SEC Nation Kicks Off 2018 Campaign from College Station and Charlotte

SEC Network

SEC Nation Kicks Off 2018 Campaign from College Station and Charlotte

SEC Network’s traveling pregame show, SEC Nation, is kicking off its fifth season in style with a jam-packed weekend that features two stops in less than 48 hours. On Thursday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. ET, SEC Nation will surround the start of the Jimbo Fisher era as Texas A&M hosts Northwestern State at Kyle Field, before heading to Romare Bearden Park in Charlotte, N.C. to highlight the Belk College Kickoff between West Virginia and Tennessee on Saturday, Sept. 1.

Saturday’s show marks the first time SEC Nation has originated with a full presence* from Charlotte, the home of the SEC Network, and only the third time the show has aired from a neutral site city during the regular season. SEC Nation presented by AT&T airs from 10 a.m. – Noon from uptown Charlotte, with special guests to be announced closer to kickoff.

“Two shows in three days is the perfect way to match our excitement for the start of the 2018 season,” said Tom McCollum, ESPN senior coordinating producer. “After a fantastic start last month in Atlanta, we couldn’t be more thrilled to kick off the regular season in College Station before welcoming the SEC Nation family to our home here in Charlotte.”

The SEC Nation crew returns in full force, with host Laura Rutledge, analysts Paul Finebaum, Marcus Spears and Tim Tebow, and reporter Lauren Sisler rejoining the SEC Nation desk. Ryan McGee, senior writer for ESPN The Magazine, comes back as a contributor for 2018. For Saturday’s show, Sisler will be reporting live from the 2018 Chick-fil-A Kickoff game in Atlanta between Washington and SEC West champion, Auburn.

Each show will include live reports, analysis and features surrounding the sights, sounds and storylines of SEC football, and will showcase the new SEC Nation demo field that debuted at the show’s SEC Media Days stop in July. Also new for 2018 is the weekly series “SEC Shorts,” which also had its premiere at SEC Media Days last month.

Join the SEC Nation
SEC Nation presented by Dr Pepper will originate Thursday from the Kyle Field sidelines, as Texas A&M readies to kick off the season on SEC Network. For fans wanting to watch the show in the Queen City Saturday, the set will be situated in the northwest corner of Romare Bearden Park, close to the entrance of BB&T Ballpark. In addition, fans are invited to be part of the crowd for The Paul Finebaum Show presented by Johnsonville on Friday, Aug. 31 from 3-7 p.m.

SEC Network
The Southeastern Conference and ESPN launched SEC Network on August 14, 2014.  The network televises over 45 SEC football games, 100 men’s basketball games, 60 women’s basketball games, 75 baseball games, and other events from across the SEC’s 21 sports annually. Programming includes in-depth analysis and storytelling in studio shows such as SEC Nation, Thinking Out Loud and Rally Cap, daily news and information with SEC Now, original content such as SEC Storied and SEC Inside, and more. Hundreds of additional live events are available for streaming exclusively on SEC Network’s digital companion, SEC Network+, via the ESPN App and SECNetwork.com. The network is also available in more than 50 countries throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa via ESPN Player, ESPN’s sports streaming service in the region.

*On Oct. 8, 2016, the show was taped in the SEC Network studios due to Hurricane Matthew.

Amanda Brooks

Amanda is the Senior Director of Communications overseeing publicity strategy for ESPN’s entire college sports portfolio, including college football and the College Football Playoff, 40 NCAA Championships and ESPN's college networks. Amanda is a proud alum of Hendrix College in Conway, Ark., and earned her master's in ethics from Vanderbilt University. A native of Kent, Ohio, she is a die-hard Cleveland Guardians fan.
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