Report: Colorado offered $2.5 million signing bonus by the Big 12 to leave the Pac-12

Colorado was offered $2.5 million to leave the Pac-12 and join the Big 12, according to Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today.

“But documents obtained from the schools by USA TODAY Sports – and brief remarks by Yormark here Tuesday – paint a picture of a cutthroat strategy to destabilize the Pac-12 last year to the point that it fell apart to the Big 12’s benefit,” Schrotenboer wrote. “According to the documents, the University of Colorado was offered a $2.5 million signing bonus from the Big 12 Conference last year as an added enticement to get the Buffaloes to leave the Pac-12 and join the Big 12 instead, starting on Aug. 2, 2024.”

Colorado, which was in the Big 12 prior to moving to the Pac-12, returned to the conference in what looked like a well received move. However, the Buffaloes were one of many teams that bolted from near-defunct conference.

The current iteration of the Pac-12 has two teams: Oregon State and Washington State.

Colorado was one of four expansion teams for the Big 12 in 2024, along with Arizona, Arizona State and Utah. But according to the report, the other schools did not receive a signing bonus.

According to the 78-page agreement to bring Colorado to the Big 12, it read:

“Colorado shall also receive a membership transition bonus upon execution of this Agreement of Two Million, Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($2,500,000).” The Big 12 admission agreements did not mention any bonus for the other three schools.

“I’m not going to discuss my negotiating tactics, but listen, we were thrilled that Colorado was the first mover,” Yormark said at Big 12 Media Days Tuesday, via USA Today. “Ultimately one got us four, you know, when you think about it. Whatever we did in those negotiations seemed to work out pretty well for us.”

Schrotenboer pointed out the “one got us four” comment could be the tell-tale sign of why only Colorado got a bonus, but that appears to be pure speculation.

Colorado, a charter member of the Big 12, spent 13 seasons in the Pac-12 before returning to the conference this fall. Deion Sanders will lead the football program in Year 2 of his head coaching tenure.