SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey is warning everyone that college sports are in the middle of historic change, and it is going to get “messy.”
“The coming changes in how college sports are governed and how it will interact with NIL rules and other big changes are going to be difficult,” Sankey said while at the SEC basketball tournament in Nashville, according to On3 Sports.
“We’re in the middle of historic change, and it’s going to be messy. It’s going to be uncomfortable. It’s never going to be the way that it was, but doesn’t have to be the way that it is,” he said.
He did not have any suggestions on how messy or what changes would make folks uncomfortable, adding, “It’s not my responsibility to offer predictions. It’s my responsibility to make decisions. So we made a decision for 2026, and we’ll see what that means for the future.”
Sankey is attempting to usher in one of those massive changes himself by advocating that the SEC go from 12 teams to 16. Still others are trying to push for 24 teams. This big expansion would likely put an end to long-time traditional conference rivalries as the boundaries change and new teams are introduced.
Another change Sankey wants is rules to prevent students from playing for seven or eight years, and he wants the NCAA to change its tampering rules.
Sankey also welcomes federal legislation as a way to settle disputes over these changes and usher in stability through the SCORE Act.
On the other hand, while Sankey is thinking of expansion, some schools have threatened to leave the SEC. He even noted recently that several member schools are looking to leave the SEC and operate as an independent entity not affiliated with the NCAA, according to Sports Illustrated.
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