Big 12 Conference announced Friday that Commissioner Brett Yormark will step down from his position and take a job outside of college athletics. Yormark is expected to remain with the conference through January 31, 2027.
"Serving as the commissioner of the Big 12 Conference has been an extraordinary honor," Yormark said. "I want to thank the Big 12 Board of Directors, Board Chair Douglas A. Girod, athletic directors, coaches, student-athletes, fans, fellow commissioners and trusted colleagues at the league office. I am looking forward to passing the baton to the next commissioner and continuing to cheer their league on as a lifelong fan of the Big 12."
Yormark assumed the role in 2022 at a pivotal moment as the league faced major realignment. He oversaw the addition of eight new schools within a two-year period and negotiated a long-term television contract that stabilized the conference. His background was unconventional for college athletics: he previously served as CEO of Jay-Z's Roc Nation, and worked in NASCAR and with the Brooklyn Nets.
Under his leadership, the Big 12 significantly expanded its business portfolio, including a partnership with Monster Energy as naming rights partner for football and basketball, and introduced a live music halftime show during the Big 12 Championship Game.
Yormark's aggressive approach reshaped the conference landscape. While the Pac-12 was left with primarily streaming options for its media rights, Yormark secured deals with ESPN and FOX, then lobbied Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State to join the Big 12, contributing to the Pac-12's collapse. The Big 12, once seen as the league most likely to dissolve, survived and increased its revenue despite the departures of Texas and Oklahoma.
Some of Yormark's initiatives drew criticism, including a reported push to add UConn for basketball strength and repeated mentions of international games. However, his personality was credited as a critical factor in the conference's financial growth after losing its two flagship programs.
Future Outlook
With Yormark's departure, the Big 12 faces a pivotal hiring decision ahead of the back half of its television contract and further realignment expected before the 2031 contract expiration. The conference's first four commissioners were traditional hires from within college athletics; Yormark represented a major departure. Now more financially and competitively stable, the league has a wide range of options for its next leader.
"I'm going in very open-minded," Kansas Chancellor Doug Girod told ESPN. "I don't need a (Yormark) twin. I need someone who hopefully has some experience with campuses, and mostly is going to be an innovator and help us on that path of revenue diversification and thinking differently about how we conduct ourselves and be the tip of the spear in some of these changes."
By comparison, the SEC's Greg Sankey and the ACC's Jim Phillips are traditional commissioner candidates from the college athletics world, while the Big Ten opted for television executive Tony Petitti, a longtime CBS and MLB Network executive.
