Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark put the brakes on any conversation about quarterback Brendan Sorsby and Texas Tech when reporters raised the topic as media days got underway Tuesday in Frisco, Texas.
“I appreciate the question,” Yormark said. “Today is not the time to address that issue. Today is about celebrating the upcoming football season and celebrating our 16 schools.”
The Sorsby situation has been a major storyline over the past seven months. After arriving at Texas Tech as one of the most sought-after quarterbacks in the transfer portal, Sorsby entered a rehabilitation program for gambling addiction, acknowledged making thousands of wagers, and was ultimately declared ineligible by the NCAA. Rather than pursue an appeal through the conference or seek entry into the NFL supplemental draft — which rejected his application — Sorsby chose to shift his focus toward the 2027 NFL Draft.
On the topic of sports wagering more broadly, Yormark said the Big 12 is strengthening its existing relationship with IC360, a global advisory and technology platform, to better monitor sports betting activity within college athletics.
Yormark also reaffirmed his vision of the Big 12 as the most internationally focused conference in college sports. He noted that six member schools have campuses abroad and that roughly 20% of student-athletes hail from outside the United States. Last season, the conference launched its schedule with a game between Iowa State and Kansas State held in Ireland.
“I’m convinced we can win globally,” Yormark said.
The commissioner additionally announced that the Big 12 will convene a league-wide meeting in August to confront anti-LDS chants that have been directed at BYU.
“We have a zero tolerance for that kind of behavior,” he said.
In a separate announcement, Yormark confirmed a multi-year deal with Monster Energy that will place the brand’s logo on fields, as part of uniform patches, and throughout multiple sports. The agreement, valued at more than $20 million per year, designates Monster Energy as the conference’s “entitlement partner” and could deliver over $1 million to each of the 16 member schools. Men’s and women’s basketball branding will be updated under the deal, and this season’s conference football matchups will be officially known as “Monster Energy Big XII Football.”
