What did he say? The best quotes from Pac-12 Football Media Day

George Kliavkoff has only been on the job as Pac-12 Commissioner for a year, but he demonstrated a bit of an edge when taking the stage at Pac-12 Football Media Day on Friday at the Novo Theater in Los Angeles.

Other conferences had their media days earlier in the week and their respective commissioners took shots at the Pac-12, which is reeling after the defection of USC and UCLA to the Big Ten, which was announced a month ago.

Should the Pac-12 add teams to replace those it is losing? Should it merge with the Big 12 or should anywhere from four to six schools go there. Well, the Pac-12 seems to think that talk has been generated from the other side, not from its camp.

Here are some of his comments from his 30-minute address as well as comments from the coaches.

On Pac-12, Big 12 merger potential

"We've had two board meetings a week for the last four weeks. Looking my colleagues in the eye, understanding their commitment, that their first priority is making sure that the Pac-12 survives, thrives and grows and is successful. With respect to the Big 12 being open for business, I appreciate that. We haven't decided if we're going shopping there or not yet," —  Kliavkoff 

Have conference relationships been damaged?

"I hope they're not over. But they're certainly harmed. That remark was a reflection of the fact I've been spending four weeks trying to defend against grenades that have been lobbed in from every corner of the Big 12 trying to destabilize our remaining conference. I understand why they're doing it, when you look the relative media value between the two conferences. I get it, I get why they're scared, why they're trying to destabilize it. I was just tired of that. That's probably not the most collegial thing I've ever said. — Kliavkoff 

Did USC, UCLA mislead Pac-12?

"I'm not going to talk about that. We're going to take the high road and not talk about what happened in the past. We're very, very focused on the future. We're focused and confident in the 10 schools that remain in the Pac-12 being together, growing and succeeding as a group. — Kliavkoff 

On the impending move by USC, UCLA

"I don't know if expansion is done. I don't have a crystal ball. I don't know where this is. I think people last year at this point in time, we all sat in here as a conference of 12 and talked about what Tennessee and Oklahoma were doing going to the SEC. Now we sit here talking as a conference of 12/10. I don't know what's next domino is to drop. I don't have a crystal ball." — UCLA coach Chip Kelly

"It was probably shocking was my first impression, was shocking. Being in this conference for over a 100 years, I would say that was the first initial impression, was that. But you got to also recognize that when I came back to Colorado in 2020, COVID hit three weeks later. I mean, it was a lot of things that have been challenging and changing for me every year. It was like one more thing. What's one more thing? Guys leaving the conference. But as humans, as we all evolve throughout the years, we'll evolve and adapt and move forward. But it was shocking, I would say. — Colorado coach Karl Dorrell, who previously coached at UCLA

"Surprised but not surprised. Nothing can really surprise you I don't believe in college football right now. There's so much movement and things that have happened through the years. There's going to be a great deal more change, in my opinion. The concept of super conferences is starting to materialize, become a reality. Wasn't completely taken back by the move. The timing, I don't know if there was ever a good time, but the timing was a little bit of a surprise. — Utah coach Kyle Whittingham

"In today's world of college athletics, college football in particular, you expect the unexpected. I think probably everyone has a little bit surprised, right? But you also know and expect that things are going to change and they're going to continue to change. You take it in stride and you make the most of the situation we're in. I feel like we're in a great spot at U-Dub, part of a conference that has a lot of things still going for it." — Washington coach Kalen DeBoer

"I'm sad to a certain degree about not being in the same conference in a few years with USC and UCLA because those have been a big part of the Pac-10, Pac-8, Pac-12 story. Selfishly being a Stanford alum, a lot of great games between Stanford and UCLA and USC. My hope is we continue to play those two programs even if they are out-of-conference games." — Stanford coach David Shaw

"We will continue to recruit California very hard. That won't change one bit. But I understand that especially for the traditionalists in all of us, when things like that happen, it feels a bit uneasy. There's just change in college athletics right now. There's change in college football. We've got to adapt and adjust with it." — Cal coach Justin Wilcox

Does move of L.A. schools affect your recruiting?

"I hope that it does when parents are making decisions on wanting to watch their children play, they don't have to get on a plane and fly to Newark, fly to Iowa, fly to Ann Arbor. They get to get in a car, drive five and a half hours, and next thing you know they're at Arizona. They can be able to watch their sons play right here on the West Coast, right in prime time television. We're hopeful that that's going to be a huge benefit for us moving forward." — Arizona coach Jeff Fisch

On direction the sport is heading

"I can remember growing up on the West Coast, and it was the big five, big six. That was, what, in 1959 till 1964. Then it became the Pac-8, a conference that I played in at Cal Berkeley, right? There in '78 it switched over and became the Pac-10. Lo and behold in 2011, whatever it was, it became the Pac-12. I think sometimes we sit here and we just realize the era that we're in, that's what we remember, right? So if you're in this new era, this is what it is. Well, it's changing. Change is about growth sometimes and opportunity. According to what and how you believe it and how you sit, it affects people different. The funny part is this. Everyone is trying to figure out what is it going to look like. We don't know. It might change again next week. No one knows. But eventually it will change." — Arizona State coach Herm Edwards

"It seems to be ever-changing, doesn't it? I've been asked a couple times what it's like being a first-year head coach in this environment. The one thing I'll say is it's probably pretty similar to being a 15-year head coach in this environment because it's different. It continues to change. — Oregon coach Dan Lanning

"I believe everybody wants progress, but nobody wants change. I talk to our guys all the time, change is inevitable in life. College football is changing at a very, very fast rate. But I know because we have solution-based leaders in the Pac-12 and we have great leadership at Washington State, I think the Pac-12 is going to be here and is going to be thriving for a very long time." - Washington State coach Jake Dickert

On NIL and its affects

"I certainly recognized the opportunities that existed in L.A. and specifically with USC and felt like there was no school more positioned to capitalize off NIL than us. Now that I'm boots on the ground, I believe that even more. It's probably even more substantial than what I thought it could be. The thing I like about our position is if collectives and donor-based funding and all that becomes part of the future and the norm, I'm very confident in the people that we have, the resources that we have, that USC will be in prime position." — USC coach Lincoln Riley

Reach the reporter at Michelle.Gardner@gannett.com or 602 444-4783.  Follow her on Twitter @MGardnerSports.

Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Pac-12 coaches talk conference, NIL, recruiting, future of football