The Brendan Sorsby case will culminate in a trial. Eventually.
Via Mark Schlabach of ESPN, the trial has been set for February 8, 2027. Given that this date lands beyond the upcoming college football season, the preliminary order allowing Sorsby to play pending trial will keep him on the field for the full 2026 campaign — minus the two-game suspension the order applied.
The only way to change that will be for the NCAA to win a reversal on appeal before or during the 2026 season. That depends on how quickly the appeal will proceed.
Attorney Christopher Kratovil, who practices law in Texas, predicts that the appeal will take 9-12 months. Which means that it won’t be resolved before the trial of the case happens.
There should be a better way to get issues like this resolved. The NCAA wants to have it done before football season. Sorsby needs to have it done by June 22, when the deadline arrives for entering the 2026 supplemental draft.
There’s a chance neither deadline will be met. Which will make Sorsby eligible for the 2026 season.
Both sides would benefit from a more expedient process. And, again, a unionized setting would include an arbitration process that would activate when required and provide a resolution when needed.
That’s how easy it would be. No more judge shopping. No more administrative delays. No more perception of unfairness. The NCAA and the players’ union would jointly appoint and jointly compensate the arbitrator. And everyone would have a final and fair answer, quickly.
