FRISCO, Texas – The Texas Tech Red Raiders’ offseason has been defined by the Brendan Sorsby saga and the war of lawsuits and words over his eligibility. Head coach Joey McGuire reflected on the situation, admitting that the school misjudged the fallout and would have taken a different path if given the chance.
McGuire, known for his self-evaluation and review of team performance, explained that he watches the tape every week during the season to assess his team’s performance on the field. However, this offseason has been more about the drama surrounding Sorsby’s eligibility rather than the team’s performance. McGuire acknowledged that Texas Tech’s statements, including a 20-minute video posted on social media and written messages from athletic director Kirby Hocutt and board of regents chairman Cody Campbell, were directed at the Red Raiders fanbase. The school attempted to position its statements as playing to its base, but the level of pushback from athletic directors and presidents, both inside and outside the Big 12, was unexpected.
McGuire admitted that the school clearly miscalculated the situation. The Big 12 posed a united front, 15-1, opposed to Tech playing Sorsby. The league’s stance was further solidified when Nebraska announced internally that it would not schedule the Red Raiders in any sport. The administrative class was outraged, and a legal threat by the attorney general of Texas drew other state attorneys general into the fray, creating a separate legal battle deemed not worth fighting. The Big 12 sued the school on First Amendment grounds, but the timing didn’t allow the NFL to formally vet Sorsby. As a result, Sorsby was passed over in the NFL’s supplemental draft and denied entry into the CFL. He is effectively banned from the sport at a level commensurate with his talent until next season.
Lost in all the Sorsby drama is Will Hammond, the gifted young quarterback who spelled an injured Behren Morton last season and was expected to be the team’s QB of the future until a late-2025 ACL injury knocked him out for nine months. McGuire revealed that he wouldn’t have added Sorsby at all had Hammond’s availability not been in question at the time. He explained that the point of bringing in Sorsby was to protect the team’s investment in the roster from potential injuries. McGuire is expecting Hammond to be fully cleared on Aug. 21, exactly nine months from when he suffered the injury in the first place. Hammond has been participating in player-led seven-on-seven passing drills, and McGuire maintains an open-door policy toward Sorsby.
McGuire joked that when he coaches a player, they’re stuck together for the rest of the player’s life. The school has said it will continue to support Sorsby’s recovery from gambling addiction and will not ask for the money back paid to him via the rev share agreement before he ended his college career. McGuire expressed his hope that Sorsby will return to the team and start as the quarterback for an NFL team, saying, ‘I think that’s what he’s going to say, you know. He might say Lake Dallas High School, that’d be good too.’
McGuire’s comments come as the Big 12 commissioner, Brett Yormark, had no further comment about the situation either at the podium or in an interview with CBS Sports. Yormark simply stated, ‘We’re going forward as 16 strong.’
McGuire’s admission that Texas Tech misjudged the fallout and would have taken a different path highlights the complexities of the situation. The school’s attempts to position its statements as playing to its base ultimately led to a miscalculation of the level of pushback from the administrative class. The situation serves as a reminder of the importance of self-evaluation and review in the world of college athletics.
