Big 12 Notes

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Big 12 Notes – Spring and Summer

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July 15th

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Coaches Hot Seat Rankings – Coach Prime third-highest ranking in the Big 12

From CBS Sports … Every college football coach is under some amount of pressure to win, but heading into 2026, only an unfortunate few find themselves squarely in the “hot seat” conversation. Widespread coaching changes over recent years have left more than half of the FBS in a position where their coaching outlook seems pretty stable, barring something crazy. But for a trio of power-conference coaches, hot-seat talk will dominate the conversation until results change.

Florida State coach Mike Norvell, Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell and Baylor coach Dave Aranda each received a 5.0 hot-seat rating average during the annual polling of CBS Sports experts for our 2026 Hot Seat Rankings. That’s the hottest possible seat on our 0-to-5 scale, and the unanimous rating across all of the experts drives home the urgency these coaches face to improve.

With Maryland coach Mike Locksley close to unanimous at 4.9, South Carolina coach Shane Beamer at 4.3 and North Carolina coach Bill Belichick scoring a 4.1, you can quickly identify the places where the pressure is starting to get turned up the most.

It is worth noting that a high hot-seat rating does not guarantee doom, but recent history shows more firings than not. Last season, five of the eight coaches who received a CBS Sports Hot Seat rating of 4.1 or higher were fired during or after the season. Coaches like Hugh Freeze, Sam Pittman and Mike Gundy were shown the door, but Oklahoma coach Brent Venables and Arizona’s Brent Brennan put together the type of season that reversed the narrative around their tenure.

A better hot seat rating does not guarantee future employment, either. Last season, Brian Kelly had a 3.33 before his midseason dismissal, and perhaps in a moment of CBS Sports Hot Seat Rating history, we saw James Franklin fired by Penn State despite 1.33 preseason rating.

Each was asked to rate each coach’s job security on a scale of 0 to 5, and we averaged those 10 evaluations to assign a score. Check out the ratings key, then see where every coach ranks with kickoff just under two months away.

The table below is arranged in alphabetical order by school. Listed is each coach’s win-loss record at his current program and the number of years he’s led that team prior to 2026. If the coach’s rating has changed from the 2025 season, the old rating is listed in parentheses.

From the Big 12 … (Utah, Iowa State, Kansas State, and Oklahoma State have new head coaches) …

… Read full story here …

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July 13th

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Week One Big 12 Lines: CU and Baylor only underdogs / over half the conference playing FCS (or lower) opponents

From FanDuel.com …

Week Zero (Saturday, August 29th):

• TCU v. North Carolina (Dublin) … 10:00 a.m., MT, ESPN … TCU is a 6.5-point favorite

Week One (Thursday, September 3rd):

• Colorado at Georgia Tech … 6:00 p.m., MT, ESPN … CU is a 7.5-point underdog
• Bethune-Cookman at UCF … 5:00 p.m., MT, ESPN+ … no line
• Idaho at Utah … 7:00 p.m., MT, ESPNU … no line

Week One (Friday, September 4th):

• Long Island University at Kansas … 6:00 p.m., MT, ESPNU … no line

Week One (Saturday, September 5th):

• Oregon State at Houston … 10:00 a.m., MT, ESPN … Houston is an 18.5-point favorite
• Coastal Carolina at West Virginia … 10:00 a.m., MT, TNT … West Virginia is a 17.5-point favorite
• Southeast Missouri State at Iowa State … 11:00 a.m., MT, ESPN+ … no line
• Baylor v. Auburn (at Atlanta) … 1:30 p.m., MT, ABC … Baylor is a 7.0-point underdog
• Boston College at Cincinnati … 1:30 p.m., MT, Fox … Cincinnati is a 7.5-point favorite
• Oklahoma State at Tulsa … 1:45 p.m., MT, ESPNU … Oklahoma State is a 12.5-point favorite
• Abilene Christian at Texas Tech … 5:00 p.m., MT, FS1 … no line
• Nicolls at Kansas State … 5:00 p.m., MT, ESPN+ … no line
• Utah Tech at BYU … 6:00 p.m., MT, ESPNU … no line
• Morgan State at Arizona State … 7:00 p.m., MT, ESPN+ … no line
• Northern Arizona at Arizona … 7:30 p.m., MT, ESPN+ … no line

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Regression? Georgia Tech; Iowa State; BYU may be taking a step back from 2025 records

From CBS Sports … College football has a way of pulling teams back toward the middle. Even the best programs rarely escape the forces that make sustained success so difficult.

Most preseason projections land relatively close to last year’s mark. Of the 68 Power Four teams (including Notre Dame), 48 have a win total within 1.5 games of their 2025 regular-season output, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Oddsmakers don’t expect major swings for most teams, but a handful stand out, with win totals that have dropped or increased considerably from where they finished a season ago.

Regression doesn’t necessarily mean a disappointing season, either. In several cases, teams coming off historically good campaigns were always going to struggle to replicate that success. Others simply face significantly tougher schedules, major roster turnover or coaching changes that have lowered expectations.

BYU

2025 regular season wins: 11 | FanDuel win total: 8.5

If anyone is positioned to knock off Texas Tech from its sudden rise to power in the Big 12, it’s BYU. The Cougars rank third nationally in returning snap percentage, bringing back 62.5% of last year’s production, including quarterback Bear Bachmeier and preseason Big 12 Player of the Year LJ Martin at running back.

Another double-digit win season would be Kalani Sitake’s fifth in the last eight years, but it hinges on a handful of toss-up games: a home date with Arizona, as well as road trips to TCU and Utah. A win over Notre Dame in Provo on Oct. 17 would go a long way toward BYU avoiding a step back.

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Georgia Tech

2025 regular season wins: 9 | FanDuel win total: 6.5

Perhaps Georgia Tech’s collapse in November was a sign of things to come in 2026. The bottom isn’t going to fall out for Brent Key, but this offseason presents a real challenge. Much of the offensive personnel is different, with only 24% of the snaps returning, and both coordinators needed to be replaced.

Transfer quarterback Alberto Mendoza, younger brother of Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, is the presumptive starter but has never made a college start. Nine wins were hard enough to accomplish. Doing it again with this many new pieces would be asking a lot.

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Iowa State

2025 regular season wins: 8 | FanDuel win total: 4.5

After decades of struggling to find sustained success, Iowa State finally experienced what it feels like to be a consistent winner under Matt Campbell. Now, with Campbell gone, the Cyclones enter a new era that could come with some growing pains. First-year coach Jimmy Rogers has expressed confidence that Iowa State can remain competitive, but the roster turnover is impossible to ignore. The Cyclones rank among FBS teams with the least returning production and have welcomed an astounding 82 newcomers as Rogers reshapes the program.

… Read full story here …

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July 10th 

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ESPN Football Power Index and the SEC: Self-fulfilling ranking prophecies 

Want to know why the SEC starts out with highly ranked teams, and then they stay ranked all season?

Well, if you have over half your team starting in the Top 25, and No. 16 plays No. 23, what happens? Well, if No. 16 wins, it solidifies its position as a Top 25 team, while No. 23 doesn’t fall because, well, they lost to the No. 16 team. Meanwhile, if the No. 23 team wins, that team moves up, while the No. 16 team isn’t punished because, well, they lost to a ranked team.

How bad is it?

Factoids from the ESPN Football Power Index preseason Top 25 last season …

• No 1 Texas missed the playoffs
• No. 5 Penn State went 7-6
• No. 11 Clemson finished unranked
• No. 12 LSU finished 7-6
• No. 14 Auburn missed a bowl game
• No. 15 South Carolina finished 4-8
• No. 18 Florida finished 4-8
• No. 21 Kansas State missed a bowl game
• No. 22 Arkansas went 2-10
• No. 25 Nebraska went 7-6
• Meanwhile … No Texas Tech, BYU, Utah, Houston, or TCU who all finished ranked
• No Indiana who beat everyone and won the National Championship
• No G6 teams (yet four finished ranked)
• They had 13 SEC schools ranked, yet somehow missed Vanderbilt, which finished with ten wins

The factoids above which Big 12 fans should re-read … Last season, five Big 12 teams finished in the Associated Press Top 25 … But, in its preseason Football Power Index, ESPN ranked exactly none of them.

This preseason, the ESPN FPI has two teams from the Big 12 in its Top 25: No. 10 Texas Tech and No. 20 BYU. Meanwhile, there are seven Big Ten teams and 12 teams – count ’em, 12 teams – from the SEC. That’s 19 of the Top 25 in the ESPN FPI Top 25 from the Big Two.

Kinda hard to break into that list.

So, in Week Four this fall, when No. 23 South Carolina plays No. 8 Alabama … and No. 14 Ole Miss plays No. 9 LSU … and No. 2 Texas plays No. 16 Tennessee … don’t look for the losers to be punished for losing.

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July 9th 

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Quotable Coach Quotes from Big 12 Media Days

From ESPN … Here are some of the top lines from coaches at Big 12 media days Tuesday and Wednesday, featuring musings from Deion Sanders, Joey McGuire and more.

“I got the coaches on curfew, not the kids.” — Colorado coach Deion Sanders

The Buffaloes open the 2026 season in a timeslot that matches their coach’s iconic nickname: prime time. Colorado will travel to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech on Sept. 3, the Thursday night of Week 1, in a rematch of 2025’s season-opening showdown, which Georgia Tech won 27-20. It marks a return for Sanders to the city where he started his NFL career with the Falcons.

