Greg Sankey 'mindful of what's happening' around SEC regarding future expansion

Greg Sankey shocked college football when it was announced he secured a deal to bring Texas and Oklahoma to the Southeastern Conference. Now, conference realignment is the new norm.

With less than a year until the SEC’s expansion, is Sankey considering adding more teams to the conference’s ranks? He discussed the matter with On3’s JD PicKell on a recent edition of The Hard Count.

“We’re focused on our expansion to 16. There is a lot of work that has been done, and there is still a lot of work to be done in advance of July 1, 2024,” Sankey told PicKell. “We’re very mindful of what’s happening around us. I’m not a recruiter, I’ve not been a recruiter.

“We want to do things so well that people are interested in being a part of us and that’s what happened at Oklahoma and Texas. But our focus very clearly is on 16. It’s not on further growth.”

With both the Big-12 and Big Ten conferences adding multiple teams each this season, and the SEC making their moves next season — which coincides with the dissolving of the conference’s divisions — who’s to say Sankey wouldn’t consider adding another premier college football program to the SEC once OU and Texas get settled in?

Florida State and Clemson have been discussed as teams with strong enough pedigree for the SEC to consider adding them as both programs have won a national championship in the last decade. Florida State has seemingly found its identity under Mike Norvell, and Clemson continues to be the ACC’s team to beat as Dabo Swinney’s squad is expected to be improved in 2022.

Of course, that wouldn’t be considered until after Texas and OU settle into their new conference. Sankey has his bases covered, however, as he continues to monitor the ever-changing landscape of college football and plans to be at the forefront of whatever comes next.

“[There is] an understanding that we may have to adapt to the circumstances around us,” Sankey said. “We’re always going to be attentive and prepared should that need arise.”

No promises have been made at capping the SEC’s numbers at 16. That’s already a massive number of teams to govern, though no divisions make the scheduling easier with more teams rather than its current divisional format.

Based on what’s going on around him, Sankey will continue to make amendments to the SEC as he sees fit.