Brett Yormark plans to leave Big 12 commissioner role in 2027
Brett Yormark plans to leave his role as Big 12 commissioner and take a job outside college athletics, CBS Sports reported. He is expected to remain with the conference through Jan. 31, 2027, and said he looks forward to passing the role to a successor.
AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 5 outlets' reporting · Article text read from 1 of 5 outletsHow it's made
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Key facts
- Brett Yormark is stepping down as Big 12 commissioner.
- Yormark said he looks forward to passing the role to the next commissioner and continuing to cheer for the league.
The brief
Brett Yormark plans to leave the Big 12 commissioner role for a job outside college athletics, according to CBS Sports, which reports that the conference announced his departure. Yormark is expected to stay with the league through Jan. 31, 2027.
The New York Times headline also describes his next opportunity as outside college sports, while Yahoo’s headline says he will leave the conference in 2027. Yormark said he is looking forward to handing the commissioner post to a successor and continuing to support the Big 12 as a lifelong fan.
His remarks, quoted by CBS Sports, also thanked the conference’s Board of Directors and Board Chair Douglas A. Girod, as well as athletic directors, coaches, student-athletes, fans, fellow commissioners and colleagues at the league office. CBS Sports says Yormark joined the conference in 2022, during what it describes as a pivotal period of major realignment.
The account places his departure after a tenure in which the Big 12 expanded its business portfolio; it does not connect that expansion to his decision to leave. Among the business developments cited by CBS Sports is a Monster Energy partnership that made the company the naming-rights partner for Big 12 football and basketball.
The account also says the conference added a live-music halftime show at its championship game. It provides no financial terms for the partnership or further details about the show. The league’s next commissioner is the immediate successor Yormark refers to, but CBS Sports does not name a candidate or describe a selection process.
The New York Times, Yahoo, Dallas News and the Big 12 Conference each published a headline reporting that Yormark is leaving or stepping down; those headlines provide no additional details about the transition. Yormark’s expected departure date is stated more precisely by CBS Sports as Jan. 31, 2027.
His own stated plan is to pass the role to the next commissioner and remain a supporter of the conference. The account does not specify what job he will take outside college athletics or when he will begin it.
Why it matters
- The Big 12 faces a leadership handoff: Yormark expects to remain through Jan. 31, 2027, and says he intends to pass the commissioner role to a successor.
- The conference’s business portfolio includes a Monster Energy naming-rights partnership covering Big 12 football and basketball.
- The Big 12 has also introduced a live-music halftime show at its championship game, a conference event CBS Sports identifies as part of its business and programming activity.
What to watch next
- Who the Big 12 selects as Yormark’s successor.
- Whether Yormark remains with the conference through Jan. 31, 2027, as expected.
- What job outside college athletics Yormark takes.
How it's being covered
Coverage analysisShow details5 source articles · 5 unique outletsOutlet political mix: Mostly Center· 1 Left · 3 Center · 1 unratedWhere the outlets are based: US/Canada 60% · Unknown 40%
- Coverage is currently concentrated among Center-rated outlets (3 of 4 rated sources); comparatively few Right-rated outlets have published on the event.
How outlets' accounts compare
Timeline
Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.- Eight former Big Eight schools and four former Southwest Conference schools formed the Big 12.Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
- The Big 12 began competition.Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
- The Big 12’s membership shifts followed its July 2021 announcement that Texas and Oklahoma would leave when their grant-of-rights commitments allowed.Background · from our historical context
- Brett Yormark took office as Big 12 commissioner on Aug. 1, 2022, succeeding Bob Bowlsby, as the conference prepared for major membership changes.Background · from our historical context
- BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF joined the Big 12.Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
- Oklahoma and Texas joined the Southeastern Conference, expanding it to 16 teams.Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
How we got here
Brett Yormark took office as Big 12 commissioner on Aug. 1, 2022, succeeding Bob Bowlsby, as the conference prepared for major membership changes. BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF joined on July 1, 2023; Texas and Oklahoma departed for the Southeastern Conference in 2024.
The Big 12’s membership shifts followed its July 2021 announcement that Texas and Oklahoma would leave when their grant-of-rights commitments allowed. The Big 12 was established in 1994 by eight schools from the former Big Eight Conference and four former Southwest Conference members, and began competition in 1996.
Original sources
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