Big 12 says its Texas Tech case involving former quarterback Brendan Sorsby is still active, not dismissed

The Big 12 is not treating its lawsuit against Texas Tech as closed, despite recent motion practice in litigation tied to quarterback Brendan Sorsby. Yahoo Sports reported on June 20, 2026 that the conference’s case has not yet been dismissed, and that the Big 12 may be seeking legal fees while also preparing for the possibility of litigation from Sorsby himself.

Sorsby’s name has become a focal point because he is no longer at Texas Tech, yet the legal questions surrounding his departure have spilled into the broader conference landscape. In college football, quarterback exits can quickly become roster and recruiting matters, but this case is now also about how schools and conferences handle the contractual and procedural issues that can follow a player’s change in status.

According to Yahoo Sports, the Big 12’s posture is that the matter remains pending rather than resolved. That distinction matters because dismissal would typically end the conference’s ability to pursue whatever remedies it requested. Instead, the report frames the dispute as still working its way through the courts, leaving open the chance that additional filings or counterclaims could be made.

Yahoo Sports also characterized the Big 12 as bracing for what could be a lawsuit from Sorsby. While the report does not establish the outcome of any prospective claim, it reflects a common pattern in disputes like this: when a former student-athlete becomes the center of a conference-school disagreement, parties can wind up on different sides of the same legal questions, including allegations tied to what was done and when.

The practical effect is that the fight is likely to remain a background storyline for Texas Tech and the Big 12, even as spring football and the lead-up to the fall season move on. For Texas Tech, the quarterback room is built through recruiting and transfers, but the legal uncertainty around a specific player can still occupy institutional attention and create additional cost pressures, which is why fees and unresolved claims are central to how the parties are describing the status of the case.

What to watch next is the procedural timeline. If the court issues rulings that clarify whether the case will proceed, what claims survive, or whether fee-related requests are granted or denied, those decisions could quickly reshape each side’s leverage. For Big 12 observers, the bigger issue is not just one case, but the precedent and bargaining position that comes from how the conference pursues its rights when players move on and litigation follows.