Larry Scott's tenure as Pac-12 commissioner is coming to an end.
The conference announced Wednesday night that its governing executive committee, university presidents and Scott “mutually agreed” that he will not seek a new contract. His contract was scheduled to expire in June 2022, but his tenure will conclude at the end of this June because the Pac-12 wants “a new commissioner to be in place to negotiate and maximize the Conference’s next important long-term media rights agreement.”
The Pac-12 executive committee, chaired by Oregon president Michael Schill, “will immediately commence a national search for Scott’s replacement as commissioner.”
“We appreciate Larry’s pioneering efforts in growing the conference by adding new competitive university programs and accelerating the Pac-12 to television network parity with the other conferences,” Schill said in the conference's announcement. “At one point, our television agreement was the most lucrative in the nation and the debut of the Pac-12 Network helped deliver our championship brand to US and global markets on traditional and digital platforms. That said, the intercollegiate athletics marketplace doesn’t remain static and now is a good time to bring in a new leader who will help us develop our go-forward strategy.”
Scott drew considerable criticism in recent years as the Pac-12 has lagged behind the other Power 5 conferences in both football and men's basketball while the Pac-12 Network failed to gain relevancy, and he acknowledged that it was time for the conference to bring in new leadership.
“I was in pro sports for 20 years, I’ve now been in college athletics for more than 10 years, and now is a great time in my life to pursue other exciting opportunities,” Scott said in a statement. “This moment, when college athletics are moving in a new direction and with the Conference soon commencing the next round of media negotiations, it seems the right time to make a change. It is important that the conference be able to put in place the person who will negotiate and carry out that next agreement. Based on the recent robust valuation and marketplace interest we’ve received from traditional and nontraditional media organizations, I am confident the conference is well-positioned for continued success.”
With Scott stepping down, the Pac-12 will become the third Power 5 conference to change commissioners in a span of less than two years, following the Big Ten (who replaced Jim Delany with Kevin Warren) and the ACC (who replaced John Swofford with Jim Phillips).
Though it is uncertain whether he'll pursue the job, several national reporters said Wednesday that Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith could be among the Pac-12's targets to replace Scott.
The early read on candidates to replace Larry Scott is that they need direct college experience, football savvy, media experience and a relationship builder. Early potential names include Oliver Luck, Bernard Muir, Gloria Nevarez, Burke Magnus, Dan Radakovich and Gene Smith.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 21, 2021
One name that I've heard from two people already: Ohio State AD Gene Smith.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) January 21, 2021
Pac-12 commish candidates Ive heard: Ohio St AD Gene Smith, Stanford AD Bernard Muir, former West Virginia AD (and NCAA exec) Oliver Luck, Alabama AD Greg Byrne. ASUs Ray Anderson could make a push. Feeling is league needs someone who knows campuses, has built-in relationships.
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) January 21, 2021
