Brendan Sorsby has now become a former Red Raider, but Texas Tech is still taking hits for supporting the standout $5M QB. The QB had placed over 9000 impermissible sports wagers, starting from his time at Indiana. However, it was only the Red Raiders who were facing the scrutiny. But with Sorsby’s agent, Ron Slavin, stepping in and bringing some light to how Cincinnati also needed to be blamed, things could change.

“If anybody should be questioned or catching heat, it should be Cincinnati,” said Slavin via 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. “Because they knew for two years and never said anything or didn’t do anything about it. That’s the part of the story that gets lost.”

Before transferring to Texas Tech, Sorsby spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons with the Bearcats. It was before the start of the 2025 season, Cincinnati was notified via ProhiBet, a platform used by Big 12 programs to track if students had signed up for betting platforms or placed prohibited wagers, that Sorsby had attempted to log into betting, but due to a lack of evidence, he was cleared to play. Even before the start of the 2025 season, the program was informed, as per USA Today’s report. Despite that, the Bearcats allowed Brendan Sorsby to appear in all 12 games as a starter.

That now places Cincinnati under intense scrutiny. On the flip side, Texas Tech gained praise from Sorsby’s agent for their support. “The people at Tech have been great, very supportive,” said Slavin. “Joey McGuire, I think, is one of the best human beings on the planet. A lot of head coaches are transactional. He is not. They didn’t do anything wrong here.”

Following his 2025 breakout season, where he threw for 2,800 passing yards and had 580 rushing yards to his name, Texas Tech secured Sorsby through the portal, expecting this level of production. After the Red Raiders won the Big 12 title for the first time since 1994, they fell short in the CFP quarterfinals, losing to Oregon due to the quarterback’s struggles. This is why the addition of Sorsby was instrumental to their success going forward.

However, shortly after he arrived in Lubbock, the QB’s gambling history came to light, which led to an investigation from the NCAA. While his violation of the NCAA’s strict sports wagering rule resulted in a permanent ban on his college eligibility, the Texas court granted a temporary injunction. This sparked outrage, as allowing Brendan Sorsby after his admission of 40 bets on his own team, Indiana, as a redshirt freshman was viewed as unfair to competitive integrity.

But Texas Tech treated Brendan Sorsby’s gambling addiction as a medical issue. Even the program’s AD stepped in to shut down criticism about the QB. That’s why Big 12 leaders and several powerhouses like Michigan, Georgia, and Nebraska planned to boycott Texas Tech. However, to Slavin, Texas Tech has done nothing wrong. Yet, Sorsby will not play for them for the 2026 season.

Brendan Sorsby parted ways with Texas Tech

Following a long legal battle with the NCAA, Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby ultimately decided to leave Texas Tech and enter the 2026 NFL supplemental draft. However, the battle to get back to football is still long for Sorsby.

“He could say he plans to be in the supplemental draft, but the NFL still has to sign off on a supplemental draft, and that decision is up to the commissioner,” said ESPN’s Adam Schefter via The Pat McAfee Show. “It is within his jurisdiction to decide whether or not there would be a supplemental draft this year.”

The major question is which team will agree to spend its 2027 draft pick on Sorsby. Then, the NFL’s various bans related to violations of betting can’t be overlooked.

“If he wanted to apply to the NFL for the supplemental draft, folks I talked to believe he would not be approved,” stated CBS’ Jonathan Jones in April 2026. “So the supplemental draft seems like an extremely unlikely pathway this summer. And here’s why: The NFL is obviously very hard on those who gamble on NFL games.”

Now, it’s a waiting game for the former Texas Tech QB, who will be hoping his entry is accepted into the Supplemental Draft, so that he can at least have a chance at resuming his football career.