Long time coming. Oklahoma’s move to the SEC was 10 years in the making

Oklahoma is finally, officially, in the SEC.

Monday afternoon, in the middle of a day-long celebration of the Sooners switching conferences, Oklahoma president Joseph Harroz Jr., athletic director Joe Castiglione and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey held a press conference at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium to herald the move.

Here are some takeaways from the press conference:

Oklahoma’s SEC move has been nearly a decade in the making

Castiglione and Sankey said the move had been in the works for around a decade — well before the official word of the move bubbled out in July 2021.

“The move for us was thoughtful and strategic,” Harroz said.

Sankey said the genesis for the move came in October 2015 when he presented an analysis to the SEC’s presidents and chancellors of the future of college athletics.

The big turn came in the spring of 2021, when Oklahoma and Texas made a unified pitch to the SEC about joining the conference.

Castiglione said it was important to be forward-thinking across the board, especially with the rapid changes taking place in college athletics.

“Understanding some way, shape or form those things that we saw eight, 10 years ago are happening,” Castiglione said.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey speaks during a press conference before a celebration for OU joining the Southeastern Conference at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Monday, July 1, 2024.

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Greg Sankey has Oklahoma ties

Sankey grew up in upstate New York.

But Sankey made his first trip to Oklahoma in 1969 when he was 5, visiting his grandfather in the state.

“My grandfather was born and raised in Chouteau, Oklahoma,” Sankey said. “This state has always been a part of our family’s life. He was a Yankees fan not because of New York but…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/long-time-coming-oklahomas-move-213801334.html

Author : USA TODAY Sports

Publish date : 2024-07-01 21:38:01

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