Cincinnati football coach Scott Satterfield said Texas Tech was among the schools that talked with former Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby about a potential transfer before the end of the 2025 season, a violation of the NCAA’s tampering rules.
Satterfield, appearing at Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, Texas, told The Athletic of the Red Raiders‘ alleged communication with Sorsby.
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“We had already heard that schools had reached out — Texas Tech in particular had already reached out — with four games left,” Satterfield told The Athletic. “So we knew we wouldn’t be able to compete financially with that, so we’d started looking for quarterbacks.”
REQUIRED READING: Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire on why Brendan Sorsby saga won’t change transfer approach
Per The Athletic, Sorsby’s agent Ron Slavin denied hearing from other teams during the season in the report. Texas Tech and Cincinnati have yet to return USA TODAY Sports’ requests for comment.
Tampering with players not in the transfer portal has become more commonplace in the name, image and likeness era of college football. While against NCAA rules, agents, players and coaches alike have mostly avoided violations, outside of a few instances.
Satterfield was peppered with questions about his former quarterback. Sorsby — one of the top storylines of the offseason after being banned from college athletics for admitting to placing thousands of sports bets — was one of the most sought-after players in the transfer portal this offseason.
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Sorsby won’t play for Texas Tech this season and has left the program. He is now preparing for the 2027 NFL Draft after the NFL declined to hold a supplemental draft. He originally was granted a temporary injunction by a local judge in Lubbock County Court to play for the Red Raiders in 2026, before Texas Tech and Sorsby ultimately decided to part ways.
REQUIRED READING: Brendan Sorsby timeline: How sports gambling led to NFL Supplemental Draft rejection
Satterfield was asked at the podium on July 8 of Cincinnati receiving a letter of inquiry from the NCAA regarding Sorsby’s gambling, though he declined to comment. He has maintained that Cincinnati was unaware of his gambling, although Slavin has publicly claimed Cincinnati has known about it for years.
“They didn’t do anything wrong here,” Slavin said of Texas Tech. “If anybody should be questioned or to catch some heat, it should be Cincinnati because they knew for two years and never said anything and didn’t do anything about it. So that’s the part of the story that gets lost.”
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Satterfield maintained Cincinnati was unaware of any illegal sports bets by Sorsby while he was with the Bearcats.
“Absolutely we didn’t know,” Satterfield said, via The Athletic. “If we knew he was doing anything illegal, we would not have played him.”
Sorsby passed for 2,800 yards with 27 touchdowns to five interceptions last season, leading Cincinnati to a 7-1 start before it dropped its final four regular season games. The former Indiana quarterback also rushed for 580 yards and nine scores.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Scott Satterfield: Texas Tech tampered with Brendan Sorsby before portal opened
