Brendan Sorsby may or may not be allowed to finish his college football career at Texas Tech. The high-profile transfer quarterback checked into a residential treatment program for a gambling addiction.
His alleged activity could lead to a lengthy suspension, or worse. Especially if the former Indiana and Cincinnati signal-caller placed illegal bets while underage.
Should Sorsby not be allowed to play a full season of college football in 2026, he could still choose to pursue a professional career in the NFL. The Red Raiders are in a sticky situation unless he is cleared!
Brendan Sorsby can still pursue the NFL.
Sorsby, a fifth-year senior, entered the transfer portal in December after two years at Cincinnati. Texas Tech ultimately beat out Lane Kiffin and LSU to receive his commitment. He signed a lucrative NIL deal.
However, his status for next season is currently up in the air.
Brendan Sorsby stepped away from the university while he seeks treatment for a gambling addiction. The governing body of collegiate athletics is actively investigating the discovery that he placed “thousands of bets” via an online application over the last four years. Punishment could range from a 30-50% season suspension to a permanent loss of eligibility.
The NCAA’s rules and guidelines for betting-related violations list the following potential outcomes:
- Student-athletes who engage in activities to influence the outcomes of their own games or knowingly provide information to individuals involved in sports betting activities will potentially face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports. This would also apply to student-athletes who wager on their own games or on other sports at their own schools.
- If a student-athlete wagers on their own sport at another school, education on sports wagering rules and prevention will be required as a condition of reinstatement, and the loss of 50% of one season of eligibility will be considered.
- For all other wagering-related violations (e.g., wagering on professional sports), cumulative dollar value of the wagers will be taken into consideration with the following terms for reinstatement:
- $200 or less: sports wagering rules and prevention education.
- $201-$500: loss of 10% of a season of eligibility, plus rules and prevention education.
- $501-$800: loss of 20% of a season of eligibility, plus rules and prevention education.
- Greater than $800: loss of 30% of a season of eligibility, plus rules and prevention education.
According to ESPN, Sorsby bet on Indiana football in 2022 while he was a true freshman at the university. Fortunately, the bets were placed on Indiana to win, none of the bets were placed on the single game in which Sorsby appeared, and he is not linked to anyone who attempted to influence the outcome of a contest. Unfortunately, his “flurry of small bets” was still against NCAA rules. It was also illegal…
Sorsby turned 21 years old in January 2025. The minimum age for legal sports betting in the states of Indiana and Ohio is 21 years old. Therefore, if he placed bets on sports during his two seasons at Indiana and first season Cincinnati, the bets were in violation of state law.
As of right now, Sorsby’s gambling has not drawn the attention of law enforcement. Even still, his age adds another element to the scandal. It will not help his case with the NCAA.
But here’s the thing! If Sorsby end up getting blackballed from college football, he could still go pro.
How does the NFL supplemental draft work?
Any player who would’ve been eligible to be drafted prior to the NFL Draft can submit his name to the league to be considered for the supplemental draft. It is then on the league to decide whether or not to hold a supplemental draft based on the available talent. The pool could be as big or small as it wants.
Some notable picks from NFL history include Bernie Kosar, Brian Bosworth, Cris Carter, Terrelle Pryor and Josh Gordon. Brendan Sorsby could be next.
If the league decided to move forward with a supplemental draft, all 32 teams would presented with a list of players on the board. And then a reverse bidding war ensues.
Whichever team presents the highest bid in terms of draft pick will be granted the rights to Sorsby. There could be only one bidder or 32. For example, if one team thinks he is worth a sixth round pick and one team thinks he is worth a third round pick, he would be assigned to the team that offers the third round pick. The highest bidder will then forfeit its third round draft pick in next year’s traditional NFL Draft.
Should all 32 teams choose to pass on a supplemental draft candidate, the undrafted player immediately becomes an undrafted free agent and is free to sign with any NFL team. He is no longer tied to the supplemental draft process and can negotiate a contract immediately.
Sorsby, if suspended by the NCAA for 2026, could petition the NFL for a supplemental draft. If the league decides not to hold a supplemental draft or he does not get picked, he would then be allowed sign as an undrafted free agent.
Who is the backup quarterback at Texas Tech?
All of this uncertainty puts the Red Raiders in a sticky situation. They spent a fortune on Sorsby as the successor to Behren Morton and expect him to lead them back to the College Football Playoff.
Texas Tech went all-in on the Cincinnati transfer quarterback. It does not have a solidified backup plan if he is not able to play next season because of the gambling.
Redshirt freshman Lloyd Jones III and true freshman Stephen Cannon were both three-star recruits but they are not ready to take over a program that expects to win now. Tulsa transfer Kirk Francis took the majority of second-team reps during spring practice but he got benched during a three-interception performance against Memphis last season and never earned back the starting job.
And then there is Will Hammond. The Red Raiders are very high on the former four-star recruit. Head coach Joey McGuire said that he “may set every record in the history books at Texas Tech in his career” before he tore his ACL in October. There is a lot of buzz about his potential but his health is a concern.
McGuire said during the spring that the best-case scenario for Hammond would be a return in Week 3 for Texas Tech’s Big 12 opener. He may not be at full strength to begin the season.
However, according to Pete Nakos, Hammond returned to throwing in the last 10 days. There is growing optimism that he could be ready by Week 1. He may not be at 100%, but he could be ready to suit up. That would be a huge sigh of relief.
In the meantime, all the Red Raiders can do is wait. Sorsby has yet to be suspended and/or turn pro.