Brendan Sorsby LEAVES Texas Tech

Summary

Podcast Summary: Josh Pate’s College Football Show

Episode: Brendan Sorsby LEAVES Texas Tech
Host: Josh Pate
Date: June 16, 2026
Production: iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the breaking news that Brendan Sorsby, Texas Tech’s highly touted quarterback transfer, is leaving the program and entering the NFL supplemental draft. Host Josh Pate unpacks the timeline of events, the reasons behind Sorsby’s departure, the impact on Texas Tech and college football at large, legal and administrative ramifications, and larger lessons about crisis management and sports betting in the NCAA era.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Brendan Sorsby Saga: What Happened?

• Breaking news: Brendan Sorsby will not play for Texas Tech and is instead entering the supplemental draft ([02:28]).
  • A “wild story” comparable to last year’s Nico Iamaleava saga, dominating off-season headlines.
  • Pate notes the rare nature of the college-to-supplemental draft move: “Truth be told, I don't even know how the supplemental draft process works. We hardly ever talk about it.” ([02:54])

2. Why This Is the Best Outcome—For Everyone

• Pate argues, “given the circumstances, this is the best outcome for all parties” ([03:22]).
  • Things were “going to be really, really ugly between now and the start of the season” had Sorsby stayed, including headlines of potential Big 12 legal action.
  • The Big 12, its member institutions, and Texas Tech all faced “ugly” optics and potential in-conference warfare.

3. Texas Tech’s Handling: Hits and Misses

• Texas Tech’s response was mixed:
  • “I thought they did a good job in some ways. Frankly, I thought they did a piss poor job in other ways.” ([04:33])
• Major misstep: public release of a 21-minute video addressing the situation.
  • “Everything you said in it was accurate. It didn't matter... It was terrible. It was a terrible decision.” ([05:13])
• Pate credits Tech for authentic support of Sorsby, stating, “A lot of steps they've taken… [went] beyond the pale… to help him.” ([05:37])

4. Lessons for Programs: Crisis Will Come

• Recalls recent conversation with coach Joey McGuire:
  • “You just know inevitably it’s gonna happen and [you have to be] prepared for it on the front end.” ([04:16])
• “Hopefully for Texas Tech's sake, nothing like this ever happens there again. But on their front, are you more prepared…? I would imagine, yes.” ([06:09])

5. Cautionary Tale for Athletes: No Betting

• Sorsby’s offense was betting, which is strictly forbidden:
  • “If you get the blessing of being able to play this game... you can't do it.” ([07:08])
• The incident is not unique:
  • “He's the one who got caught… If you're playing college football, do not bet.” ([06:53])
• Advice to current players: “Just stop. If you’re doing it right now, just stop. … especially don't be betting on your team.” ([07:02])

6. NCAA, Enforcement, and Sports Betting Backlash

• NCAA’s inability to enforce its own bedrock rules has been exposed:
  • “We just watched an entire episode… where the governing body of this sport failed to be able to enforce basic rules.” ([07:47])
  • “The NCAA couldn’t even enforce that. It’s not even all their fault … they’re powerless.” ([08:06])
• Sports betting culture adds complication:
  • “The entire space has been proliferated with gambling messaging… yet this kid’s gotta get blacklisted. … That is fair to me.” ([08:56])
• Pate explains why his show is careful with gambling partnerships:
  • “They’ve [FanDuel] been a great partner on that front. It’s the only reason we partnered… because there were some other ones… that were not on board with us talking like that.” ([09:23])

7. Fan Base Reactions & The Broader Narrative

• For outsiders, it may seem Tech fans are “locked arm in arm” in support, but that's not the case:
  • “A surprising number of Texas Tech fans … in my DMs … saying, we don’t love this.” ([12:52])
  • Post-news, many fans said, “Yeah, kind of probably, probably what’s best. Probably the best case scenario here.” ([13:17])
• Media, fans, and rivals may take shots, but Pate’s perspective is empathetic:
  • “I don’t really think it’s a joking matter. … I’d be more likely to kind of shake my head and say that's a shame than… to look at it and laugh.” ([10:17])

