Report: B1G coach claims rumors of canceling season already hurting recruiting

The rumors and reports that the B1G was planning to cancel the college football season on Tuesday has already made an impact on the recruiting trail.

Reports surfaced early on Monday that the B1G was planning to cancel the college football season on Tuesday, and the Pac-12 was planning to make the same move. Apparently that news hit close to home for recruits who were hoping to see the sport played this fall.

One B1G coach says that he was told by a high-level prospect in the 2021 class that he wants to play in a conference that “supports football,” according to Geoff Ketchum of OrangeBloods.com.

Another top reruit in the 2022 class told Brooks Austin of Sports Illustrated that, after hearing of the news involving the B1G and Pac-12, said, “This is exactly why I’m going to the SEC. It means more.”

Heard from a Big 10 coach overnight that I've known for 20 years that the conference being blamed for shutting down the sport is already impacting recruiting.

One top 2021 target told this coach's staff that he would go to a school in a conference that "supports football".

— Geoff Ketchum (@gkketch) August 11, 2020

Just got a text from a top prospect in the 2022 cycle,

"This is exactly why I'm going to the SEC. It means more"

— Brooks Austin (@BrooksAustinBA) August 10, 2020

Despite the news on Monday, the B1G has not made a final decision on fall sports at this time. Presidents from the 14 B1G institutions are planning to meet on Tuesday, though it’s unclear if any decision will be made.

If the B1G does decide to cancel the season, it may have an immediate impact on recruiting. Based on the recent reports, it already has.