Former Indiana, Cincinnati and Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is accepting the consequences for his gambling problems and will sit out both the collegiate and NFL seasons in 2026.
After his effort to join the NFL in a supplemental draft this summer failed, Sorsby will not seek litigation against the NFL and will be eligible for the 2027 NFL Draft, per CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones. The league won’t punish Sorsby further for his known gambling conduct on top of what’s unofficially a one-year suspension from football. Per the settlement between the NFL, the NFL Players’ Association and Sorsby, he will be allowed to take part in the Senior Bowl, pro day and team visits in the lead up to the 2027 like any other draft-eligible prospect, per ESPN.
Sorsby released the following statement on the decision:
“There has been a lot of news about me out there, and I want to share this statement to make sure things are clear. I accept 100% responsibility for my actions. I did not have control of my gambling problem, and it took getting caught for me to realize that, but it was truly the best thing that could’ve happened to me. Because of this, I have been able to get the help I need and fully focus on my recovery.
“The news about the supplemental draft changes nothing about my recovery journey. I will continue to take it one day at a time. Focusing on making myself better throughout this process and making sure to share what I have learned and will continue to learn with others going forward. I am fully committed to being the best version of myself that I can be while getting ready for the 2027 draft. God makes no mistakes, and I look forward to seeing the good that is to come from this.”
Sorsby’s 2026 has been a winding road to lead up to this decision. He transferred to Texas Tech as the transfer portal’s No. 2 overall prospect, per 247 Sports on Jan. 4, after earning first-team All-Big 12 honors at Cincinnati in 2025, thanks to leading the conference in passer efficiency rating (155.1). The NCAA then alerted Texas Tech of Sorsby’s gambling activity on April 14, which led to the quarterback entering a gambling rehab facility in Arizona on April 27. He then filed for his collegiate reinstatement on May 18 after being ruled ineligible by the NCAA for thousands of bets placed during his four-year college football career. On June 8, he found a Texas judge willing to grant him an injunction to the NCAA’s decision to make him ineligible, which appeared to clear a path for him to play for Texas Tech in 2026. Sorsby then decided to walk away from his college career to join the NFL via a supplemental draft this summer, after the Big 12 pursued legal action against him and Texas Tech on June 15.
CBS Sports NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson views Sorsby as a potential first-round talent, and he now has a year to prove his worth through a year of training on his own while staying squeaky clean off the field.
