Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark addressed the conference’s alleged recent interest in recruiting UConn as a member in a statement released on Thursday.
After consulting with current member schools, Yormark stated in a statement that he had put a halt to discussions regarding possibly adding UConn. The league will “instead focus our attention and resources to ushering in this new era of college athletics,” the commissioner continued.
Reports surfaced last month indicating that UConn was being considered for expansion by the Big 12. The football program was considered secondary to the basketball program as the conference’s main attraction. Yormark does give the impression that there was actual internal opposition to UConn’s admission.
There are other reasons why the negotiations might not have proceeded further, including the possibility that current Big 12 members were worried about financial splits or other matters. In any case, UConn will not—at least not anytime soon—join the conference.
