KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If agents, players or coaches are getting frustrated with how long NIL deals can take to get approved these days, Brett Yormark is OK with that.
“It’s not a glitch,” the Big 12 commissioner said. “It’s a feature.”
During his annual basketball preseason media address at T-Mobile Center on Tuesday, Yormark said the College Sports Commission and its “NIL GO” clearinghouse have made progress since they were born out of the House settlement last summer.
While NIL deals were essentially uncapped before the House settlement was approved, leading to a spring transfer portal season in which top players routinely pulled down seven-figure deals, now anything more than $600 must go through NIL GO — at least until any potential legal challenges change that.
“The CSC is doing the critical work to ensure there’s no pay for play in our industry,” Yormark said. “Deals that aren’t above board are getting the scrutiny they deserve, this is a new year of enforcement. Complying with these new rules is not optional.”
Typically, Yormark also spent plenty of time trumpeting a list of the Big 12’s successes, keeping the league’s “kid commissioner” — 11-year-old Marlee Refenes — at the podium while he paced around and read off a list of accomplishments.
“You know me,” Yormark said. “I like to walk around a little.”
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark speaks at the Big 12 NCAA college football media days in Frisco, Texas, Tuesday, July 8, 2025.
But while thanking media partners, other media and sponsors while welcoming UA women’s basketball coach Becky Burke and other new coaches, Yormark addressed NIL and other key issues in college sports, starting by underlining his support of the SCORE Act.
A proposed bill in Congress that would make a national NIL framework to override state laws that have varying conditions, the SCORE Act has become controversial because, like NIL GO, it could limit athlete freedom and compensation.
Still, NCAA president Charlie Baker said earlier this week that it “has a pretty good chance of making it through the House at some point,” and Yormark’s support is no surprise for a guy who is the commissioner of a league that spans 10 states.
“This is something my fellow 31 Division I commissioners and I are in support of at its core,” Yormark said. “The SCORE Act is about protecting the future of college sports for every athlete, every school and every fan. It creates one national NIL standard, replacing the confusing patchwork of state laws and ensuring a level playing field for all of our programs.
“It protects student-athletes rights to control their own name, image and likeness with a fair and transparent system, it continues to grow the benefits provided to student athletes by expanding scholarships, medical coverage, mental health resources and academic support, and it ensures that student athletes remain students, not employees, preserving women’s and Olympic sports at institutions of all sizes. “
Yormark said the SCORE Act would be a “great start” to the work that still needs to be done in college sports, and that he expected the CSC’s “enforcement efforts to be strong and robust.”
Other items Yormark touched on:
– He said he supported expanding the NCAA tournament modestly if the “economics make sense.” Currently, the tournament is capped at 68 teams, with eight of them playing “First Four” games in which the winner moves on to the traditional first round of 64 teams.
“There’s nothing like the NCAA Tournament in all of sports, and I understand why fans may be apprehensive towards any change,” Yormark said. “That said, I think a format that improves access and economics without losing what makes the event so special is worth exploring.”
Asked if he was looking specifically at an expansion from 68 to 76 teams, Yormark indicated that has been a discussion.
“That’s an NCAA decision but from a conference perspective, and I’ve spent a lot of time with our ADs and our coaches, we’re in favor of modest expansion,” Yormark said. “Let’s use 76 as a working number. Might not be the number, but we’ll use it as working number, but the right economics have to come with that, as I’ve discussed. I’ve reinforced that over and over the last couple of months, and I do believe that there’s momentum for expansion.”
– While the Big Ten has been discussing a $2 billion private equity deal, Yormark said the Big 12 is not interested especially because of the upside that is possible before the conference’s media rights window opens for renegotiation in January 2030.
“It’s incumbent upon all commissioners to look at different options that they can bring back to their boards,” Yormarks aid. “Some of those options make sense, some don’t, but it’s incumbent upon us to do that. I’ve done that, and I did it early in fact, and we like where we are right now.
“That doesn’t mean we’re not exploring different options. But private equity for us doesn’t work. We’re very bullish on our future. We’re not giving a stake to anyone. We want that upside.”
