August 2, 2021
University of Texas at Austin President Jay Hartzell on Monday publicly defended the school’s decision to leave the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference along with the University of Oklahoma in 2025 and denied Texas lawmakers’ claims that the school violated Big 12 bylaws in doing so.
“This future move is the right thing for our student athletes for our student athletes, our programs and our University in the face of rapid change and increased uncertainty,” Hartzell said.
Hartzell’s comments came during the first hearing of a special Senate committee created to study the conference shakeup’s impact as it became apparent the flagship university was maneuvering to leave the Big 12 Conference. The move could drastically affect the remaining Texas schools that are part of the Big 12 — Texas Christian University, Baylor and Texas Tech.