​Cincinnati football coach Scott Satterfield said Texas Tech was among the programs that reached out to former Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby about a potential transfer before the 2025 season, a contact that could violate NCAA tampering rules. Speaking at Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, Texas, Satterfield told The Athletic that Red Raiders officials had already made contact with Sorsby four games into the season, a situation that left Cincinnati unable to compete financially and pushing the program to start searching for quarterbacks elsewhere. “We had already heard that schools had reached out — Texas Tech in particular had already reached out — with four games left,” Satterfield said. “So we knew we wouldn’t be able to compete financially with that, so we’d started looking for quarterbacks.”
The Athletic’s report included a note that Sorsby’s agent, Ron Slavin, denied that other teams had contacted Sorsby during the season. USA TODAY Sports has asked Texas Tech and Cincinnati for comment, but neither program has returned a reply.
Tampering with players who are not in the transfer portal has become more common in the name, image, and likeness era of college football. Although NCAA rules prohibit such actions, violations have been relatively rare, with only a few notable instances provoking attention. Satterfield faced a steady stream of questions about his former quarterback, who had emerged as a major offseason storyline after admitting he had placed thousands of dollars in bets on sports. Sorsby ranked among the most sought-after players in the transfer market this offseason, even though he ultimately won’t suit up for Texas Tech this season and has since left the program. He is now preparing for the 2027 NFL Draft after the NFL declined to hold a supplemental draft. Earlier, a local judge in Lubbock County Court granted him a temporary injunction to play for the Red Raiders in 2026, but Texas Tech and Sorsby eventually decided to part ways.
Satterfield was asked on July 8 at a Cincinnati press event about receiving a letter of inquiry from the NCAA regarding Sorsby’s gambling; he declined to comment. He has maintained that Cincinnati did not know about Sorsby’s gambling activities, although Slavin has publicly claimed Cincinnati was aware of them 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.”
Satterfield has repeatedly stated that 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.” In the end, Sorsby’s on-field production with the Bearcats included a passing line of 2,800 yards and 27 touchdowns, a statistical note that remains part of his broader career narrative as he navigates the transfer landscape and future professional prospects.