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What happened to Brendan Sorsby at Texas Tech? Why QB left amid gambling controversy
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- What happened to Brendan Sorsby at Texas Tech? Why QB left amid gambling controversy
Texas Tech made a major splash in the transfer portal this offseason by beating out several Power Four programs for former Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby .
But as the Red Raiders prepare to defend their Big 12 title and build on last season's College Football Playoff appearance, they'll do so without Sorsby under center , or even on its roster.
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Instead, Texas Tech will go with Will Hammond as its Week 1 starter after its plans were derailed by one of the most controversial stories of the offseason: Sorsby's gambling addiction, and the ensuing legal battle that surrounded his eligibility.
Here's a look back at what went down over the offseason in Lubbock and why Sorsby is no longer playing at Texas Tech:
Why is Brendan Sorsby no longer on Texas Tech's roster?
Sorsby and Texas Tech mutually parted ways on June 15 after the Big 12 Conference filed a federal lawsuit in Dallas seeking the authority to sanction the school if he played for the Red Raiders . The move came after a Texas judge granted Sorsby a temporary injunction that restored his eligibility while he remained under NCAA investigation related to a gambling addiction.
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"I am grateful for the support from my family, my Tech coaching staff, teammates, the community, and so many others who have encouraged me to address and learn more about this important issue," Sorsby wrote in a post on Instagram. "As my journey continues, I remain fully committed to and focused on being the best I can be, both on and off the field."
Sorsby declared for the 2026 NFL Supplemental Draft, which the league declined to host for the former college quarterback. As it stands, he cannot enter the league until 2027.
What happened to Brendan Sorsby at Texas Tech?
Sorsby admitted to violating the NCAA's gambling protocols.
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Sorsby placed "thousands" of online bets on a variety of sports via a gambling app, including ones involving Indiana games during his true freshman season at Indiana in 2022, which were placed for the first eight games of the season when he said he had been a member of the Hoosiers' scout team.
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He had stepped away from the Red Raiders' program in late April — when the NCAA announced they were starting an investigation into his gambling — to enter a residential treatment program for his gambling addiction. He announced on May 28 that he had completed a 35-day inpatient rehab program in Arizona.
The NCAA denied Sorsby's request for reinstatement for the 2026 season on Tuesday, May 26. That led him to file an injunction against the NCAA in a Lubbock Court.
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The injunction revealed that Sorsby had placed more than $90,000 in bets over four years through accounts registered in the names of family members and friends. The bets that Sorsby placed on professional sports included Major League Baseball, UFC, Turkish basketball, and even the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, among other sports.
His injunction to play for Texas Tech was granted on Monday, June 8 by Judge Ken Curry of the 99th District Court of Lubbock County: a decision that merely imposed a two-game suspension on Sorsby, against Abilene Christian and Oregon State.
That uproar included several athletic directors coming out publicly and stating that they would not allow their programs to schedule Texas Tech in future contests. It also led to the Big 12 Conference filing a complaint in federal court seeking a declaratory judgment that would allow the league to enforce its bylaws and potentially sanction Texas Tech should the Red Raiders play Sorsby.
The Big 12 considered sanctioning Texas Tech if it played Sorsby, in turn resulting in a legal threat from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton if the conference tried to enforce its rules. Attorneys general in Oklahoma, Kansas and Utah responded, saying they would back up the conference, which ultimately sued Texas Tech in a Dallas court.
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Eventually, Sorsby and Texas Tech agreed to part ways as he prepared for the NFL supplemental draft.
Brendan Sorsby timeline
Below is a look at key dates of Sorsby's Texas Tech timeline:
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Dec. 15, 2025:Sorsby enters the transfer portal after two seasons at Cincinnati.
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Jan. 4, 2026:Sorsby commits to Texas Tech, choosing the Red Raiders over LSU. As part of the deal, Sorsby receives a reported $6 million in NIL money.
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March 11, 2026:The NCAA receives a tip about Sorsby's betting activity from an online gambling book, which had been informed by law enforcement.
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April 14, 2026:Texas Tech is notified that the NCAA is investigating Sorsby's sports gambling.
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April 27, 2026:Texas Tech announces that Sorsby is checking into a residential treatment program for a gambling addiction. Sorsby reportedly placed thousands of online bets on a variety of sports through a gambling app, a violation of longstanding NCAA rules.
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May 18, 2026:Sorsby files a lawsuit against the NCAA in district court in Lubbock County, Texas, seeking an injunction that would make him eligible to compete during the 2026 college football season.
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May 26, 2026:The NCAA denies Sorsby's request for reinstatement for the 2026 season. The decision has no impact on his ongoing litigation against the NCAA, which is set for a June 1 court date. Texas Tech says it plans to appeal the NCAA's ruling.
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May 30, 2026:According to court filings before Sorsby's scheduled hearing in his eligibility lawsuit, the quarterback's bets totaled at least $90,000. Those wagers included at least 40 bets on Indiana football while Sorsby was redshirting with the Hoosiers as a true freshman in 2022, though he didn't bet on games in which he played. The documents stated that since transferring to Texas Tech, in a state where online betting is illegal, Sorsby sent approximately $5,000 through Venmo or Zelle to other individuals who placed bets on his behalf.
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June 8, 2026:Sorsby's request for a temporary injunction against the NCAA is granted by Texas district court Judge Ken Curry. The decision clears Sorsby to play for the Red Raiders in 2026, though he must sit out the team's first two games of the season, against Abilene Christian and at Oregon State.
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June 11, 2026:Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sends a letter to the Big 12 noting that any effort to sanction Texas Tech would "constitute a violation of federal and state law and expose the conference and its members to antitrust liability." The letter drew a response from attorneys general in Oklahoma, Kansas and Utah, all of whom said they would back the Big 12 in any legal activity.
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June 15, 2026:The Big 12 sues Texas Tech in district court in Dallas for the right to sanction the school if Sorsby competes in any games and the NCAA files an appeal of Curry's June 8 ruling. Sorsby and Texas Tech agree to part ways, ending his career at the school without ever taking a snap. Following the split, Sorsby plans to enter the NFL's supplemental draft.
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June 17, 2026:Sorsby's agent, Ron Slavin, claims in a Dallas radio interview that Cincinnati knew about Sorsby's gambling activity and did not act on it. Cincinnati denies the accusation, saying in a statement that had it known of any impermissible gambling, it would have reported it to the NCAA.
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June 23, 2026:The NFL announces it will not hold a supplemental draft in 2026, blocking a path for Sorsby to compete in the NFL in 2026.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What happened to Brendan Sorsby at Texas Tech? Why QB left amid gambling controversy
