Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, is synonymous with the Oregon Ducks. His close ties to that program have made it one of the best in the nation.

Oregon, however, is stuck in a tough position after UCLA and USC decided to join the Big Ten starting in 2024.

Now, the Ducks are left in a depleted Pac-12, and Knight has been working the phones to try to find the Ducks a landing spot, per CBS Sports:

A marketing genius, benefactor, philanthropist and multi-billionaire, the Shoe Dog himself is apparently using all his resources to find a home for Oregon, a program Knight has made one of the most recognizable college sports brands as a de facto offshoot of his Nike empire.

Knight has been reduced to cold-calling telemarketer. And that’s a sad situation.

Will the Ducks find a new conference? Or, will they have to make due with the remnants of the Pac-12 in 2024 and beyond?

We’ll see what happens in the coming months, but the future of the program is at stake.