Brett Yormark reveals state of Big 12's relationship with Gonzaga

There has been plenty of chatter about Gonzaga as a potential target for the Big 12. Commissioner Brett Yormark reportedly met with the Bulldogs’ athletic director earlier this season — and he opened up about the relationship with the program on Wednesday ahead of the Big 12 tournament.

Yormark has met with Gonzaga athletic director Chris Standiford twice, as The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy reported, and there’s been increasing chatter about the Bulldogs’ chances of making the leap from the West Coast Conference. Last week, The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel and Max Olson reported the Big 12 has been in “deep discussions” with Gonzaga.

Yormark confirmed talks have taken place — but that’s not the only thing on his plate.

“I like Gonzaga,” Yormark said. “Obviously, great program. My focus right now is to see what happens to our industry. There’s a lot of moving parts. I continue to have conversations with Gonzaga, but I think, as I prioritize what our next move might be in expansion, there’s other things right now that I’m focused on.”

More on the future of the Big 12

The Athletic also reported the Big 12 has made “recent contact” with the Four Corners schools — Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah — as it weighs expanding even further. The league has “renewed optimism” about getting them to make the jump from the Pac-12.

Gonzaga remains a top target, as well, but “sources involved in the process indicated he wants clarity on the Pac-12’s situation before making that move,” The Athletic reported. That’s regarding the Pac-12’s media rights negotiations. It’s unclear when a deal will be announced, but it’s apparent it will have a major impact on the college sports landscape.

The Big 12 is adding four schools — Cincinnati, BYU, Houston and UCF — this fall as it prepares to lose Oklahoma and Texas in 2024. That’ll take the league to 16 teams in 2023 before going to 14 in 2024.