Gonzaga to Big 12 has 'overwhelming support' from conference officials: Report
Gonzaga appears to have a chance at joining the Big 12 after all, according to a report from Front Office Sports.
After it was reported that the two parties had resumed "high-level" talks earlier this week, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark reportedly received pushback from league members about adding a non-football school to the 16-team conference as soon as 2024-25. But on Tuesday, a source told Front Office Sports that Yormark has "overwhelming support" and permission from most of the school presidents and athletic directors to explore the idea of adding Gonzaga.
A few athletic directors have pushed back, FOS reported, though the school presidents would be the ones voting on the matter. Gonzaga would need 75% of the members to approve a move to the Big 12. The timing of a hypothetical vote is key — if a vote takes place before July 1, 2024, then nine of the 12 members would need to approve, but once Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah join, the required number of votes jumps to 12.
Yormark led a revived push to add Gonzaga in all sports as soon as the 2024-25 season. CBS Sports' Matt Norlander reported that some Big 12 members had a "laundry list" of questions for Yormark to bring back to Gonzaga. Internally, one financial concern that has yet to be answered involves the media deal with ESPN and Fox, which is still being ironed out after the league added the four former Pac-12 schools.
Sources indicated to Norlander that Gonzaga has a "long-shot" to join the conference in the near future, though Yormark apparently has the support to explore the idea further.