Asked what it would be like to go back to Atlanta, Sanders, who also played baseball in the city for the MLB’s Braves, said it would be his fellow coaches under a curfew for the trip, not the players.

It was one of many ear-catching lines from the quote-friendly Hall of Famer, with another viral offering being his explanation for why he isn’t in EA Sports College Football 27: “If I’m not in the game, that means they weren’t paying enough.”

“He knows how to get to my heart, which is buy a meal for me.” — BYU coach Kalani Sitake

Even though Texas Tech took down BYU in last season’s Big 12 championship game, there’s certainly no bad blood between Red Raiders coach Joey McGuire and the Wildcats’ Sitake.

Sitake highlighted his positive relationship with Texas Tech and former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach before turning to the current coach in Lubbock, saying McGuire is “my guy.” Sitake did admit that the key to his heart is simple: a steak dinner.

“And I was like, yup, I love this guy.”

“Spot the ball, man. We’re ready to go right now. We’ll play tomorrow” — Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire

There were few podium appearances more anticipated than McGuire’s, with the Red Raiders having been one of the most headline-heavy teams of the offseason between the Brendan Sorsby saga and Texas Tech’s attempts to get Texas on its schedule.

Fielding a question about his calls to organize a Week 1 game between Texas and Texas Tech, McGuire started his answer bluntly: “Spot the ball.” McGuire then praised Texas’ squad and coach Steve Sarkisian and said that as a Texan, he’d love to play as many Texas teams as possible, also highlighting Texas A&M and SMU as hopeful future opponents. He argued that more intra-Texas games could be beneficial for recruiting within the state.

“Did anybody else say that? Probably not. They might be afraid. Hell, I don’t care.” — West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez

Conference realignment remains on everyone’s minds in the college football world, and Rodriguez is evidently no different.

The West Virginia coach pitched his own idea for how to reorganize college football’s Power 4 programs: coming together to split “the biggest TV package in the history of TV packages” and then bringing back regionalized competition by slicing up the landscape geographically.

As for whether his proposal had been tabled before or whether any potential proponents of the plan have shied away for fear of backlash? Well, Rodriguez evidently isn’t too concerned.

… Read full story here …

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July 8th 

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Report: NCAA opens inquiry into Sorsby betting while at Cincinnati

From ESPN … The NCAA has sent a letter of inquiry to Cincinnati centered on former quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s time with the program, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.

Sorsby, who was ruled permanently ineligible by the NCAA this spring after he admitted to placing thousands of impermissible sports bets over the past four years, spent two seasons with the Bearcats before transferring to Texas Tech this offseason. The NCAA’s probe into his time at Cincinnati follows the high-profile legal saga over Sorsby’s eligibility last month, which concluded with the Red Raiders and the transfer quarterback parting ways June 15.

Bearcats coach Scott Satterfield declined to comment on the matter at Big 12 media days in Frisco, Texas, on Wednesday. News of the letter of inquiry was first reported by Yahoo Sports on Wednesday.

A Cincinnati spokesperson also declined to comment but provided a general statement on the monthslong situation involving the program’s former quarterback.

“We have had continuous conversations with the NCAA since the initial reports related to impermissible sports wagering began,” the statement read. “As we have stated before, we do not believe any athletics official or staff member was aware of any impermissible sports wagering.”

Sorsby began his college career at Indiana in 2022. He transferred to Cincinnati ahead of the 2024 campaign and threw for 5,613 yards and 45 touchdowns in two seasons as the program’s starter. Sorsby, the No. 1 prospect in ESPN’s transfer portal rankings this offseason, joined the reigning Big 12 champion Red Raiders in January with one season of eligibility remaining.

The NCAA permanently barred Sorsby from NCAA competition in May over a yearslong trail of impermissible bets that totaled an estimated $90,000 across his time at Indiana, Cincinnati and Texas Tech. Indiana has not received a letter of inquiry from the NCAA, a source said.

Sorsby’s betting history while at Cincinnati was included in a list of stipulated facts agreed upon by Texas Tech and the NCAA during his reinstatement process.

… Continue reading story here …

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CBS Sports spin on what Coach Prime said at Big 12 Media Days

From CBS Sports … Deion Sanders is back to the old him. After a bout with bladder cancer that kept him away from his team for months last offseason, and even when he was with the Buffs, he was a different version of himself.

“You don’t have your it, you don’t have that thing about you,” Sanders said on Tuesday at Big 12 Media Days. “Like when you’re sick, you still have to get your butt up and do what you had to do, right? But you still weren’t you, but you were there. You were you in flesh, but you weren’t you in thought process and thinking and the quickness and the being fleet of thought, and that’s where it was. So I’m putting that on me.”

Sanders is trying to do more than just get his own mojo back. It’s on Sanders to figure out how to get CU back to the heights of 2024, where the team was a factor in the Big 12 Championship race into November. Colorado went 3-9 in its first season without Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders. They cycled through multiple quarterbacks (Ryan Staub, Kaidon Salter, and Julian Lewis) and struggled to find a true playmaker. Now Lewis takes over as the starter, and Sanders is taking a different tact with taking pressure off of his young signal-caller.

“What I don’t expect, and this may sound crazy, but it’s real, because he’s a young kid, I don’t need my quarterback to lead us,” Sanders said. “I need my quarterback to do what we ask him to do. He’s 18, and we’re asking an 18-year-old kid to lead a locker room full of men; that’s not fair to him. But what I’m asking him to do: make the plays that should be made and do what’s necessary to be done, but you do not have to stand up in front of the team and hoo rah this, and hoo rah that, you do not have to run out of the tunnel first. You do not have to get on nobody’s butt, just do your job, man. That’s it.”

Lewis is young. In a sport where transfer portal dynamics have made many starters fifth- and sixth-year seniors, if not older, Lewis won’t turn 19 until the end of September. He reclassified into the 2025 recruiting class and flipped his commitment from USC to Colorado during his 2024 high school season.

Sanders admitted it is a totally different dynamic for him than when he had Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, whom he called “once in a lifetime cats,” and it’s unfair to expect players to have the same thought processes and practice habits they did. Lewis takes over as a full-time starter with a different offensive identity under new coordinator Brennan Marion, purveyor of the GoGo offense, which uses shifts, unique formations, and multiple backs to create formational advantages.

Protection has been an issue for Colorado throughout Sanders’ tenure, with the program being among the nation’s most sacked teams in each of his first three years. Protecting Lewis will be key as the young quarterback hopes to grow into his own. Sanders says he has nine offensive linemen he feels can start. Lewis will also have a new security blanket to throw to with Danny Scudero, one of the nation’s most productive receivers at San Jose State, who is now a Buffalo, and Sanders raves about him.

“What hasn’t he brought should be the question. He brings his lunchpail to work every day. He has not missed one practice. Leader, dog killer, great young man, professional. I called Julian Edelman and say, ‘Look, man, this kid loves you. He is you to me. He has that same tenacity that Jules has, and I hate comps, but I had to call him myself and say, ‘Look, man, I want you to talk to this kid, because he’s from, you know, where you’re from in California.'”

… Continue reading story here …

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July 7th

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Big 12 announces branding partnership with Monster Energy drinks

Press release from the Big 12 … The Big 12 Conference today announced a new, multi-year agreement with Monster Energy, naming the global beverage brand the Entitlement Partner of Big 12 Football and Big 12 Basketball regular seasons.

During the regular season, Big 12 football and men’s and women’s basketball will be branded as Monster Energy Big 12 Football and Monster Energy Big 12 Basketball for all Conference controlled assets and platforms. A co-branded Monster Energy and Big 12 Conference logo will be featured on football and basketball jerseys, fields and courts, with additional integration across Conference digital and social media channels.

The first-of-its-kind partnership is built on the right brand and cultural alignment, with Monster Energy’s drive, edge and ambition mirroring the Big 12 Conference and its student athletes. It also brings together the two organizations’ global ambitions and commitment to enhancing fan engagement.

“This is an important partnership for the Big 12 as we continue to grow our commercial business,” said Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark. “Monster Energy is a global, culturally relevant brand that aligns with who we are and where we’re going. Together, we will bring the Big 12 to new audiences, expand our reach, and deliver innovative experiences for our fans.”

The agreement builds on an existing relationship between the Big 12 and Monster Energy, which began last fall when the brand became the Conference’s Official Energy Drink – its first partnership in college athletics. Monster Energy is also the title partner of the Big 12’s 2026 Football and Basketball Media Days.

“Monster Energy has built its brand on sports and athletes that leave it all out there on the field or the court,” said Mitch Covington, Monster Energy Chief Partnerships Officer. “Partnering with the Big 12 continues that tradition of aligning with great sports teams and organizations committed to excellence. Commissioner Brett Yormark and his teams at the Big 12 Conference are always going to be on the forefront of college athletics and we want to support and be part of it.”

Additional elements will be unveiled throughout the season, including expanded content and activations designed to engage fans year-round.

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July 6th

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Preseason All-Big 12 team announced – No Buffs listed

… Teams shut out from the list: Colorado … Kansas … UCF … 

Press release from the Big 12 … The Big 12 Conference has released its preseason awards and Preseason All-Big 12 team, as voted on by media members who cover the league and its 16 member institutions. BYU’s LJ Martin was voted the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year after being named the league’s Player of the Year for the 2025 season. Texas Tech’s A.J. Holmes Jr. was selected as Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and marks the second straight year that a Red Raider has received the honor, following Jacob Rodriguez a year ago. Drew Mestemaker from Oklahoma State was voted Preseason Newcomer of the Year.

