The Pac-12 is in discussions with basketball powerhouse Gonzaga to join the rebuilding conference in 2026, three people with knowledge of the talks told The Associated Press on Monday.
The Pac-12 is also targeting Mountain West schools UNLV and Utah State, two of the people said, as it pivots away from a group of American Athletic Conference schools that announced they remain committed to their current league. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the Pac-12's strategy is not being made public.
Meanwhile, the Mountain West received a commitment from Air Force to stay put in the conference after the school had drawn interest from the AAC, a person with knowledge of AFA's decision told the AP on condition of anonymity.
Memphis, Tulane, South Florida, UTSA and the American Athletic Conference released a statement that made no mention of the Pac-12, but several people with knowledge of those talks told AP the rebuilding conference had targeted those schools as potential new members.
“While we acknowledge receiving interest in our institutions from other conferences, we firmly believe that it is in our individual and collective best interests to uphold our commitment to each other,” the schools said. “Together, we will continue to modernize the conference, elevate the student-athlete experience, achieve championship-winning successes, and build the future.”
The Pac-12 began to restock for a 2026 relaunch two weeks ago by landing Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Colorado State from the Mountain West to join Washington State and Oregon State, the only two Pac-12 schools left after a dramatic round of realignment took effect this summer.
The Pac-12 needs at least two more members in all sports to reach the eight required to be a recognized conference with access to NCAA championships and the College Football Playoff in 2026.
Adding Gonzaga would give the Pac-12 one of the best men's basketball programs in the country. The Bulldogs have thrived in the West Coast Conference, reaching the NCAA Tournament every year it has been played since 1998, with two Final Four appearances and eight seasons of at least 30 victories. Gonzaga does not have a football program.
The school has in the past talked to the Big East about conference affiliation, and the Big 12 has discussed potentially adding Gonzaga to its strong men's basketball lineup, as it did with UConn earlier this year. The Zags have also become a perennial tournament team in women's basketball.
Still, their addition would still leave the Pac-12 in need of two more schools that play football.
One person with knowledge of the discussions between the Pac-12 and AAC schools said the conference’s pitch included a projected $12 million to $15 million annual media-rights distribution to each school. The schools were also presented with options to join solely in football and basketball to alleviate travel costs associated with other sports programs making trips across one or two times zones.
All the Pac-12 schools are in the Mountain and Pacific time zones. The Pac-12 was targeting new members in the Central time zone as a way to potentially increase value for potential television partners.
Leaving the AAC would have been costly for the schools. The conference’s bylaws require a 27-month notification for departing schools and a $10 million exit fee. An early departure, which would be necessary, would cost more. When UConn left the AAC to return to the Big East it cost the school $17 million. The AAC received $25 million from SMU for an expedited move to the ACC this year.
The Pac-12 and its four newest members are already on the hook for about $110 million in exit fees and penalties to the Mountain West.
Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould has declined to detail how that cost will be shared by the incoming schools and conference, which is sitting on about $250 million in revenue the previous iterration of the Pac-12 was in line to receive this year and next.
A football scheduling agreement between Oregon State, Washington State and the Mountain West, which was not renewed for next year, includes a poaching penalty of more than $10 million per school that increases as the number of schools the Pac-12 takes increases.
The penalty would be $12 million if the Pac-12 takes one more Mountain West school, and increases to $12.5 million for the next one. That's on top of a $17 million exit fee.
Still, the precarious state of the Mountain West provides an opportunity for the Pac-12 to circle back on those schools.
Trying to pull Texas State from the Sun Belt Conference would be far less costly for the Pac-12 and give it a school in the Central time zone.
MWC Commissioner Gloria Nevarez is working to get long-term commitments from the conference's remaining eight members, including football-only Hawaii. Even if it it sustains no other losses, the Mountain West will need to add at least one more school.
UTEP and New Mexico State from Conference USA make geographic sense, but that league recently had its members sign a grant of rights that could make it more difficult and costly for them to move.
