SEC extends Commissioner Greg Sankey through 2028

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WSFA) - The Southeastern Conference announced on Thursday that they and Commissioner Greg Sankey have agreed to a contract extension that will keep him as the commissioner through 2028.

Sankey became the eighth commissioner of the SEC when he was appointed commissioner by the presidents and chancellors of the SEC on March 12, 2015. He first joined the SEC staff in 2002 as Associate Commissioner for Governance and later added supervision of the league’s championships staff to his responsibilities.

“Greg Sankey continues to lead the SEC effectively through these challenging times for college athletics,” said University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead, who recently completed a two-year term as President of the SEC. “Under his visionary stewardship and commitment to collaboration among our members, the SEC has emerged as the nation’s most stable and successful athletic conference. Today’s announcement reflects our enthusiastic endorsement of Greg’s ongoing leadership of our conference to even greater heights.”

“During a time of great change in college athletics, Greg Sankey has been a positive force for advancing the SEC and a thought leader across the national landscape,” said University of Alabama President Stuart Bell, who became President of the SEC this month. “The presidents, chancellors, and athletic directors of our institutions hold him in great regard – respect which he has earned through his years of excellent service. I appreciate his proactive and collaborative approach to leadership and look forward to working with him for many years to come.”

In the last three years, Sankey has guided the league through the COVID-19 pandemic, finalized a milestone 10-year agreement with the Walt Disney Company that grants ABC and ESPN exclusive broadcast rights to premier SEC football and basketball events, and facilitated the expansion of the SEC to add the Universities of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC beginning in 2024.

“I am grateful for the continued opportunity to serve and support the universities and student-athletes of the Southeastern Conference, and I appreciate the confidence placed in me by the SEC’s presidents and chancellors,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “I look forward to working with the leaders of our member universities as we meet the challenges ahead for college athletics, seek to sustain the success of our Conference, and fulfill our mission to provide our young people with the opportunity to grow academically and challenge themselves through elite competition.”

The 2022-23 athletic year was particularly successful for SEC schools which recorded eight national championships and placed the most schools in the Top 25 among all conferences in the Learfield IMG Directors’ Cup all-sports standings. In all, SEC’s schools have won 48 national titles since Sankey became commissioner in 2015.

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