Texas A&M Officially Joins SEC

COLLEGE STATION, TX (AP) — Texas A&M is using its move from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference as a chance to reinvent itself from a regional brand to a national one. But first the Aggies wanted to introduce themselves, or as they would put it, say “Howdy” to their new conference. Roll Tide? War Eagle? Get ready for “Gig ‘Em!” In the last few months, one of the school‘s initiatives has been using its website, Facebook, Twitter and various SEC forums to educate people about A&M and answer questions concerning some of the unique traditions at this once all-male military school — the male-only Yell Leaders instead of cheerleaders, for example, and the 12th Man tradition. “I always tell people that Texas A&M has always been an SEC school in terms of our traditions, our spirit and our passion,” said Jason Cook, Texas A&M‘s vice president for marketing and communications. “We‘ve just been positioned in the wrong conference.” If that sounds like a jab, well, it probably is. The school‘s departure from the Big 12 was at time acrimonious and dominated by a falling out of sorts with Texas, its biggest rival. The Aggies were worried about the future of the Big 12 after the departures of Nebraska and Colorado, and the creation of the Longhorn TV network by Texas and ESPN simply made things worse. Texas A&M began exploring the possibility of joining the SEC a year ago to increase the school‘s profile nationally — as well as increase revenue. They were welcomed into the league on Sept. 26 and will officially make the transition along with Missouri on Sunday when they will become the first newcomers to the league since South Carolina and Arkansas joined the conference in 1992. Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin, who led the charge for the move, has called it a “100-year decision” and believes the SEC is the perfect place for the university to flourish, not only athletically, but also in academics. “There is absolutely no hierarchy within the SEC, every member is equally valued, at the table for every decision that‘s made and treated with genuine respect,” Loftin says in a university video promoting the move. The SEC allowed Texas A&M to begin co-branding merchandise immediately after the conference change was announced and the response so far has been huge, school officials say. In the first six months after the announcement, Texas A&M‘s licensing revenue increased 24 percent, according to Cook. That‘s just one sign of the support among students and fans about the upcoming move. “It‘s been extremely positive and it‘s actually grown,” interim athletic director John Thornton said. “It‘s exciting. There‘s a buzz and it‘s just been consistent. I‘ve been at A&M for over 30 years as a coach and an administrator and gone through the Southwest Conference and the Big 12 and there‘s nothing you can compare this to. There‘s just genuine, genuine excitement and anticipation.” The change puts Texas A&M in the toughest football conference in the country, a fact not lost on new coach Kevin Sumlin, who was hired from Houston in December. “There is no better, no higher level of competition in college football than the SEC,” Sumlin said. That, Thornton said, is one of the most alluring parts of the change.