When news broke that Brendan Sorsby was accused of playing more than 10,000 bets on football games during his collegiate career, it called his NCAA future into question.
Suddenly, Sorsby’s $5 million NIL bag was called into question, as was his potential to play for the Red Raiders in 2026, and as a result, the entire college football world has once again had to grapple with where sports gambling fits into the greater landscape.
With his future very much up in the air, Sorsby’s camp has hired a lawyer to try to regain his eligibility, as reported by ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
“Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby, who is under NCAA investigation for making bets via a gambling app, has retained the noted lawyer Jeffrey Kessler to try to regain his college eligibility, sources tell me and Pete Thamel,” Schefter wrote.
“If Sorsby and Kessler are unsuccessful in finding a path to eligibility, declaring for the NFL’s supplemental draft then would become an option. Sorsby would have until June 30 to declare for the supplemental draft.”
So what happens if Sorsby can’t regain his college eligibility? Well, according to ESPN NFL Insider Dan Graziano, there’s a possibility he could enter his name in the 2026 NFL Supplemental Draft, which isn’t currently scheduled but could be if there is interest.
“I asked the NFL about this earlier in the week. They said that as of now there is no supplemental draft scheduled,” Graziano added. “If Sorsby were to be ruled ineligible and apply for the supplemental draft, the league would consider his application at that time.”
Widely considered a first-round-caliber quarterback thanks to his time at Indiana and Cincinnati, there will unquestionably be interest in Sorsby if he does declare for the supplemental draft. Where he would be selected, however, and how a team would handle such a unique situation is the far more interesting question, as he could face disciplinary consequences for his collegiate gambling and will certainly have a very close eye kept on him at the professional level in a league that has been dealing with its own issues with embracing while subsequently grappling with the consequences of sports betting.
When news broke that Brendan Sorsby was accused of playing more than 10,000 bets on football games during his collegiate career, it called his NCAA future into question. Suddenly, Sorsby’s $5 million NIL bag was called into question, as was his potential to play for the Red Raiders in 2026, and as a result, the entire college football world has once again had to grapple with where sports gambling fits into the greater landscape.
