Greg Sankey stepped to the podium on Monday to open SEC Media Days and offer his thoughts on the state of the SEC amid conference realignment and expansion around the country.

Sankey shared his message to SEC coaches from the spring meetings in Destin, Florida.

“It is never going to be the same, but it doesn’t have to be the way that it is.” Sankey said. “What is needed now is collaboration, deep thinking about real-world solutions and everyone participating in the conversation.”

Sankey shared that he’s had the most in-depth conversation in spring meetings that he’s ever experienced.

After Southern Cal and UCLA moved to the Big Ten, Sankey has been asked about the SEC’s response to realignment, and if it’s interested in expansion.

“There’s no sense of urgency in our league,” he said. “No panic in reaction to others’ decisions. We know who we are. We are confident in our collective strength and we are uniquely positioned to continue to provide remarkable experiences educationally and athletically, along with world-class support to student athletes.”

Sankey added that the SEC football schedule for 2025 will be single-division concept but trying to find balance between big and small programs, it will be 8 or 9 games, and it’s going to take time to sort through it.

“Do we face headwinds in college sports? Absolutely. It’s actually not new. It’s a decades-old problem, and those decades-old problems now rest firmly on our agendas. The SEC will not be complacent, even with the acknowledgement that we’re in a position of strength.”