Sorsby's Chances to Play in 2026 Dealt Another Blow

We’re still about a month away from the start of training camps for most NFL teams and about two and a half months from the start of the regular season. The offseason tends to bring stories about occasional trades or moves made by teams. Those can include extensions, releases or in some cases, off the field incidents or brushes with law enforcement.

Then, every once in a while, you run into a situation like the one that Brendan Sorsby dealt with this offseason. Sorsby transferred from Cincinnati to Texas Tech in the offseason, reportedly getting a $5 million NIL deal. The expectation for the Red Raiders was that they’d take the Big 12 and return to the College Football Playoff. Instead, the wheels fell off for him and his career, at least for 2026, is in limbo. Let’s look at what unfolded.

The Brendan Sorsby Timeline

Texas Tech

Sorsby committed to transfer to Texas Tech on January 4, 2026. The report was that he received a $5 million NIL deal. He was the #1 transfer quarterback in the portal and with Behren Morton graduating, the Red Raiders needed a quarterback.

In late April, Sorsby and the school announced that he was entering an inpatient rehab facility to deal with a gambling addiction. He also was being treated for an anxiety issue. Meanwhile, the NCAA was investigating his betting history. They eventually ruled that Sorsby, much like Hunter Dekkers at Iowa State a few years ago, was ineligible to play going forward.

Sorsby hired Jeffrey Kessler and filed an antitrust suit against the NCAA. He sought an injunction to grant him eligibility for 2026 in mid-May. Meanwhile, in late May, the NCAA denied his request for reinstatement, ruling him permanently ineligible.

In the Courts

Earlier this month, Judge Ken Curry granted a temporary injunction that made Sorsby eligible for this season. Red Raiders fans rejoiced while the rest of the Big 12 were aggravated by the decision, to the point of discussing canceling games with the Red Raiders or filing a suit of their own. Meanwhile, the NCAA filed an expedited appeal of the ruling, hoping to get the injunction overturned. With the backlash from the rest of the conference and the possibility of the NCAA getting the ruling overturned, Sorsby pivoted again.

The Next Phase

Sorsby made the choice to leave Texas Tech for the pros. He put his name in for the supplemental draft a few days before the deadline to declare. The expectation was that teams would have interest. That came to a screeching halt this week when the NFL announced that they weren’t holding a supplemental draft. The league stated that it made the decision because the Sorsby situation would prove to be a distraction to teams with training camps starting up soon.

Kessler stated that the league’s decision is a violation of the law and the league’s collective bargaining agreement. They planned on taking the matter up with the NFLPA, though it’s unclear if anything will come of it.

What’s Next?

That’s currently up for debate. One thing that we learned Friday is that not only is the NFL not on the table in 2026, the border is closed. It was announced that the CFL is not allowing any of its teams to sign Sorsby. In addition, he cannot be added to their negotiation lists. While he hadn’t spoken of playing in the CFL, that card was taken out of the deck before he had a chance to consider it.

For the moment, Sorsby’s status is similar to a reply on a magic 8-ball: “Reply hazy…try again later.”