Pulling schools up from the second-tier of Division I football would also be an option. Sacramento State from the Big Sky and Texas-based Tarleton State from the Western Athletic Conference, have shown interest in making the jump.
Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP
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FILE - The Pac-12 logo at Sun Devil Stadium during the second half of an NCAA college football game between Arizona State and Kent State in Tempe, Ariz., Aug. 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso, File)
Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah (10) passes against Oklahoma during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Armorion Smith pressed his palms together over the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes and leaned against the kitchen sink.
The 21-year-old Michigan State defensive back needed a moment in the four-bedroom, two-bathroom home he shares with five younger siblings. He has a lot on his plate, more than most college students and certainly more than most student-athletes.
His mother, Gala Gilliam, died of breast cancer a month ago and without a father in the family's life, Smith has become the head of the household while studying criminal justice and playing major college football. He became the legal guardian for four siblings on Sept. 11.
“My cards were given to me," Smith said softly with a steely gaze, standing on a small porch behind the home as the sun set on a recent evening. "I didn’t choose my deck of cards.”
His 19-year-old sister, Aleion, is in charge while he is gone for about 12 hours most days to be a student and athlete. Appreciating her selfless sacrifice, Smith said he hopes to help her find a way to start taking classes next semester while juggling her role with the family.
Smith looks and sounds determined to help his siblings be happy, healthy and safe. His teammates watch in awe.
“I couldn’t even begin to imagine if I was in his situation," linebacker Jordan Hall said. “He’s in a tough spot, but he is one of the strongest guys I have ever known.”
Smith grew up in in Detroit, recalling how he was homeless at times and hopped from house to house to find places to sleep. He was a three-star prospect at River Rouge High School and attended the University of Cincinnati for two years.
After Smith's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022 during his sophomore season with the Bearcats, he transferred last year to be closer to home. The life lessons from his mom continued.
When Smith, holding his 2-year-old sister, arrived at a recent fundraiser, each of his other siblings introduced themselves to people there to support the family and shook their hands while making eye contact.
“That's from my mom,” he said.
She was trying to prepare him for what was to come before she died Aug. 19. She was 41.
“She used to tell me everything: ‘Get hard’ and all of that,” he recalled. “And I see why she was under a lot of stress.”
Smith keeps notes on his phone to help manage busy days that start before dawn, when he is up to make sure his two sisters and three brothers are awake before he leaves for school. Smith gets a lift from a teammate or a ride-hailing service to make the 4-mile trip to campus for therapy on his surgically repaired shoulders and meetings with the football team before going to classes and practice.
His eldest sister gets their 16- and 15-year-old brothers, Armond and Avaugn, and 11-year-old sister, Arial, ready for school. There are two varieties of Cap’n Crunch atop the refrigerator in a kitchen that didn't have a table or chairs during a recent visit.
The school-age brothers rely on a ride-hailing company to get them to school and back while their oldest sister cares for their toddler sister, Amaira.
“Me and my sister got to work together to keep this all afloat,” he said. “While I’m in college sports, she’s got to be able to take care of everything that I can’t do, like pick up where I left off, while I’m taking care of business.”
He and the siblings he is now responsible for at least have a home thanks in part to a GoFundMe campaign.
While Smith’s story is unusual in college sports — the NCAA does not track the number of athletes whose day-to-day activities include caring for a dependent — a 2020 study from the National Center for Education Statistics found 19.5% of undergraduate college students had a dependent and 5.5% of them were responsible for non-child dependents. Other research shows student-caregivers are disproportionately from historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups.
Ray Ray McElrathbey was a 19-year-old freshman at Clemson in 2006 when he took over custody of his 10-year-old brother because of his mother’s drug problems and his father’s gambling addiction. Initially, they lived solely off McElrathbey’s scholarship and later the NCAA approved a plan where donations were administered by a local bank and distributed to Ray and Fahmarr. His story was the subject of “Safety,” a Disney movie.