Texas Tech led all programs with seven players recognized, including five on the defensive side. BYU was second with six players, with Houston following at three selections.

Offensive Player of the Year
LJ Martin, RB, BYU, Sr.
Defensive Player of the Year
A.J. Holmes Jr., DL, Texas Tech, Sr.
Newcomer of the Year
Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State, RS-So.

2026 Preseason All-Big 12 Team
Quarterback: Noah Fifita, QB, Arizona, RS-Sr.
Running Back: Cam Cook, RB, West Virginia, Sr.
Running Back: LJ Martin, RB, BYU, Sr.
Fullback: Kayden Luke, FB, West Virginia, Jr.
Wide Receiver: Omarion Miller, WR, Arizona State, Sr.
Wide Receiver: Amare Thomas, WR, Houston, Sr.
Wide Receiver: Wyatt Young, WR, Oklahoma State, Jr.
Tight End: Terrance Carter Jr., TE, Texas Tech, Sr.
Offensive Line: Joe Cotton, OL, Cincinnati, RS-Sr.
Offensive Line: Shadre Hurst, OL, Houston, Sr.
Offensive Line: Bruce Mitchell, OL, BYU, RS-Sr.
Offensive Line: John Pastore, OL, Kansas State, Sr.
Offensive Line: Evan Tengesdahl, OL, Cincinnati, RS-Jr.
Kicker: Stone Harrington, PK, Texas Tech, Sr.
Punt/Kick Returner: Mana Carvalho, PR/KR, Utah, So.

Defensive Line: C.J. Fite, DL, Arizona State, Sr.
Defensive Line: Wendell Gregory, DL, Kansas State, So.
Defensive Line: A.J. Holmes Jr., DL, Texas Tech, Sr.
Defensive Line: Keanu Tanuvasa, DL, BYU, RS-Sr.
Defensive Line: Adam Trick, DL, Texas Tech, Sr.
Linebacker: Ben Roberts, LB, Texas Tech, Sr.
Linebacker: Austin Romaine, LB, Texas Tech, Sr.
Linebacker: Cade Uluave, LB, BYU, Sr.
Defensive Back: Will James, DB, Houston, Jr.
Defensive Back: Evan Johnson, DB, BYU, RS-Sr.
Defensive Back: Jamel Johnson, DB, TCU, Sr.
Defensive Back: Brice Pollock, DB, Texas Tech, Sr.
Defensive Back: Faletau Satuala, DB, BYU, Jr.
Punter: Palmer Williams, P, Baylor, Sr.

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July 3rd

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ESPN: Best college football players of all time by jersey (four Buffs on the list)

From ESPN … Want to start a good debate at your local bar or office water cooler? Just pose this question: Who’s the best college football player — no NFL stats! — to ever wear the No. 2 jersey?

Easy, you say. It’s clearly Johnny Manziel. The guy won a Heisman. He beat mighty Alabama at the height of Nick Saban’s powers. He was a swashbuckling controversy magnet who was famous even beyond the realm of college football fans. His nickname was Johnny Football, for crying out loud. Of course it’s him!

Well, hang on a second. We’ve got a call from a Mr. Prime on Line 2.

Oh yeah, Deion Sanders. He was pretty good — and pretty famous — as a college player, too.

At least the controversy ends there.

Wait, no. There’s also a guy by the name of Cam Newton who’d like a word. Oh, and Derrick Henry, too. Ah, don’t forget Charles Woodson. They all won Heismans. And that’s not even considering Ashton Jeanty, Justin Jefferson, Willis McGahee or Diego Pavia. We could keep going.

Yeah, you get the idea. It’s no easy task narrowing it down to one clear winner.

But, that’s what our ESPN panel of experts attempted to do — not just for the No. 2 jersey, but for 100 different uniform numbers among every player in college football history. We split our panel into four groups, each taking their share of jersey numbers (0-24, 25-49, 50-74 and 75-99) to dig deep into the archives, sift through the stats, watch some old film and pick a consensus winner.

From the list … 

2. Deion Sanders, DB, Florida State | 1985-88

Trophy case: Two-time unanimous All-American, Jim Thorpe Award, College Football Hall of Fame

Number to know: 1,429. That’s Sanders’ career punt return yardage, which ranks ninth all time in Division I and, four decades after his college career ended, is still the best in FSU history.

A three-sport star at Florida State, Sanders excelled at baseball and on the track, but football was where he first became a household name. Sanders was a three-time All-American (third team in 1986), racked up 14 career interceptions and set the FSU record for career punt return yardage. His interception to seal a 13-7 win over Auburn in the 1989 Sugar Bowl capped one of the most outstanding college careers of any athlete and ushered in a new era at Florida State. Sanders’ star power did more than just make FSU a national contender. It made the Seminoles cool to a generation of new fans and redefined what playing cornerback could be for the next generation of elite athletes.

Three others: QB Cam Newton, Auburn; CB Charles Woodson, Michigan; RB Derrick Henry, Alabama

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12. Travis Hunter, WR/DB, Jackson State/Colorado | 2022-24

Trophy case: Heisman Trophy, two-time first-team All-American, Walter Camp Award, Biletnikoff Award, Bednarik Award, two-time Hornung Award, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year

Number to know: 1,356. Hunter logged 1,356 snaps between offense and defense during his Heisman Trophy campaign in 2024, 434 more than any other FBS player that fall. He was on the field for 84% of Colorado’s snaps that season. No other FBS player was on the field for more than 56% of their team’s snaps.

Few players possess the ability to play both ways. Even fewer, if any, have done it at the ultra-elite level Hunter reached during his college career. ESPN’s No. 2 overall recruit in the 2022 class, Hunter followed Deion Sanders first to Jackson State, then to Colorado, where he emerged as one of the sport’s most electric playmakers on both sides of the ball. He made that work look easy in 2024, hauling in 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns while allowing only 16 receptions for 177 yards and a touchdown on defense with 37 tackles and four interceptions. That performance not only landed Hunter the Heisman Trophy and Walter Camp Award, it made him the first player in college football history to win both the Biletnikoff (most outstanding receiver) and Bednarik (outstanding defensive player) awards at the end of one of the most decorated FBS seasons of all time.

Three others: QB Colt McCoy, Texas; QB Andrew Luck, Stanford; QB Roger Staubach, Navy

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19. Eric Dickerson, RB, SMU | 1979-82

Trophy case: Two-time SWC Offensive Player of the Year, two-time All-American, College Football Hall of Fame

Number to know: 28. Dickerson surpassed 100 rushing yards in 28 career games at SMU, one of his 12 school records that still stand.

Dickerson was a dominant force during his run at SMU, breaking Earl Campbell’s Southwest Conference rushing record with 4,450 career yards and 47 rushing touchdowns. He teamed with Craig James to form the Pony Express and help the Mustangs win back-to-back Southwest Conference titles in 1981 and 1982 as the conference’s leading rusher each season. Dickerson finished third in Heisman voting at the end of an 11-0-1 senior season and SMU’s No. 2 finish in the polls, then went No. 2 to the Los Angeles Rams in the 1983 NFL draft.

Three others: RB Rashaan Salaam, Colorado; TE Brock Bowers, Georgia; QB Keenan Reynolds, Navy

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94. Randy White, DT, Maryland | 1972-74

Trophy case: Outland Trophy, Lombardi Award, UPI Lineman of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, two-time first-team All-America, College Football Hall of Fame

Number to know: 122. The number of yards opponents lost on his 24 tackles for loss in 1974.

Maryland recruited White to play fullback but shifted him to defensive line, where he became an undersized defensive tackle who dominated the ACC in 1973 and 1974. He earned All-America honors both seasons and in 1974 recorded 24 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. White set a team record with 12 sacks that fall and finished with 147 tackles, winning the Outland Trophy, Lombardi Award and other honors. He was selected No. 2 overall in the 1975 NFL draft and was an eight-time first-team All-Pro for the Dallas Cowboys.

Three others: LB Alfred Williams, Colorado; DE Jared DeVries, Iowa; DE Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue

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… Read full story here …

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June 30th

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Big Noon Kickoff heads overseas for the first time – for a Big 12 game

From Fox Sports … The BIG NOON KICKOFF heads overseas for the first time in the program’s history, broadcasting live from historic Wembley Stadium in London ahead of the inaugural Union Jack Classic on Saturday, Sept. 19th.

The Big 12 showdown between Arizona State and Kansas is the first-ever FBS game contested in the United Kingdom, with BIG NOON KICKOFF on-site to capture all the excitement starting at 10:00 AM ET on FOX. Following pregame coverage, the Union Jack Classic kicks off at 12:00 PM ET on FS1.

The international trip marks a significant milestone for BIG NOON KICKOFF, bringing its electric atmosphere and insightful analysis to a new audience, and underscores FOX Sports’ longstanding commitment to the growth of college football.

“FOX Sports prides itself on being the home of big events, so we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to bring BIG NOON KICKOFF to the historic Wembley Stadium – home to so many iconic moments in sports,” said Jordan Bazant, Executive Vice President, FOX Sports. “With BIG NOON KICKOFF and the Union Jack Classic now woven into that storied legacy, we can’t wait to take our viewers along for this international adventure, and we’re thankful to Brett Yormark, Scott Draper, Travis Goff and Graham Rossini for helping bring this one-of-a-kind event to life.”

