Chris Del Conte isn’t entertaining the Big 12 commissioner chatter.
The Texas athletic director, who has become one of the most respected figures in the sport since arriving from TCU in 2017, was asked directly whether there was any truth to the speculation tying him to the conference’s top job. His answer left no room for interpretation.
“Absolutely none,” Del Conte said, per OnTexasFootball. “Print that.”
That’s the clearest possible response to a rumor that had started to gain traction after Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark announced he would step down from the role, effective Jan. 31, 2027. Del Conte quickly emerged as a logical name to watch, given his track record in Austin and his long history in the league.
Still, the speculation appears to be just that.
Del Conte’s rise at Texas has been built on results. He has hired multiple championship-level and title-winning coaches and helped guide the Longhorns through their transition into the SEC.
For Texas fans, his blunt dismissal of the Big 12 talk should come as a relief. Losing him would be a major blow, and replacing that kind of impact would not be easy.
American Athletic Conference commissioner Tim Pernetti has also been mentioned as a possible candidate for the Big 12 opening.
It’s easy to see why Del Conte was viewed as a fit for the job. He spent 15 years working in the Big 12, first at TCU and then at Texas. The conference has changed dramatically in recent years, and the next commissioner will inherit a league that needs steady leadership in a constantly shifting college sports landscape.
There’s also the awkward backdrop of Texas and the Big 12’s recent split. The Longhorns won the Big 12 Championship in their final year in the conference, and fans at AT&T Stadium made their feelings known toward Yormark with a wave of boos as Texas exited in 2023-24.
But if the league was hoping to lure Del Conte, it doesn’t sound like that door is open. For now, Texas can keep its athletic director in Austin.
In Other News...
Lane Kiffin Opens Up On Arch Manning Before Texas LSU Showdown
Lane Kiffin had plenty to say about Arch Manning ahead of the looming Texas-LSU matchup, and much of it centered on the quarterbacks path to this point. Kiffin described Manning as a great kid and reflected on the pressure that followed him even in high school, a reminder of how long the spotlight has been fixed on the Longhorns young signal-caller. With College Football Playoff implications hanging over the game, every word around Manning seems to carry a little extra weight.
Kiffin also revisited his own complicated history with the Manning family, including the fact that Archie Manning once apologized after previously calling him a narcissistic jerk. It is the kind of backstory that gives this matchup a little more edge than the standings alone would suggest, especially with Texas preparing for one of its biggest tests of the season. For Kiffin, the conversation was as much about respect and history as it was about the game ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Walks Into LSU With Its Playoff Credibility On The Line
Texas heads into Saturdays trip to LSU with a different kind of pressure than it has faced so far this season. Even after stacking three straight wins, including a recent victory over Missouri, the Longhorns are being framed by the market as an underdog for the first time in 2026, a sign that the early inconsistency still lingers in the conversation around a team trying to strengthen its playoff case.
Tiger Stadium is hardly the place to quiet doubts, and this one carries real weight for both programs postseason hopes. With ABC carrying the game, Texas has a chance to turn a skeptical national eye in its direction, but it will have to do it in one of the sports most difficult road environments and against an LSU team with plenty on the line as well. [Read more 🡒]
Texas CFP Debate Just Got More Serious After Latest Rankings
Texas push into the College Football Playoff picture got a little more real after the latest rankings, with the Longhorns climbing one spot to No. 6 after their win over Missouri. The move keeps them in striking distance, but it also underscores how crowded the race remains, with Georgia, Alabama, Utah, UCLA and Notre Dame still sitting ahead of them in the committees pecking order.
For Texas, the debate is no longer just about being in the conversation, but about how the committee is weighing record and strength of schedule against the teams clustered around them. The Longhorns have done enough to keep moving upward, yet the gap to the top four still depends on how the committee continues to sort out the resumes in front of them. [Read more 🡒]