Back in April of 2022, when Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby announced he was stepping down, nobody had any clue who the conference would turn to. It was a different time back then. We already knew Texas and Oklahoma were on their way out, but help was on the way with BYU, Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF.
Then came Brett Yormark, the savvy businessman from New York City. When the Big 12 decided to make him commissioner, I wasn’t sure about the move, but the message was clear. The conference wanted to get someone who thinks outside the box and bring attention to the league.
A Fast Start for Yormark
Under Bob Bowlsby, things didn’t happen all that quickly. He was more reactionary than proactive. Brett Yormark was the complete opposite of that. Yormark helped bring this conference up to speed and wasn’t afraid to take chances.
He secured a new TV deal for the conference in a matter of months, and in less than a year on the job, he brought in four new schools: Utah, Arizona, Arizona State, and Colorado.
There is no doubt that without Brett Yormark, that probably wouldn’t have happened. But as great as the first few years were, 2026 hasn’t gone all that smoothly for the conference. Remember when the conference tried to put games in Mexico? That never came to fruition, and it’s probably for the best.
The 2026 Rough Patches
How about the glass court at the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City? Yikes. And don’t even get me started again on the whole Texas Tech/Brendan Sorsby thing. And coming off of Big 12 media days, I thought it was Brett’s worst showing at media days since he started.
Not jumping ahead of the Brendan Sorsby situation and addressing the elephant in the room was certainly a choice. And when the first question he gets asked is about Sorsby, he just says thanks for the question, but now is not the right time to address that issue.
Well, when is the time? Because to me, the best time to do that was in Frisco on Tuesday morning when everyone is there. Then, of course, we get to the question asked by Texas Tech media personality Sean Dillon about why Tech fans should trust the Big 12.
I know he said he wouldn’t talk about Sorsby, so bringing him up again was certainly a choice, but when Yormark walked over to him and told him to stand up and ask the question again, it made it seem like a “What did you just say to me?” type of feel to it.
Then, to make him stand up and repeat that awful question, just to not even bother to answer it, was a bad look. It was a bad look for Texas Tech, media days,, and Brett Yormark,, which is odd because I have seen him over the years, and he is usually great at these things.
Between this week and everything else that has happened this year, it’s safe for me to say that things haven’t been great this year. I am not saying that Brett Yormark isn’t the right man for the job, but he needs something to go right this season.
Whether it’s on the field, court or wherever, the Big 12 could use a jolt of positivity and good news. I know that it’s hard to operate the conference in the climate of college athletics today. The Big 12 doesn’t have the money that the SEC or Big Ten does, and until we close the gap, this conference will be an afterthought. I just hope Brett Yormark can help us get there.
