George Kliavkoff claims Pac-12 'picking up recruits' due to USC, UCLA departures

By most accounts, the Pac-12 has been reeling for the past few weeks. Losing USC and UCLA to the B1G is a big blow with the conference losing two powerhouse programs in a strong media market.

However, Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff claims that move has had an unintended positive consequence for the remaining teams in the conference. During Pac-12 Media Day, Kliavkoff said teams in the Pac-12 are hearing recruits pass on USC and UCLA in order to go to other teams in the Pac-12.

According to Kliavkoff, the conference is “literally…picking up recruits.”

Kliavkoff says his 10 remaining schools are hearing from prospects who have eliminated USC & UCLA bc of the B1G move.

“Recruits have told our coaches at other schools, ‘I’m not going there bc of that decision – I’ll go to your school.’ Literally, we are picking up recruits.”

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) July 29, 2022

Of course, there is a lot of context missing from Kliavkoff’s claim. It’s possible his claim is true without factoring in some of the major sports like football and basketball.

Then again, it’s likely USC and UCLA are not too concerned either way. The move to the B1G will be financially beneficial for those two programs which should also benefit recruiting in the long run.