Arizona president Robert Robbins, a major figure in athletics and conference realignment, will resign at the end of his current term. Robbins’ contract expires in 2026, but he expressed openness to moving on sooner if the board appoints a successor. A national search for his replacement will begin immediately.
Robbins was one of the most vocal figures during the collapse of the Pac-12; Arizona was one of four schools to depart the dying league for the Big 12 in 2024. After details of a proposed contract with Apple TV came to light that created commissions based on subscription numbers, Robbins compared the deal to selling “girl scout cookies.”
After Colorado announced its intention to join the Big 12 one week earlier, Arizona followed after a disastrous meeting during which former Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff presented the Apple TV deal. Four other schools left for the Big Ten, while two headed to the ACC. Only Oregon State and Washington State remain without a long-term conference home. Arizona had been in the Pac-12 Conference since 1978.