Pac-12 prospect decommits from member program after learning the volatile position of George Kliavkoff in the conference realignment market
The Pac-12 has been decimated by conference realignment as it nears falling apart altogether. Eight of the 12 programs are set to leave the conference ahead of the 2024 season. The future of the California Bears, Oregon State Beavers, Stanford Cardinal and Washington State Beavers remains in limbo as it is unclear if they will also leave.
The uncertainty has led to offensive lineman Kai Greer de-committing from Stanford, which he shared on Twitter:
"After talking with my family and coaches, I am announcing that I will be decommiting from Stanford University. I would like to thank Coach Pehrson and the rest of the staff for recruiting me. That being said, I will announce my commitment later tonight."
Check out Kai Greer's tweet here.
College football insider Greg Swaim tweeted that it could be the beginning of a wave of de-commitments for the four programs:
"As we reported when the #Pac12 started to break up, top recruits who'd told our recruiting service they were concerned about the future of the schools and might flip."
Check out Greg Swaim's tweet here.
Greer later tweeted that he would join the Arkansas Razorbacks:
"I am excited to announce that I am committing to the University of Arkansas! I’d like to thank my family, @CoachLeggett78, and Coach Carter for believing in me and helping me reach my goals. @CoachSamPittman @CoachCKennedy @RivalsFriedman @RazorbackFB @BrianDohn247"
Check out Kai Greer's announcement here.
Bob Thompson claims the Pac-12's negotiation tactics led ESPN to Big 12
The Pac-12's failure to secure a long-term media rights deal has led to the soon-to-come departure of eight of its 12 programs. Former Fox Sports President Bob Thompson claimed that the conference's negotiation strategy led ESPN to instead pursue the Big 12, tweeting:
"What was the Pac-12 doing for the last 13 months? Why did they scare ESPN into the Big 12's arms with an absurd ask? If Apple wanted it they should have bid more. This isn't a union contract that requires good-faith bargaining. This is a business deal that the Pac-12 misread."
Check out Bob Thompson's tweet here.
The Pac-12 reportedly had an offer for a television deal with ESPN on the table that would have paid each school $30 million. The refusal of conference officials to budge off of their $50 million asking price led to the media titan reaching a deal with the Big 12.