When McElrathbey was a child and saw “Angels in the Outfield,” it inspired him because he felt there were other children out there like him. These days, he does speaking engagements and shares his message of hope with young people.
“Just kind to speak to those kids in a similar situation like I was growing up and have them have something to inspire them is the greatest gift,” he said.
Tufts University professor Emma Armstrong-Carter, who has done research on children caregivers, said these young people show amazing strength and don’t want to be pitied.
“Isn't it incredible that these young people are able to overcome so many challenges and support their families in ways that are necessary and meaningful?” Armstrong-Carter said. “There's a need for more institutional support to help them thrive.”
Smith and his family are able to afford renting a house in the state capital, paying for utilities, bills, food and ride-hailing services thanks to waves of financial support. The GoFundMe effort has raised more than $60,000, and he makes some money through name, image and likeness deals. Michigan State has helped through a student assistance fund. Two fundraisers were hosted at a McDonald's in Lansing and an IHOP in Livonia set up by former Michigan State football players Jason Strayhorn and Sedrick Irvin and promoted on their “This is Sparta MSU” podcast.
Road trips are part of the calendar and the Spartans don't play two home games in a row until the end of the season in November, though two bye weekends will give Smith more time at home.
One of his mother's close friends, Yolanda Wilson, whose son, Nick Marsh, is a standout freshman receiver and former high school teammate, has been a source of support.
“I’m going to be there no matter what," she said. "That’s a promise I made to their mother. And they have everybody here backing them up. So, it’s going to be a hard transition as it is, but we’re going to be that tight-knit community and have their back.”
The love is not lost on Smith.
“Me and my family are very happy, very appreciative and grateful," he said. "There’s a lot of love Spartan Nation has shown us these past few months. It’s been a rough time, but to be able to take some of the stress off of my shoulders and show me a lot of love is a blessing and has warmed my heart.”
When Smith gave The Associated Press access to his home one recent evening, three siblings were upstairs in their bedrooms while a teenage brother was napping on a sectional couch in a living room without a TV or table. His toddler sister giggled between drinks from a sippy cup.
“It just puts a smile on my face to see them happy," he said while watching video clips from practice on his phone.
Smith's sadness comes and goes, but he knows his mother would want him to carry on.
“I can feel her living through me," he said. "Almost like I hear her voice telling me how proud she is of me.”
This story has been corrected to show that Smith’s 11-year old sibling is his sister, not brother.
AP Sports Writer Pete Iacobelli contributed. Follow Larry Lage at https://twitter.com/larrylage
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Armorion Smith, an NCAA football player at Michigan State, watches game video on his phone at home in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Michigan State defensive back Armorion Smith, right, listens as secondary coach Blue Adams, left, talks to players on the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Armorion Smith, left, reviews game video on his phone as he sits with his siblings, from left, Arial, Aleion, Amaira, Armond, and Avaugn, at home in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Armorion Smith, an NCAA football player at Michigan State, watches game video on his phone at home in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Armorion Smith, an NCAA football player at Michigan State, checks his phone at home in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Aleion Smith, holds her sister Amira, while their brother Arial, sits in the living room at home in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Arial Smith, left, talks with his little sister Amira, while their brother Armond sleeps on the couch at home in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Armorion Smith, an NCAA football player at Michigan State, stands in his kitchen at home in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Michigan State defensive back Armorion Smith (19) takes the field with teammates before an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Michigan State defensive back Armorion Smith (19) watches during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Michigan State defensive back Armorion Smith (19) gets into formation for a kickoff during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
This photo provided by Michigan State defensive back Armorion Smith shows his mother, Gala Gilliam, who died a month ago after battling breast cancer and was survived by six children, June 21, 2024, in River Rouge, Mich. (Armorion Smith via AP)
Armorion Smith, an NCAA football player at Michigan State, sits on the steps at home in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Armorion Smith, right, an NCAA football player at Michigan State, walks through the living room with his siblings at home in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Armorion Smith, an NCAA football player at Michigan State, takes a moment by himself at home in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