The Union Jack Classic marks the growth of the Big 12 as the most globally relevant conference in college athletics as the league’s third football game played in Europe in two seasons. The Conference had Iowa State and Kansas State meet in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Ireland to open the 2025 season, and TCU will participate in this year’s season-opening event in Dublin.

“We’re extremely excited to have FOX’s BIG NOON KICKOFF come to London to preview the Union Jack Classic,” said Kansas Head Coach Lance Leipold. “The show does an outstanding job of showcasing the pregame pageantry of college football. Having the show at the Union Jack Classic will make for a truly special environment as we take on Arizona State in the first ever college football game in the iconic Wembley Stadium.”

“We are thrilled that FOX Sports is investing programming resources for this game,” said Arizona State Head Coach Kenny Dillingham. “Their pregame show is always great television, and we look forward to Sun Devil fans enjoying everything that FOX Sports is doing in London to make this game special.”

“We’re thrilled to welcome BIG NOON KICKOFF to Wembley Stadium for the inaugural Union Jack Classic,” said Brian Dubiski, Chairman and CEO of the Union Jack Classic. “This is a big moment for college football, and FOX Sports’ commitment to the sport reflects the significance of bringing a Big 12 matchup to one of the world’s most iconic venues. BIG NOON KICKOFF will bring the world class tailgating atmosphere and expert analysis, and we look forward to delivering an unforgettable experience for fans in London and around the world.”

For more information on FOX Sports’ college football coverage, please visit FOX Sports Press Pass.

For more information on the Union Jack Classic including ticket sales and more, please visit UnionJackClassic.com.

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Sorsby gives up on suing NFL; to focus on applying for the 2027 NFL Draft

From ESPN … The NFL Players Association and quarterback Brendan Sorsby will not be pursuing litigation after the NFL’s decision not to hold a supplemental draft this year, according to a memo sent to all 32 teams.

Instead, Sorsby will shift his focus to preparation for the 2027 NFL draft.

“We have confirmed with the NFLPA and Brendan Sorsby that there will be no further litigation regarding his entry into the NFL — and that instead, Mr. Sorsby will focus on his preparation for entry into the League via the 2027 NFL Draft,” the memo reads. “For purposes of League and CBA rules, Mr. Sorsby will be considered a ‘Draft-Eligible’ player for the 2027 NFL Draft. Mr. Sorsby will not be eligible to sign an NFL Player Contract until the completion of the 2027 NFL Draft.”

After the NCAA ruled him ineligible to play because he wagered on college sports, Sorsby was issued a temporary injunction by a Texas court to clear his path to play at Texas Tech this season. But when the Big 12 filed in federal court with aims to punish Sorsby and Texas Tech, Sorsby withdrew his suit and declared for the supplemental draft.

The NFL will not discipline Sorsby for currently known prior misconduct but retains the right to investigate his conduct beyond what is in the current public filings, an NFL source told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. It also reserves the right to take college misconduct into consideration in setting discipline for any future violations, the source told Rapoport.

In a statement released Tuesday, Sorsby said, “I accept 100% responsibility for my actions. I did not have control of my gambling problem and it took getting caught for me to realize that, but it was truly the best thing that could’ve happened to me. Because of this, I have been able get the help I need and fully focus on my recovery.

“The news about the supplemental draft changes nothing about my recovery journey — I will continue to take it one day at a time. Focusing on making myself better throughout this process and making sure to share what I have learned and will continue to learn with others going forward. I am fully committed to being the best version of myself that I can be while getting ready for the 2027 draft. God makes no mistakes and I look forward to seeing the good that is to come from this.”

… Continue reading story here …

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June 29th

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Is it time to bring ties back to college football?

From The Athletic … Iowa’s 1988 football season started with lofty expectations and a No. 9 ranking, but after playing to a draw for the third time that year, coach Hayden Fry had pretty much had it with fans and reporters questioning his end-game strategy.

“They paid their 16 bucks, and they can react any way they want to,” Fry told reporters after the Hawkeyes kicked a 40-yard field goal with 16 seconds left to tie Ohio State at 24 instead of trying to get in the end zone.

“We took a chance with the onside kick to win the game (with 16 seconds left). There wasn’t any question in my mind what to do. We were still trying to win the game. We were just trying to do it different than the people who don’t know much about football realize. A damn tie is better than a loss. Tell that to your friends. It wasn’t a damn loss, it was a tie.”

Friends, college football needs to bring back ties. These ambiguous and at times confusing results have gotten a bad rap. They are not a scourge to be eradicated — as they were by major college football in the mid-1990s — but an anomaly to be embraced. Their mere existence unlocks a whole new level of strategy and analysis while upping the potential for chaos.

Why wouldn’t we want this?

As college football goes through what feels like a light-speed transformation, with $13 million coaches, $4 million quarterbacks and a postseason tournament that could soon feature more teams than the NFL playoffs, many of us are longing for the way things used to be.

This is one remnant of the past that can be dusted off and actually fit well into the modern game. Even better than it did back in the day.

When the NCAA instituted overtime, the reasoning was sound. Human nature leads us to crave clearly defined resolutions in life. Especially in sports.

Ties were always problematic in college football. In 1990, Colorado and Georgia Tech “shared” the national title in part because both teams recorded a tie during the regular season. The Buffaloes’ 31-31 tie with Tennessee to start the season was, as it turns out, not even close to their strangest result that year.

… Continue reading story here …

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June 26th

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Big 12 Media Days attendees announced; CU bringing three defensive backs to Frisco July 7th

From the Big 12 Conference … The Big 12 Conference has revealed its student-athlete attendees and broadcast information for the 2026 Monster Energy Big 12 Football Media Days on Tuesday, July 7 and Wednesday, July 8. The event returns to The Star in Frisco, Texas, which is the Dallas Cowboys’ headquarters.

Eight programs will be highlighted each day, represented by their head coach and student-athletes. Both days will be broadcast live on ESPNU from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. CT, simulcasted on Big 12 Studios, with part of day one carried on ESPN2 as well. BYUtv will produce the linear broadcasts.

ESPN’s Kevin Connors will host the coverage with analysis from Dusty Dvoracek and Louis Riddick alongside reporters Jen Lada and Sydney Jones.

This morning, the Conference announced Monster Energy as the naming rights partner of the Big 12’s 2026 Football Media Days. The event has been re-branded as 2026 Monster Energy Big 12 Football Media Days.

Tuesday, July 7
Arizona State
TE – Khamari Anderson
RB – Kyson Brown
LB – Zyrus Fiaseu
DL – C.J. Fite
OL – Jalen Klemm
DB – Lyrik Rawls
DB – Montana Warren

Baylor
DB – Michael Allen
DE – Kyler Jordan
TE – Matthew Klopsenstein
QB – DJ Lagway
LB – Kyland Reed
DL – Jamaal Whyce Jr.

BYU
QB – Bear Bachmeier
LB – Isaiah Glasker
DB – Evan Johnson
RB – LJ Martin
OL – Bruce Mitchell
DL – Keanu Tanuvasa

UCF
QB – Alonza Barnett III
DB – Jayden Bellamy
LB – Lewis Carter
OL – Preston Cushman

Colorado
TE – Zach Atkins
DB – Ben Finneseth
QB – Julian Lewis
DB – Naeten Mitchell
WR – Danny Scudero
DB – Cree Thomas

Houston
OL – McKenzie Agnello
DB – Jordan Allen
DL – Khalil Laufau
WR – Amare Thomas
DB – Kentrell Webb
QB – Conner Weigman

Oklahoma State
RB – Caleb Hawkins
DE – Jaleel Johnson
QB – Drew Mestemaker
LB – Ethan Wesloski

Texas Tech
TE – Terrance Carter Jr.
WR – Coy Eakin
DL – A.J. Holmes Jr.
DB – Brice Pollock
LB – Ben Roberts
OL – Sheridan Wilson

Wednesday, July 8
Arizona
OL – Tristan Bounds
LB – Taye Brown
DB – Jay’vion Cole
QB – Noah Fifita
WR – Chris Hunter III
DE – Tre Smith

Cincinnati
QB – JC French
LB – Antwan Peek Jr.
OL – Evan Tengesdahl
OL – Taran Tyo

Iowa State
DB – David Coffey
RB – Aiden Flora
K – Kyle Konrardy
QB – Jaylen Raynor
DE – Isaac Terrell

Kansas
OL – Calvin Clements
DE – Leroy Harris III
DT – Blake Herold
LB – Trey Lathan
WR – Cameron Pickett

Kansas State
DB – Wesley Fair
RB – Joe Jackson
QB – Avery Johnson
LB – Rex Van Wyhe

TCU
QB – Jaden Craig
DT – Markis Deal
DT – Ansel Din-Mbuh
DB – Jamel Johnson
DE – Paul Oyewale
OL – Ben Taylor-Whitfield

Utah
QB – Devon Dampier
LB – Johnathan Hall
DE – Lance Holtzclaw
RB – Wayshawn Parker

West Virginia
WR – Jaden Bray
OL – Nick Krahe
DB – Geimere Latimer II

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June 25th

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Final Learfield Cup Standings: CU No. 53 nationally (14th in the Big 12) 

From the NACDA … The University of Texas secured its fifth overall Learfield Directors’ Cup and finished 2025-26 with 1,322.00 total points after the College World Series.

Texas claimed three national titles – men’s swimming and diving, women’s rowing and softball – while also tallying a runner-up finish in men’s tennis. Overall, Texas scored in 4 of the 5 countable sports, along with 14 additional total sports. Overall, one sport was omitted from the final standings, men’s cross country.