8. The Fallout: Texas Tech Football in 2026

• This incident does not doom the Red Raiders’ season:
  • “No, it does not take Texas Tech out of the running. … That roster probably will still be better than any other roster in the Big 12.” ([15:11])
  • “Will Hammond has [played]. … it wasn't going to be one on one. This is not Big 12 Tennis. This is Big 12 Football.” ([15:31])
• Coach Joey McGuire: “I like my team this fall, regardless who starts… at quarterback. And I don't think he was just saying that because it sounded good.” ([16:12])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the outcome:
  • “Given the circumstances, this is the best outcome for all parties.” ([03:22]) — Josh Pate
• On crisis management:
  • “You just know inevitably it’s gonna happen and [you have to be] prepared for it on the front end.” ([04:16]) — Paraphrasing Joey McGuire
• On betting and college athletes:
  • “If you're playing college football, do not bet. ... If you get the blessing of being able to play this game, that's one of the contracts you sign, you can't do it.” ([07:08]) — Josh Pate
• On NCAA enforcement:
  • “The NCAA couldn't even enforce that. It’s not even all their fault… they’re powerless to enforce their rules.” ([08:06]) — Josh Pate
• On Texas Tech's place in 2026:
  • “Did they lose Brendan Sorsby today? Yeah, but they've also never had him. He's never played a game there.” ([15:24]) — Josh Pate
• On moving forward:
  • “Just learn from it and move on. It’s basically all you can do.” ([17:08]) — Josh Pate

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Important Timestamps

• 02:28 – Breaking news: Sorsby leaves Texas Tech for supplemental draft
• 03:22 – Why Pate thinks this is the best outcome for all parties
• 04:16 – Crisis management and program preparedness
• 05:13 – Pate critiques Texas Tech’s PR mistake with public video
• 06:53 – Lessons for athletes: don’t bet on games
• 08:06 – NCAA enforcement failure called out
• 08:56 – Critique of the sports betting media climate
• 10:17 – Pate’s empathetic, serious tone on the whole saga
• 12:52 – 13:17 – Texas Tech fan base private opinions and reaction
• 15:11–16:12 – Why Texas Tech is still positioned to succeed in 2026

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Final Thoughts

Josh Pate delivers a candid, thoughtful analysis of Brendan Sorsby’s departure from Texas Tech, situating it as a cautionary tale about athlete decision-making, crisis preparedness in college programs, the contradictory environment of sports betting, and the NCAA’s weakening relevance. He points to the lessons for programs, players, and media, and ultimately argues that while the Red Raiders lose a potential star, their future remains promising under strong leadership and with a fan base ready to move forward. The prevailing message: learn the lesson and move on—a theme as relevant to Texas Tech as to college football at large.

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Transcript

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Visit Wells Fargo.com ActiveCash Terms apply. Okay, so more breaking news on the Brendan Sorsby front. This will be the final bit of breaking news, because the breaking news is he is leaving Texas Tech. He is entering, entering the supplemental draft. It's been a wild story. This is right in comparison to, like the Nico I. Amaliaba story from last year, which was an entirely different set of circumstances, but it was sort of roughly around this time. And it dominated the headlines. This has dominated the headlines. Look, I'm. I don't cover the NFL. I don't know how the NFL will view him. Truth be told, I don't even know how the supplemental draft process works. We hardly ever talk about it.

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But.

