Big 12-NFL Partnership: The Future of College Athletics is Here

Big 12 Mexico was supposed to be a thing. It didn’t form as announced, but like a great leader the Big 12 pivoted and have not looked back since. 

Back in October, the Big 12 made history when they announced that two of their member institutions would be participating in the inaugural Union Jack Classic – the first ever NCAA football game to be held in London at Wembley Stadium. 

This announcement was not only a defining moment for the future of college sport internationalization. It was also a foreshadowing for what would come next. 

Wembley has hosted several NFL games as part of the NFL’s International Series. 

Last week, the Big 12 announced a strategic partnership with the NFL to strengthen the entire football ecosystem. 

WOAH! 

Now at first glance, headlines focused on how their ground-breaking partnership will focus on officiating development, technology collaboration, and shared analytic tools. This is certainly important, but not the heart of the story. 

Global. International.Together, the words were mentioned 8 times throughout the 738-word press release. 

Global growth. Global football initiatives. Global flag football. Expanding global opportunities. Football’s global movement. 

International strategy. International identification camps. Rising popularity of flag at the international level. 

Eight times in diverse, yet very specific ways. Words matter.

Let’s walk. 

For the first time, a major NCAA conference is formally aligned with the world’s most visible American sports league. The NFL, a league that has planted flags in London, Frankfurt, Mexico City, São Paulo, Madrid and soon Melbourne and Paris. A league that has already created two academies over the last 6 years to create pathways for international football players to enter the NCAA model. A league where each club has secured international marketing rights in countries around the world. 

The NFL has already spent years building global ecosystems. Now the Big 12 is positioned inside that infrastructure – not to witness, but to act, engage and benefit. 

So what does this mean, TFB? 

This means conferences are no longer just membership associations. They are global actors.

This means universities are no longer simply campuses. They are international brands.

This means athletic departments need an internationalization strategy. A S A P.

The Union Jack Classic becomes even more symbolic in this new context.

It is no longer a standalone event, but instead a visible expression of a significant shift. Exporting regular-season competition requires coordination, institutional approval, financial investment, and vision. When hosting Big 12 member institutions who are affiliated with a partnership that explicitly commits to global expansion, we see the beginnings of a model that will redefine college athletics.

Let’s dream for a second and imagine the possibilities here. 

New study abroad programs, international student recruitment initiatives, global internship and experiential learning opportunities, conferences building global alumni communities through sport, and new recruitment pipelines that introduce international athletes to college sport not as outsiders, but as part of a growing global ecosystem.

This will most certainly create new opportunities for international NIL deals.

Some will see this as a novelty. But if you’ve been walking with us, you know what’s happening.

This moment is another step in the internationalization of U.S. higher education through sport.

As someone studies this work and continues shaping its future, I see this partnership is confirmation. The seeds were planted years ago and are now beginning to sprout. The rest of the world is noticing what we’ve long believed to be true: U.S. college sport is one of the most powerful vehicles for connection, diplomacy, and opportunity.

College sport is global. It has been for a while.

Now it's undeniable.

Right now, an internationalization strategy still feels like a “nice to have” for athletic departments – innovative, exciting, forward-thinking. But soon, it will be non-negotiable.

Conferences are moving. Institutions will follow. Combined, the industry will shift and the world will open up for NCAA athletic departments to engage globally in meaningful ways that support college athlete identity development, leadership education, and career readiness.

Walk With TFB helps athletic departments design intentional, strategic, future-ready internationalization strategies grounded in research, built on global sport expertise, and tailored to institutional identity.

If your department wants to get ahead of the curve, let's talk.

It’s happening. We walking!.

TFB