Big 12 commissioner makes big announcement about UConn talks

Jul 13, 2022; Arlington, TX, USA; Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark talks with the media during the Big 12 Media Day at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark issued a statement Thursday addressing the conference’s recent rumored pursuit of UConn as a member.

In a statement, Yormark said he had paused conversations about potentially adding UConn after discussion with current member schools. The commissioner added that the league will “instead focus our attention and resources to ushering in this new era of college athletics.”

New: Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark says expansion conversations with UConn have been “paused.” pic.twitter.com/44rQ5toFoG

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Stories emerged last month suggesting that the Big 12 was targeting UConn as an expansion target. The basketball program was viewed as the big draw for the conference, with the football program largely an afterthought. Yormark does make it sound like there was some real internal resistance to the addition of UConn.

There are a number of reasons talks could have stalled out, as it’s possible current Big 12 members had concerns about financial splits or other issues. Regardless, UConn will not be joining the conference, at least not anytime soon.