FRISCO, TX — Brett Yormark stepped away the podium and strutted across the stage to address a name he couldn’t escape.
Brendan Sorsby was nowhere near The Star on Tuesday at Big 12 Football Media Days, but the former Texas Tech quarterback was the topic du jour after his gambling transgressions.
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The Big 12 commissioner opened his Q&A session with media members by dodging the NCAA’s banning of Sorsby for betting thousands of dollars on college football while playing for Indiana and Cincinnati before his offseason transfer to Texas Tech.
“Today is not the time to address that issue,” Yormark said. “Today is about celebrating the upcoming football season and celebrating our 16 schools, but I appreciate the question, so thank you.”
Nearly 10 minutes later once prodded again by a Texas-based reporter, Yormark was more forceful in his response to a question about perceived targeting toward Texas Tech instead of Sorsby’s former school of Cincinnati.
“I said we’re going forward as 16 strong,” Yormark said, “and that’s my answer to your question.”
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When a Texas judge issued a temporary injunction in June to allow Sorsby to play this season after his NCAA ban, there was outrage across the college landscape.
Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor denounced the news with an expletive.
After threats of lawsuits passed, Sorsby left the Red Raiders and will instead prepare for the 2027 NFL Draft.
Here are four more takeaways from Yormark’s state-of-the-league address:
CARLSON: Oklahoma State football’s biggest questions entering Big 12 media days
Monster Energy to sponsor Big 12 basketball, football games
Brett Yormark wasn’t joking when he said the Big 12 “was open for business” four years ago.
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Upon walking into The Star on Tuesday, one logo brought that point home.
Starting this season, the league will have a branded partnership with Monster Energy.
Regular-season games for football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball will be co-branded with the Big 12 and Monster. Teams will have jersey patches featuring both the league and energy-drink giant. The logo will also appear on the field at Boone Pickens Stadium and at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
The Sports Business Journal reported Tuesday that the multi-year deal was worth $20 million annually, adding about $1 million per year to the coffers for each Big 12 school.
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“Our multi-year partnership is a first of its kind, built on the right brand and cultural alignment,” Yormark said. “The global nature of who they are aligns with our global aspirations.”
FRISCO, TEXAS – JULY 07: Commissioner Brett Yormark of the Big 12 Conference speaks with the media during the Big 12 media days at The Ford Center at The Star on July 07, 2026 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Big 12 trying to build global football brand
There will be two international football games featuring Big 12 teams this season.
TCU will meet North Carolina in the season opener Aug. 29 at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.
Three weeks later, Arizona State and Kansas will play the first college football game ever at Wembley Stadium in London on Sept. 19 for the Union Jack Classic. That game will coincide with ASU opening a satellite campus in London this fall, giving the league six schools with international campuses.
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Last season, Iowa State and Kansas State brought their Farmageddon rivalry to Dublin to open the season.
“Our brand of football travels,” Yormark said. “It’s fast, it’s dynamic and it’s exciting. It resonates beyond our borders.”
Yormark touted the league’s “global ambitions” given that 14% of the league’s student-athletes hail from outside the United States.
“I do like the NFL model and where they’re going,” Yormark said. “I like the NBA and where they’re going. If you think about where we’ve played internationally, it’s pretty consistent and aligns well with where the NFL and the NBA have been. We’ll see where we go in the future. But I’m excited about the possibilities.”
College Football Playoff expansion
Count Brett Yormark among the conference commissioners who are open to expanding the College Football Playoff beyond a 12-team format.
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Along with ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, Yormark initially favored a 16-team field but has since shifted his attention toward a 24-team model.
“We think it might be a great fit for us,” Yormark said.
While coaches and school leadership across the league might like to double the playoff field, figuring out the economic impact will be key in pushing for expansion or standing pat.
“Is there a marketplace to go to 24?,” Yormark said. “We have to understand the scheduling dynamic and what that means and the unintended consequences.”
Any potential move to a 24-team model could spell the end of conference championship games, which complicates the financial picture.
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“Twenty-four makes the most sense to me,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “The FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) has been doing it for a while.”
For Yormark and the Big 12, “everything is on the table.”
FRISCO, TEXAS – JULY 07: Commissioner Brett Yormark of the Big 12 Conference speaks with the media during the Big 12 media days at The Ford Center at The Star on July 07, 2026 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Big 12 in ‘full growth mode’
Change is just about the only constant in life.
Brett Yormark has seen plenty of it since his first Big 12 Media Day appearance four years ago at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
That year, he appeared alongside departing commissioner Bob Bowlsby. Logos for the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns adorned the podium. There were only 10 teams playing Big 12 football that 2022 season.
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Fast-forward four years and the league is up to 16 teams. OU and Texas left for the SEC after the 2023 season. Eight schools have joined the league since 2023 — Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, UCF and Utah.
“I’ve always viewed our path forward in three phases: stabilize, build, and grow,” Yormark said. “We are now in full growth mode, and one of our top priorities is to create value for our member institutions.”
Does that mean the league will add schools in the near future?
Not so fast on that front.
“It’s taken a lot of time and effort to build cohesion,” Yormark said. “I think we’re finally there. I don’t think as a conference we’re the best version of ourselves. We’ve got some work to still do, but we’re well on our way.”
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Regardless of how that plays out, Yormark has the unwavering support of the league’s most famous coach.
“He always raises the bar,” Colorado coach Deion Sanders. “He’s infectious.”
Extra points
∎ The league will introduce live conversations from the replay center during officiating reviews. Yormark said he would visit Washington, DC, next week for talks about the “Save College Sports Act.”
∎ Yormark stressed that the league has a “zero tolerance” policy toward fans making derogatory remarks, religious or otherwise, in reference to several incidents against BYU last school year including at Arizona and OSU the past two seasons. “We have a meeting set up with the presidents which make up our board and our ADs in August to address that situation and that topic very intentionally to make sure we are better next year,” Yormark said.
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Jeff Patterson is the sports editor for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jeff? He can be reached at jpatterson@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jeffpattOKC. Support Jeff’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Brett Yormark shoots down Brendan Sorsby questions at Big 12 Football Media Days
