ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — New Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark is learning the NCAA’s issues in real time and during a period of sweeping change and uncertainty.
While Monday is Yormark’s first day working full-time out of the Big 12 office, leaving behind Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, the ex-CEO of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets has been steadily involved in conference matters since landing his first job in college athletics.
He was named the Big 12’s new leader on June 29. A day later, conference realignment became a pressing issue again when Southern California and UCLA said they would be leaving the Pac-12 in 2024 to join the Big Ten.
Beyond that, Yormark has to get familiar with name, image and likeness compensation for athletes, the transfer portal, FBS conferences potentially splitting from the NCAA with their own governance structure for football, and the future of the College Football Playoff.
“One of his best qualities is he doesn’t pretend to know what he doesn’t know … He asks a lot of questions, and listens,” Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades said of Yormark. “He hasn’t been in the industry, so he’s got to absorb all of that, which is, just under normal circumstances, difficult. But then throw on top of that conference realignment part two.”
When asked during his introduction at Big 12 football media days in mid-July if there were active talks with any Pac-12 schools, Yormark said his league was “open for business” and exploring all options for the future — but gave no specific details.
Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff expressed frustration Friday, saying he has spent the past month “trying to defend against grenades being lobbed in from every corner of the Big 12 trying to destabilize our remaining conference.” He also said his league intends to keep its current members and entertain new additions.
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