NCAA reportedly denies Texas Tech’s appeal to reinstate QB Brendan Sorsby
By David Wasson
Published:
Brendan Sorsby’s hopes of playing college football in 2026 continue to evaporate, as an eligibility appeal filed by Texas Tech has been reportedly denied.
ESPN reported early Sunday morning that the NCAA denied Texas Tech’s appeal for Sorsby, who was ruled ineligible after he acknowledged gambling on sports – including on his own team while a reserve at Indiana. The Texas Tech appeal is separate from Sorsby’s lawsuit against the NCAA related to the same issue.
Court documents indicate that Sorsby placed at least 40 bets involving Indiana football as a quarterback for the Hoosiers and wagered approximately $90,000 over four years – including after transferring from Cincinnati to Texas Tech. Sorsby has been diagnosed with a gambling and anxiety disorder and his attorneys say he recently completed a 35-day stint in an Arizona gambling rehabilitation center.
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Sorsby started for two seasons at Cincinnati and previously played for the Hoosiers in 2022-23. The NCAA ruling denying Texas Tech’s claim came as the quarterback is still awaiting a ruling from a Texas judge filed in May seeking a temporary injunction to play in Lubbock in 2026.
Texas Tech ruled Sorsby ineligible May 18, the same day he filed his lawsuit, in order to pursue a request for his reinstatement that was submitted to the NCAA the following day. That reinstatement was denied May 22.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
