Tag: Rick George

REPORT: Colorado, Big 12 have had ‘substantive’ talks regarding potential reunion

Per CBS Sports, Colorado has had close talks with the Big 12 about potentially rejoining the conference

As Colorado remains patient waiting for the Pac-12 to finalize a media rights deal, the university is also proactively forming its backup plan, according to Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports.

Dodd reported on Tuesday that Colorado has been in “substantive” in-person talks with the Big 12 regarding a potential reunion. However, Dodd still described the talks as no more than due diligence with athletic director Rick George repeating that Colorado’s ideal scenario is to stay in the Pac-12.

The report also stated that Colorado’s potential move to the Big 12 would need the green light from head football coach Deion Sanders.

Colorado and the Big 12 have met face-to-face while involved in consistent talks over a period several months, according to multiple sources. It was made clear that a move to the Big 12 would not be made without the support of football coach Deion Sanders.

CU’s rumored Big 12 interest was the talk of the Fiesta Summit earlier this month in Scottsdale, Arizona, with several sources speculating in the hallways. It became more public last week when the Oklahoman’s Berry Tramel reported, “Colorado is ready to commit joining the Big 12 ‘soon.'”

If the Buffs were to join the Big 12, the expectation is that “Colorado would receive an equal media rights share ($31.7 million, beginning in 2025),” per Dodd.

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Rick George responds to conference realignment rumors

Rick George gave an update on where Colorado currently stands with conference realignment

Colorado has little idea what its future will look like. With Pac-12 rumors swirling regarding a new media rights deal, expansion and potential realignment, the Buffs were also recently included in a Big 12 rumor, which isn’t anything new.

However, there has been no clarity as of yet from either side, and nobody has the slightest idea what will happen.

CU athletic director Rick George, though, recently gave an update on where his school stands as of now, per Brian Howell of BuffZone.

“You’ve got to believe about a third of what you see out there,” George told BuffZone. “We’re members of the Pac-12, we’re proud members of the Pac-12 and we’ve got to see where our media rights deal lands and where our conference goes. In a perfect world, we’d love to be in the Pac-12, but we also have to do what’s right for Colorado at the end of the day. We’ll evaluate things as we move forward.”

The Pac-12’s new media rights deal has been in the works for some time but has hit several snags, and the Big 12-Colorado rumors are something to monitor, especially with Deion Sanders coming in and revitalizing the football program.

Nonetheless, George knows he has to do what’s right for the program, and there could be a ton of changes coming to the Pac-12 with USC and UCLA leaving for the Big Ten in 2024.

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Rick George shares confidence in Deion Sanders’ rebuilding approach

Rick George reminded everyone that he’s confident in Deion Sanders’ rebuilding strategy

The Colorado Buffaloes football program is now constantly making national headlines regarding transfers and recruits. All of this is possible because of Deion Sanders.

On the other hand, a ton of players have left the program, and a few former players have said some interesting things about Coach Prime and his staff.

Nonetheless, University of Colorado athletic director Rick George remains in full support of Coach Prime (h/t Heather Dinich of ESPN):

“I have confidence in him and his staff and they know what they’re doing,” George told ESPN on Thursday following the Pac-12’s spring meetings. “… He’s been very honest and forthright. He’s been very open about it publicly and privately. He’s trying to build a winner at Colorado, and this is his way to do it.”

This isn’t surprising, and George had Coach Prime on his mind after he fired Karl Dorrell midway through last season.

Players are leaving and the roster looks completely different, but George is confident that this is the way to do it. Whether it works out or not remains to be seen, but Sanders has at least made CU football relevant once again.

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Rick George denies rumor of Colorado board planning on voting to leave Pac-12

Rick George denied talk of a vote on CU’s future in the Pac-12

You may have heard, but in case you haven’t, the Pac-12 is in a liiiiittle bit of a precarious position.

Ever since news broke last year that both USC and UCLA will leave the conference for the Big Ten in 2024, the Pac-12 has just been trying to survive, with invitations to San Diego State and SMU potentially on the horizon.

On the other side of that coin lies the Colorado Buffaloes.

It has been rumored that a significant portion of the current Pac-12 schools have talked to the Big 12 about potentially jumping ship and heading to more stable pastures, one of which being the former Big 12 member Buffs.

Recently, there was a rumor that the University of Colorado Board of Regents would hold a vote next week about whether to leave the Pac-12 — talk that CU athletic director Rick George flatly denied Wednesday evening.

Of course, conference realignment is a fluid game and a vote could happen at some point, especially if fellow Pac-12 members Arizona, Arizona State, Washington and others leave.

But at least through this coming Monday, Colorado will remain Pac-12 members and ride out the storm as the conference tries to solidify its future.

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CU president Todd Saliman gives update on Buffs’ head coach search

CU president Todd Saliman gave a small update on how the head coach search is going

University of Colorado president Todd Saliman joined Voice of the Buffs Mark Johnson on his pregame radio show prior to kickoff between CU and Oregon on Saturday.

Johnson, of course, quickly brought up the ongoing head coach search and asked Saliman about the role he is taking. Essentially, his response indicated that chancellor Phil DiStefano and athletic director Rick George have been delegated with the most work, as you’d expect. Colorado has also hired a search firm to help.

