Greg Sankey addresses SEC's stance on further expansion, realignment

For the second consecutive offseason, the landscape of college athletics, specifically in football, has been completely changed. After the Big Ten accepted USC and UCLA into its conference, questions arose about the future of further expansion and realignment involving the SEC.

When he took the podium to kick off SEC Media Days in Atlanta on Monday, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey made sure to let everyone know exactly where the conference stands on the idea of further expansion.

“There’s no sense of urgency in our league,” Sankey said in his opening statement. “No panic in reaction to others’ decisions. We know who we are. We’re confident in our collective strength.”

Sankey on further SEC expansion: ‘We’ll watch what happens around us’

Texas and Oklahoma will be joining the SEC within the next couple of years, as their additions to the league were announced this time last year. But with more questions than answers surrounding the futures of other teams and conferences across the country, the SEC has been linked to a number of teams as continued expansion continues to be at the forefront of the discussion in college football.

“We’re attentive, we’re engaged in conversation,” Sankey added. “The great news for the Southeastern Conference is that people call and say, ‘Hey, you’re doing something really special and kind of hit around the edges.’ We know who we are. We’re confident in our success. We’re really looking forward to the expansion and being at 16 teams and don’t feel pressure to just operate at a number. But we’ll watch what happens around us and be thoughtful but be nimble.”

Notably, Notre Dame has been at the height of SEC expansion talks, as have other teams affiliated with the ACC. North Carolina, Clemson, Florida State, Miami and Virginia have also been mentioned as possibilities, though no action appears imminent at this time.