Facing multiple legal battles to play for Texas Tech this season, Brendan Sorsby, the quarterback who wagered on his own team at Indiana, plans to change paths and enter the NFL supplemental draft.
Key Takeaways
- The Texas Tech QB faced multiple legal entanglements after winning a temporary injunction.
- Sorsby has until June 22 to enter the NFL supplemental draft.
- The former Indiana player wagered $850 on his own team.
Sorsby obtained a temporary injunction from a Texas judge last week that gave him eligibility despite the NCAA ruling him out after finding that Sorsby placed more than 9,000 bets on college and pro sports worth $90,000 over four years.
However, the NCAA appealed the ruling. The Big 12, Texas Tech’s own conference, filed for a federal injunction Monday seeking the ability to discipline Sorsby, stating “universities should not field players who have bet on their own games in college athletics," according to ESPN.
Cody Campbell, the chairman of Texas Tech’s board of regents, released a letter Monday evening confirming that Sorsby wouldn’t play for Texas Tech in 2026 and that the supplemental draft is his “only viable and fair path.”
Statement regarding Brendan Sorsby.
— Cody Campbell (@CodyC64) June 16, 2026
Long Live the Matadors! pic.twitter.com/FxPd00uT9L
Texas Tech’s odds to win the national title were +1,600 at FanDuel after Sorsby won his temporary injunction last week. By Tuesday morning, the Red Raiders were +2,000, and Sorsby went from +5,000 to win the Heisman Trophy to off the board in that futures market.
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‘Practical analysis’
Sorsby has until June 22 to enter the draft, with the Big 12’s lawsuit hanging over his head. The NCAA asked the court to determine its appeal to make Sorsby ineligible by the start of the season, which is in early September, leaving both Sorsby and Texas Tech in limbo.
“This decision was made with Brendan and his family and is purely an output of practical analysis of the situation,” Campbell wrote. “Brendan and Texas Tech stand on very solid and legitimate legal ground, but he faces a June 22nd deadline to be eligible to enter the NFL’s supplemental draft, and there is no practical way to resolve all the various pending legal disputes and ensure his eligibility prior to this date.”
Sorsby transferred from Cincinnati to Texas Tech in the offseason, but he left the team in April to undergo treatment for a gambling addiction. The NCAA found that Sorsby was using betting accounts from family and friends to wager on college football, college basketball, NBA, MLB, and other sports.
Sorsby bet $850 total on Indiana football while he was a member of the team during his redshirt freshman season, but he didn’t wager on games he participated in. The governing body has consistently stated any athlete who wagers on their own team forfeits eligibility.
Eligibility quest
Sorsby challenged that ruling, losing his appeal to the NCAA and filing a lawsuit to retain eligibility. He argued anxiety and other mental health issues contributed to his gambling addiction. The Texas judge said that Sorsby would suffer “improbable, imminent, and irreparable injury" if the court did not temporarily halt enforcement of the NCAA's ineligibility ruling.
That decision sparked backlash from NCAA member schools and prompted additional legal challenges. Texas Tech continues to support Sorsby’s mental health, but the school didn’t fund his legal team or file the lawsuit on his behalf, Campbell said.
The quarterback, who was one of the most sought-after transfers on the NIL market, won’t have to pay back any earnings already received from Texas Tech. He will take his chances in the NFL, which is another murky situation.
It’s unclear if any team will jump at the chance to select Sorsby. The NFL hasn’t held a supplemental draft since 2023, and no player has been taken since 2019. The league will have to approve Sorsby’s entry.
