Whoever is planning a 30 for 30 on the Pac-12's demise added an interesting footnote on Saturday: Four-star recruit Chris Steele opted for an SEC school because of Pac-12 officiating.
Steele is a 6-foot-1, 187-pound 2019 cornerback from Bellflower, Calif. The fifth-ranked corner in the country and 40th-ranked overall recruit is a former USC commit who picked Florida during the Army All-American Game. Instead of recommitting to USC or Oregon, he became the Gators' highest-ranked recruit in their class.
And he did, in part, because of Pac-12 officiating:
"Chris Steele . . . it’s interesting, this is a kid who was headed the Pac-12," said Barton Simmons, director of scouting for 247Sports. “His physical style of play, he felt like translated better to the SEC. And he felt like even the referees in the SEC would be a little bit more forgiving for his style of play. Pac-12 refs losing them one here."
While Simmons didn't say (something to the effect of), "Steele picked Florida because the Pac-12 is a mess," it's still a bad look for a conference that can't do anything right.