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But as far as the college football world is concerned, as far as Texas Tech is concerned, look very, very clearly to me, given the circumstances, this is the best outcome for all parties. I know it may not sound like that for Texas Tech, but trust me. Well, you don't need to trust me, but in my opinion, given the circumstances, this is the best outcome for all parties. It was going to be really, really ugly between now and the start of the season. And even if Sorsby got to the start of the season and ended up starting for Texas tec, it was going to be real ugly. I mean, there was. There were headlines as latest this morning or as recently as this morning, that the Big 12 was seeking legal action of their own. And it was just obvious that the other member institutions in that conference were not going to sit aside and let this happen. And whether they tried and failed or tried and succeeded, it was going to be real ugly. And I don't think anyone really was prepared for that. Anyone wanted to go through that. And so Brendan Sorsby included is not going to go through that. He's going to head off to the NFL. All you can do at this point is really learn from it. And there's going to be a lot of mud thrown Texas Tech's way. Some of it they deserve. Some of it they do not deserve. And I'll dive into that. I've shared thoughts on this. I'll share thoughts on it for a final time now. But what do you learn from it? Brennan Soresby, not even withstanding, like, as far as Texas Tech goes, what do you learn from it? Because on one hand, this stuff didn't happen on their watch. They go get the best player that they can get at the quarterback position, and then this stuff gets dropped in your lap. You gotta be ready for crisis at all times. You just gotta be ready for it. I literally sat in Joey Maguire's office a couple of weeks ago, was talking about this very thing about not knowing where the crisis is gonna come from, but you just know inevitably it's gonna happen and being prepared for it on the front end. Now, this was not merely a Joey McGuire problem. This was Texas Tech in totality dealing with a crisis. And I thought they did a good job in some ways. Frankly, I thought they did a piss poor job in other ways. We talked about it on the Sunday night show, just when the injunction happened. I thought it was a massive optical misstep to record and release that 21:22 some odd minute video. It didn't even. Everything you said in it was accurate. It didn't matter if those were your authentic feelings. All that withstanding. It was terrible. It was a terrible decision. Having said that, there was a ton of validity to what they were saying about Brendan Sorsby. Now, make no mistake, he's there. And they were fighting for him to the degree they were because he's a really good quarterback and he could help them win games. But that doesn't mean they were lying when they said what they said about how they feel about him, how they care about him. I've been out there recently, so I feel even more qualified than most to talk about this. All that is authentic. And. And then some guys, there's a lot of. There's a lot of steps they've taken, a lot of effort that's been made out there that they didn't even publicize that sort of would illustrate how far beyond the pale they tried to go to help him. So I don't want to lose sight of that. Okay. But you can, you can credit them while also being fairly critical of maybe the optics of the whole thing. Drop this piece of paper for a second. I had to gather thoughts on this, but all you can do is learn from it. So, you know, hopefully for Texas Tech's sake, nothing like this ever happens there again. But on their front, are you more prepared to deal with stuff when it does drop in your lap? I would imagine, yes. I, of course, care about the Brennan Soaresby side of it. Cause this is not some bad person. It's a normal dude who, by the way, made a mistake that a lot of other guys out there have made and are currently making. Please don't misconstrue this as some rogue, isolated example. He's the one who got caught. Any of you who have ever been pulled over for a speeding ticket know good and well you could look at that cop and say, well, why didn't you get the one behind me? Or the two cars in front of me. Well, it's because I got you. And I know a lot of you guys watch the show. I know a lot of you guys see this video. Just stop. If you're doing it right now, just stop. If you're playing college football, do not bet. I'd have, I'd advise you not to bet on college football, but especially don't be betting on your team. It's just the trade off. If you get the luxury, if you get the blessing of being able to play this game, that's one of the contracts socially and legally that you sign, you can't do it. Okay? So those are lessons that need to be learned. I would also say that from the administrative side of it, okay, right now we just watched an entire episode go down where the governing body of this sport failed to be able to enforce basic rules. I mean, don't bet on the games that you're in is one of the most basic rules. It's like etched in stone and one of the commandments, basically. And the NCAA couldn't even enforce that. It's not even all their fault. Like, they're powerless to enforce their rules. And so I don't, I don't know that anyone who's been paying attention needed to learn the lesson that the NCAA is ineffective, maybe beyond repair at this point. But if you needed this to illustrate that, there you go. Okay, so that's another lesson that could be learned. I think that looking on our end, from a media standpoint, from the way that sports betting, messaging, advertising is presented, the way it's presented in game, the way partnerships work, I think it's totally fair to be critical of that or to at least look at that with a skeptical eye. Of course, in this case, what that sounds like is, wait a second. The entire space has been proliferated with gambling messaging and sports betting advertising, and yet this kid's got to get blacklisted for the rest of time because he participated in what is being advertised and thrown in everyone's face. That is fair to me. Now I will say on our show, it's why we message the way we do. Like, fanduel's been a great partner with us, but I think I've told this story before. When we sat down with them, I, I just said point blank. I don't think think that I'm prepared to maybe message the way that is standard across the industry. You've got to give me some rope to talk about the darker side of this stuff. You got to give me some rope to talk about the addictive nature of it. And they've been a great partner on that front. It's the only reason that we partnered with FanDuel because there were some other ones, believe me when I tell you this, that were not on board with us talking like that. That should be standard, is the other