Since taking over as Big 12 Commissioner two years ago, Brett Yormark has proven time and again that he’s the textbook definition of a “go-getter.”
There aren’t many voices among conference commissioners louder than his, and there certainly isn’t anyone in a similar role who is more forward-thinking than Yormark.
His decision to jump ahead of the Pac-12 in television negotiations might be the single biggest decision in the history of the Big 12, as it not only secured the league’s short-term future after the departure of Texas and Oklahoma, but it also made his league the landing spot four schools leaving the sinking Pac-12.
One of those schools, Colorado, brings perhaps the biggest name in college football with them in Buffs’ head coach Deion Sanders.
Sanders, coequally known as Coach Prime, is a walking storyline, and the manner with which he runs his program has sent all kinds of shockwaves through college football. It’s that mindset that makes him so unique in the coaching world, but also what makes he and Yormark so like-minded.
Both Yormark and Sanders stand to benefit from the Big 12’s growing footprint, and with their new-found partnership, the sky really is the limit for how many eyes tune in fo Big 12 football games. Much of that credit has to go to Yormark, and Prime Time made sure to recognize him when he took the stage on Wednesday.
“I think we have the best commissioner in football,” Sanders said. “He’s unbelievable. He’s absolutely a legend. He’s a baller, he’s a shot caller, he’s a boss, and I love him.”
Sanders is the kind of personality that’s not only polarizing, but he’s nearly impossible not to keep up with. The sheer number of storylines, quotes, rumors, and memes that he generates on his own make him one of the most recognizable people in America, and on Wednesday, when he approached the stage at Big 12 Media Days with his trademark shades on, it reiterated the thing that makes Deion, well, Deion.
He’s uniquely one-of-a-kind, and he’s not going to change that for anyone.
“I’m judged on a different scale,” he said. “My wins are totally different than your wins. Your wins, you just judge football. I can’t win nine games and our GPA suffers. Our GPA can’t be high and we lose another eight games.
“We have to win in every area. That’s the way we’re judged. I’m cool with that. Because we come at it a little different. So the expectation is greater. But it’s not just football. It’s been like that all my life. I’ve always had a greater expectation for myself. The expectation you have for me would never outweigh the expectation I have for myself.”
