Commissioner Brett Yormark is leaving the conference in January to take an unidentified role outside college athletics, the conference announced Friday.
Yormark came to the Big 12 from Jay-Z's Roc Nation in 2022 and carried the conference through the exit of Oklahoma and Texas and into life as a 16-team, 3-time zone conference following the additions of Houston, UCF, Cincinnati and BYU, and then the additions of Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah upon the dissolution of the original Pac-12. He also oversaw the conference's contracts with ESPN and Fox, securing the future of the conference in a post-OU and Texas world.
Yormark also managed the contentions and unprecedented standoff with defending champion Texas Tech over the summer. Thanks to deft legal maneuvering, Yormark and the league's legal arm exploited an opening by Texas attorney general Ken Paxton to bloodlessly force Texas Tech to surrender its fight to get Brendan Sorsby on the field despite a clear violation of NCAA rules.
Yormark had no college sports experience prior to running the Big 12, which at times was a positive for the conference and at times a drag. Some of the priorities Yormark championed led some to openly wonder if he was working for the member institutions or to add a resume line item to help Yormark land the next gig, whatever that is.
"As we look forward, we will continue to innovate, create and positively disrupt, living at the intersections of culture, sports and business," he said back in 2023.
What does that mean, and how does it help Kansas win football games?
Regardless, Yormark's biggest contribution to the Big 12 was emotional. At an uncertain time for the league, Yormark was excited to represent the Big 12. That counted for a lot on its own.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.