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When Texas Tech landed Brendan Sorsby in the transfer portal this past college football offseason, the Red Raiders appeared to have a potential QB1 for 2026.
Sorsby, a former starter at Cincinnati, was set up to become compete with Will Hammond to lead a Texas Tech squad with high expectations this coming season in the Big 12. But after playing in the team's spring game, everything changed for Sorsby.
The quarterback was the focal point of one of the more significant gambling scandals in recent sports history, admitting to placing thousands of bets, including on his own team. With Sorsby gone, Hammond is set to start for the Red Raiders this season, though former Boston College star Thomas Castellanos is also now in the mix.
Here's a full breakdown of Sorsby's gambling scandal and what's next for the quarterback.
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What did Brendan Sorsby do?
In April, Sorsby checked into a rehab facility for a sports gambling addiction, admitting to placing thousands of bets using online apps, breaking NCAA rules. He was ruled ineligible to play college football soon after.
Sorsby was also denied a request for reinstatement for eligibility for the 2026 season; however, his eligibility then became a center of debate in the sport. Texas Tech had its request for Sorsby's reinstatement denied by the NCAA, but a Texas judge granted Sorsby an injunction against the NCAA, preventing the organization from disciplining the quarterback for breaking its rules. The NCAA appealed that decision.
Rather than continue his legal battle with the NCAA, Sorsby and his representatives applied for the NFL's supplemental draft, but the league elected not to hold one, saying Sorsby's application "carries with it a lot of issues" due to his gambling scandal.
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Brendan Sorsby gambling details
Sorsby was ruled permanently ineligible by the NCAA after he placed thousands of impermissible sports bets over four years at Indiana and Cincinnati.
His bets reportedly totaled at least $90,000 in total. Sorsby also placed at least 40 bets on Indiana when he was a freshman for the Hoosiers in 2022, but none of those bets came on games in which he played, with the quarterback denying any allegations of "point shaving."
Sorsby acknowledged placing at least 165 impermissible bets on college and professional sports totaling at least $38,000 in 2024 alone, including three wagers on Cincinnati men's basketball made on a FanDuel account he shared with a friend, per ESPN. He also provided "more than $60,000 to the friend to deposit in the shared account" between December 2023 and June 2025.
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Brendan Sorsby gambling scandal timeline
Jan. 4, 2026: Sorsby announces transfer to Texas Tech
After throwing 27 touchdown passes at Cincinnati last season, in December, Sorsby entered the transfer portal as one of the best quarterbacks available. Early in the new year, he shared his intentions to join Texas Tech.
Sorsby also visited LSU during his recruitment, but "was blown away by Texas Tech's facilities and appreciated the culture set there by the coaching staff," per ESPN. Ranked as the best transfer quarterback available by most outlets, it was a huge get for the Red Raiders — and likely expensive.
Per ESPN, Sorsby was anticipated to be getting an NIL package around $5 million to join Texas Tech, though no number was confirmed.
Feb. 25, 2026: Cincinnati sues Sorsby for failure to pay exit fee
Over a month after Sorsby departed, the University of Cincinnati sued him in federal court, alleging the quarterback breached his NIL contract with the Bearcats by refusing to pay a $1 million exit fee.
The lawsuit said Sorsby was contractually obligated to pay the $1 million within 30 days of transferring, per ESPN.
"In his lucrative NIL agreement with Cincinnati Athletics, Brendan Sorsby committed to stay and play for two seasons as a proud Bearcat representative," Cincinnati said in a statement. "He also agreed that if he left the university before that time, he would pay the university a specific amount for the substantial harm that his breach would cause.
"Cincinnati Athletics intends to enforce that contractual commitment. As stewards of the university's resources, the Athletics Department has a duty to do so. We thank Brendan for his time at Cincinnati and wish him success in the future."
Apr. 18, 2026: Sorsby plays in Texas Tech's spring game
Sorsby, set to become Texas Tech's likely QB1 for 2026, played in the team's spring game in April, throwing four touchdown passes.
However, a week later, his future in college football was altered.
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Apr. 27, 2026: Sorsby checks into rehab facility
On Apr. 27, 2026, Texas Tech announced that Sorsby was checking into a residential treatment program for a gambling addiction.
ESPN reported that Sorsby's decision came "in the wake of the discovery of Sorsby making thousands of online bets on a variety of sports via a gambling app, which jeopardizes his eligibility with Texas Tech." The NCAA also opened an investigation, and Texas Tech said in a statement that the university "is committed to supporting Brendan through his recovery process and to ensure his long-term health and well-being."
"We love Brendan and support his decision to seek professional help," Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire said in a statement, per ESPN. "Taking this step requires courage, and our primary focus is on him as a person. Our program is behind Brendan as he prioritizes his health."
With the NCAA having strict policies against student-athletes gambling — particularly on their own team, which Sorsby did at Indiana — it put his future in peril.
"Due to confidentiality rules put in place by NCAA member schools, the NCAA will not comment on current, pending or potential investigations," the NCAA said in a statement at the time. "However, the NCAA takes sports betting very seriously and is committed to the protection of student-athlete well-being and the integrity of competition. The Association works with integrity monitoring services, state regulators and other stakeholders to conduct appropriate due diligence whenever reports are received."
May 18, 2026: Sorsby files injunction while fighting for NCAA eligibility
By mid-May, with Sorsby deemed ineligible by the NCAA for breaking its gambling rules, he hired an attorney to make an attempt to regain his eligibility.