Stanford finished runner-up with 1,263.50 points and captured a pair of national championships – men’s gymnastics and women’s golf. In addition, the Cardinal earned runner-up finishes in women’s soccer, women’s swimming and diving, women’s rowing and women’s beach volleyball. The following scores were removed – men’s water polo, women’s fencing, men’s fencing, women’s indoor track and field, softball, women’s tennis and women’s outdoor track and field – due to the maximum additional sports to be counted is 14.

UCLA finished third with 1,199.25 points and tallied nine top 10 finishes, including a national championship in women’s basketball, men’s water polo and women’s beach volleyball. The Bruins scored in all five countable sports, along with 15 additional sports. One score was removed – men’s outdoor track and field – due to the maximum additional sports to be counted is 14.

Rounding out the top five is North Carolina in fourth with 1,166.75 points, including runner-up finishes in women’s lacrosse and baseball. The Tar Heels also scored in all five countable sports. Virginia rounds out the top five with 1,148.75 points, including a national championship in women’s swimming and diving and men’s tennis.

As a reminder, 19 total sports are counted for the final standings including the five countable sports (men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball), and the next highest 14 (max.) sports scored for each institution, regardless of gender.

From the Big 12 … 

• No. 25 – BYU
• No. 28 – Oklahoma State
• No. 33 – TCU
• No. 35 – Texas Tech
• No. 36 – Arizona
• No. 38 – Arizona State
• No. 43 – Iowa State
• No. 49 – Kansas
• No. 50t – Baylor
• No. 50t – West Virginia
• No. 53 – Colorado
• No. 60 – UCF
• No. 63 – Utah

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June 24th

… Foe Pause … 

NCAA adopts a five-years-to-play-five eligibility rule

From CBS Sports … The NCAA voted one of its most significant eligibility changes ever on Tuesday.

Under the new rules, players will be granted five years of eligibility to be completed within five years of high school graduation or an athlete’s 19th birthday, whichever comes first. There would be limited exceptions for factors like religious missions, maternity leave and military service.

In effect, the new rule eliminates redshirts across college sports. Under the previous system, athletes had five years to compete over four years. There would not be further waivers for injury or other extenuating circumstances.

The change was one of many proposed by President Donald Trump in an executive order issued on April 7. However, sources told CBS Sports’ John Talty that the eligibility proposal had been in the works since before the executive order.

The five-year eligibility clock marks the final iteration of a long-term shift in college football. Historically, football players were not allowed to play a single snap during a redshirt season. In 2018, the rules changed to allow football players to participate in four games and still retain eligibility. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA issued a blanket waiver across all sports.

The blanket waiver was passed in good faith at a time when many athletes were losing key years of eligibility. However, combined with the rise of name, image and likeness compensation — and later school revenue-sharing — it created a mess for the NCAA.

Rather than players attempting to reach the professional ranks, college athletes are suing to remain in college longer for financial reasons. Just this offseason, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss won an additional year of eligibility by suing the NCAA over a medical waiver.

… Continue reading story here …

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June 23rd

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NFL decides not to conduct Supplemental Draft; Sorsby left in limbo

… Brendan Sorsby’s counsel, Jeffrey Kessler, tells @YahooSports that the NFL’s decision “is a violation of the collective bargaining agreement and we intend to pursue the player’s rights with the NFLPA” … but … the NFL agreement with the NFLPA states that conducting a supplemental draft is left to the sole discretion of the NFL … 

From ESPN … Quarterback Brendan Sorsby will not play in the NFL in 2026, as the league has elected not to hold a supplemental draft.

The NFL’s decision came down to its right to decide whether to hold a supplemental draft, per the collective bargaining agreement, as league officials said they believed it would ultimately become a distraction to teams as they begin training camps.

“His application carries with it a lot of issues,” an NFL source told ESPN. “Core of the game integrity issues.”

Sorsby admitted to betting thousands of times on college and pro sports, bets that totaled upward of $90,000 and included 40 wagers on Indiana football while he was on the team.

Sorsby’s attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, told ESPN that the NFL’s decision to not hold a supplemental draft “is a violation of the CBA and the law. We will pursue this immediately with the NFLPA.”

The league told Sorsby in a letter obtained by ESPN: “Your Petition — filed three business days before the deadline, without any supporting information or documentation, and only after abandoning your recent litigation efforts to avoid NCAA sanctions — does not provide a basis for the League to alter those plans.”

The league’s letter to Sorsby said that the “sole reasons” he sought entry in his petition were that he’d been declared ineligible.

“The Petition provides no information regarding the basis for, or timing of, the NCAA’s decision,” the letter states. “Public sources, however, indicate that in May 2026 the NCAA issued a determination declaring you permanently ineligible from participation in college athletics, based on a sustained pattern of improper gambling activity during your collegiate career at three different universities.”

The letter, signed by Larry Ferazani, the general counsel of the NFL management council, adds that Sorsby’s petition does not “demonstrate accountability for your conduct or indicate whether, or how, you would adhere to the League’s rules and policies governing the integrity of competition.

“Instead, even after receiving notice of the NCAA’s decision rescinding your college eligibility in May, you sought to avoid the consequences of that determination through litigation rather than accepting responsibility for your actions, and you pursued entry into the NFL only after abandoning those efforts.”

A player hasn’t been selected in an NFL supplemental draft since 2019. Sorsby would potentially be able to play in the CFL. He’s currently ineligible to play collegiately under NCAA rules.

… Continue reading story here …

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June 22nd

… Foe Pause … 

Northwestern’s starting center wins injunction to play another year

... Still no word on whether CU defensive tackle Ezra Christensen will win his waiver appeal to play this fall. But, CU being CU, you have to have this gut feeling that Christensen will be the one player on the planet who can’t find his way to another year of eligibility … 

From ESPN … Northwestern starting center Jackson Carsello received an injunction Monday that will make him eligible to play in the 2026 season.

Carsello sued the NCAA for an additional year of eligibility after being denied his request for an eligibility waiver this spring. Cook County Circuit Judge Neil Cohen ruled that Carsello is entitled to an extra season of competition after redshirting in 2022 and practicing with the team in 2021 but not being deemed healthy enough to play.

“We greatly appreciate the Court’s thorough and careful analysis of the issues and are thrilled for Jackson to get a final year of eligibility at Northwestern,” Blake Sercye, Carsello’s attorney, said in a statement provided to ESPN. “He represents everything that is good about college athletics.”

The NCAA had argued that Carsello’s ankle injuries in 2021 did not prevent him from the chance of playing and that that season would count as his redshirt year, rather than 2022. Carsello appeared in four games in 2022, and 32 in the past three seasons, starting all 13 contests in 2025.

Cohen referred to the NCAA’s bylaws about what constitutes competition and also a deposition from former Northwestern offensive line coach Kurt Anderson, who said Carsello’s ankle was not healthy enough for him to play during the Big Ten season, when the offensive line had lost others to injuries.

“Mr. Carsello didn’t impose a high-ankle sprain on himself in order to dodge the rules of the NCAA,” Cohen said in his ruling. “… You have his own coach saying, ‘I wouldn’t put him in, he was damaged, it would be unhealthy, it would be a violation, ‘ — my terms, not his — ‘of the whole purpose of the NCAA, which is to guarantee the safety and health of a student-athlete. I admire the NCAA, and I thank them for the process they went through, but they got it wrong in this case. I imply no bad faith in their getting it wrong, but they got it really wrong.”

… Continue reading story here …

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June 20th

… Foe Pause … 

Big 12 v. Texas Tech not over: Big 12 still contemplating sanctions

From ESPN … The Big 12 presidents and chancellors haven’t rushed to pull the league’s recently filed federal lawsuit because there are still questions about Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s NFL future and any possible legal retribution, a conference source told ESPN on Friday evening.

The Big 12 board of directors is expected to have a call early next week, sources said, to discuss next steps. Some have questioned what, if any, liability could exist for the conference or how it will play out with the NFL given Sorsby’s admitted history of gambling.

“We don’t know the answer to those questions,” the source said. “We haven’t done anything different at this point. We’re going to reconvene next week to run through all the options. Right now that case is still active.”

The Big 12 filed a federal lawsuit Monday in the Northern District of Texas seeking both a declaratory judgment and injunctive relief to allow the league the authority to use its bylaws to potentially punish Sorsby.

Sorsby, who admitted he broke NCAA rules by betting thousands of times, including 40 times on Indiana football while he was on that team’s roster, has withdrawn his lawsuit against the NCAA and applied for the NFL supplemental draft. He dropped the lawsuit against the NCAA because he needs to be declared ineligible in college by Monday to be eligible for the supplemental draft.

The NFL still needs to approve Sorsby’s application for there to be a 2026 supplemental draft, which would take place later this summer.

A Big 12 athletic director said the conference could still consider some punitive ramifications for Texas Tech. The source said it wasn’t necessarily a case of trying to “punish them,” but some would like to hold the school responsible for the fees that resulted from the legal squabble.

“There may need to be consequences for Texas Tech, even if it works out this way,” the source said. “It was pointed out there’s been legal fees involved in this action. Is it right for all 16 schools to share in those legal fees when we didn’t have anything to do with starting it? Those are some of the things that are going to have to be worked out, and they will be.”

