Top portal quarterback Brendan Sorsby is being sued by Cincinnati, the program he left behind this offseason, for allegedly breaching his NIL contract with the school after he refused to pay a $1 million NIL exit fee following his transfer to Big 12 rival Texas Tech.
Details of the suit were reported on Wednesday afternoon by The Athletic. Cincinnati is “seeking payment on a $1 million buyout from a multi-season revenue sharing deal between Sorsby and Cincinnati,” according to the report by The Athletic.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, and it seeks $1 million in liquidated damages. Cincinnati claims that Sorsby was contractually obligated to pay the amount within 30 days of transferring to Texas Tech.
The complaint by Cincinnati’s lawyers claims that Sorsby’s representative “advised that Sorsby refuses to pay the University anything,” according to an ESPN report.
Cincinnati released a statement on the lawsuit against Sorsby on Wednesday. Sorsby’s representation also released a statement on the lawsuit, calling legal action against Sorsby “misguided.”
The lawsuit claimed that Sorsby signed an 18-month NIL deal with Cincinnati that spanned the 2025 and 2026 seasons, and it was set to expire on Dec. 15, 2026.
Sorsby promptly entered the transfer portal when it opened on Jan. 2 and signed an NIL deal with Texas Tech almost immediately.
With Sorsby now in the fold at Texas Tech, the Red Raiders are one of Kalshi’s top contenders to make the 2026 College Football Playoff. Here are the teams with the current best odds:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
