Texas starts its journey in a 16-member league that SEC commissioner Greg Sankey doesn't see expanding
DALLAS — For the SEC, it’s a sweet 16.
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The University of Texas and University of Oklahoma joined the Southeastern Conference on July 1, growing the membership of the league to 16 universities. That’s a size SEC commissioner Greg Sankey is more than content to stay at in the present and the future.
The league played the video below at the Omni in downtown Dallas ahead of his opening state of the conference speech…
… and Sankey followed that vignette up with this.
“You heard from 14 deep to 16 strong,” he said. “16 is our today, and 16 is our tomorrow.”
That quote is probably a point of pride for the Longhorns and the UT administration, especially with the uncertain future college athletics has in light of litigation, NIL standards, and conference realignment. Texas (and Oklahoma) is safe and secure in the strongest league in the country, and the strongest league in the country doesn’t seem to want to play the realignment game again.
Sankey was asked about ongoing Atlantic Coast Conference litigation involving the league, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, Florida State University, and Clemson University. While he said he pays attention, it doesn’t sound like the SEC is an exit strategy the Seminoles and Tigers can rely on.
“As I said, we’re focused on our 16,” Sankey said. “I’ve said before at media days that I’m not a recruiter. My job is to make sure we meet the standard of excellence that we have for ourselves on a daily basis. That attracts interest. It’s done that with the two universities that we’ve added this year. They’re not the only phone calls I’ve ever had, but I’m not involved in recruiting.”
He was badgered on the subject on several other occasions. But each time, he was clear with stating the SEC isn’t eyeing further expansion outside of UT and OU.
“We’re focused on our 16. Period,” Sankey said.
The newest members of the league are along the IH-35 corridor that runs through Austin, Dallas, and Norman, Okla. Sankey was asked about how that geography is important for the league after it expanded westward and brought its media days to downtown Dallas.
With the additions of Texas and Oklahoma, the location of the league’s premier summer gathering is a hat tip not only to the additions of the Longhorns and Sooners, but also the idea that the league is no longer just a Birmingham-based organization. Rather, it’s one that has expanded across multiple parts of the southeastern United States.
“We are a big part of Texas, and Texas is a big part of us now,” Sankey said.
Sankey was on hand in Austin for the school’s SEC Celebration a few weeks ago, an event that saw thousands flock to the UT South Mall to not only celebrate Texas’ change in conferences but also attend a concert featuring international superstar Pitbull.
Some in the SEC have called into question Texas fans’ fervor. What Sankey saw on June 30 in Austin made it clear that the Longhorns will fit in just fine among their peers.
“In individual interactions when I walked around campus either running on Sunday morning in Austin or Monday morning in Norman with a logo on and people doing a double-take, it was fun to see in those communities the displays of the SEC logo,” Sankey said. “At a leadership level, to have deep conversations about what the decision means for each campus, and me talking for what it means for the conference.
“I learned more about drone shows than I thought I would know given the performances at both places. And I learned that both clearly meet what one of our athletics directors calls the ‘it just means more’ test.”
As Texas and Oklahoma get set to start in the SEC this year, did they pass that test with flying colors, even?
“That avid fan base that I spoke of earlier in backward-looking surveys?” Sankey asked. “Both Oklahoma and Texas bring that same type of avid fan bases to a set of peer universities and peer athletic programs.”
Texas and Oklahoma put the league at 16 members, and didn’t drop the quality of competition, school, or passion of the league.
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In the swirling landscape of college athletics, Texas is now in a league that’s comfortable at 16 both today and in the future.