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June 19th

… Foe Pause … 

Protect College Sports Act makes it out of committee; Big Ten/SEC still opposed

A significant change has been made to the Protect College Sports Act’s anti-expansion provision. The provision, at first only targeting SEC/B1G, now applies to leagues earning $700 M in revenue, down from $1 billion. It now incorporates ACC and Big 12. The language freezes conference membership if the bill becomes law.

From ESPN … A sweeping federal bill to reshape college sports is headed to the Senate floor, marking the first time during a yearslong effort that the full U.S. Senate will have the opportunity to vote on a proposed solution to some of the issues facing the college sports industry.

The Protect College Sports Act, spearheaded by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), would provide the NCAA with an antitrust exemption so that it could enforce a cap on payments to athletes as well as rules related to eligibility and transfers in college sports. It also creates an opportunity for schools to sell their media rights as one large entity rather than on a conference-by-conference basis, which is intended to help fund less profitable sports and close the significant financial gap between most of college sports and its two biggest conferences, the SEC and Big Ten.

The Senate Commerce Committee voted 19-9 on Thursday morning to move the bill forward to a full Senate vote. The details of the proposal are still subject to change. Its path to becoming a federal law remains an uphill battle, with the bill facing a time crunch ahead of November’s elections and opposition on several fronts. Most notably, leaders from the SEC and Big Ten say they oppose the bill as it stands now.

“We continue to believe revisions are needed to secure our support for the bill,” the SEC and Big Ten said Thursday in a joint statement. “… We are encouraged that several Commerce Committee members share our concerns and support these recommendations. We will continue working with stakeholders to ensure [the bill] delivers meaningful protections for student-athletes and lasting stability for college sports.”

“What we did today was say we’re not going to let the most powerful, richest conferences dictate to the rest of America what’s going to happen to 500,000 athletes,” Cantwell said during the Commerce Committee voting session.

The NCAA and its schools have been asking Congress for federal antitrust protection for the last six years. After several failed attempts in the Senate and the House, Cruz referred to the current bill as the industry’s last best chance to get something done.

“No more punting,” he said. “We’re in fourth-down territory. It’s time to go for it.”

… Read full story here …

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June 18th

… Foe Pause … 

Cincinnati denies claim that the school had knowledge of Sorsby gambling while with the Bearcats

From ESPN … Cincinnati on Wednesday responded to the agent of quarterback Brendan Sorsby publicly questioning the school’s handling of his gambling in 2024, saying it never would knowingly play an athlete who violated NCAA gambling rules.

Ron Slavin, Sorsby’s agent, told Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan earlier Wednesday that Cincinnati should be “questioned or catching heat” because the school knew of Sorsby’s gambling for two years and “never said anything.”

Sorsby played at Cincinnati for two seasons, beginning in 2024. On Aug. 19, 2024, Cincinnati was alerted to Sorsby’s activity on daily fantasy site PrizePicks, according to court documents. The school questioned Sorsby after receiving the alert and was told by the quarterback that he was denied access to the site and had not placed any wagers, according to the documents. Sorsby also received sports wagering education and the matter was closed, according to the documents.

“We will reiterate what we have said before,” Cincinnati said in a statement. “All of our student-athletes receive extensive gambling education multiple times throughout the year, and we would never knowingly play an athlete who violated NCAA sports wagering regulations. If we ever became aware of impermissible wagering, we would report to the NCAA and comply with sanctions.”

Cincinnati uses a technology called Prohibet to monitor for impermissible betting by student-athletes, coaches and other prohibited personnel. In responding to a public records request by ESPN, Cincinnati said it had received Prohibet alerts on six active student-athletes between January 2024 and February 2026. None of the six active student athletes was the subject of more than one alert, and none of the alerts was triggered for impermissible wagering. Student-athletes are prohibited from placing bets, including on fantasy sites, involving any NCAA-sanctioned sports.

Cincinnati is suing Sorsby for breach of contract after he transferred to Texas Tech this offseason. The school says it suffered damages of more than $1 million from Sorsby transferring.

… Continue reading story here …

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June 17th

… Foe Pause … 

Gaining traction? NFL, Players Association back Protect College Sports Act

From ESPN … The NFL, its union, Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Players Association have sent statements to Congress supporting the Protect College Sports Act and lauding specific provisions it includes while also encouraging further “negotiations” during the legislative process.

The NFL voiced its support for “the voluntary pooling of media rights under the Sports Broadcasting Act,” which is something the SEC and Big Ten have opposed.

The professional voices lend credence to the bill at a critical time, as the Senate commerce committee is expected to vote on it following a markup on Thursday. Before the legislation goes to the Senate floor for a vote, the commerce committee has to advance the bill. Thursday’s markup gives the committee members an opportunity to offer amendments to it before they vote.

“Healthy, stable, and thriving collegiate athletics is essential to the future of American sports, including Olympic sports, and this legislation is an important step to achieving that for the benefit of all college athletes and institutions alike,” the NFL’s statement read, according to a copy obtained by ESPN. “By utilizing proven models like the voluntary pooling of media rights under the Sports Broadcasting Act, which supports broad, fan-friendly distribution of NFL games, this legislation will support college athletics and ensure fans will be able to access their favorite games across today’s changing media landscape.”

The bipartisan bill — which was drafted by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, with Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. — would provide the NCAA with an antitrust exemption to enforce several rules that have been recently challenged in court, including limiting transfers and athlete eligibility and prohibiting schools from poaching a coach during the season.

The players’ associations for the NFL and the NBA jointly stated: “the bill includes several important provisions designed to protect college athletes, including guaranteeing NIL rights and providing medical and healthcare benefits. We encourage continued meaningful stakeholder engagement and negotiations to further strengthen the bill as it moves through Congress to ensure college athletes are protected and empowered.”

Major League Baseball joined them on Wednesday.

“College baseball has undergone a remarkable transformation over the last several years and has become an increasingly important pathway for future professional baseball players,” MLB said in a statement to Congress that was obtained by ESPN on Wednesday. “On issues such as player eligibility, The Protect College Sports Act will help to ensure its continued growth, which is good for all levels of the sport.”

… Continue reading story here …

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June 15th

… Foe Pause … 

Report: Brendan Sorsby to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft

From Pete Thamel at ESPN … Texas Tech transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby plans to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft. Amid the legal wrangling over his NCAA eligibility after admitting he bet on sports, he intends to head to the NFL.

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From CBS Sports … Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby plans to enter the 2026 NFL supplemental draft, sources confirmed to CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello. The expected decision ends a major firestorm over his eligibility.

Sorsby plans to withdraw his lawsuit against the NCAA on Tuesday, according to NFL Network. With his temporary injunction no longer valid, he would formally become ineligible again, which makes him eligible to enter the supplemental draft.

“This decision was made with Brendan and his family and is purely an output of practical analysis of the situation,” Texas Tech board chairman Cody Campbell said in a statement. “Brendan and Texas Tech stand on very solid and legitimate legal ground, but he faces a June 22nd deadline to be eligible to enter the NFL’s supplemental draft, and there is no practical way to resolve all the various pending legal disputes and ensure his eligibility prior to this date. This is the only viable and fair path for Brendan and his future, as well as for his teammates, and our university.”

Campbell also noted that Texas Tech would not seek the return of any money paid under his contract with the school. According to reports, Sorsby was set to make more than $5 million.

Texas Tech has stood by Sorsby during the process, even as he was expected to lose eligibility. While Sorsby, not Texas Tech, filed the lawsuit, they supported his return to the roster and campus as a result of the injunction.

“The truth is, contrary to the public narrative, Texas Tech’s only objectives have been to protect the well-being and best interest of one of our new students, his fellow student-athletes, our institution and our community,” Campbell said.

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Self-serving statement from Texas Tech mega-booster and Board of Regents Chair Cody Campbell … (Campbell uses “I” and “my” 13 times in the statement) 

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Statement from Big 12 Board of Directors 

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Big 12 files an action in Federal Court in Dallas against Texas Tech

… Related … Big 12 files suit v. Texas Tech, Texas Attorney General … From ESPN

… Related … Big 12 pursues legal action against Texas Tech, Texas Attorney General in Brendan Sorsby case … From CBS Sports

… Note … In addition to a letter of support to the Big 12 from the Oklahoma Attorney General, the Attorneys General from Kansas and Utah have also sent in letters of support. The State of Colorado? Nothing so far …

… A Declaratory Judgment seeks Court recognition that the Big 12 has the right to sanction Texas Tech … An Injunction would bar Texas Tech from running to a state judge to try and sue the Big 12 … 

From Pete Thamel at ESPN … Here’s the crux of the Big 12’s filing. “A declaratory judgment that the First Amendment protects the Conference’s right to invoke its authority under its Bylaws to sanction TTU related to its handling of the sports betting activity discussed in this Complaint, including if TTU fields a student-athlete in Big 12 competitions who has engaged in collegiate sports betting activity.”

Also core to the Big 12 filing, as request for Injunctive Relief: “A preliminary injunction and a permanent injunction barring Defendants from seeking to deter, coerce, prevent, or punish the Big 12 for exercising its rights under its Bylaws to sanction TTU related to its handling of the sports betting activity discussed in this Complaint, including if TTU fields a student-athlete in Big 12 competitions who has engaged in collegiate sports betting activity.”

The Complaint indicates that the Big 12 intends to sanction Texas Tech if Sorsby plays …

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June 13th

… Foe Pause … 

Attorney General for state of Oklahoma to Big 12: Don’t Back Down

From ESPN … As the Big 12 continues to consider actions against Texas Tech and quarterback Brendan Sorsby, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is calling on the conference to suspend Sorsby.

