Longhorn Network to be shuttered when Texas moves to SEC?

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Longhorn Network likely to be shuttered when Texas moves to SEC

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated 8/3/21

The Big 12 will suffer a major casualty when Texas and Oklahoma leave for the SEC, and the conference will also lose a television network in the process.

The Longhorn Network was launched in 2011 to focus on, naturally, Texas athletics. Texas president Jay Hartzell essentially admitted on Monday that there will be no use for the network after the school moves from the Big 12 to the SEC.

Texas president Jay Hartzell on LHN's future: "The expectation is we'll wind it down, but we haven't talked specifically about what that will look like."

— Max Olson (@max_olson) August 2, 2021

Why? The biggest reason is the SEC already has its own network. Like the Longhorn Network, the SEC Network is affiliated with ESPN. Keeping both simply wouldn’t make sense.

Texas and Oklahoma may not move to the SEC until 2025, which is when their current media rights deals with the Big 12 expire. The Big 12 is going to be in rough shape when the realignment does happen, and it may open the door for other major changes in college athletics.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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