The NCAA has officially denied Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s petition for eligibility reinstatement for the 2026 college football season. Sorsby wagered between $5 and $50 on his former team, the Indiana Hoosiers, to win, and made prop bets on teammates’ statistics during his freshman year.
Texas Tech University President Lawrence Schovanec issued a letter to the campus community announcing the school will formally appeal the ruling. He called for the decision to be “reversed or modified.” Sorsby’s immediate football future is now entirely dependent on the legal system as the NCAA hands down its official denial and the quarterback files a lawsuit against the sports gambling ban.
At stake is a multimillion-dollar Name, Image, and Likeness deal Sorsby signed with Texas Tech after a breakout 2025 season at Cincinnati. He recorded 27 touchdown passes and nine rushing touchdowns last year. The NCAA strictly enforces a permanent eligibility ban on college athletes who wager on their own teams to protect the integrity of the sport.
Sorsby recently completed a 35-day inpatient rehabilitation program for his severe gambling addiction, according to a detailed report on his release from the Algamus Recovery Center and the looming June 22 NFL supplemental draft deadline. Texas Tech leadership argued the NCAA needs to prioritize a “culture of care” and support Sorsby’s recovery efforts rather than enforcing a permanent ban.
Sorsby has a court hearing scheduled for Monday, June 1, in Lubbock County District Court. He will seek a temporary injunction against the NCAA to allow him to play. His legal argument points out a perceived hypocrisy in the NCAA’s harsh discipline for gambling violations while the organization simultaneously maintains a lucrative data partnership with Genius Sports, the exclusive distributor of official NCAA data feeds to authorized sportsbooks.