What Texas AD Chris Del Conte expects as an SEC member

If there was any doubt about the excitement surrounding the University of Texas joining the SEC, Sunday on the South Mall lawn painted a clear picture.

On the eve of joining the conference after 28 years as a founding member of the Big 12, the school hosted its SEC Celebration, which included a carnival, a live broadcast of SEC Now on the SEC Network and an evening concert by Pitbull.

Sunday was a sweltering hot day in Austin, with temperatures hovering over 100 degrees, but thousands upon thousands of people still flocked to and from the party, which culminated in a Pitbull performance.

This has not escaped Texan sports director Chris Del Conte.

“It fits the (SEC) slogan, ‘It Just Means,’ and when you think about it, it just means more to the people in the Southeastern Conference and the schools that represent them because our fans are super excited about this opportunity. But I’m more excited about the competition,” Del Conte said. “Just think about how strong the SEC is in all sports. Two SEC teams have played in the College World Series, two Future teams have played in the Softball World Series, two SEC teams have won track and field. It’s an incredible conference, diverse.”

As Del Conte hinted, Tennessee won its first national baseball championship last month by defeating Texas A&M 2-1 in the best-of-three CWS finals on June 24. The next day, Del Conte hired Aggies head coach Jim Schlossnagle as his new head coach.

Texas and Oklahoma played each other in the final of the Women’s College World Series, with the Sooners winning 2-0 after the conference sent all 13 softball-playing members to the 64-team NCAA tournament.

The Florida men and Arkansas women won their respective NCAA track and field team championships last month at the prestigious Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

That level of competition, certainly higher than most sports in the Big 12, awaits Texas starting Aug. 15 when the Longhorns football team plays Houston. It will be the athletic department’s first regular season contest as an SEC member. And that comes after the Longhorns won 15 Big 12 championships and the Directors’ Cup as the best athletic department in the country in the 2023-24 season.

“Our goals and aspirations don’t change, but who we play against does, and that’s the Southeastern Conference. In my opinion, it’s the premier conference in the country, and we’re excited for that opportunity.”