BREAKING NEWS: Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione on degree of difficulty in SEC
Oklahoma is now less than a month away from finalizing a transition three years in the making. On July 1, the Sooners will officially join the SEC, marking the end of their nearly three-decade run in the Big 12, a conference they helped establish. This anticipated move, announced in July 2021, will see Oklahoma and Texas become part of the SEC’s expanded 16-team league.
During their time in the Big 12, Oklahoma achieved significant success, particularly in football, where they claimed 13 conference titles since 2000, including a streak of six consecutive championships from 2015-2020. The shift to the SEC, however, will bring new challenges across various sports, challenges that the Sooners are eager to embrace.
Joe Castiglione, Oklahoma’s athletics director, expressed enthusiasm for the increased competition at the recent SEC spring meetings in Destin, Florida. “We thrive on competition,” Castiglione stated. “We understand that maintaining excellence requires constant effort, and we are prepared to grow and strengthen our programs within this new context.”
The SEC is renowned for its competitive strength across multiple sports. In football, the conference has produced 13 of the last 18 national champions from five different schools: Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Florida, and Auburn. Although the SEC hasn’t won a men’s basketball title since 2012, it has had two teams reach the Final Four in the last five NCAA Tournaments. In women’s basketball, the SEC has claimed the last three national championships, with South Carolina winning in 2024 and 2022, and LSU in 2023. The SEC has also dominated the College World Series, winning the title in each of the last four postseasons and five of the last six.
Oklahoma’s Women’s College World Series team, under Patty Gasso, is pursuing a fourth consecutive title this week. Previously, the SEC won three out of four national titles between 2012-2015, with Oklahoma taking the fourth.
The SEC’s competitiveness extends to many non-revenue sports as well, such as women’s gymnastics, won by LSU this spring, and men’s golf, recently won by Auburn. Oklahoma’s entry into the SEC will further bolster the conference’s strength in these areas. Castiglione views this move as a “perfect fit” for Oklahoma athletics, citing the SEC’s storied history and passionate fanbases.
“We are familiar with this environment,” Castiglione said. “We look forward to engaging with new institutions and hosting them in Norman, just as we will visit their campuses. The high level of competition is something we eagerly anticipate. Our institutions share more similarities than people realize, making this transition feel natural. We aim to continue strengthening our program to achieve great success in this new chapter.”