Brett Yormark and Texas Tech are trying to move past the Brendan Sorsby mess, and apparently the first step involved a steakhouse in Fort Worth.
Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported that Yormark and school administrators recently met there in an effort to put the quarterback saga behind them. The whole situation has been messy from the start, with Sorsby’s exit from Lubbock tied to a whirlwind offseason dispute over the Cincinnati transfer’s past gambling habits. In the end, the Big 12 held firm and, with the other 15 league members backing that stance, Texas Tech moved on from the quarterback before the 2026 season.
The reconciliation, though, is not some clean handshake and fresh start. Dellenger described it as a “reconciliation process,” and the tension around it is still very real.
Meanwhile, the fallout keeps rolling. Dellenger also reported that the NCAA has sent Cincinnati a letter of inquiry.
The issue has already spilled into Big 12 Football Media Days in Frisco, Texas, where Texas Tech has been under the microscope all week. On Tuesday, Yormark had a sharp exchange with Beyond the Mic host Sean Dillon after Dillon asked whether Red Raiders fans should believe they’re getting a fair shake in the wake of the retaliatory lawsuit tied to Sorsby’s eligibility ruling.
The clip made the rounds quickly inside Big 12 circles, and it only added to the sense that Texas Tech and the rest of the conference are not exactly on the same page right now.
Still, there have been signs of support for the Red Raiders behind the scenes. Matthew Postins obtained video of Joey McGuire discussing the backing he received during the Sorsby controversy and the legal fight over his quarterback. McGuire said there were some “funny jabs,” but he also pointed to strong support from Oklahoma State’s Eric Morris and BYU’s Kalani Sitake.
For now, the temperature is easing around the Sorsby saga. The league wants to move on, Texas Tech is trying to do the same, and everyone involved seems ready for August to get here and shift the conversation back to football.
In Other News...
Big 12 Tension With Texas Tech Just Put Houston Fans On Notice
The Big 12s 2026 media days in Frisco were supposed to be about the leagues next phase, with commissioner Brett Yormark talking up a new Monster Energy partnership, playoff expansion and the conferences stance on sports gambling. But the event also carried the kind of edge that tends to follow Yormark around, especially when Texas Tech is involved, and one exchange with Sean Dillon of Rockin Pregame turned the room back toward the leagues lingering friction points.
Dillon pressed Yormark on how the Big 12 has treated Texas Tech, a question that touched on the programs long list of grievances and the broader sense in Lubbock that the league has not always been even-handed. The tension comes on top of a wider standoff involving Tech booster Cody Campbell, who has sparred with Yormark over scheduling, Friday night games and the schools banned tortilla-throwing tradition, leaving Houston and the rest of the league watching a conference already carrying more than one unresolved fight. [Read more 🡒]
Bearcats Left Hanging Over One Massive Unanswered Gambling Question
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark wasnt interested in opening the door any wider on Wednesday when asked about the investigation swirling around the University of Cincinnati and former quarterback Brendan Sorsby. The leagues top executive sidestepped the question rather than clarify whether the Bearcats are formally part of any inquiry, leaving the conferences stance as guarded as ever while the issue continues to hover over the program.
For Cincinnati, the unanswered piece is as important as the public statements already on record. The university says it provides gambling education and would not knowingly put an ineligible athlete on the field, but the broader questions around what was known, when it was known and who knew it remain unresolved. Until those details come into focus, this is the kind of story that keeps hanging over a team long after the original news cycle should have moved on. [Read more 🡒]
NCAA Just Pulled Cincinnati Into Brendan Sorsbys Growing Mess
Cincinnatis quarterback room has been pulled into a broader NCAA inquiry after the governing body sent the school a letter of inquiry tied to Brendan Sorsbys gambling activity. The case has widened from a player issue into a program matter, with the Bearcats now facing questions about what was known and when as the investigation continues.
Sorsbys betting history includes wagers he made while he was at Cincinnati, and the scrutiny now follows him into a season where he was one of the programs most visible figures. The unresolved part is the one Cincinnati cares about most: how much the staff knew while he was in the building, and what the NCAA decides that means for the school. [Read more 🡒]