would include the opportunity for 20 on-field workouts that could stretch from anytime through the spring semester into the summer.

Expect both issues to be brought to the forefront this week.

We all know that college football has a schedule problem. The coaches have proposed solutions. Will they get those wishes or will college administrators decide to go in another direction?