SEC Media Days 2024: Greg Sankey on future conference expansion

Where things stand in the SEC when it comes to future conference expansion, as Greg Sankey speaks from the 2024 SEC Media Days.

SEC Media Days: Commissioner Greg Sankey addresses potential conference expansion as college football redraws the map in 2024. / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Although the SEC was instrumental in the most recent phase of college football conference expansion by adding Texas and Oklahoma in 2024, commissioner Greg Sankey indicated that his league has no plans to add more members in the future in remarks at SEC Media Days.

“Sixteen is our today, and 16 is our tomorrow,” Sankey said in reference to the 16 schools currently in the SEC after adding the Sooners and Longhorns.

Facing questions around whether the SEC is entertaining any future expansion, Sankey reiterated: “We can certainly remain at 16 for a long, long time and be incredibly successful.”

Sankey noted that the SEC's expansion efforts helped confine the conference to a certain geographical area, not only preventing schools from embarking on long trips to play each other, but also retaining the cultural identity of the league.

"We know who we are," Sankey said. "In the Southeastern Conference, we're the one conference at this level where the name still means something. The Southeastern part of the United States, where we expanded, we actually restored historic rivalries while adding only 100 miles to the longest campus-to-campus trip our student-athletes will experience."

Nearby, Florida State and Clemson have each filed suits against the ACC in a challenge to that league's early exit fee, and there has been plenty of speculation the schools would entertain SEC membership.

Sankey says he is keeping an eye on how things develop in those cases, but he's not doing any recruiting.

“I pay attention. As I said, we’re focused on our 16. I’m not a recruiter,” Sankey said when asked if he was following the situation.

“My job is to make sure we reach the standard of excellence we have for ourselves on a daily basis. That attracts interest. … I pay attention, but I’m not engaged in conversations.”

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