SEC commish Greg Sankey seemingly takes subtle shot at Big 12's Brett Yormark with social media stat
Brett Yormark is set to begin his third season as the commissioner of the Big 12 after assuming the role on August 1, 2022. Under his watch, the conference is set to expand to 16 teams this season, with the Arizona Wildcats, Arizona State Sun Devils, Colorado Buffaloes and Utah Utes joining from the Pac-12.
The two highest-profile schools in the conference will be leaving, however, as the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns have joined the SEC.
Yormark was among those who addressed the media on the first day of Big 12 media days on Tuesday. He declared that, despite the departures, the conference is the deepest in the nation.
"We're a national conference. We've got 16 great brands. We're going to be the deepest football conference in America and we'll be well represented in the CFP," Yormark said. [h/t ESPN]
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey took to X to share a statistic that seemingly was a shot at Yormark's comments, tweeting:
"For those interested in the @SEC social media following stats…it is just over 2.5 million followers across all SEC social media platforms…that is 280K more than the A4 COMBINED total. In the past 12 months follower growth is up nearly 20% and 500K. #ItJustMeansMore"
Check out Greg Sankey's tweet below:
While social media followers do not determine on-field success, it is hard to argue against the SEC as the deepest conference in college football. The SEC has continued to be the sport's premier conference and the addition of Oklahoma and Texas should only strengthen that.
Brett Yormark believes the Big 12 is a top-three conference in the nation
The Big 12 will have a different look, as conference realignment has changed the entire landscape of the college sports world. Brett Yormark believes that the changes will benefit the conference. Speaking at the Big 12 Media Days, the commissioner stated:
"We solidified ourselves as one of the top three conferences in America. There has never been a better time than right now to be part of the Big 12. We are truly a national conference in 10 states, four time zones and all eyes are now on the Big 12 for all the right reasons. I think it's safe to say we are more relevant now than ever before." [h/t ESPN]
The SEC and Big Ten remain the top two conferences in college football. While the Big 12 has a case for the third spot, the ACC has been able to retain its programs thus far, leading many to believe that they are the third-best conference.