Brett Yormark has decided to leave the Big 12 and is expected to take a position outside of college athletics, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Friday, Oct. 30. He will remain with the conference through at least January 2027.
A 1988 Indiana University graduate, Yormark built his career in professional sports and entertainment before entering college athletics. He began working in the New Jersey Nets’ ticket office before moving into executive positions with NASCAR and Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment.
From 2005-19, he served as president and CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, overseeing the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center. He helped lead the Nets’ 2012 move from New Jersey to Brooklyn. In 2019, he joined Roc Nation as chief operating officer and co-CEO of Roc Nation Unified.
Yormark became the Big 12’s fifth commissioner on Aug. 1, 2022, succeeding Bob Bowlsby. He arrived after the departures of Texas and Oklahoma to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) threatened the conference’s stability and helped guide the Big 12 through a period of uncertain and significant realignment.
During his tenure, the conference added eight schools. BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF joined in 2023, with Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah following in 2024. The additions brought the Big 12 to its current 16-team membership, which also includes K-State, Kansas, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Baylor, TCU and Iowa State.
Yormark also negotiated a six-year, $2.28 billion media rights agreement with ESPN and Fox in 2022, securing the conference’s television future through the 2030-31 academic year.
The Big 12 Board of Directors extended Yormark’s contract by three years in May 2025, keeping him under contract through the 2029-30 academic year. At the time, board chair and Baylor President Linda Livingstone credited Yormark with helping expand the conference and unify its membership.
The conference has not announced a successor.
Yormark’s departure comes as the NCAA and college athletics continue to navigate changes surrounding conference realignment, athlete compensation and postseason competition. The Big 12 is also preparing for potential changes to the College Football Playoff, which could affect the future of conference championship games.
At Big 12 basketball media days on Oct. 20, Yormark discussed the possibility of replacing the conference’s football championship game with another major event if playoff expansion eliminates the need for conference title games.
The Big 12 formed Feb. 25, 1994, after eight schools from the former Big 8 Conference and four from the Southwest Conference merged. The league began competition in the 1996-97 academic year with 12 members, including K-State. The Wildcats opened Big 12 football with a 21-14 win over Texas Tech on Aug. 31, 1996.
The next commissioner will inherit a conference that has undergone significant changes under Yormark’s leadership and will be tasked with maintaining its high standard and position in an evolving college athletics landscape.
