SALT LAKE CITY – The reports have become official; Brett Yormark is the new Big 12 Commissioner.

Yormark succeeds Bob Bowlsby, who led the Big 12 since 2012. Bowlsby announced in April that he was stepping away from the conference.

Introducing: 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤, the fifth commissioner of the 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝟏𝟐 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

📰 https://t.co/1TnK0EgBHO pic.twitter.com/wxnBCtRlEH

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) June 29, 2022

The conference’s Executive Committee led the Big 12’s Commissioner search, including Texas Tech University President and Big 12 Conference Board Chair Lawrence Schovanec, Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, and Kansas Chancellor Douglas A. Girod.

National search firm TurnkeyZRG was also used, the firm that helped the Pac-12 Conference identify their current commissioner George Kliavkoff.

Yormark comes to the Big 12 from Roc Nation, an entertainment group, where he was the COO. Jay-Z founded Roc Nation.

One of the big tasks in front of Yormark will be to land a lucrative media rights deal after the current package expires following the 2024-25 academic year. Negotiations for the next television deal begin in February 2024.

Congratulatory messages for Brett Yormark from Fox Sports and NBA’s Adam Silver

The Big 12’s announcement release of Yormark included a statement from Fox Sports CEO and Executive Producer Eric Shanks.

“On behalf of FOX Sports, we’d like to officially congratulate Brett Yormark on being named the new Commissioner of the Big 12,” said Shanks. “Brett is a talented and innovative executive who brings a remarkably unique perspective to the position. Under his leadership and vision, the conference is set up for success, and we look forward to continuing to build on our relationship as a premier partner of the Big 12.”

Yormark, also a former CEO of the Brooklyn Nets for 14 years, received a congratulatory message from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

“Brett is one of the most skilled and knowledgeable executives in sports and entertainment,” said Silver. “His decades of operational experience, relentless work ethic and strong industry relationships will be of enormous value to the Big 12, its schools and fans.”

New Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark begins leading the conference on August 1st. He received a five year contract from the league.#Big12 @kslsports

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) June 29, 2022

Yormark signed a five-year contract with the Big 12 Conference and will begin his tenure on August 1, 2022.

The Big 12 Conference is undergoing change, with Oklahoma and Texas set to leave for the SEC after June 30, 2025. BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF will join the conference beginning on July 1, 2023.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.

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