Wednesday, July 08, 2026

Big 12 media days: Monster patches and a $40 million question

Texas Tech kept the Big 12 from getting a clean media-day reset. The Brendan Sorsby eligibility fight still lingers, and Yahoo reports Tech is estimated around $40 million in roster spend, a number that sounds more SEC or Big Ten than old Big 12.

The lede

ESPN has the longer view of the behind-the-scenes fight between Texas Tech, the Big 12 and the NFL. FootballScoop noted that only one media-day question really dragged commissioner Brett Yormark and Tech coach Joey McGuire back into it.

The football piece is not settled either. ESPN reports Texas Tech is optimistic Will Hammond could start Week 1 if he is cleared from the torn ACL he suffered last October.

Quick hits

• Monster enters the chat. The Big 12 announced a multi-year partnership with Monster Energy, including jersey patches.
• A hard story out of Bucknell. Former strength coach Mark Kulbis has been charged with felony aggravated hazing in the 2024 death of freshman Calvin "CJ" Dickey Jr.
• Florida adds a DB. The Gators landed 2027 four-star corner Raheem Floyd, beating Missouri for the defensive back.

The carousel

Wisconsin's new athletic director Shawn Eichorst wants to bring some Texas swagger to Madison after eight years at Texas. "Swagger" as an administrative deliverable is funny, but Wisconsin will take the jolt.

Billy Napier is also doing the post-Florida reset. An On3 item that made the rounds on r/CFB says the new James Madison coach pointed to NIL and portal workload and has given up play-calling.

Fan pulse

• Big 12 fans spent the day arguing about Monster Energy branding and jersey patches. Subtle, it is not.
• Texas Tech's own account needled the conference after reporting nearly 30,000 more fans than the year before.
• The preseason countdown says 53 days to kickoff. Maryland checks in at No. 53, one day after Northwestern landed at No. 54.

The Observer's Call

The counterintuitive Big 12 story is not the Sorsby fight. It's the $40 million number. The league spent years selling parity as a feature. Now one member is spending like a power, the commissioner is putting energy-drink patches on jerseys, and everyone still has to answer amateur-era eligibility questions. That's not chaos. That's the business model growing up in public. Which school handles that future best: the loud spender, the quiet developer, or the old-brand giant? Disagree and tell me where I'm missing it.

Kickoff is 53 days out. Keep the receipts.