By the time Texas football Coach Steve Sarkisian made it to the microphone, accompanied by the playing of Texas A&M's "Aggie War Hymn," a crowd was gathering.

The tragic flood in Central Texas was on the minds of the Longhorns that traveled to Atlanta for the SEC Media Days.

Texas Longhorns safety Michael Taaffe wore a special tie to this year’s SEC media days event honoring the flooding victims of Camp Mystic. The burnt orange tie had 27 sets of initials honoring the campers and counselors from Camp Mystic who tragically lost their lives in the flooding on the fourth

SEC Media Days continued on Tuesday with four College Football Playoff hopefuls headlining the event. Texas and Georgia competed in the SEC Championship Game last season, while Tennessee and Auburn believe they have the rosters to make an appearance in Atlanta this year.

It was his first big event as the starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns and Arch Manning handled the pressure like a seasoned veteran.

Widely viewed as the No. 1 prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft, Arch Manning said he's "just focused" on the 2025 season when he was asked about entering the draft next year at SEC Media Days.