Jul. 12—MORGANTOWN — Closing in on his one-year anniversary of becoming Big 12 commissioner, Brett Yormark spoke at Big 12 media days Wednesday about what he accomplished in his first year at the head of the conference.
“It’s hard to imagine that one year ago I stood before you for the first time, ” Yormark said. “As many of you know, when I took this job I did not have a background in college athletics. I relied on the advice and guidance of many people who helped coach me through my first year and heading into year two, I still have much to learn.”
Yormark, who came to the Big 12 from entertainment agency Roc Nation, stood at Big 12 media day last year and proclaimed that the conference was “open for business “. In the 12 months since his introduction, Yormark believes the conference has delivered on that proclamation.
“Since then we’ve jumped ahead of the line and extended TV agreements with existing partners through 2031, creating tremendous stability and clarity for this conference, ” he said. “We accelerated Texas and OU’s withdrawal, which was a win-win for all parties.”
Just three months after Yormark was introduced, the Big 12 announced a new media rights agreement with ESPN and Fox Sports. The conference also negotiated Texas and Oklahoma’s exit from the league to the SEC in 2024 and added four new teams, Central Florida, Houston, BYU and Cincinnati.
“This event kicks off our first-ever season as a 14-team league, ” Yormark said. “We plan to use this season to celebrate the incredible strength we have going forward with our eight continuing members, our four incoming members and also to celebrate the impact that Texas and Oklahoma have had on this conference since day one.”
Asked about the impact that the exit of Texas and Oklahoma, the conference’s two biggest brands, will have, Yormark downplayed it’s…
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