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EspañolCincinnati is seeking $1 million from quarterback Brendan Sorsby for allegedly violating the terms of his revenue-sharing deal when he transferred from the Bearcats to Texas Tech over the offseason.
Sorsby, Cincinnati’s starting quarterback for the past two seasons, has one more season of eligibility remaining. His revenue share deal with the Bearcats was through the 2026 season, and Cincinnati claims in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that Sorsby promised to pay $1 million in liquidated damages if he transferred to another school before it concluded in December of 2026.
In a statement to the Athletic, a representative of Sorsby said the suit was “misguided.” Cincinnati, meanwhile, said it “honors the contractual commitments” it makes to athletes and “we expect student-athletes and their representatives to do the same.
Remember, athletes are not directly classified as employees of their respective schools and schools have long been hesitant to grant athletes employee status.
Sorsby’s representative at LIFT Sports Management provided the following statement: “Pursuing legal action against Brendan Sorsby is misguided. University of Cincinnati, through its revenue-share structure, paid him $875,800 for a season he fully completed and in that time, he generated millions in value for the program. Attempting to recover those funds now sends the wrong message to current and future student-athletes and risks damaging the long-term credibility of Cincinnati football. This is further disappointing given that Brendan parted ways with UC in what was a mutually agreeable manner.
“The money the university seeks to recover from him is nothing more than an unlawful penalty under Ohio law. Because UC has chosen to pursue this course of action, Brendan will aggressively defend the lawsuit and pursue any and all damages he incurs as a result of it.”
Sorsby was one of the most coveted quarterbacks in the transfer portal cycle after the 2025 season. He ended up signing with Texas Tech for a reported $5 million NIL deal. The Red Raiders made the College Football Playoff in 2025 after spending big money on transfers ahead of the season and are attempting to replicate the formula in 2026.
Buyouts are becoming more and more common in college football for transferring players now that schools can directly share revenue with players. Duke and Darian Mensah came to a settlement agreement ahead of his transfer to Miami after he had signed a new deal with the program ahead of the 2026 season.
Mensah entered the transfer portal late after a lucrative offer from the Hurricanes. Washington's Demond Williams also briefly explored a transfer in January, but his buyout with the Huskies reportedly was a sticking point, and he announced he was remaining at UW.
Sorsby was 207-of-336 passing for 2,800 yards and 27 TDs with just five interceptions in 2025. He also rushed for 580 yards and nine touchdowns on just 100 carries.