Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby Sues NCAA to Overturn Gambling Suspension
Posted on: May 19, 2026, 02:30h.
Last updated on: May 20, 2026, 06:11h.
- Texas Tech’s star transfer is suing the NCAA in a desperate, last-minute bid to overturn his gambling suspension and save his senior season
- Sorsby confessed to making small wagers on his own team while at Indiana and has since checked into a rehab facility to treat a gambling addiction
- If his college appeal fails, Sorsby will pivot to the NFL Supplemental Draft in July, offering pro scouts a premium quarterback prospect with major off-field question marks
Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on Monday (May 18), seeking to restore his college eligibility for the 2026 season following a sports gambling investigation.
Small Bets Placed On Own Team
Over a four-year period, Sorsby allegedly placed thousands of wagers across multiple sports using a mobile betting app—including small bets on Indiana football during his 2022 redshirt freshman season.
He has since entered treatment for a diagnosed gambling addiction. In the lawsuit, Sorsby maintains that he never bet on any game he played in, nor did his wagers ever compromise the integrity of the sport.
Instead, he notes that his bets on the Hoosiers were strictly placed on the team to win or on his teammates to excel, framing the wagers as a coping mechanism to feel connected to a squad he wasn’t actively playing for.
Investigation Underway
The NCAA, which was made aware of Sorsby’s transgressions in April, is currently investigating Sorsby over the gambling allegations, as are state gaming authorities 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 has officially declared Sorsby ineligible for the time being. To challenge the ruling, the NFL-bound quarterback hired prominent sports attorney Jeffrey Kessler, arguing in Monday’s lawsuit that the NCAA’s “stalled” investigation is failing him.
Sorsby added that being barred from practicing with his teammates is actively hindering his athletic development and taking a severe toll on his mental health. He 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.
“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,” the NCAA said in comments reported by ESPN.
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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