In a letter sent to Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark and board chairman Douglas Girod on Friday, Drummond supported the conference’s ability to sanction Texas Tech and Sorsby and recommended the Big 12 take action, rejecting recent threats from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that the conference cannot do so as “meritless” and “facially absurd.”

“[Texas Tech’s] actions in obtaining eligibility for Brendan Sorsby — an athlete the NCAA declared permanently ineligible for extensive wagering on college sports, including games involving his own team — have constituted a shameful chapter in the story of college football,” Drummond wrote. “Texas Tech has acted in a manner adverse to the Big 12 and the integrity of college football as a whole.”

Drummond argued that the preliminary injunction Sorsby obtained in Lubbock district court Monday applies only to the NCAA and should not impede the Big 12 from suspending the quarterback, noting that the conference was not a party to that proceeding and can enforce its own bylaws.

“[Texas Tech] has shirked responsibility by running with a bogus claim to a friendly court,” Drummond wrote. “Its leadership has prioritized winning over sport, over honor and over integrity. If Texas Tech will not do the right thing, the Big 12 should. Texas Tech should be sanctioned.”

The Big 12’s executive board met Thursday to continue discussions about responding to Sorsby being cleared by a judge to play for Texas Tech this season despite placing thousands of impermissible bets on college and professional sports over the past four years. The league’s other 15 universities have unanimously opposed the Red Raiders playing Sorsby this season.

Yormark will meet with the full board of Big 12 presidents and chancellors Monday and said in a statement Thursday that “all options remain on the table.”

… Continue reading story here …

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June 12th 

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Utah finalizes contract to become the first athletic department to team up with private equity

From The Athletic … Utah has finalized its deal with the private equity group Otro Capital, the Utes announced Friday.

The announcement has been in the works for months; the school’s board of trustees approved the general idea in December. But Friday’s announcement officially makes Utah the first athletic department in college sports to team up with private equity.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but Utah officials have touted a nine-figure impact to the program. Athletic director Mark Harlan called it a “really innovative solution that could carry the University of Utah into the future in a really productive manner.”

The deal includes the formation of a new entity, Crimson Brand Partners, that is intended to modernize and streamline the Utes’ 19 sports. Former New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns executive Matt Webb will serve as the entity’s CEO. Harlan will chair its board.

When it launches July 1 at the start of the fiscal year, Crimson Brand Partners will handle the commercial aspects of Utah sports like ticketing, branding and sponsorships. The Utes will retain control of issues like fundraising, coaching, recruiting and scheduling.

Although Otro — an investment group with a portfolio that includes Alpine’s Formula 1 racing team — will have a stake in Crimson Brand Partners, the company will make annual reports to the university’s board of trustees and foundation.

“There’s no road map,” Webb said. “We’re certainly building the plane as we’re flying.”

The reasons for embracing private equity outlined Friday were largely the same as they were in December when Utah made its first public steps to this deal. The Utes are in a Power 4 conference (the Big 12) but are not a financial juggernaut like Ohio State or Georgia. That puts Utah in a tough position as it competes at the national level against bigger, richer programs. Instead of pursuing more money from the academic side or cutting sports, the Utes decided outside investors could allow their athletics to keep competing at a high level.

Questions and concerns arose as terms were being finalized. A letter from the state auditor to the board of trustees last month raised “significant risks” about the deal unless the Utes slash spending or spike revenue. Utah athletics reported $4.69 million more in revenue than expenses in 2025, but only after, auditor Tina Cannon said, using $19.4 million in reserves.

“There is a profound risk that financial gains and investor returns may be prioritized over long-term and long-held institutional values,” the letter from Cannon said.

In a news conference Friday, Harlan said he was “very comfortable” with the governance structure and steps the Utes have taken to protect themselves financially. Harlan said inaction also brings uncertainty.

“I would argue there’s more risks of not doing anything based on the climate we’re in and the rising costs,” Harlan said.

… Continue reading story here …

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June 11th 

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Texas Attorney General threatens anti-trust lawsuit / Brett Yormark: “All Options Remain on the Table”

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Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark’s statement … “Shortly before the start of today’s (Thursday’s) Big 12 Executive Board meeting, the Conference received a letter from the Texas Attorney General’s office notifying the Conference of potential legal action from Texas Tech if the Conference pursues certain actions under its Bylaws,” the statement, attributed to Yorkmark, read. “We are taking time with our legal counsel to understand the concerns of the state and will meet again with the full Board next week.

“We moved forward with our Executive Board today in preparation for our full Board meeting on Monday. We had a good and informative discussion. Sentiment among the Executive Board was no different from what we heard from the ADs earlier this week.”

“Our discussion with the full Board will determine our course of action,” he said in the statement, “and all options remain on the table.”

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Letter from Texas Attorney General’s letter to the Big 12 … 

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June 10th

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Texas Tech threatens to sue if Big 12 takes action: “We’re going to battle”

From On3Sports.com … Texas Tech is pushing back as Big 12 leaders consider potential sanctions in the wake of Monday’s Brendan Sorsby injunction ruling. Red Raiders representatives have notified Big 12 officials the university is “100%” prepared to take the conference to court if it levies any disciplinary action against it, On3’s Pete Nakos reported Wednesday.

Texas Tech is even consulting famed antitrust attorney and NCAA nemesis Jeffrey Kessler, who is also the lead attorney in Sorsby’s eligibility case vs. the NCAA, on potential legal options, according to Yahoo! Sports‘ Ross Dellenger. That includes a potential second injunction.

“If you want to go to battle with Texas Tech, get ready: We’re going to battle,” a person familiar with the sitaution told Dellenger.

This news comes an hour after Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt released a strong seven-paragraph statement defending the university’s support for Sorsby after multiple Big 12 ADs voiced their displeasure with the ruling during a conference call Tuesday. Sorsby was granted a temporary injunction Monday that reversed the NCAA’s permanent eligibility ban in light of his admitted gambling history.

Following the ruling, Kansas State AD Gene Taylor called the decision “f***ing bulls***,” and revealed Big 12 ADs had previously discussed a potential boycott of the Red Raiders’ athletic program: “This is greater than the Big 12,” Taylor told Yahoo! Sports.

“I understand the frustration,” Hocutt said in a statement aimed at his colleagues across college sports. “This situation is hard, it is new, and there is no perfect answer. The system we’re operating within is binary, but the situation is not. We are open to ongoing conversations about how to best handle these issues as an industry going forward. We will continue to be transparent in our decision-making. Most importantly, we will keep doing what we have always done, put our students first.”

Texas Tech representatives have continued to be supportive of Sorsby amid his legal battle with the NCAA, including providing institutional assistance through the school’s Center for Students in Addiction Recovery (CSAR) program that delivers outpatient clinical care and treatment. That’s in addition to the stability and structure Sorsby will receive just by being around the Red Raiders football program. Texas Tech president Lawrence Schovanec confirmed such school-sponsored support for Sorsby’s recovery in a letter to the fan base after the NCAA denied his eligibility late last month.

Under Big 12 bylaw 3.6, a supermajority of “disinterested” board of director members could sanction another member’s athletic program – once they’ve been given prior notice and been allowed to address the claim against them – if they’ve been determined to have “engaged in any action or a course of conduct materially adverse to the best interests of the Conference” or “otherwise taken any action or omitted to take an action” that other conference members deem merits sanctions. There’s also bylaw 1.3.2 that mandates “adherence to NCAA rules” and dictates programs “shall be fully committed to compliance with the rules and regulations of the NCAA” and properly administer those rules.

Big 12 bylaws dictate potential sanctions could include “prohibitions on appearance in postseason events or televised events, restrictions on revenue distribution, and limitations on recruiting or scholarships.” But the league has broad authority when it comes to perceived violations of its bylaws.

… Read full story here …

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June 9th 

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Texas Court sets hearing on Sorsby case – for February

From ESPN … A Texas court scheduled Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s trial against the NCAA for Feb. 8, 2027, two weeks after the College Football Playoff National Championship is scheduled to be played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

The 99th District Court in Lubbock County, Texas, where Texas Tech is located, scheduled the trial Monday, the same day a judge granted Sorsby a temporary injunction that might clear him to play for the Red Raiders in 2026 even after the NCAA declared him ineligible for wagering on college sports.

The NCAA has already appealed Judge Ken Curry’s ruling to the Court of Appeals for the Seventh District of Texas in Amarillo.

Each of the four justices in the Seventh District — Chief Justice Judy Parker and Lawrence Doss, Alex Yarbrough and Laura Pratt — are graduates of the Texas Tech School of Law, according to their online bios.

Curry’s ruling was met with outrage by coaches, athletic directors and conference commissioners after Sorsby admitted to making thousands of bets on college and professional sports during his career at Indiana, Cincinnati and Texas Tech.

Big 12 athletic directors held a conference call Tuesday with commissioner Brett Yormark. While TCU athletic director Mike Buddie and Kansas State AD Gene Taylor have suggested that the league’s other teams might elect not to play the Red Raiders this season, the league was still determining what action it could take in light of Curry’s ruling.

“We had a thoughtful and productive conversation with our athletic directors today as we continue to work through the broader implications of this situation,” Yormark said in a statement from the Big 12. “Many of our athletics directors voiced their opinions. We will continue to have open and honest dialogue amongst the group and until there is something to report, these conversations will remain within the conference.”

No immediate action was expected from the Big 12, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel. The Big 12 has a process to address the ruling, and the executive board will meet Thursday to discuss options. That call will likely be followed by a full Big 12 board call early next week.

