ESPN’s Chris Doering Contends ‘Hardest Thing’ He’s Ever Done During SEC Media Days

When you think of Chris Doering, you think of the Florida Gators legend, NFL veteran, and ESPN’s go-to voice when it comes to SEC football. You probably picture him standing tall in the end zone, shrugging off defenders, or breaking down the game in studios with a mic. He’s the kind of guy who’s been through it all, from the walk-on battles on the field to the intense pressure of live TV.

After joining ESPN in 2015, he became a trusted voice in college football, analyzing everything from defensive schemes to playoff politics. You’ll spot him regularly on SEC Football Final, SEC Now, and SEC This Morning, trading insights with co-hosts like Peter Burns. So when the former Florida Gators legend-turned ESPN college football analyst mentioned something as the “hardest thing” he’s ever been associated with, fans leaned in, bracing for a story of epic proportions.

So was it a tense playoff moment? A heated on-air debate? A controversial prediction? As it turns out, it was contact lenses. Yes, the same Chris Doering who made a name for himself catching 31 touchdowns for the Florida Gators, which is still a record in the SEC, was reduced to panic not by a defensive blitz but by a tiny piece of soft plastic. The moment unfolded during ESPN’s buildup to the 2025 SEC Media Days in Atlanta. Peter Burns, Doering’s co-host on SEC This Morning, took to X to share the behind-the-scenes chaos. “BRUTAL scene this morning before our show,” Burns wrote. “@ChrisDoering is new to contacts and is afraid to touch his eyes… so we have a full team effort trying to put them in. And this is why you never meet your heroes, kids.”

The caption was paired with a hilarious video of Doering frozen in fear as multiple crew members hovered near his face like eye surgeons. And Doering himself  owned it with a perfectly dramatic reply: “Hardest thing I’ve ever been associated with…” That’s exactly what makes Chris Doering charming, not just his sharp game-day insights, but the real, unfiltered moments like this. They remind us that even football legends have their own small, hilarious struggles.

Chris Doering takes center stage at SEC Media Days 2025

With SEC Media Days in full swing in Atlanta, the SEC Network has rolled out nearly 50 hours of live programming, featuring shows such as SEC Now, SEC Startup, and SEC This Morning. As expected, the analyst lineup includes Paul Finebaum, Jordan Rodgers, Greg McElroy, and Roman Harper, along with Doering, of course, who will be at the heart of the coverage despite his contact lens trauma.

What’s turning heads, though, is the absence of Nick Saban. The former Alabama head coach, who was a major presence last year as he joined ESPN and delivered an Emmy-winning first season, is notably missing from this year’s press release. Fans expected a repeat performance, maybe even an expanded role, especially with the new season generating massive buzz. Instead, there’s silence. No announcement, no guest appearance tease, not even a cameo in the programming lineup.

Chris Doering will continue co-hosting SEC This Morning with Peter Burns daily during Media Days, and he’ll also feature prominently on SEC Now, which will run throughout each day, keeping fans fed with nonstop coverage of college football’s preseason kickoff.