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After spending big and making the College Football Playoff in 2025, the Texas Tech Red Raiders doubled down in the transfer portal in 2026, shelling out big money to land star quarterback Brendan Sorsby from the Cincinnati Bearcats.
The Red Raiders reportedly offered Sorsby an NIL contract that could pay him up $5 million for one season in order to land his commitment ahead of competitors like LSU and Indiana, the latter of which he began his college career with.
However, it appears that Texas Tech’s investment may have already backfired before the 2026 college football season even begins.
On Monday, the school’s athletic department announced that Sorsby is stepping away from the program and entering an inpatient rehab facility for a gambling addiction. Later reports then revealed that the NCAA is investigating Sorsby over thousands of dollars worth of bets dating back to his time with the Hoosiers in 2022.
If he’s found guilty by the NCAA, Sorsby could be banned indefinitely, leaving the Red Raiders with a massive bill and a hole at the starting quarterback position.
However, there may well be a solution to at least one of those problems.
Texas Tech Could Find A Way Out Of Brendan Sorsby’s NIL Contract
While the exact language of Sorsby’s NIL deal with Texas Tech is unknown, standard contracts typically contain what’s called a morals clause.
The morals clause is a contract provision that would allow the Red Raiders to terminate or penalize Sorsby for behavior deemed immoral, scandalous, or damaging to the school’s reputation.
In a statement released on Monday, Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire said he and the program would stand by Sorsby as he seeks treatment for his gambling addiction. But something tells us that if he’s unable to play for the Red Raiders this season, they’re going to want to get back some of that $5 million they initially dished out.