Texas Tech may have spent weeks in the middle of the Brendan Sorsby storm, but when the Big 12 preseason predictions finally came in, the Red Raiders still came out on top.
A USA Today Network poll of writers who cover Big 12 programs, compiled by Matthew Glenesk ahead of Big 12 media days in Irving, Texas, put Texas Tech first in the projected conference finish. That result came after the Sorsby saga had dominated league conversation and stirred up friction between the Big 12 office and Texas Tech, complete with boardroom disputes and legal threats.
The Red Raiders didn’t just survive the noise. They showed up with the kind of roster recognition that makes a No. 1 pick feel earned. Texas Tech placed nine players on the preseason All-Big 12 team, including six defenders, which no other program in the league matched.
The headliner on that side of the ball was linebacker Ben Roberts, who was voted preseason Defensive Player of the Year in a close race over two of his own teammates. Roberts was a third team All-Big 12 selection a year ago, then delivered a huge Big 12 Championship game with two interceptions and five tackles to win most outstanding player honors.
Texas Tech’s defensive depth kept showing up in the voting. Defensive lineman AJ Holmes Jr., who was ranked No. 23 on my list of the most important players in college football, and cornerback Brice Pollock both drew votes for Defensive Player of the Year, as did linebacker Austin Romaine. That kind of concentration is unusual anywhere; inside one unit, it stands out even more.
The Red Raiders’ preseason haul also stretched beyond the defense. Tight end Terrance Carter Jr. was a unanimous All-Big 12 selection, while kicker Stone Harrington and return specialist J'Koby Williams landed on the specialists list. It all points to a roster with more than enough around it to keep the program’s outlook strong, even after losing Sorsby.
Behind Texas Tech in the predicted order of finish were BYU at No. 2, then Utah, Houston and Arizona. TCU, Kansas State, Arizona State, Oklahoma State and Baylor filled out spots six through 10. UCF, Kansas, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Colorado and Iowa State rounded out the rest of the league.
One of the most eye-catching individual picks came in the newcomer race, where Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker was chosen as preseason Newcomer of the Year. His rise has been unusual: from high school backup to the nation’s leading passer as a freshman at North Texas.
Mestemaker threw for 4,379 yards last season and was named American Conference Player of the Year before following head coach Eric Morris to Stillwater. The fit makes sense on paper, too, because Morris is bringing the same Air Raid system to Oklahoma State that helped launch Mestemaker’s breakout. The Cowboys also added running back Caleb Hawkins, who received newcomer votes and earned a preseason All-Big 12 spot.
On the offensive awards side, BYU running back LJ Martin was the unanimous choice at his position and was named preseason Offensive Player of the Year after piling up a conference-best 1,305 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. He also added 36 catches for 255 yards.
Kalani Sitake’s decision to turn down Penn State and remain in Provo kept BYU’s core together around Martin and quarterback Bear Bachmeier.
Other offensive standouts included Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita on the All-Big 12 team, plus Houston wide receiver Amare Thomas as a unanimous pick. Arizona State’s Omarion Miller and Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Young also joined him among the selected receivers.
In Other News...
Texas Tech Fans Got The JT Toppin Update They Needed
Texas Tech got the kind of roster news that can shape an offseason in a hurry, with JT Toppin back in the conversation after a season that made him one of the Big 12s most productive players. The Red Raiders announced the update on social media, and it matters because Toppin was not just a leading scorer for the 2025-26 team, he was also an All-American and a Big 12 First Team selection before his year was cut short in February.
His absence down the stretch was felt in postseason play, and now the focus shifts to what Texas Tech can build around him going forward. The Red Raiders are piecing together the 2026-27 roster with a mix of returning pieces and transfer additions, and Toppins place in that group gives the program a clear centerpiece as it keeps filling in the rest of the puzzle. [Read more 🡒]
Former Red Raider Eric Morris Faces A Brutal Oklahoma State Reality
Eric Morris is learning quickly that the job he took at Oklahoma State comes with a heavy lift. In his first year running the program, the former Texas Tech quarterback and assistant is trying to steer the Cowboys out of a deep conference slide, and he spent Big 12 media days talking through the reality of rebuilding a team that has to change fast if it wants to matter again in league play.
Much of that reset is already underway. Morris has brought over a large portion of his North Texas operation to help install his system and culture, and the roster will look almost nothing like the one that finished last season. With preseason practice approaching, Oklahoma State is set to open with 87 newcomers, a sign of how much turnover Morris is asking his first Cowboys team to absorb before the real evaluation even begins. [Read more 🡒]
Bearcats Left Hanging Over One Massive Unanswered Gambling Question
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark had little to say when asked about the NCAAs handling of the gambling questions swirling around former Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby. The league office has been drawn into a matter that has already pushed the Bearcats into an uncomfortable spotlight, with the NCAA acknowledging it received a tip tied to Sorsbys gambling activity and Cincinnati reiterating that it provides gambling education and would not knowingly put an ineligible athlete on the field.
For Texas Tech and the rest of the Big 12, the issue matters because it goes beyond one player and one school. Yormarks refusal to engage only added to the sense that the conference is waiting on answers it does not yet have, and Cincinnatis position leaves a key piece of the story unresolved for now. The questions around what the school knew, and when it knew it, remain at the center of a developing situation that could still grow more complicated. [Read more 🡒]