lesson I think that very much needs to be learned on maybe this side of the fence. But there's going to be a lot of jokes about this stuff. I don't really find anything all that amusing about it. Like, I get people taking their shots at Texas Tech and I understand, like, yeah, that that video, it was a really bad look. And just a few days after they released that video, it seems like it's all for naught because Brendan Sorsby's moving on to the supplemental draft. Yeah, I get all that. I personally, I'm going to just speak for myself. I don't really think it's a joking matter. Maybe because I know the people involved. I. Maybe I'm too close to the situation. But even if I wasn't, I like to think I'd look at it and I'd. I'd be more likely to kind of shake my head and say that's a shame than I would be to look at it and laugh. But this could have gotten a lot uglier. So the reason I say that this is best for all parties is because it really could have gotten a lot uglier. I mean, just imagine Big 12 media days comes around and this thing's still not resolved. Imagine that scene. I guess it would make for good theater. I guess it would be a good soap opera. It would also be like really contentious past the point of normal competitive juices flowing. You'd have Texas Tech probably thinking some irrational things, probably considering some irrational decisions about their status as a Big 12 member institution. Couldn't even blame em. There's some blame I could toss Texas Tech's way. But once you get in that situation, I could see it going that way. Imagine the legal maneuvering. Imagine, you know, people trying to make a name for themselves politically in other states and the legal moves that they would try and make. Maybe when Texas Tech was going to play one of their schools. Could have been a total mess. And it has been, but it could have been a lot worse. I've heard from a lot of Texas Tech fans during this whole ordeal, and I'm kind of in a unique position where if we have a big story like the Brendan Sorsby story has been, I'm going to hear from Hundreds to, in this case, probably a couple of thousand Texas Tech fans. And it gives me a really, really good idea of what the collective mindset of the fan base is. And you may think as an outsider, if you're a UMass fan and you don't know any Texas Tech folks, you may think, oh boy, man, I bet they've locked arm in arm and they got torch in one hand and pitchfork in the other and they're in full on cult mode. They're all drinking the Kool Aid. No, they weren't. They were not. Now they're very passionate about their program and they want to win as bad as anyone. But a surprising number of Texas Tech fans have sort of behind the scenes, you know, been in my DMS or interacting with the show saying, we don't, we don't love this. I mean, if he, if he starts for us, we're going to root for him, but this is not a spot we like being in. And as soon as the news broke tonight, I haven't even, I mean, I'm looking right now at my phone, I got tons of open DMS from Texas Tech fans saying, yeah, kind of probably, probably what's best. Probably the best case scenario here. Let's just move forward now, in the moment right now. I know it feels messy. It's June 15th. Some big story will come along or a half dozen big stories will come along and then fall camp will come along and then the lead up to week one will come along and you'll remember this, but it'll become a distant memory. And it's not that everyone will automatically adopt Texas Tech as their number two program or anything like that, but it won't feel then like it feels now. But it's not like a lot of people have painted this as, oh, it's become the world versus Texas Tech. Well, I don't necessarily think that's the case. It was the world pretty collectively behind the idea that this is wrong. If that dude plays college football, it's wrong. Most of the world felt that way, but like, I felt that way. I love Texas Tech. I love the folks inside the program. I, I love Joey Kirby. Hocut's a great dude. I love pretty much everyone I've met there. So it's not, It's a very isolated thing because I think there may be a lot of people who feel like me and they look and say, guys, don't. Don't do this. Don't. This is not the hill to die on. And it looked for a while like they were Going to push. And I get it, man. When you're in the foxhole and it becomes personal, I've talked to Joey McGuire about that. I get that emotion. But people like me look at it. And now that this matter has resolved itself, I'm right back to looking at Texas Tech, identifying with them, respecting the heck out of the way they run the program, this whole deal notwithstanding. But I don't think it's the world against Texas Tech. They probably, in the aggregate, polarized a few more people or maybe mobilized the whatever the opposite of fandom is against them a little bit more. That's okay. That's okay. College football needs heels, too. Can't just have a bunch of baby faces. But one of my buddies, right before I press record, I saw him text me and he said, well, does this take Texas Tech out of the running? No, it does not. It does not take Texas Tech out of the running. Texas Tech's still going to be a very tough out this fall. Texas Tech's still going to be really difficult to deal with this fall. And remember, it's June 15th, it's not September 15th. So did they lose Brendan Sourceby today? Yeah, but they've also never had him. He's never played a game there. Will Hammond has. And, you know, it wasn't going to be one on one. This is not Big 12 tennis. This is Big 12 football. So they'll still have 11 on the field this fall, and they're going to be really good. And that roster probably will still be better than any other roster in the Big 12. And they're still going to be tough to deal with. And while the outside world will take their shots and people, including me, will think whatever we think, inside the walls of that building, you've got a head coach and you got a staff that is very equipped to turn this into a galvanizing moment. And I think they will. So we were out there a few weeks ago and when we had Joey McGuire sit down with us, one of the things he said, because at the time the court proceedings were still ongoing, is he said, I like my team this fall, regardless who starts force at quarterback. And I don't think he was just saying that because it sounded good. So Brendan Soares be moving on. I think it's best for all parties, given where we are at the moment. Of course, the best thing would have been for it to never happen, but given that it happened, I think it's the best for all parties.

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Just.

[Podcast Host 2]

Just learn from it and move on. It's basically all you can do. No matter who you are in this little circumstance, that's all you can do at this point.

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