Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby has officially been granted eligibility for the upcoming 2026-2027 college football season, despite having his request for reinstatement previously denied by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Sorsby had admitted to placing over 9,000 wagers during his time at Indiana University and Cincinnati, totaling at least $90,000 in bets and including wagers placed on Indiana while he redshirted for the school.
Lubbock County District Judge Ken Curry granted Sorsby a temporary injunction against the NCAA on June 8, even after the collegiate organization officially denied his potential eligibility on May 26.
According to Curry, the NCAA cannot prohibit Sorsby from "practicing, playing or otherwise participating on Texas Tech's football team for the 2026 season."
Curry also believes Sorsby "demonstrated that he will suffer a probable, imminent and irreparable injury if this Court does not issue this temporary injunction because he will be unable to participate as a member of Texas Tech University's 2026 Football season."
In response to the ruling, the NCAA released a public statement, having said: "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."
As part of Curry’s decision, Sorsby will be forced to serve a two-game suspension prior to returning to play for Texas Tech, representing the same penalty his legal team had first suggested to the NCAA.
Sorsby hired antitrust attorney Jeffrey Kessler on May 4 in an attempt to maintain his eligibility, with Kessler having served as the lead attorney in the House vs. NCAA case which eventually led to revenue sharing in collegiate athletics after receiving approval in June 2025.
Kessler released his own statement following the ruling as well: “It is a just result. Brendan gets to devote himself to his team and the education of athletes on the dangers of gambling addiction.
“He will continue his treatment, miss two games and there is no injury to the competitive integrity of the NCAA. It is what we proposed and what the NCAA should have accepted had it been true to its promises to prioritize the welfare of athletes.”
Sorsby took a leave of absence from Texas Tech while under investigation by the NCAA and recently completed a gambling addiction treatment program.
Federal Judge Tanya Walton Pratt denied the NCAA’s motion for a temporary restraining order against DraftKings on March 27, which looked to prohibit the operator from using terms related to March Madness
