USC AD Mike Bohn Speaks Out Following Big Ten News

USC and UCLA will leave the Pac-12 to become full-time Big Ten members by August 2, 2024.

Last week, USC and UCLA announced their intention to leave the Pac-12 conference for the Big Ten. Both programs will join as full-time members by August 2, 2024, after being apart of the Pac-12 for more than 94 years. 

USC Athletic Director Mike Bohn released a statement following the news, expressing his excitement over the new opportunity.

"We intend to end our membership in the Pac-12 conference when the Pac-12's current media rights agreement expires in August 2024," said Bohn.

"We look forward to competing these next two years in the Pac-12 and want to express our sincerest gratitude to the conference and its member institutions for decades of wonderful experiences. The Trojans' outstanding athletics heritage will always be synonymous with the Pac-12, and there are so many iconic moments and memories we will cherish forever. We hold the Pac-12 and our respected colleagues in the highest regard.

This is the most volatile and uncertain era in the history of American collegiate athletics. USC must ensure it is best positioned and prepared for whatever happens next, and it is our responsibility to always evaluate potential opportunities and be willing to make changes when needed. Ultimately, the Big Ten is the best home for USC and Trojan athletics as we move into the new world of collegiate sports. We are excited that our values align with the league's member institutions. We also will benefit from the stability and strength of the conference; the athletic caliber of Big Ten institutions; the increased visibility, exposure, and resources the conference will bring our student-athletes and programs; and the ability to expand engagement with our passionate alumni nationwide.

For more than two years, our athletics department has been unified behind our vision to be the most student-athlete centered program in the country. Central to that mission is the responsibility to provide the necessary resources for our student-athletes to be successful on and off the playing field and ensure our student-athletes compete for championships at the highest levels and on the grandest stages. By joining the Big Ten, we are confident we will continue to deliver on this promise for our current student-athletes and generations of student-athletes who will wear the Cardinal and Gold in the future.

I am so grateful to President Carol L. Folt for her bold vision, courageous leadership, and decisive action. From the start, she and I have been unified in our goal to build an athletics department that sets the standard for supporting student-athletes. I am also appreciative of former Board of Trustees Chair Rick Caruso, new Chair Suzanne Nora Johnson, and all the other members of the Board for their unwavering support of our student-athletes and the Trojan athletics program.

The future of USC athletics is bigger, brighter, better, and more boundless than it has ever been. Every Saturday at the Coliseum will feel like the "Granddaddy of Them All!" Trojan Family, the best is yet to come."

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