Cincinnati Sues Former QB Brendan Sorsby for $1 Million Exit Fee After Transfer to Texas Tech

Cincinnati has filed a federal lawsuit against former quarterback Brendan Sorsby, seeking $1 million in liquidated damages tied to an exit fee clause in his name, image and likeness agreement after he transferred to Texas Tech.

The complaint was filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. The filing alleges Sorsby breached an 18 month NIL contract covering the 2025 and 2026 seasons when he refused to pay a $1 million exit fee after leaving the Bearcats. The university said the contract required payment within 30 days of transferring.

“In his lucrative NIL agreement with Cincinnati Athletics, Brendan Sorsby committed to stay and play for two seasons as a proud Bearcat representative,” the university said in a statement. “He also agreed that if he left the university before that time, he would pay the university a specific amount for the substantial harm that his breach would cause.

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“Cincinnati Athletics intends to enforce that contractual commitment. As stewards of the university’s resources, the Athletics Department has a duty to do so. We thank Brendan for his time at Cincinnati and wish him success in the future.”

The lawsuit claims Sorsby’s representative “advised that Sorsby refuses to pay the University anything.” The filing also says the agreement was set to expire on Dec. 15, 2026.

The complaint lays out a timeline that began before the transfer portal opened. Cincinnati alleges Sorsby notified the football team on Dec. 1 that he was done playing for the Bearcats and would not compete in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Navy on Jan. 2. Sorsby entered the transfer portal on Jan. 2 and “almost immediately” signed an NIL deal with Texas Tech, according to the filing.

A major point in the lawsuit centers on publicity tied to the transfer. Cincinnati alleges Sorsby violated the terms of his NIL agreement when his image appeared on a large digital billboard in New York’s Times Square announcing his commitment to Texas Tech. The filing also notes he reportedly signed an NIL agreement with the Red Raiders that will pay him between $4 million and $6 million this season.

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Sorsby is a senior from Denton, Texas. He played his first two seasons at Indiana and then started the past two seasons at Cincinnati. In 2025, he completed 61.6% of his passes for 2,800 yards with 27 touchdowns and five interceptions. He ran for 580 yards with nine scores, and Cincinnati finished 7-5.

The lawsuit argues the timing of the departure undercut the value Cincinnati expected to receive from the agreement. The university claims it paid Sorsby “a substantial amount” in 2025 “with the express expectation that it would realize the majority of the benefits during the following season, 2026, after Sorsby’s play developed and his brand grew.” The complaint adds: “Despite the clear contractual obligation to do so, and despite his ability to pay, Sorsby still has not paid the University the $1 million in liquidated damages he agreed to pay.”

Sorsby’s agent responded later Wednesday night and said the quarterback will fight the lawsuit, calling it “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,” Ron Slavin of Lift Management said. “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.”

The filing also places the case in a growing category of NIL related litigation. Cincinnati is not the first program to go to court over a liquidated damages clause tied to a transfer, and the complaint references other recent disputes involving Georgia and Duke.

For now, the issue is narrow and expensive: Cincinnati is seeking the $1 million exit fee it says Sorsby agreed to pay if he left early, and Sorsby is calling the claim an unlawful penalty under Ohio law.

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