Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark will step down from his role effective Jan. 31, 2027, the conference announced on Friday. Yormark, who became the league’s fifth commissioner in 2022, plans to take another job outside of college sports, according to multiple reports, and the conference plans to launch a national search for his replacement.
Yormark approached his bosses at the Big 12 about his decision nearly 10 days ago, Kansas chancellor Doug Girod told ESPN. Girod, who chairs the Big 12 board of directors, said the board formalized the departure terms on Friday morning with a vote. He plans to stay through January to ensure a smooth transition, and Girod said the two sides talked through the decision over recent days before the board acted.
“He approached us with a proposal to craft a path for what you’d call an ‘elegant exit,'” Girod told ESPN. The conference said it will begin its search for a sixth commissioner immediately.
Yormark reshaped the Big 12
He took over the Big 12 in August 2022, succeeding Bob Bowlsby, nearly a year after Oklahoma and Texas voted to leave for the Southeastern Conference. He landed a $2.28 billion television deal with ESPN and Fox in 2022, and he shepherded the 2024 additions of four former Pac-12 members: Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah.
He also oversaw the previously negotiated expansion that brought BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF into the conference in 2023. The moves left the Big 12 with 16 members, and Girod said the league’s television deal will stand as Yormark’s legacy in the conference.
“When I accepted this job, my goal was to put this conference on an upward trajectory and I truly believe that the future of the conference could not be in better shape,” Yormark said in a statement. “The next commissioner of this league will inherit a conference that is 16 strong. There has never been a better time to be a member of the Big 12 than right now.”
Board praises Yormark tenure
Girod praised his tenure in a statement issued by the conference. “Speaking on behalf of all of the Big 12 Presidents, we thank Brett for shepherding this great conference through an extraordinary period in college athletics,” Girod said. “When Brett arrived, we were at a crossroads in the Big 12 and as a college sports enterprise. Brett’s vision, business acumen, and confidence put us on the path we find ourselves on today.”
“He leveraged traditional and non-traditional avenues in the college space, solidifying the Big 12 Conference’s future,” Girod said. “We are appreciative of his leadership, wish he and his family well, and look forward to building upon the strong foundation he helped put in place.”
Before joining the Big 12, he was the chief operating officer of Roc Nation, the entertainment company founded by Jay-Z. He came to the conference from outside college sports, and he is expected to take a position outside of college sports next, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, though no destination has been announced. Girod said his ability to navigate the Big 12 to its current television deal will be his legacy in the conference.
Yormark leaves with time on his deal
Yormark, 60, was under contract through the 2029-30 academic year, after the Big 12 extended his deal through 2030 in May 2025. His departure will come more than three years before that contract was due to end, and the timing gives the conference the rest of the academic year to find a successor before he leaves at the end of January.
The next commissioner will inherit a 16-member league with a television deal already in place and a membership that has stabilized after years of realignment. The Big 12 said its national search will begin immediately, with the board overseeing the process.
He will remain in the role through Jan. 31, 2027, working with the board and the conference staff on the transition. The conference has not named an interim commissioner, and no timetable for naming a permanent replacement has been announced. The Big 12 said its national search will begin immediately, with the board overseeing the process.