Brendan Sorsby has stepped away from Texas Tech indefinitely to enter a residential treatment facility for a gambling addiction. This decision follows the revelation that he placed thousands of online bets across multiple sports using a gambling app, leaving his college football future uncertain.
How Brendan Sorsby’s Gambling Scandal Impacts His Texas Tech Future Amid NCAA Investigation
In an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Tuesday, ESPN senior writer Dan Wetzel shared new details about Sorsby’s situation following his gambling controversy.
“This is an interesting one because there’s no allegation of any kind of shaving, fixing, prop bets, anything like that,” Wetzel said. “This is not a criminal investigation; it’s an NCAA investigation. It limits the trouble that Mr. Sorsby would be in. But it’s really more of a modern one, where he just liked to wager on sports, which an enormous number of people do, and some do to a problematic level.
“We’re talking, allegedly, thousands of bets. Right now, it is really just that he was gambling on different sports, which the NCAA prohibits in most cases. The particular problem would be back in 2022, he’s allegedly gambled on his own Indiana Hoosier team… The NCAA has a clear line that says you can’t bet on your own teams. So in 2023, they put a rule in that would be permanent banishment; you’d lose your college eligibility if you do that. This took place in 2022. We’ll see how that plays out. There’s a lot of stuff.”
Sorsby was a big-time name in the transfer portal this season after playing at Cincinnati, as Texas Tech had to fight with other big programs to land him. He threw for 2,800 yards and 27 touchdowns with only 5 interceptions across 12 games last season, while also adding 580 rushing yards and 9 scores on the ground. His performance earned him a No. 10 national ranking in the PFSN College Football QB Impact Metric with a score of 88.2.
There is no timetable for Sorsby’s return, and Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said in a statement that their primary focus is on the quarterback as a person. McGuire also said Texas Tech “is behind Brendan as he prioritizes his health.”
While Sorsby’s return to Texas Tech is in discussion, Wetzel said it might not even happen.
“But generally speaking, I’m going to expect that Brendan Sorsby is not going to play NCAA football again,” Wetzel said. “He might play at the NAIA level, he might go to the NFL. I don’t know what he would try to do. But it’s certainly a very big scandal. It’s important for Texas Tech next season. It’s a sad story of a kid with a young man with a ton of potential who’s going to be paid $4 or $5 million this year, reportedly to play for Texas Tech. And he gambled it all away using sports betting.”
Even ESPN insider Pete Thamel later said on “The College GameDay Podcast” that a return to Texas Tech seems unlikely. If Sorsby is unable to come back, it will surely be a huge blow as Texas Tech prepares to open the 2026 season on Sept. 5 against Abilene Christian.
