Pac-12 says expansion is out ‘at this time’

The Pac-12 said Thursday it will stand pat with its membership and not look to expand the 12-team conference, making it highly unlikely that the Big 12 schools being left behind by Texas and Oklahoma will find new Power Five homes.

The announcement comes two days after the Pac-12, Atlantic Coast Conference and Big Ten pledged to work together on governance issues and scheduling agreements in football and basketball.

The formation of a threeconference alliance came a little less than a month after the Southeastern Conference invited Texas and Oklahoma to join the league in 2025. The move would coincide with the end of the Big 12’s current television contract.

With Pac-12 expansion off the board, and both the ACC and Big Ten stating publicly that they are content with their current membership, the eight remaining Big 12 schools appear to have limited options beyond sticking together.

“The decision by Texas and Oklahoma led to significant instability in college athletics and I don’t think instability is good for college athletics, particularly given all the other issues that are facing us right now,” Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff told the Associated Press. “I think you heard my colleagues in the ACC and Big Ten agree with that position that we need to bring a stability back to college athletics.”

Kilavkoff declined to say which schools had reached out to the Pac-12 about membership, or even how many. He said part of creating the stability the alliance is aiming for included coming to a quick and transparent decision on expansion.

4-star defensive lineman commits to Texas:

Texas on Thursday picked up a commitment from 2022 four-star defensive lineman Aaron Bryant, regarded as a top-50 lineman in the current recruiting cycle.

The Southaven (Miss.) senior ranks No. 9 in the state and No. 46 at defensive lineman, per the 247Sports composite. Bryant broke out last season, amassing 68 tackles, 12.0 for loss, 6.0 sac Bryant had whittled down his list to three — Texas, Texas A&M and Alabama — before committing to the Sec-bound Longhorns over their future conference colleagues. The 6-foot-4, 306-pound lineman also holds offers from Georgia, Florida State, LSU and a slew of other Power Five schools.

Bryant is the 18th player and fourth defensive lineman committed to Texas’ 2022 recruiting class, joining Houston North Shore’s Kristopher Ross, Texarkana Texas High’s Derrick Brown and Phoenix Brophy College Preparatory’s Zac Swanson.