# SEC Morning Report: Conference Scraps Cupcake Weekend, Mizzou Shakes Up Baseball Staff **Published:** 2026-05-27 — **By:** Stacy Stanfield **Category:** daily-roundup — **Type:** daily-roundup **Source:** https://secscouts.com/news/sec-ends-cupcake-weekend-mizzou-baseball-staff-shakeup --- ## Lead Story: SEC Ends the Cupcake Era The SEC is closing the book on one of college football's most criticized scheduling traditions. Beginning in 2027, the conference will eliminate the late-season buy games against FCS and lower-tier FBS opponents and replace them with conference matchups in the next-to-last weekend of the regular season, according to CBS Sports. The move accelerates the league's push toward a heavier conference slate and reshapes how programs build their non-conference schedules. The ripple effects will be substantial. Programs that have long used that November breather as a guaranteed win and a tune-up before rivalry week will now face an additional SEC opponent during the most physically demanding stretch of the year. Athletic departments must also rethink the financial model that came with hosting those buy games, while the College Football Playoff committee gets a cleaner data set to evaluate SEC resumes. The news landed at SEC spring meetings in Miramar Beach, Florida, where another scheduling storyline drew headlines: Lane Kiffin's Week 3 return to face LSU. Per ESPN, the matchup looms as one of the most anticipated dates on the 2026 calendar, with the Tigers brushing aside questions about the game on Monday. ## Quick Hits - **Mizzou Hitting Coach Out**: D1Baseball's Kendall Rogers reports Missouri hitting coach Bryson LeBlanc will not return for a fourth season in Columbia. The Tigers ranked second in the SEC in sacrifice bunts in 2026 and ninth in stolen bases per game, but the offense finished in the bottom three of the conference in batting average, slugging percentage and RBI over the last three seasons. The search is described as wide open. - **Ahmad Hardy Update**: ESPN's Pete Thamel relayed an update from Missouri on running back Ahmad Hardy, who was shot on May 15. Hardy has been rehabbing at the team facility each morning at 9 a.m., though there is no timeline yet for his return to football activities. - **Vandagriff Honored**: Alabama sophomore outfielder Audrey Vandagriff was named the recipient of the Elite Scholar-Athlete Award for the 2026 NCAA Division I Softball Championship, presented at Tuesday night's Women's College World Series banquet. - **Five Gators Recognized**: Florida placed five softball players on the CSC Academic All-District team, the program announced, with the award honoring classroom and on-field performance. - **Capitol Hill Watch**: CBS Sports reports the bipartisan Cantwell-Cruz college sports bill — which includes a salary cap framework for players and antitrust protection — is expected to be introduced in the coming days after multiple delays. ## Portal Watch A quiet morning on the transfer front across the league. The bigger personnel story sits on a coaching staff rather than a roster: Missouri's search for a new hitting coach is open after LeBlanc's departure, and the Tigers will be looking to pair that hire with pitching coach Drew Dickinson, who arrived before the 2026 season after a run at Virginia where the Cavaliers consistently graded out among the nation's best in ERA and strikeouts from 2021 through 2024. ## Recruiting Buzz No new commitments to report this morning, but Kentucky continued to expand its 2027 board. The Wildcats extended an offer to seven-foot-three center Cherif Millogo, a Burkina Faso native who has played his prep ball stateside under the guardianship of former UCLA and NBA forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Millogo, who only began playing basketball a few years ago, is ranked as high as 21st overall and second among centers in the 2027 class by Rivals. He becomes the 19th player in the class with a Kentucky offer, joining a list of suitors that includes Alabama, Arizona, BYU and USC. Millogo measures with a 7-9 wingspan and was evaluated on the Adidas 3SSB circuit. ## Games to Watch No SEC games are on today's slate, but eyes turn to Fayetteville, where the 2026 NCAA Track & Field West Regional Championships open today and run through May 30 at John McDonnell Field. Missouri is sending 16 athletes to the meet with NCAA Championship berths on the line. Elsewhere, Missouri Football announced its Week 3 home matchup against Troy will serve as the 100th anniversary celebration of Memorial Stadium, complete with commemorative moments and fan activities. --- *Original article: [SEC Morning Report: Conference Scraps Cupcake Weekend, Mizzou Shakes Up Baseball Staff](https://secscouts.com/news/sec-ends-cupcake-weekend-mizzou-baseball-staff-shakeup) — SEC Scouts*