SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey says talk of leaving the NCAA is "real" - NBC Sports

What the report says

NBCSports.com’s Pro Football Talk reported that SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said discussions about the conference potentially leaving the NCAA are genuine, not merely hypothetical. The item, published July 20, 2026, cited reporting from Nick Schultz of On3 and framed Sankey’s comments against the broader instability in college sports governance after antitrust-related challenges to long-standing NCAA rules.

According to the report, Sankey was asked how serious the breakaway idea is and responded that the conversations are “real.” He said people have expressed frustrations that have led them to consider a substantially different structure. Sankey also pushed back on the notion that raising the possibility is simply a bargaining tactic for the SEC, describing it instead as candid communication, though he indicated he would rather such discussions remain private.

The development matters because the SEC is one of the most influential conferences in college athletics, especially in football. Any serious move by the conference to operate outside the NCAA would add pressure to an already changing system involving athlete compensation, conference power, postseason control and national rulemaking.

NBCSports.com’s analysis suggested that if NCAA authority continues to weaken, major conferences could seek to manage more of their own operations, potentially including league structures and postseason arrangements. That portion was presented as commentary on possible future models rather than a reported decision by the SEC to leave the NCAA.