SEC media days have officially kicked off and conference commissioner Greg Sankey got the ball rolling on Monday morning.
Before Sankey spoke, the stage’s backdrop prominently featured the Longhorns’ classic helmet and it was perfect foreshadowing for how highly he would speak of Texas.
Sankey had a lot to say about the conference’s newest members, Texas and Oklahoma, but seemed particularly inclined to compliment the Horns.
“We are a big part of Texas. Texas is a big part of us now,” Sankey said.
The commissioner also spoke of how important college football is to this country, especially amid a time of turmoil.
“On Saturdays in this country, decade after decade, people come together,” he said.
Texas helmet on the big screen, waiting to hear SEC Commissioner @GregSankey speak pic.twitter.com/Wy2xVAi6fP
— OnTexasFootball (@ontexasfootball) July 15, 2024
The Longhorns officially joined the SEC with a campus-wide party for the conference realignment. Fans, players, and coaches were all in attendance as well as athletic director Chris Del Conte.
Texas’ move from the Big 12 is just part of a nationwide realignment that is taking place this summer ahead of the 2024 football season.
With Texas and Oklahoma now in the SEC, the conference has 16 total athletic programs under its umbrella.
“16 is our today and 16 is our tomorrow,” Sankey said.
The SEC has long been the dominant football conference in the country, repeatedly in close competition with the powerhouses in the Big Ten.
Sankey has prided himself on running one of the top-tier conferences in the world and the way he spoke of the athletic programs in the SEC shows it.
“It’s time to update your expectations for what college athletics can be,” he said.
Texas is officially in the SEC and it just means more.