Yormark dodges Sorsby talk, announces Big 12 jersey, field collab with Monster Energy

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FRISCO, Texas – It was inevitable that Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark was going to be asked about the Texas Tech/Brennan Sorsby situation in its aftermath at Big 12 Football Media Days, and it didn’t take long to happen.

The first question Yormark fielded Tuesday was about whether he ever supported Texas Tech at any point throughout the process, which ended with Sorsby splitting ways with TTU and college football amid sports betting allegations.

“Today is not the time to address that issue,” Yormark responded. “Today is about celebrating the upcoming football season and celebrating our 16 schools.”

Shot down immediately. It was the elephant in the room, but Yormark made a point to not address it.

He couldn’t escape the Texas Tech talk that easily, though. Later in the press conference, a Texas Tech reporter hit Yormark with a confrontational question.

“Texas Tech got fined for tortillas, and tortillas were banned outright. OSU has had paddles that were given a noisemaker exemption back in 2012. Sorsby never played a snap for the Red Raiders, and yet there's a lawsuit. Cincinnati has yet to be touched. You're selling Greater than 12. Why should Texas Tech fans believe that?” the reporter said.

Yormark walked to him and told him to stand up and ask the question again before saying, “No, I didn't say Greater than 12. You misquoted me. I said we're going forward as 16 strong, and that's my answer to your question, but thank you for that question. Appreciate it.”

There were plenty of other league-wide topics Yormark discussed this week. Here’s a look at a few others.

A Monster deal

Oklahoma State got on board with sponsorships this summer, announcing a partnership with the Osage Nation to put Osage patches on all OSU uniforms. Now, there will be another patch on jerseys at OSU and around the conference.

The Big 12 partnered with Monster Energy last year to make it the official energy drink of the Big 12, but now that partnership is going a step further. Yormark announced Monster Energy as the new entitlement partner of Big 12 football and men’s and women’s basketball.

As part of the deal, a co-branded Monster Energy and Big 12 logo will be featured on conference members' football and basketball jerseys, as well as fields and courts.

According to Sports Business Journal, the multiyear deal is worth around $20 million annually and will pay each Big 12 institution around $1 million annually.

The Protect College Sports Act

On June 18, the Protect College Sports Act cleared the Senate Commerce Committee and was put closer toward a floor vote. Yormark has been a big part of those conversations and a proponent of the bill.

“I've probably spent more time on the Hill in this job in the last four years than I have throughout my entire career, and it was necessary,” Yormark said.

The bipartisan bill, co-written by Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), looks to level the playing field, build a framework for college sports and create standards for NIL, player compensation and eligibility.

“There's been a lot of movement on the Hill. I want to applaud Senators Cruz and Cantwell for introducing the Protect College Sports Act,” Yormark said. “This bipartisan legislation represents an important step toward a more consistent national approach, providing a strong foundation for greater stability, clearer standards, and meaningful protections for our student-athletes.

"I plan on being on the Hill next week to have further discussions regarding the bill and its refinement.”

Yormark said the bill isn’t perfect right now, but it’s a good start and something that can be revised and built upon in the coming years.

As for right now, there are several parts of the bill that Yormark is in favor of and believes will calm the turbulent waters of the past five years.

“It starts with agent restrictions, which we need. Federal preemption, limited liability protection, the transfer portal, eligibility, cap circumvention, just to name a few,” Yormark said. “They're not perfect as currently written, but they will help resolve some of the chaos that's currently in the system and deliver a more stable model for collegiate athletics moving forward.”

“More access” for CFP

Yormark has always been an advocate that the College Football Playoff needed “more access” and was initially for adjusting the CFP to 16 teams. Now, it seems a 24-team bracket is more intriguing.

“When 24 became part of the conversation, we've done our own conference due diligence around it, and we think it might be a great fit for us,” Yormark said.

Yormark said athletic directors and presidents seemed to like the idea at spring business meetings, and conversations are still ongoing. But there are many “unintended consequences” with doubling the current 12-team playoff format, such as scheduling, the sports’ calendar, interest in the marketplace and logistics.

Even the viability of conference title games.

“As it relates to our championship game, I think I've said it before, that's a huge tent-pole event for us. We had over 85,000 attend last year, and our ratings were up 39%. It's a big deal for us. There are economics that go with that champ game,” Yormark said. “So as we consider 24, we've got to look at what we have and what potentially we might gain and ultimately make the best decision for the Big 12, but everything is on the table.”

Further review

The Big 12 introduced live replay look-ins at football games a season ago, and now its taking that a step further. Yormark confirmed that the Big 12 will implement live replay review conversations.

The Athletic first reported this development in May.

This means viewers will get to listen live to replay review conversations, and it will give insight and transparency. The ACC was the first conference to implement this idea, partnering with ESPN in 2025.

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