Texas, Oklahoma formally request admittance to Southeastern Conference

Officials with the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas at Austin submitted a formal request Tuesday to join the Southeastern Conference, multiple media outlets reported.

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The request seeks SEC admittance beginning July 1, 2025, immediately following the expiration of the schools’ current media rights governed by the Big 12 Conference.

In a joint letter to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey signed by Jay Hartzell and Joseph Harraz Jr., respective presidents of the University of Texas at Austn and the University of Oklahoma, the duo cited the “mutual benefit” of the arrangement sought.

Sankey issued the following statement, obtained by KOKI, in response to the request:

“The University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas today submitted formal requests for invitations to become members of the Southeastern Conference in 2025. While the SEC has not proactively sought new members, we will pursue significant change when there is a clear consensus among our members that such actions will further enrich the experiences of our student-athletes and lead to greater academic and athletic achievement across our campuses. The Presidents and Chancellors of the SEC, in their capacity as the conference’s Chief Executive Officers, will consider these requests in the near future. Per the Bylaws of the SEC, a vote of at least three-fourths of the SEC’s 14 members is required to extend an invitation for membership.”

The Associated Press reported first reported Friday that Texas and Oklahoma had discussed a move to the SEC with conference officials, prompting a virtual Sunday meeting between Hartzell, Harraz and the Big 12′s executive committee that Commissioner Bob Bowlsby later called “cordial.”

The Oklahoma Sooners have won the Big 12 championship the past six consecutive seasons in a row, according to KOKI.

To join the SEC, the Sooners and the Texas Longhorns would have to officially apply for membership and then get approval to join the conference from at least 75% of the conference delegates, amounting to 11 of the 14 schools, AL.com reported.

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