Texas — Within the Fort Worth entertainment district called The Stockyards, there stands an iconic, near 80-year-old restaurant where much more than bread is broken
At Cattlemen’s Steakhouse, deals are struck
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Along linoleum flooring and among wood-paneled walls, ranchers and cattlemen for nearly eight decades have dined on sizzling Texas-sized steaks — with a side of business. Ranch selling. Cattle trading. Rodeo organizing
But one week ago, last Tuesday, college sports emerged as the main entree
Big 12 conference officials and Texas Tech administrative executives gathered at Cattlemen’s to air grievances, seriously discuss the future of the league and, most importantly, bury the proverbial hatchet in the wake of the Brendan Sorsby saga — a three-month sports wagering ordeal that enveloped the college sports industry. Those at the meeting describe it as a positive step in the long-term future of the two entities co-existing. For Texas Tech, and the Big 12 and its 15 other schools, lingering issues remain.
In fact, on Tuesday here from Big 12 football media days, Tech head coach Joey McGuire signaled that more time is needed before all wounds are healed
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“I think it’s tough,” McGuire said in an interview with Yahoo Sports. “I think there’s going to be a process. There’s a lot of finger pointing. It’s going to be something we’ll have to work through.”
As Texas Tech and the Big 12 continue their reconciliation, the Sorsby saga is far from over
The NCAA has sent a letter of inquiry to the University of Cincinnati related to Sorsby’s time at the school, those with knowledge tell Yahoo Sports. An inquiry letter is not uncommon and doesn’t necessarily signal wrongdoing, but it is often the start of an investigative process over possible rules violations, one that often is a collaborative effort with the school itself
Sorsby played the last two seasons at Cincinnati during which he has acknowledged betting on sports. School officials expect to soon respond to the inquiry, presumably with documentation and details that the NCAA requested
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A Cincinnati spokesperson declined to comment specific to the letter of inquiry, but provided a general statement on the monthslong situation involving the Bearcats’ former quarterback: “We have had continuous conversations with the NCAA since the initial reports related to impermissible sports wagering began. As we have stated before, we do not believe any athletics official or staff member was aware of any impermissible sports wagering.”
The NCAA does not comment on ongoing inquiries and investigations with its member schools
From this Dallas suburb on Tuesday, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark kicked off his football media days mostly side stepping questions about Sorsby and the league’s relationship with its most well-reot the time to address that issue.”
Last week, Yormark joined a host of Texas Tech officials at Cattlemen’s Steakhouse, including board members and major boosters Cody Campbell and Dusty Womble, and the school’s president and athletic director, Lawrence Schovanec and Kirby Hocutt. Also present was Doug Girod, the Kansas chancellor and chair of the Big 12 board of presidents and chancellors, and Shane Reese, BYU’s president
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What exactly transpired at the meeting remains private, but in a recent interview with Yahoo Sports, Campbell described the conversation as productive — but not over. The talk didn’t only relate to Sorsby, but to the investment of other Big 12 member schools at a time when the Big Ten and SEC are outspending football rosters in the league
“We don’t have a problem with the Big 12,” Campbell said. “We want to find a way to get all other Big 12 schools to elevate themselves. Everybody needs to do some version of what we’ve done. That’s the path forward for this conference. A rising tide lifts all boats. People not on board with that and those that want everyone worse so they can be relatively better, we’ll have a problem with those institutions.”
While not identifying a specific figure, McGuire estimates that Texas Tech is spending on its football roster in the top 10 in the country — a number approaching, if not more than, $40 million. Coaches polled here on Tuesday believe that the average Big 12 football roster is likely in the $18-22 million range
“Texas Tech brings up the average,” UCF coach Scott Frost said. “They were probably double that last year.”
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Campbell has even suggested a floor for spending to require a certain level of investment from Big 12 schools. McGuire says those investing at a high level within the conference include BYU and Utah and, he says, “You can’t say Houston is not. They signed the freshman five-star [quarterback Keisean Henderson, the top-rated QB in the 2026 recruiting class.] If that was us, it would be that he came to Tech for the money.”
Tech’s spending is no secret here
The Red Raiders lead all programs with seven preseason first-team all-conference selections and, by most preseason projections, are the league’s best option to advance in the College Football Playoff. In fact, Netflix is planning a behind-the-scenes series on the program and on Tuesday, a film crew from Paramount+ documented McGuire and players here
The topic du jour: The quarterback who will not play for the Red Raiders this season
Sorsby will spend the next few months training in Dallas in preparation for the 2027 NFL Draft after a whirlwind legal situation unfolded this summer. A local judge lifted the NCAA’s permanent ban on Sorsby for sports wagering to allow him to compete this season. The Big 12 responded by filing a retaliatory lawsuit against the school in a move that forced Texas Tech to split from the quarterback to avoid a long, federal legal fight that may have ended with them getting a potential ban from the conference championship game and playoff.
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“If there was a point we couldn’t play in the Big 12 championship game or the College Football Playoff, we couldn’t take that chance,” McGuire said here Tuesday
Texas Tech will honor the compensation already paid to Sorsby, believed to be more than $1 million. McGuire called the transfer portal “speed dating” and said there isn’t enough time to fully vet player backgrounds. Even if there was, McGuire wonders if Tech would have uncovered Sorsby’s past gambling problems
“You’re talking about real money. You’ve got to figure out a way to do as much investigation as possible. We do it medically. Now we have to do it with everything else,” McGuire said. “I think what you could see is different teams investing into some kind of [player] investigation like the NFL. You’ll probably start seeing that more and more.”
Feelings remain hurt over comments made by administrators across the country in condemning the school’s support of a player who knowingly wagered on his own team, even if it was four years ago while a backup at Indiana
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“I was taken back and surprised,” McGuire said. “I didn’t think the conferences as a whole and the ADs were going to be so critical as they were. That was interesting.”
McGuire gestured to an old quote from a high school principal: Make sure your own closet is clean before talking about anyone else’s closet
In a comment indicative of an unfinished reconciliation process between Texas Tech and the Big 12, McGuire quipped, “There were a lot of people saying a lot of things. Something is going to pop up out of your locker room or program. How are you going to respond?”
