A man who has become one of the most visible faces in college sports is leaving his position.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is vacating his role, the conference confirmed on Friday, Oct. 30, with a report from ESPN adding that he's preparing to take a job outside of college sports.
In a statement, the Big 12 said Yormark will be stepping down effective Jan. 31, 2027 and that a national search by the Big 12 board of directors for his successor will begin immediately.
Yormark had led the Big 12 since Aug. 2022 after spending the previous three years as the CEO and president of Roc Nation, an American entertainment company founded by Jay-Z.
Yorkmark oversaw the conference
during a time of significant change in the broader world of college sports and helped the league secure a six-year media rights deal with ESPN and Fox Sports worth about $2.3 billion.
He was also instrumental in helping the league navigate conference realignment. Yormark was commissioner when the Big 12 plucked Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah to help bring the conference's membership to 16 while effectively killing the Pac-12. The Big 12 had already voted to accept adding Houston, Cincinnati, BYU and Central Florida when he was hired, though that trio joined the conference by the time he was commissioner.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark makes surprising career move
