See you at Wes Kittley Drive of Champions

Texas Tech has renamed the Drive of Champions to the Wes Kittley Drive of Champions. This is Kittley’s 27th year as the head coach for the Texas Tech track & field program:

“I say something to my kids all the time – be humble and hungry,” Kittley said. “I am truly honored by this. The greatest 27 years of my life have been here at Texas Tech, and it’s just been an incredible run for me, even though I’m not quite done yet. I did not see this coming, but I’ve always heard a few people kidding about it. I’m just so blessed to be here and every year I have said this but, it’s the greatest time to be at Texas Tech. I always want to have an opportunity to change a young person’s life, and Tech has given me that opportunity for so many years. Thank you again for putting up with me for all this time and giving me the opportunity to raise my kids in Lubbock – the greatest place in the world to live.”

I know that this is about Wes, but I meant to point something out that at Behren Morton’s house on the 3rd day of the draft was Zach Kittley, his former offensive coordinator and now head coach of Florida Atlantic. He’s there to the right on the group photos.

LEAGUE HIM. pic.twitter.com/uK85KjXokk

— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) April 26, 2026

On the Diamond

Texas Tech softball blanked Baylor, 7-0 yesterday afternoon with Nijaree Canady going 5 innings and striking out 6, while Mia Williams hit 2 homers and Jackie Lis hit a 3-run dinger. The ladies will play Kansas today at 3:00 p.m. on ESPN+.

Texas Tech baseball defeated BYU 2-1 last night in the first of a 3-game series. A strong start from Kaysen Raineri who went 5 innings giving up just 1 run and Jonny Lowe getting the win, while Logan Hughes homered for the go-ahead run. I also misspoke yesterday and was corrected in the comments. I said that this was the last Big 12 series of the year and that’s not correct, it’s the last home series and will travel to Salt Lake for a series against Cincinnati next weekend. Thanks for keeping me on my toes.

GAME TWO:
MATCHUP: Texas Tech (24-24, 7-17 Big 12) vs. BYU (24-23, 12-12 Big 12)
DATE: Friday, May 8, 2026
TIME: 6:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Lubbock, Texas (Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park)
PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Adam Hayes (2-4, 7.98 ERA) vs. RHP Garrison Sumner (3-3, 7.26 ERA)

On the Gridiron

The Brand with a spring football edition. We get to see the new outside linebacker and defensive line coaches, along with Adam Trick, Trey White, Kenny Johnson, the NFL Draft, and the spring game.

Sportico’s Michael McCann (I was able to read this without a subscription last night, but may be behind one now and am not sure why) has a really good piece about the Brendan Sorsby gambling situation. I know that you may be rolling your eyes, but stay with me. I haven’t seen the legal theories where Sorsby’s attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, would argue Sorsby’s case:

This line of attack was successfully employed by Tom Mars and other attorneys for Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, but it came up short in analogous cases brought by UVA quarterback Chandler Morris and Virginia Tech softball player Bre Warren.

If the NCAA denies Sorsby his eligibility, the QB could argue he is a third-party beneficiary of the contractual relationship between Texas Tech and the NCAA. He would then assert the NCAA harmed him by how it reviewed and applied sports wagering rules in assessing his eligibility and that, as a result, the NCAA breached implied covenants of good faith and fair dealing, which require fair and honest treatment. If Sorsby can find examples of the NCAA treating similarly situated college athletes more favorably than him, he would have a more persuasive argument of unfair treatment.

Chambliss and Morris argued the NCAA fumbled how it reviewed medical evidence regarding their capacity to play during seasons in which they suffered injuries, while Warren maintained the NCAA failed to sufficiently consider her mental health in reviewing her eligibility.

There’s more there, including thoughts on Sorsby and the NFL Supplemental Draft and of all of the articles I’ve read, this is one where I am glad I read it.