Brendan Sorsby's Eligibility Finalized For 2026 College Football Season, Injunction Granted

A verdict dropped from the judge overseeing Brendan Sorbsy's lawsuit against the NCAA to play for Texas Tech this coming season. Sorsby's injunction has been granted, and he will now look to continue his college career at Texas Tech.

ESPN's Pete Thamel noted the judge stated Sorsby would "suffer a probable, imminent and irreparable injury" if he weren't allowed to play. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports Sorsby is serving a two-game suspension as part of the injunction terms.

It was Sorsby's last-ditch effort to play on a multi-million dollar deal for the Red Raiders during his final season of eligibility. Alas, his gambling infractions weren't too much for the judge to realistically think he would win a case against the NCAA in open court to keep his playing eligibility. That benefit of the doubt was founded in the judge's eyes, and Sorsby will now play this season while the NCAA goes through another court battle.

Sorsby described part of his betting operations in a statement last month.

"I began placing small bets on the Indiana football team, typically in amounts between $5 and $50,” he wrote in a statement last month. “All of these bets were in support of Indiana. In other words, I placed bets on Indiana to win a game or score more than a certain number of points or for the quarterback to throw for more than a certain number of touchdowns or yards.”

UPDATE: The NCAA released a statement on the ruling laid out below:

"The NCAA strongly disagrees with the court’s ruling in Sorsby's case and is deeply concerned about the damaging, far-reaching and broadly destabilizing ramifications of this outcome — which undermines and corrupts the integrity of sports. The NCAA is committed to supporting student-athlete mental health but must continue to aggressively defend against actions that defraud college athletics and threaten competitive integrity, such as betting on one's own sport."

Light On The Road

Nov 29, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby (2) throws the ball during the game between the Horned Frogs and the Bearcats at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Sorsby's filing, made in district court in Lubbock County, Texas, dialed into the NCAA's "deeply hypocritical" position on gambling and a "wholesale abandonment of its obligations and duties to promote the well-being" of Sorsby. He hired big-name attorneys Jeffrey Kessler and Scott Tompsett as part of his legal team, stating he would be "irreparably harmed" if the injunction isn't granted.

That injunction is now allowing him to play while the case runs through the courts.

The NCAA's firm stance against its players betting on sanctioned sports now faces a massive court battle. Sorsby can play while this is all finalized in court. It marks the first time in the history of American college sports that a player is allowed to keep playing after admitting to betting on their own team.

"The Association's sports betting rules are clear, as are the reinstatement conditions," an NCAA statement noted last month. "When it comes to betting on one's own team, these rules must be enforced in every case for the simple reason that the integrity of the game is at risk. Every sports league has these protections in place, and the NCAA will continue to apply them equally because every student-athlete competing deserves to know they're playing a fair game."

Sorsby was Cincinnati's best player this past season and is now trying to make another statement against them in a Homecoming battle at UC in late October.

He ranked 11th nationally in ESPN QBR this past season (81.5 overall) after posting 36 total scores and 3,380 total yards.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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