Brett Yormark to step down as Big 12 commissioner
The Big 12 commissioner will remain in office through January 2027 before moving to a new executive role in professional sports.
By Nicholas Campbell ·
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark is leaving his position to take an executive job in professional sports.
Yormark will stay in his current role through January 2027. He will use that time to oversee the transition to his successor.
Yormark assumed the commissioner role in August 2022. The conference faced major uncertainty at that time because Texas and Oklahoma were moving to the SEC. Many observers expected the league to collapse. Yormark responded by recruiting Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah from the Pac-12. He also secured a six-year television contract worth $2.28 billion with ESPN and Fox Sports. That deal runs through 2031.
The conference currently consists of 16 schools. The membership stretches from Florida to Utah. Yormark leaves behind a new $12.5 million private capital framework with RedBird Capital Partners. He also established commercial deals with PayPal. The conference distributed $610.9 million to its members for the 2024-25 season. That figure is a record for the Big 12, though it remains lower than total payouts in the Big Ten and SEC.
Yormark brought a background in professional sports marketing. He previously worked with the Brooklyn Nets and NASCAR. He treated the Big 12 as an entertainment brand rather than just an amateur sports league. His strategies included pushing for international games and expanding the College Football Playoff. The Big 12 Board of Directors must now decide on a replacement. They can choose another corporate executive or a traditional college athletics administrator.
Potential candidates include Mark Tatum, the deputy commissioner of the NBA. Amy Brooks, president of new business ventures at the NBA, is also a possibility. The board might look internally at Zack Smith or other senior Big 12 leadership. Garth Lagerwey, the president and CEO of Atlanta United, is another name mentioned. Desiree Reed-Francois, the athletic director at Arizona, and Danny White, the athletic director at Tennessee, are also considered strong options.
The next commissioner will face immediate pressure regarding the 2030 media rights cycle. Preparation for those negotiations is already underway. The incoming leader must maintain the conference's financial momentum without Yormark's specific corporate network.
Source: WHBO
