Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby “broke all the rules” in a gambling scandal that allegedly included $90,000 in bets on college athletics over a four-year period, prompting the NCAA to rule him ineligible for the 2026 season.
However, a judge in Lubbock County (Texas) Court granted Sorsby a temporary injunction, clearing him to play in 2026 and instantly vaulting the Red Raiders back into the national championship conversation.
CBS Sports college football analyst Cooper Petagna, who ranked Sorsby as the No. 2 overall player in the 2026 college football transfer portal rankings, breaks down exactly what Sorsby’s ruling means for Texas Tech this season and how the addition completes one of the sport’s most aggressive hauls ever.
Sorsby threw for 2,800 yards and 27 touchdowns with just five interceptions while adding 580 rushing yards and nine scores for Cincinnati last season, earning All-Big 12 honors.
Texas Tech is reportedly set to pay him north of $5 million in NIL for the 2026 season, making him the crown jewel of a Red Raiders transfer class ranked No. 6 nationally. Their class also features the nation’s No. 1 defensive lineman Mateen Ibirogba and No. 2 linebacker Austin Romaine.
Texas Tech slipped to No. 12 in CBS Sports’ preseason rankings amid Sorsby’s eligibility concerns, but the Red Raiders are a bona fide top five team with him under center.
