The NCAA has denied Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s request for reinstatement this season, according to a Tuesday report from Pete Thamel of ESPN.
Sorsby was previously ruled permanently ineligible by the NCAA following investigations of his gambling activity, which included him betting on Indiana football games while a member of the Hoosiers’ program in 2022.
Texas Tech president Lawrence Schovanec sent a letter Tuesday sharing the school’s intention to appeal the NCAA’s decision, citing the classification of gambling addiction as a “clinically recognized behavioral disorder.”
“We believe that given the facts and the context of Brendan’s case, the NCAA’s ruling should be reversed or modified,” wrote Schovanec.
“As a generation of college athletes face the legalization and rapid proliferation of sports betting in our country, gambling addiction is rising to the point of epidemic among college-aged men in particular. The NCAA’s stated mission includes ‘fostering (student-athletes’) lifelong well-being,’ and they have claimed their goal is to promote a ‘culture of care’ for student-athletes’ mental health.”
Sorsby recently completed a 35-day in-patient rehab program to treat his gambling addiction and will return to campus in Lubbock “in the coming days,” according to Thamel.
“If I’m blessed and fortunate enough to have the opportunity to continue my college career at Texas Tech, I know I will get the support I need, including through the school’s Center for Students in Addiction Recovery,” wrote Sorsby in an Instagram post. “I am deeply sorry to everyone l’ve disappointed and am committed to the hard and necessary work ahead.”
While at Cincinnati in 2025, Sorsby threw for 2,800 yards and 27 touchdowns as an All-Big 12 Second Team selection.
