Sankey on contributing to SEC: ‘I’m not an employer’

Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Citizen WriterJul 15, 2024, 12:21 PM ET

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• ACC press reporter.
• Joined ESPN.com in 2010.
• Graduate of the University of Florida.DALLAS– SEC commissioner Greg Sankey reiterated Monday that the league is focused on its 16 members and he is not recruiting any others, in his remarks to open SEC media days.In the first media days with Texas and Oklahoma as SEC members, Sankey was asked multiple times about the future of the league, and how much he pays attention to the current suits between Florida State, Clemson and the ACC.Judges in Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina are currently hearing arguments in those cases. Florida State and Clemson have actually taken legal action against challenging the grant of rights; the ACC has taken legal action against those schools to safeguard the conference.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated There has actually been widespread speculation that the SEC might be a landing spot for Florida State and Clemson if both schools leave the ACC.Sankey said

  he knows

  of what is taking place in the ACC, however”We’re focused on our 16.” “I’m not a recruiter. My job is to make sure we satisfy the requirement of quality that we have

  for ourselves every day,” Sankey said.” That brings in interest. It’s done that with the 2 universities that we have included this year. They’re not the only call I’ve ever had, but I’m not involved in recruitment.” Our presidents have been clear that I am not going to entangle us in litigation around growth. So I pay attention, however I’m not taken part in those discussions. The more comprehensive ramifications, undoubtedly if things alter

  , then there’s a new level of uncertainty. It currently creates speculation that I think is detrimental, however I don’t spend an enormous quantity of my time thinking about it. I definitely do not spend any time engaged in that recruiting activity because we’re concentrated on our 16. “In his opening statement to kick off SEC media days, Sankey kept in mind that”Sixteen is our today, and 16 is our tomorrow.”Asked later on in his press conference whether tomorrow implies remaining at 16 for the long term, Sankey said,”Our focus is on our 16 members. I have a responsibility to pay attention, and I’m definitely not going to sustain speculation on what takes place next. We can definitely remain at 16 for a long, very long time and be exceptionally effective.” The SEC voted to add Texas and Oklahoma in 2021, triggering another wave of adjustment in response. The Big 10 included USC and UCLA, and then Washington and Oregon as the Pac-12 splintered apart. The Big 12 now consists of former Pac-12 members Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado and Utah, and the ACC included Stanford, Cal and SMU. The brand-new configurations of all four conferences start with the start of the 2024 season.Sankey kept in mind in his remarks that the SEC’s expansion, rather than the others, has actually reduced its travel footprint.”We know who we are, “Sankey said.”We’re the one conference at this level where the name still means something, the southeastern part of the United States, where when we broadened, we in fact restored historic

  competitions while adding only 100 miles to the longest campus-to-campus trip our student-athletes will experience.”Asked whether there would be any expediency to broadening outside the Southeast, Sankey said,” We’re concentrated on our 16, period. You have actually seen how we have actually made decisions over the last decade-plus for adjoining states to sign up with. I think that’s extremely smart and supplies exceptional strength.” I’m not going to guess about what takes place next.”