It doesn’t get more official than this. University of Texas at Austin President Jay Hartzell and University of Oklahoma President Joseph Harroz have sent a letter to the Southeast Conference requesting invitations for membership to begin in 2025.
The letter, addressed to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, reads, “The University of Oklahoma and The University of Texas at Austin (the “Universities”) request invitations for membership to the Southeastern Conference (the “SEC”) starting on July 1, 2025. We believe that there would be mutual benefit to the Universities on the one hand, and the SEC on the other hand, for the Universities to become members of the SEC. We look forward to the prospect of discussions regarding this matter.”
A short time later, Sankey responded via a statement:
“The University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas, two esteemed academic institutions with storied athletics programs, today submitted requests for invitation 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 request comes a day after the Big 12 schools notified the league that they would not be extending an agreement that binds conference members to 2025.
The SEC would grow to 16 teams with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma, half of which have won at least one national championship in football since 1980.
The news broke last week at SEC Media Days in Hoover, Alabama, that Texas and Oklahoma, the Big 12′s flagships universities, had been discussing a possible move with Southeastern Conference officials. The Houston Chronicle was first to report the intended jump, but neither the schools nor the SEC would publicly confirm the parties had been in discussions.
Texas A&M joined the conference in 2011 along with Missouri in the SEC’s most recent expansion. A&M initially voiced concerns about allowing an in-state rival to join the conference, but athletic director Ross Bjork has since suggested his school would not shy away from added competition.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.