Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby Files Lawsuit Against NCAA
Posted on: May 19, 2026, 02:30h.
Last updated on: May 19, 2026, 02:30h.
- Texas Tech QB trying to get his college eligibility for the 2026 season
- Sorsby currently in gambling addiction program
- Team in NFL Supplemental Draft in July might take a flyer on him
Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who is being investigated for gambling, has filed a lawsuit yesterday against the NCAA seeking his college eligibility for the 2026 football season.
Small Bets Placed On Own Team
Sorsby, who is said to have made thousands of wagers over four years on a variety of sports via sports betting app, including small bets on Indiana football as a redshirt freshman there in 2022, has sought treatment for gambling addiction. Sorsby said in his lawsuit he never bet on a game he played in or had a reasonable chance of playing in, and never made bets in a manner that would undermine the integrity of the game.
According to reporting, Sorsby said in the lawsuit that he bet on Indiana games, taking them to win, or on players to exceed expectations on the field, so that he could feel more connected to the team, and have a stake in games he wasn’t playing in.
Investigation Underway
The NCAA, which was made aware of Sorsby’s transgressions in April, is currently investigating Sorsby over the gambling allegations, as is state gaming commissions in Indiana and Ohio.
Under NCAA sports wagering rules, student-athletes are prohibited from betting on pro and college sports and face the possibility of permanent loss of eligibility if the individual is found to have wagered on their own team or on other sports at their own school. That’s the scenario Sorsby is facing.
Permanent Loss of Eligibility
Texas Tech University has declared hm ineligible for now. Sorsby has since hired prominent attorney Jeffrey Kessler to challenge or accelerate the NCAA process, and said in the lawsuit filed Monday that the NCAA is failing him with a “stalled” investigative process. Not being to practice with the team is negatively impacting his mental health and setting back his development, he added, a quarterback who has NFL aspirations.
Sorsby is also scheduled to make millions of dollars this upcoming season’s as one of the highest-priced transfers in the sport.
Sorsby is among a new wave of talented quarterbacks entering the Big 12, with at least ten of those teams expected to start new QBs. Many were projecting him to lead Texas Tech back to the playoffs.
NCAA Statement
Following a strong season last year at Cincinnati, where he threw for over 2,800 yards and 27 touchdowns and was named to the 2025 All-Big 12 Second Team, Sorsby transferred to Texas Tech, in December.
As reported by Pete Thamel in ESPN, the NCAA, in a response to Sorsby’s lawsuit, said: “The NCAA has not received a reinstatement request for this case. The NCAA generally doesn’t comment on pending reinstatement requests, but the Association’s sports betting rules are clear, as are the reinstatement conditions. When it comes to betting on one’s own team, these rules must be enforced in every case for the simple reason that the integrity of the game is at risk.”
NFL Supplemental Draft
Another curveball in all this is the NFL Supplemental Draft, held in July. The Supplemental Draft is for players, potentially like Sorsby, whose college eligibility or circumstances unexpectedly change during the off-season, but who can still get drafted and join the NFL. NCAA investigations or suspensions are part of that. So is academic ineligibility, or transfer/eligibility complications.
Bernie Kosar, Josh Gordon, and Terrell Pryor are some prominent names of the past who joined the NFL via the Supplemental Draft and excelled in the league.
Sorsby has already played four collegiate seasons, and is the No. 5 ranked quarterback for the 2027 NFL draft, according to Sports Illustrated, behind Drew Mestemaker from Oklahoma State, LaNorris Sellers from South Carolina, Arch Manning from Texas and Dante Moore from Oregon.
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