HOOVER, Ala. -- Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork is standing up for his school following a Houston Chronicle report that Texas and Oklahoma have reached out to the SEC about joining the conference.

The newspaper cited an unnamed college official and said an announcement could come within a couple of weeks.

Bjork said he will be "diligent in our approach to protect Texas A&M."

"We want to be the only SEC program in the state of Texas," Bjork said. "There's a reason why Texas A&M left the Big 12 -- to be stand-alone, to have our own identity."

Texas A&M, along with Missouri, left the Big 12 to join the SEC in 2012.

Bjork said he and fellow SEC athletic directors had not discussed bringing Texas and Oklahoma into the conference. The athletic director also said he was unaware of any language in Texas A&M's deal with the SEC that would prohibit the league from adding another team from the state.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said he was worried about the 2021 season and didn't directly address what he described as a "report from unnamed people."

"I'm not going to comment on speculation," Sankey said.

Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said, "I bet they would," when asked what he thought about the possibility of Texas and Oklahoma seeking to join the conference.

"I just worry about A&M, you know what I mean?" Fisher said. "Listen, we have the greatest league of all. ... I don't know how I feel about it."