On May 18, Sorsby filed an injunction against the NCAA, seeking his eligibility for the 2026 season while citing the NCAA's "deeply hypocritical" position on gambling and a "wholesale abandonment of its obligations and duties to promote the well-being" of Sorsby.
May 26, 2026: Denied request for reinstatement
In late May, the NCAA denied Sorsby's request to be reinstated. At the time, Texas Tech also shared its plans to appeal the ruling, with the Red Raiders making it clear they would make an attempt to bring their new quarterback back on the roster.
QB Brendan Sorsby releases a statement after completing treatment for an addiction to sports wagering and anxiety disorder: "For the first time in many years, I feel more free and no longer fully at the mercy of my addiction." pic.twitter.com/xBnHPrUueI
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) May 26, 2026May 29, 2026: Admission to placing $90,000 in bets
Court filings from late May also showed that Sorsby had admitted to placing at least 40 bets involving Indiana or its individual players when he was on the team in Fall 2022. Sorsby also admitted to using sportsbook accounts registered to family members and friends to wager approximately $90,000 over four years.
The court documents showed that Sorsby stopped his gambling at Indiana prior to when he made his debut in game action against Penn State, with the quarterback denying allegations of point shaving or throwing games.
June 5, 2026: NCAA denies Texas Tech's request for reinstatement
Like Sorsby's, the Texas Tech appeal of the quarterback's ineligibility was denied by the NCAA in June.
June 8, 2026: Judge grants Sorsby injunction against NCAA
The Sorsby scandal took a sharp turn in June, when a Texas judge granted him an injunction against the NCAA, meaning the organization was unable to discipline Sorsby for violating anti-gambling rules.
It cleared the way for Sorsby to return to Texas Tech and play in 2026, causing a stir across the Big 12 and college football as a whole after it appeared he wouldn't be able to return. The NCAA appealed the injunction ruling the following day.
Over the following week, coaches, athletic directors and more expressed their disagreement with the situation, with calls for the Big 12 to take action and reports of teams planning to take action against the Red Raiders.
June 15, 2026: Sorsby shares intentions to enter supplemental draft after Texas Tech exit
Following the controversy of his apparent eligibility due to the legal ruling, Sorsby and Texas Tech decided to part ways despite fighting for his eligibility for over a month.
Sorsby decided to instead enter the NFL's supplemental draft, a rare path for players who were unable to enter the usual draft. However, the league does not have to hold the supplemental draft because a player applies.
Sources: Texas Tech transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby plans to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft. Amid the legal wrangling over his NCAA eligibility after admitting he bet on sports, he intends to head to the NFL. pic.twitter.com/jXnkg0IZ5W
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 16, 2026June 23, 2026: NFL declines to hold supplemental draft
The NFL announced on June 23 that it had elected not to hold a supplemental draft for Sorsby, with league officials saying they believed it would be a distraction to teams as they began training camps.
"His application carries with it a lot of issues," an NFL source told ESPN. "Core of the game integrity issues."
Initially, Sorsby appeared to be fighting the NFL's decision, with his attorney saying in a statement that the NFL's decision to not hold a supplemental draft was "a violation of the CBA and the law."
Here’s the NFL’s letter to Brendan Sorsby, informing him it is declining his petition to enter the supplemental draft, which will not be held this year. pic.twitter.com/Tfoei8fCjp
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 23, 2026Three days later, one of Sorsby's other options closed when the Canadian Football League said it would not register a contract for the quarterback due to the "serious and concerning" allegations surrounding him.
June 30, 2026: Memo shared with NFL teams about Sorsby's future
The most recent development in Sorsby's future was a memo sent to NFL teams in late June.
The quarterback said that he and the NFLPA had decided not to sue over the league's decision to not hold a supplemental draft. Instead, Sorsby said he would shift his focus to preparation for the 2027 NFL draft.
Sept. 2, 2026: Cincinnati cleared of wrongdoing in Sorsby gambling
Ahead of the 2026 season, the NCAA cleared the University of Cincinnati of any wrongdoing in Sorsby's gambling case after Sorsby's agent said earlier in the summer that the Bearcats were aware of his problem.
"Earlier this summer, NCAA enforcement staff completed an inquiry into a former Cincinnati student-athlete's prohibited betting activity during his time at the university," Cincinnati senior associate athletic director for communications Zach Stipe said in a statement, per ESPN. "The inquiry is now closed and the student-athlete was found to have committed a Level III violation. Cincinnati worked closely with the NCAA throughout the process, which began when the initial reports of impermissible sports wagering began."
Per ESPN, the Level III violation was " ttributed to Sorsby and not Cincinnati or its coaching staff," as an app on Sorsby's phone flagged him trying to make a bet, but he was denied access to the betting site. Cincinnati's compliance department then told him of gambling restrictions by student-athletes.
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Where is Brendan Sorsby now?
Sorsby is training independently for the 2027 NFL Draft next April.
According to ESPN, Sorsby is living in Dallas and "intends to continue his training and counseling there." Texas Tech officials have also reportedly said he's "still welcome in their facilities, and they remain committed to providing him the resources and support he needs to continue his recovery process."
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Is Brendan Sorsby playing football in 2026?
Sorsby is not playing football in college or the NFL this coming season despite taking action to pursue both paths.
Due to an injunction against the NCAA, he did have a path cleared to rejoin Texas Tech in June, but the criticism Texas Tech received in response to that decision led to his exit. Because the NFL declined to hold a supplemental draft for Sorsby, he will be unable to sign with a team until 2027.
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