Cincinnati Bearcats Athletics Reportedly Knew About Brendan Sorsby's Betting Practices Before 2025 Season

A new development.

Nov 29, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby (2) runs with the ball during the second half against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The plot thickens in Brendan Sorsby's betting practices while playing college football. USA Today's Matt Hayes reported on Monday night that the University of Cincinnati knew about Sorsby's betting practices as early as August of last year.

"The Cincinnati athletic department was alerted in August that star quarterback Brendan Sorsby was gambling before the start of the 2025 season, two people with direct knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports on Monday," Hayes wrote. "By knowing Sorsby was gambling and playing him anyway, Cincinnati could face NCAA scrutiny. Sorsby is under NCAA investigation after reportedly making 'thousands' of online bets during his career, according to ESPN.

"The penalty for wagers exceeding $200 is eligibility loss, with higher wagers receiving more severe punishment. Sorsby appeared in 12 games for Cincinnati during the 2025 season. When contacted by USA TODAY Sports on Monday, senior associate athletic director Zach Stipe released a statement saying, 'Cincinnati Athletics has no comment at this time.'"

This could end up leading to penalties for Cincinnati as well if they truly knew Sorsby broke NCAA betting rules and still played him across all 12 regular-season games last season.

ESPN's Pete Thamel dropped the initial bombshell Monday afternoon, noting Sorsby placed thousands of bets on sports while attending Indiana, specifically betting on the team to win in the 2022 season.

On3's Pete Nakos then added to the reports with knowledge that Sorsby bet on balls and strikes through live pitching wagers while attending Cincinnati Reds games as a UC student-athlete. 

If the NCAA deems these reports credible, Sorsby is likely to lose his entire final season of eligibility. 

"If a player engages in activities to influence the outcome of their own games or knowingly provides information to people in sports betting, that player will potentially face permanent loss of eligibility in all sports. That applies to players who wager on their own games or on other sports at their own school," NCAA penalty guidelines state.

This is all happening amidst a $1 million lawsuit levied against Sorsby by the university, claiming he breached his NIL contract with the school by leaving for Texas Tech.

The NCAA had no comment on the matter as of this writing, as they continue their investigation into Sorsby's betting practices. Check out more on the situation here.

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