Greg Sankey on future of the SEC: ‘The 16 that we have are just incredible’

On July 1, the SEC officially added Oklahoma and Texas to the conference. However, fans might not want to expect any more additions any time soon. During an appearance on “The Paul Finebaum Show,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey addressed rumors of other schools joining the prestigious conference.

“I have to be attentive. I think our member institutions are attentive,” Sankey said. “What does that mean for us? We’ll watch and see what happens. The reality is, those member institutions in a conference have been part of agreements, part of decisions, part of the constitution and bylaws that are now subject to litigation. Our Presidents have said, relative to expansion, do not involve us in litigation. Don’t expose us to lawsuits, and don’t take our pie and just slice it more thinly.

“Don’t spend our money to add people. I think those are pretty clear instructions, which says we’re watching. I think the 16 that we have are just incredible.”

Oklahoma and Texas’ transition to the SEC was first reported in 2021. Since then, the collegiate landscape has been turned on its head. The Big 12, Big Ten and ACC also added schools this summer while the Pac-12 dissolved.

Despite the ACC’s growth, Florida State and Clemson are unhappy with the conference. The two schools are suing the ACC over its $140 million exit penalty and the grant of rights used to bind them through their media rights.

With the move, Florida State and Clemson’s exit from the conference seems inevitable. Nonetheless, Sankey seems uninterested in adding the universities.

“We added the universities playing at the highest level, so they add to our national championship count for last year. They add to our Olympian count,” Sankey said. “We’re 16 of the strongest athletics programs with worldwide impact from our campuses and that rightly is our focus.”

Not everybody is buying Sankey’s strong stance. On Thursday, ESPN’s Chris Low argued the SEC may add two unlikely schools in the not-too-distant future.

“I think there’s a better chance you would see more of an appetite for North Carolina and Virginia in the SEC,” Low said. “‘Wait a minute. Clemson, Florida State, both football-centric schools.’ 

“There’s other factors at play here. New footprints. You get the state of North Carolina, the state of Virginia. Both academically elite schools. You have the basketball factor. You get a little bit of the Charlotte TV market, maybe a little bit of the (Washington) D.C. market.”