Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby will take an “immediate indefinite leave of absence” from the football program as he enters a residential treatment program for a gambling addiction, the school announced Monday. The NCAA is investigating Sorsby’s gambling, industry sources told The Athletic.
Sorsby, a fifth-year senior, transferred to Texas Tech in January as one of the most coveted players in the portal after two seasons at Cincinnati. Texas Tech said it is committed to supporting Sorsby through his recovery process, but there is no announced timetable for Sorsby’s treatment or his return to the Red Raiders.
“We love Brendan and support his decision to seek professional help,” coach Joey McGuire said. “Taking this step requires courage, and our primary focus is on him as a person. Our program is behind Brendan as he prioritizes his health.”
Industry sources confirmed an ESPN report saying that Sorsby bet on Indiana football in 2022 while he was a redshirt freshman for the Hoosiers. Sorsby’s gambling continued since then, according to sources, but the extent of it is unclear.
According to updated NCAA sports betting guidelines passed in 2023, players who bet on games involving their own school face potential permanent loss of eligibility. That also applies if they engage in activities to influence the outcome or knowingly provide information to people involved in sports betting.
Betting on one’s own sport involving another school could cost a player 50 percent of one season of eligibility. Betting more than $800 on pro sports could cost a player at least 30 percent of a season, with lesser penalties for a lower dollar amount. Last October, all three NCAA divisions passed a rule change allowing players and staff to bet on pro sports, but the rule was rescinded a month later when more than two-thirds of Division I schools voted to rescind the change.
“Due to confidentiality rules put in place by NCAA member schools, the NCAA will not comment on current, pending or potential investigations,” the NCAA said in a statement Monday. “However, the NCAA takes sports betting very seriously and is committed to the protection of student-athlete well-being and the integrity of competition. The Association works with integrity monitoring services, state regulators and other stakeholders to conduct appropriate due diligence whenever reports are received.”
Sorsby only has one year of eligibility remaining. If he returns to football but is ruled ineligible by the NCAA, he could choose to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft, which typically takes place in July or August. Former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor was selected in the 2011 Supplemental Draft after facing suspension by the NCAA over the Ohio State tattoo/memorabilia scandal.
Because the NCAA investigation is focused on the actions of Sorsby and currently no school is facing allegations of violations, a resolution to the case could come quickly. The NCAA’s Committee on Infractions would not need to be involved in this case as it stands.
When a potential eligibility issue arises, the school typically makes the athlete ineligible and then requests the NCAA student-athlete reinstatement to determine whether there is a path to regaining eligibility.
At that point, the NCAA makes a ruling.
Sorsby signed a one-year deal with the Red Raiders in January that is expected to pay him more than $4 million for the 2026 season, according to sources briefed on the terms.
Sorsby is also involved in an ongoing lawsuit filed against him by the University of Cincinnati. His former school is seeking a $1 million buyout in liquidated damages over Sorsby allegedly violating a multiseason revenue-sharing agreement with the university when he transferred to Texas Tech earlier this year. On Monday, the same day that news of Sorsby’s gambling and treatment broke, the quarterback and his legal representation filed a motion to dismiss, arguing the suit is “nothing more than an unreasonable penalty that is unlawful under Ohio law,” according to the motion.
The University of Cincinnati declined to comment on the matter.
Sorsby’s arrival at Texas Tech made headlines as one of the top-rated transfers of the offseason and came on the heels of the Red Raiders winning the Big 12 and reaching the College Football Playoff in 2025. The team’s 12-2 record set the single-season mark for most wins in program history.
Adding Sorsby, who was also pursued by LSU and Miami, put Tech in a position to compete yet again in the Big 12 and for a CFP spot in 2026. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound dual-threat quarterback averaged better than 2,800 yards passing and 500 rushing yards in his two seasons with the Bearcats, including 36 touchdowns passing and rushing in 2025, third-most in the FBS, with only five interceptions.
With Sorsby’s status for the 2026 season now in question, Texas Tech could be in a very difficult position at quarterback, where quarterback Will Hammond is recovering from an ACL tear suffered last October.
— Ralph Russo contributed to this report.
