Report: Texas Tech Quarterback Brendan Sorsby to Enter Gambling Addiction Program

There was some sad news that could affect next football season’s Big 12 title picture that broke Monday.

Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is checking into a treatment program for gambling addiction, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Sorsby transferred from Cincinnati to Tech this offseason, with 247Sports labeling him as the No. 2 player in all of the transfer portal.

According to Thamel’s reporting, Sorsby seeking treatment came after it was discovered he made thousands of online bets on a variety of sports, jeopardizing his eligibility in Lubbock.

Sorsby bet on Indiana while he was redshirting with the Hoosiers in 2022, according to Thamel, with the bet reportedly being on Indiana to win and none came in a game Sorsby played in. According to amended NCAA guidelines that came out in 2023, “student-athletes who wager on their own games or on other sports at their own schools” face “permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports.”

The NCAA is investigating, according to Thamel.

It’s a sad deal that has unfortunately become more prominent as gambling laws have loosened and advertising for different methods have skyrocketed.

“We love Brendan and support his decision to seek professional help,” Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire told ESPN. “Taking this step requires courage, and our primary focus is on him as a person. Our program is behind Brendan as he prioritizes his health.”

The Red Raiders were (and potentially still will be) the favorites to win a second consecutive Big 12 title, but with Sorsby’s future up in the air, it definitely opens up that race a bit more. ESPN reported that Sorsby was set to make more than $5 million this season at Texas Tech.

After redshirting as a Hoosier in 2022, Sorsby played 10 games for Indiana in 2023, completing 57% of his passes for 1,587 yards, 15 touchdowns and five picks.

He then transferred to Cincy, starting two seasons for the Bearcats. In those two seasons, he completed 63% of his passes for 5,613 yards, 45 touchdowns and 12 INTs.

With no second portal window, if Sorsby isn’t able to play next season, Tech’s starting role would likely fall to redshirt sophomore Will Hammond. Hammond tore his ACL in October, but while filling in for an injured Behren Morton as a freshman, Hammond completed 63% of his 109 pass attempts for 680 yards, seven scored and three INTs.