FRISCO, Texas — The Big 12 has three phases to growth moving forward throughout the season: Stabilize, Build and Grow.
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark discussed that the conference is entering the third phase of growth going forward at the 2026 Big 12 football media days.
“We have global ambitions for this conference,” Yormark said.
This year, TCU will open their 2026 season in Dublin, Ireland, against the North Carolina Tar Heels. This marks TCU’s first international game in the program’s history.
Six out of the 16 institutions in the Big 12 Conference have campuses outside of the U.S. The conference is continuing to expand its global footprint as Arizona State is opening a new campus in London this fall.
“Our brand of football travels,” Yormark said. “It’s fast, it’s dynamic and it’s exciting. It resonates beyond our borders.”
The conference is growing beyond just the international borders, but in fan attendance at each game. The championship game of the 2025 season featuring BYU Cougars and the Texas Tech Red Raiders had over 85,000 fans in attendance.
“That’s the most attended in Power Four history, with game viewership up 39%,” Yormark continued.
When discussing the athletes in the conference, Yormark noted that the 2025 season resulted in 38 NFL draft selections — 11 in the first two rounds.
Two former BYU Cougars, linebacker Jack Kelly and tight end Carson Ryan, contributed to that number.
In basketball, the conference saw a record time of eight NCAA tournament selections for both men’s and women’s athletes. Nine of the men’s players were selected in the first round of the 2026 NBA draft, including the number one and two draft picks — AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, respectively.
On the women’s side, five players were selected in the WNBA draft highlighted by the number two pick overall.
“I’m incredibly proud of what our student athletes, coaches and administrators have accomplished across all of our sports,” he said.
Yormark continued by highlighting the conference record in team sports, with 99 teams advancing to NCAA postseason play during the 2025 season.
“Every school in the conference earned a postseason appearance this year, underscoring our shared excellence and competing at the highest level,” Yormark said. “We will continue our commitment to growing Olympic sports.”
Yormark expressed anticipation and excitement ahead of the 2026-2027 season as he looks to continue to grow the conference in monumental ways.