“The ramifications of today’s ruling are significant and could have broad impacts across college athletics, creating great concern amongst our membership,” Yormark told ESPN on Monday. “I’ve been consulting with our key stakeholders and have scheduled meetings with our conference ADs and executive board this week.”

Prominent college sports attorney Thomas Mars, who helped Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss obtain a preliminary injunction to play for the Rebels this season after the NCAA denied his application for a retroactive medical redshirt for the 2022 season at Division II Ferris State, said he believes the Big 12 can take action against Texas Tech for using a player who was ruled ineligible by the NCAA.

The NCAA ruled Sorsby ineligible after it discovered he wagered approximately $90,000 on professional and college sports over four years, including 40 bets involving Indiana football when he was a freshman with the Hoosiers in 2022. The NCAA denied Texas Tech’s appeal for reinstatement Friday.

“There is no question that the Big 12 could impose draconian sanctions on Texas Tech, and the type of sanctions would only be limited by their creativity,” Mars told ESPN on Tuesday. “The Big 12 is not party to the Texas lawsuit and is, therefore, not enjoined from doing anything.”

Big 12 Bylaw 3.6 allows for the conference to sanction a member with a supermajority vote of disinterested directors after “representatives of the Member(s) that are subject of such vote has been given reasonable prior notice and the reasonable opportunity to be present and to be heard.”

Among other reasons, the bylaw allows for the Big 12 to discipline a member for being “engaged in any action or a course of conduct materially adverse to the best interests of the Conference taken as a whole.”

The bylaws allow for the disinterested directors to “be empowered to determine whether any Sanctions are appropriate, the type, extent, and conditions to any Sanctions imposed.” The bylaw allows for discipline that includes “prohibitions on appearance in postseason events or televised events, restrictions on revenue distributions, and limitations on recruiting or scholarships.”

… Continue reading story here …

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Big 12 Issues a Statement on Sorsby after meeting of Athletic Directors

Statement on behalf of Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark:
“We had a thoughtful and productive conversation with our athletics directors today as we continue to work through the broader implications of this situation. Many of our athletics directors voiced their opinions. We will continue to have open and honest dialogue amongst the group and until there is something to report, these conversations will remain within the conference.”

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June 8th

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Georgia & Nebraska canceling any future games against Texas Tech

… Statement from Georgia athletic department … 

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Big 12 AD on Sorsby decision: “We officially lost our soul” – Report: Boycott of Texas Tech an option

… Big 12 Press release … “The ramifications of today’s ruling are significant and could have broad impacts across college athletics, creating great concern amongst our membership. I’ve been consulting with our key stakeholders and have scheduled a meeting with our Conference ADs and our Executive Board this week. We are also in touch with Charlie Baker and anticipate the NCAA to appeal the order in the next 24-48 hours. We will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation.”

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From ESPN … A judge’s decision to rule Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby eligible on Monday morning roiled college sports, with reactions ranging from doomsday predictions to informal chatter about Big 12 schools attempting to not play Texas Tech this season.

The reaction around college sports was nearly unanimous, with the idea of Sorsby playing in 2026 after admitting to thousands of bets on sports — including 40 on his own team — representing the latest crossroads for an industry that has faced a dizzying number of them in recent years.

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips told ESPN the ruling represents a “horrendous pattern” that is “eroding the integrity of our process.” A Big 12 AD told ESPN that they are “disgusted” and added: “We officially lost our soul.” TCU coach Sonny Dykes told ESPN: “How is anyone ever going to trust the outcome of a game again?”

Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks forbid his school’s teams, in a memo to staff, from playing Texas Tech, as per the document obtained by ESPN. And a fellow athletic director from the SEC, Florida’s Scott Stricklin, told ESPN he was “stunned,” even recalling Major League Baseball’s 1919 “Black Sox Scandal,” when eight players from the Chicago White Sox took bribes to lose the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds.

“As someone who grew up reading about the ‘Black Sox Scandal,’ and seeing what happened to Pete Rose and just understanding how bright that line seemed to be in all of American sports, I’m stunned that there would be a question at the court level that this is acceptable,” Stricklin said. “That’s not a judgment on the young man. It’s just that was a pretty fundamental tenet of American sports, that if you’re going to participate, you can’t gamble, especially on your own team.”

TCU athletic director Mike Buddie and Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor both told ESPN that there has been informal chatter in the league about schools not playing Texas Tech this year.

“We anticipate having conversations surrounding it,” Buddie told ESPN. “We’re all anticipating it, but this has not been formally discussed.”

The Big 12 athletic directors are set to have a conference call Tuesday with commissioner Brett Yormark, according to sources, and in a statement made to ESPN, Yormark confirmed meetings will occur this week. It’s unknown how much purview the league would have, as the judge’s ruling is law.

“The ramifications of today’s ruling are significant and could have broad impacts across college athletics, creating great concern amongst our membership,” Yormark told ESPN. “I’ve been consulting with our key stakeholders and have scheduled meetings with our conference ADs and executive board this week. We are also in touch with [NCAA president] Charlie Baker and anticipate the NCAA to appeal the order in the next 24-48 hours. We will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation.”

… Continue reading story here …

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End of the World as We Know It: Texas judge grants Brendan Sorsby’s injunction request: Gambling quarterback allowed to play for Texas Tech

From ESPN … Texas Tech star Brendan Sorsby has been granted a temporary injunction against the NCAA that could clear the way for him to play for the Red Raiders in 2026, even after the transfer quarterback was declared ineligible for wagering on college sports.

A Texas judge granted Sorsby a preliminary injunction Monday that prevents the NCAA from punishing him for violating its rules on sports gambling.

Judge Ken Curry ruled that Sorsby’s attorneys demonstrated he will suffer a “probable, imminent and irreparable injury” if he’s unable to play for the Red Raiders in 2026 and enjoined the NCAA from prohibiting Sorsby from practicing or playing this fall.

Sorsby will still miss Texas Tech’s first two games, which was a penalty that had been proposed by his attorneys.

Sorsby was ruled ineligible by the NCAA after it discovered he had wagered approximately $90,000 on professional and college sports over four years, including 40 bets involving Indiana football when he was a freshman with the Hoosiers in 2022. The NCAA denied Texas Tech’s appeal for reinstatement Friday.

Curry instead found in favor of Sorsby in another unprecedented decision against the NCAA as the organization continues to fight a barrage of legal challenges, heightening concerns among officials and coaches that rulings from local judges continue to undermine the NCAA’s ability to enforce its own rules.

The NCAA is expected to appeal the ruling, but the timing of any formal judicial case could end up being after Texas Tech plays this season. That would make any formal legal ruling moot if it comes after the season.

Texas Tech is nearly three months from its season opener Sept. 5 at home against Abilene Christian.

“The NCAA strongly disagrees with the court’s ruling in Sorsby’s case and is deeply concerned about the damaging, far-reaching and broadly destabilizing ramifications of this outcome — which undermines and corrupts the integrity of sports,” the NCAA said in a statement. “The NCAA is committed to supporting student-athlete mental health but must continue to aggressively defend against actions that defraud college athletics and threaten competitive integrity, such as betting on one’s own sport.”

NCAA rules prohibit athletes from wagering on sports, and athletes who bet on their own teams and schools face permanent bans.

But Curry, a retired Tarrant County judge, found that Sorsby’s attorneys demonstrated a probable right to the relief they’re seeking for breach of contract, breach of duty of good faith and fair dealing, and breach of fiduciary duty in their case against the NCAA.

Tarrant County includes Fort Worth and is nearly 300 miles from Lubbock, where Texas Tech is located. Curry does not hold any degrees from Texas Tech.

Sorsby will sit out Texas Tech’s games against nonconference opponents Abilene Christian and Oregon State as a condition of the preliminary injunction and must continue counseling and treatment for his gambling and anxiety disorders.

“It is a just result,” Jeffrey Kessler, Sorsby’s lead attorney, told ESPN’s Pete Thamel. “Brendan gets to devote himself to his team and the education of athletes on the dangers of gambling addiction. He will continue his treatment, miss two games, and there is no injury to the competitive integrity of the NCAA. It is what we proposed and what the NCAA should have accepted had it been true to its promises to prioritize the welfare of athletes.”

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June 5th

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Where is CU’s Sugar Daddy? Virginia Tech receives $75 million donation

From ESPN … Virginia Tech has received a historic $75 million donation, with the majority directed toward athletics, the school announced Thursday.

The record donation, made anonymously by a four-generation Virginia Tech family, is set to go toward multiple initiatives — including the fundraising portion of the recently approved $229 million investment in athletics over the next four years.

In addition, the donation includes unrestricted funds to be used at the discretion of the athletics director, and additional support through Hokie Ventures, a nonprofit corporation approved earlier this week as a way for Virginia Tech to support revenue generation and strategic investment.

Virginia Tech has made it a priority to boost its investment and support of football — including the hire of James Franklin last November. In December, Virginia Tech received an anonymous $20 million donation toward athletics, which had been its largest to date until now.

The Hokies have not won 10 games in a season since 2016 and have increased their investment to try and get their football program back to national prominence during a rapidly changing time in collegiate athletics.

“Football is the front porch of the University, and sustained investment is critical to competing for championships at the highest level,” Franklin said in a statement. “This generosity provides the resources necessary to recruit, develop and support elite student-athletes while positioning Virginia Tech Football for long-term success.”

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