‘SEC Nation’ hits the road with new travel set

“SEC Nation” on the SEC Network has rolled out a new traveling set for its coverage of the 2025 college football season.

The show’s format is similar to other college football-centric productions, including “College GameDay,” and involves traveling to various college towns ahead of a matchup.

Because of that format, the show’s traveling set gets heavy use. 

Tim Tebow, Jordan Rodgers, Laura Rutledge, Roman Harper and Paul Finebaum on the set of ‘SEC Nation’ at the University of Missouri Columbia, also known as Mizzou, Sept. 6, 2025. Image courtesy ESPN. 

While the background relies on views from around the camps or arena and fans gathered to watch the show and game, many parts of the traveling set are important for creating consistency from week to week and enhancing branding opportunities for both the show and teams.

James Yates worked with SEC Network to create a new custom desk, fronted with LED to incorporate team, network and sponsor branding.

Gray faux brick columns with dramatic capstones channel a classic college campus look while also hiding the supports for the trusswork assembled over the set for lighting and protection from the elements.

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The columns also feature faux stone carvings of the round SEC logo. A full-color version of the logo sits on top of the wedge-shaped desk as well.

A short and stout version of the columns serves as a display point for the rival teams’ helmets, which have long been used as an on-set decorative element on many sports sets.

The set also includes custom carpeting in gray-blue with lighter gray and brighter blue border accents.

The set was fabricated by EWI Worldwide and West River Light & Sound providing on-site staging and production assistance each week.