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Texas Tech appeared to land a major get in the transfer portal after poaching Brendan Sorsby from Cincinnati, but there’s a chance he never plays a snap for the Red Raiders after getting caught up in a gambling scandal. The QB has filed an injunction in the hopes of being allowed to play, and he highlighted the formerly sorry state of Indiana’s football program while appealing to a judge who just so happens to hold two degrees from his current school.
Brendan Sorsby kicked off his college career with the Indiana Hoosiers, but he only appeared in a single game during his freshman season in 2022 before going 1-6 as a starter during the campaign that led to Tom Allen being replaced by Curt Cignetti.
He was unable to reap the rewards from that changing of the guard after transferring to Cincinnati, but the quarterback benefited from the change of scenery when it came to his development and had a breakout season with the Bearcats in 2025. In January, he announced his decision to cap off his college career at Texas Tech, but things took an unexpected turn in April after he entered a treatment program in the wake of an NCAA investigation into violations of its gambling policy.
The quarterback reportedly placed more than 10,000 bets (primarily ranging from $5 to $50) over the course of four years, which included wagers on Indiana when he was a member of the team. He admitted to doing so in an injunction that he filed in the hopes of being allowed to play, and he threw a little bit of shade at his form team while attempting to explain his rationale.
Brendan Sorsby admitted to betting on Indiana when he was on the team but said he didn’t make money because they were “not a very strong competitor”
In theory, there’s nothing inherently wrong with betting on a team you play for if you’re backing them to win, but the practice that led to Pete Rose being banned for life from the MLB is still understandably frowned upon given the optics.
On Monday, Texas Tech officially declared Sorbsy ineligible due to his betting activity but noted it will begin to push for his reinstatement on the same day the quarterback filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in search of an injunction that will allow him to suit up for the Red Raiders.
According to The Athletic, he attempted to explain his decision to bet on Indiana in the legal filing where he asserted he did so to “feel more connected to the team” during a freshman season where he was near the bottom of the depth chart.
He noted he never bet on games he appeared in, and he also noted the Hoosiers cost him more money than he won during a season where they went 4-8, saying, “Because the Indiana football team was not a very strong competitor in 2022, I lost most of the bets I placed.”
It’s also worth noting that the judge who will hear the case in Lubbock County Court is Phillip Hays, who earned an undergraduate degree at Texas before graduating from its law school.
It’s unclear what the future holds for Sorsby if he loses his eligibility battle, but there’s plenty of speculation he could declare for the NFL’s supplemental draft if that ends up being the case.