iStockphoto / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Brendan Sorsby is eligible for the 2026 college football season. The Texas Tech transfer received a temporary injunction allowing him to suit up for the Red Raiders.
Mega-booster Cody Campbell has responded to the news publicly. He celebrated the Red Raiders’ ability to exploit an admittedly “broken system.”
Campbell has a vested interest in Sorsby’s success. The billionaire is bankrolling Texas Tech’s roster through NIL efforts. Sorsby was the crowned jewel in the team’s recruiting class this offseason. He signed to the tune of $5 million ahead of his senior year.
According to Matt Hayes of USA Today, Campbell will pay Sorsby’s salary if eligible.
Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell tells @usatodaysports that, by contract, he’s obligated to pay Brendan Sorsby — a reported $5 million deal — if he’s eligible.
“We are super excited,” Campbell said. “Happy to pay him, even if he can’t play the first two games.”…
— Matt Hayes (@MattHayesCFB) June 8, 2026
Soon after stepping foot on campus in Lubbock, the quarterback’s eligibility came into question. Gambling activity was uncovered dating back to his freshman year at Indiana. He’s wagered around $90,000 across the last four years. He bet on his own team, which is an NCAA no-no.
Since, he’s battled to preserve his final year of competition. This week, he received good news.
Brendan Sorsby got an injunction.
That decision prohibits the NCAA from keeping him off the field. He is, for now, eligible to play at Texas Tech though an appeal is likely incoming.
The ruling is one of the most controversial in recent memory. Sorsby broke the NCAA’s golden rule. He receives a slap on the wrist for doing so.
NCAA Statement regarding ruling in Sorsby case:
“The NCAA strongly disagrees with the court’s ruling in Sorsby’s case and is deeply concerned about the damaging, far-reaching and broadly destabilizing ramifications of this outcome — which undermines and corrupts the integrity…
— NCAA News (@NCAA_PR) June 8, 2026
In years past, athletes betting on their own games faced threats of banishment. Sorsby will receive a two-game suspension according to the injunction.
Those games will have no impact on Texas Tech’s conference championship pursuits. The path to a College Football Playoff return will not be obstructed.
While it is a huge loss for the NCAA, it is a big victory for the Red Raiders. Cody Campbell celebrated that fact in a public statement.
Statement from Texas Tech booster and board chair Cody Campbell pic.twitter.com/tvKUPIsjbF
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) June 8, 2026
The system is broken.
Campbell knows it. The NCAA knows it. Exploitation of the current setup has created a lawless environment in college sports.
Players are taking eligibility issues to local courthouses to seek favorable rulings. Brendan Sorsby is not the first.
NCAA President Charlie Baker spoke on the injunction Monday. He believes only Congress intervention can save college athletics.
“When you have schools and deep-pocketed supporters willing to look the other way on the glaring integrity threat of betting on your own team – and judges whose rulings effectively strip away our ability to stop them – only Congress can equip the NCAA to apply this commonsense rule to everyone fairly and consistently. The Protect College Sports Act would empower the NCAA to enforce rules including the gambling restrictions – it’s needed now more than ever.”
-Charlie Baker
At this moment in time, the NCAA has no power. It is being overruled by local courts despite having clearly established guidelines related to rule violations and eligibility timelines.
Campbell, who is also the chairman of the Texas Tech Board of Regents, insists he is trying to fix the issue while actively exploiting loopholes for the benefit of his school. For that reason, his statement seems disingenuous.
Campbell is looking out for the Red Raiders. He has taken advantage of the current landscape, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but he is part of the problem he claims to be solving.