We haven’t seen any specific names linked directly to CU yet, but the expectation is that a head coach will be named soon after the season.

Below is what Saliman said, courtesy of the Colorado Football/Basketball Radio Network:

“I did talk to the chancellor and I talk to Rick, but they’re the ones whose job it is to go out and do that work. Rick has been traveling all over the country talking to folks and he has reported that there are excellent, excellent coaches out there who are interested in this job and we’re thrilled and we can’t wait to get one of them here.”

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What went down on Thursday with Rick George’s interview rumors

Here’s what went down on Twitter regarding Rick George’s rumored interest in other schools

Thursday was a fun day for those of us who enjoy some college sports gossip.

About three weeks into his search for Colorado football’s next head coach, rumors began to swirl on Twitter that athletic director Rick George has been interviewing at other schools. In particular, he was rumored to have interviewed for Auburn’s vacant AD job.

Personally, I trust the reports coming out of people who cover the program closely, and some of the rumors on Thursday seemed sketchy. But feel free to think for yourself and let us know your opinions.

Below is a short synopsis of what happened:

CU Buffs, Rick George using search firm for head coach search

The Colorado Buffaloes and athletic director Rick George have reportedly hired a search firm to assist in their head football coach search

The Colorado Buffaloes began 0-5 and fired Karl Dorrell. They named Mike Sanford the interim head coach and won their first game, 20-13, against Cal.

Athletic director Rick George has mentioned that this will be a long coaching search, and we might not have an answer until after the season.

The Buffs have now hired a search firm to help out with the decision, according to Brian Howell of BuffZone.

Colorado has retained the search firm of Eastman & Beaudine to help with the process of hiring a full-time head football coach. According to a BuffZone source, CU has had a “high level of interest” in the job, leading to the decision to hire a search firm.

There are plenty of intriguing factors with the Buffs job, including the fact that they could move to the Big 12. Even with Dorrell out, many recruits have stayed true to their commitment to Boulder.

We have already discussed many potential names from different outlets, and some big-time names out there make sense for the Buffs.

As the 2022 season continues to develop, we might not see an answer for a head coach, but hiring a search firm is an exciting decision by Colorado.

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Rick George outlines his expectations for Colorado football post-Karl Dorrell

Athletic director Rick George discussed what his expectations are for Colorado football

On Sunday evening, Colorado athletic director Rick George, interim head coach Mike Sanford and university chancellor Phil DiStefano met with the media to discuss the dismissal of Buffs head coach Karl Dorrell and the elevation of Sanford.

During the press conference, George was confident Colorado could get back to its winning ways, and that the coaching change was largely made due to Colorado not meeting expectations over the last 15 years or so years.

I asked about the specifics of George’s expectations and here is the answer I got from him:

“Our expectations for CU football is to become nationally prominent, that we’re discussed on game day in a positive way, in that we compete every time we go out there and play and we win more than we lose. We consistently go to bowl games, occasionally we compete for national championships, conference championships. I have that expectation for all of our sports, not just football.”

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Colorado AD Rick George: ‘This place can be and will be a football powerhouse’

Rick George remains confident that Colorado football can rebound

A few hours after the firing of Karl Dorrell became official, Colorado athletic director Rick George, university chancellor Phil DiStefano and interim head coach Mike Sanford met with the media on Sunday evening.

All three shared their respect for Dorrell while showing some excitement for a fresh start.

The one quote that stood out to me the most came from George, who remains confident that the Buffs can return to national excellence (h/t Jake Schwanitz of DNVR): “This place can be and will be a football powerhouse.”

It’s going to take several more massive changes for that to come true, but most would agree that Sunday’s moves were a positive step for the program.

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Rick George releases statement on Colorado football’s struggles

Rick George shared his disappointment in Colorado football’s 0-3 start and asked fans to continue supporting the program

As the CU Buffs sank even lower on Saturday during a 42-point loss to Minnesota, many fans have reached a breaking point. Pleads to fire head coach Karl Dorrell and even boycott the program were plentiful on Twitter over the weekend.

Things didn’t exactly get better when athletic director Rick George released a statement on Sunday evening in which he reiterated his support for the program’s direction and essentially begged fans to keep their faith.

Colorado fans didn’t exactly find the statement encouraging, to put it kindly. A full-blown rebuild seems to be the preferred direction and George’s statement said quite the opposite:

Like all of you, I have been disappointed to watch our football team struggle this fall, most recently yesterday at Minnesota.  I know that our coaches and our student-athletes are capable of so much more and that all of you deserve better results.

I want you to know that I hear you.  I recognize and understand your disappointment and frustration and perhaps, even anger.  We have not come close to meeting our expectations this season and we own that.  I know that Coach Dorrell, our coaching and support staff, and our student-athletes are working hard to get us on track, and with conference play starting this Saturday, we hope we all will enjoy a home victory over UCLA.

Regardless of your feelings right now on Colorado Football, I encourage you to continue to support our tremendous football student-athletes, who need your cheers, encouragement and support now, more than ever.

Here’s how Dorrell responded to George’s statement (h/t CUSportsReport’s Nikki Edwards).

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