- Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark avoided discussing Brendan Sorsby's gambling situation.
- Yormark emphasized the importance of educating student-athletes on sports betting risks.
- The Big 12 aims for global reach with Monster Energy partnership and international games.
FRISCO, Texas — The Big 12 made major headlines over the summer after former Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby admitted to gambling as an athlete, setting off a wide-ranging response from the league and Texas Tech.
But on Tuesday, as conference commissioner Brett Yormark kicked off the Big 12 football media days in Frisco, Texas, Yormark punted on any specific conversations surrounding the Sorsby gambling situation.
"Today is not the time to address that issue," he said when asked a question about the ordeal. "Today is about celebrating the upcoming football season and celebrating our 16 schools."
Despite a violation of NCAA rules on gambling, Sorsby received a court injunction to play college football, setting off a potential legal battle between the Big 12 and Texas Tech as the league moved to likely sanction the Red Raiders had Sorsby played a down in Lubbock.
The veteran quarterback, however, later bowed out of the 2026 season and decided to pursue an NFL roster spot.
Though Yormark chose to sidestep the conversation, he address the subject of gambling for student-athletes in a world now where sports betting has become more commonplace.
"I'll just start off by saying Integrity for the game is critically important for all sports, for this conference," Yormark said. "We will continue to work with our student-athletes to educate them and to help guide them in this new environment. When I grew up, sports betting wasn't as available as it is today. It's a different world that student-athletes are growing up in, and they need to be educated. And that's the role that we are taking alongside of our member institutions."
Beyond the offseason drama, Yormark leaned in on the strength of the conference and its global reach in the sport, while leveraging a recent expanded partnership with Monster Energy to create "Monster moments" for the Big 12.
College Football Playoff expansion and the Big 12's ideal fit
The name of the game for Yormark has been securing access for the Big 12 in whatever iteration of an expanded College Football Playoff format that exists in the future. At last year's media days, Yormark championed an "earn-it-on-the-field" approach to an expanded playoff, with a 16-team model as the favored option for the league.
On Tuesday, Yormark said a 24-team model — the most talked about format from the conferences recently — may be the best approach for the Big 12, though there's still not enough understanding about what it will entail to fully believe it's the best model out there, he said.
"I liked 16 initially, as I learned more about it — obviously, without the additional AQs," he said. "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. ... Across the board the (coaches) liked it, and we continue to have those conversations with our ADs and our presidents."
But Yormark said more research needs to be done to "understand the economics" and if there's a "marketplace to go to 24."
A shift to a 24-team playoff would have an impact of the scheduling of games throughout the season, including league championship games. That championship game, Yormark said, is a "tent-pole event" for the Big 12 and there's not a desire to lose it without some added benefits.
"I mean, we had over 85,000 attend last year, and our ratings were up 39%; it's a big deal for us, and there are economics that go with that champion," 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's on the table."
As part of that, Yormark previously announced at the conference's spring meetings that the league may consider moving to a 10-game Big 12 schedule, leaving just two nonconference games in the standard 12-game schedule. But a decision on that move will continue to be an ongoing effort as the league weighs the value of such a move.
"As it relates to 10 conference games ... that would be predicated on where we end up or not in the College Football Playoff expansion. All those variables are interconnected, if you will, and we'll address them when we need to. But at our conference, games are critically important.
"We have begun formal discussions around expansion and the right format moving forward," he added. "I've said it before, more access is needed, as too many great teams are still left out. I've also said before, we still need to work through the economics and scheduling and address any unintended consequences."
Big 12's global reach in college sports
As the Big Ten and SEC position themselves as the "Power Two" conferences in collegiate sports, Yormark leaned in on the Big 12's "global" position as a conference.
"The Big 12 aims to be the most globally relevant conference in college athletics," he said. "We opened last season in Ireland and will play two international games this fall, including TCU opening the season in Dublin, and Arizona State and Kansas competing in the first-ever college game at iconic Wembley Stadium."
Yormark said "our brand of football travels" and it "resonates beyond our borders." To add weight to that belief, Yormark said the conference was "the deepest and most competitive in the country last year, with more late game drama than any other conference."
"The metrics show that," he added. "Our championship game drew more than 85,000 fans, the most attended in Power Four history, with game viewership of 39%. ... And while football is a powerful driver, I'm incredibly proud of what our student-athletes, coaches, and administrators have accomplished across all of our sports."
The Big 12 will continue to leverage its "global" reach in various partnerships and will look to adopt many of the same strategies from the NFL and NBA as each leaguer attempts to take their respective sport beyond the United States borders.
"We have global ambitions as a conference. ... So it's something that we need to continue to do our due diligence on," Yormark said. "I do like the NFL model and where they're going. 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 where the NFL and the NBA have been, and we'll see where we go in the future.
"But I'm excited about the possibilities. There's a lot of interest in Europe for what we do here at the Big 12, and we'll determine what's next and what's right."
Jersey patches and league sponsorship
Yormark announced Tuesday that Monster Energy, which was previously named the "official energy drink of the Big 12," will now be an "entitlement partner" with the league in football and in men's and women's basketball.
That partnership, Yormark said, will include a co-branded Monster Energy and Big 12 patch on football and basketball jerseys, with additional branding on fields and courts around the league. The deal is valued around $20 million annually, or about $1 million per school, according to Sports Business Journal.
"Monster Energy represents drive, edge, ambition — qualities that mirror our student athletes and the Big 12 Conference," Yormark said. "Our multi-year partnership is a first-of-its kind, built on the right brand and cultural alignment. Monster Energy is the No. 1 energy drink domestically, and will take this conference to places it has not been before. The global nature of who they are aligns with our global aspirations.
"We look forward to moving ahead as 16 strong and leveraging our scale and collective influence within college athletics to deliver monster moments all year long," he added. "Our conference goal is to be great every day for our student-athletes and for our member institutions."
