Most Big 12 schools not taking RedBird’s $30M line of credit
Most schools are turning down $30 million in private capital available in the conference's deal with RedBird Capital Partners and Weatherford Capital.
The Big 12 logo is displayed on the field before the Big 12 championship game between BYU and Texas Tech held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News A new deal with RedBird Capital Partners and Weatherford Capital offers each Big 12 school up to a $30 million line of credit.
But most of the conference is not taking the money. In fact, no school has confirmed it is accepting the offer. The agreement includes a $12.
5 million infusion of capital for the Big 12 at the conference level to be reinvested, a business partnership for RedBird to help source deals for the Big 12, and the credit option that would be between the firms and schools, per Front Office Sports . Schools have a year to decide whether to accept the line of credit. They are not required to take the money, but if they do, the conference would withhold a portion of their annual school distribution for the private-equity firms on an annual fixed repayment schedule.
Front Office Sports reported last week that it has confirmed Texas Tech, Iowa State and Colorado are the latest schools to decline the offer. Baylor, Cincinnati, Houston, TCU, UCF and West Virginia have told local news outlets that they are holding off on the credit line for now. Kansas and Arizona State haven’t announced a decision.