Will the NCAA Make an Example Out of Brendan Sorsby?

The NCAA is set up for arguably its biggest decision in decades when it comes to what to do with Brendan Sorsby and Texas Tech.

Sorsby entered treatment for a gambling addiction following multiple reports of the Cincinnati transfer placing “thousands” of bets in recent seasons, including while at Indiana in 2022. Texas Tech announced Sorsby is taking an “indefinite leave of absence” earlier this week, and it’s unclear what comes next.

Sorsby reportedly signed a $5 million deal with Texas Tech before the NCAA’s investigation went public this week.

What Can the NCAA Do?

The NCAA’s gambling protocol includes a “permanent loss of all remaining eligibility,” according to the association’s bylaws. Sorsby, a fifth-year senior, could ultimately lose his final season of college football.

The current policy says that players wagering on their own sport, regardless of what school they’re betting on, will lose “as much as 50% of a season of eligibility.”

In October 2025, the NCAA’s Division I Administrative Committee proposed permitting student-athletes and athletics staff to bet on pro sports.

In recent seasons, the NCAA hasn’t exactly brought down the hammer on violations period.

• Michigan football (2025): For the sign-stealing violations, the program received no postseason ban or vacated wins; Jim Harbaugh, now the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL, can’t coach at the college level for 10 years; Sherrone Moore, no longer head coach at Michigan, missed four games.

• Kansas basketball (2023): A multi-year NCAA probe into Kansas resulted in minimal penalties and no postseason ban. Head coach Bill Self and assistant coach Kurtis Townsend were suspended for four games.

• Tennessee football (2023): The NCAA penalized the school for over 200 violations, including cash payments, under former coach Jeremy Pruitt. Tennessee ultimately fired Pruitt, and the program received five years of probation, as well as 28 scholarship reductions over that same term.

In Sorsby’s case, the NCAA could very well hand down the end of his career and set the tone for gambling in college sports. It’d be the association’s toughest message in a while, and would certainly be a headline to remember.

But it won’t be the final issue, either. Gambling is already plastered across the college sports world, and the Big 12 is directly implicated now with Arizona’s home stadium becoming “Casino Del Sol Stadium” in a 20-year, $60 million deal.

Ironic, right?

What’s Next for Texas Tech?

In recent days, the Will Hammond question has become paramount for the Texas Tech faithful, who previously set their hopes on the five-star transfer Sorsby to take the reins next season. Hammond flashed between Behren Morton’s absences and proved himself plenty capable at the position.

Outside of Hammond, who completed 69 attempts for 680 yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions, the Red Raiders have a handful of options beyond their two most-experienced returners. Redshirt freshmen Lloyd Jones III and Holden Phillips each return to the room with light touches but a sense of offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich’s system.

It’s hard to think Texas Tech won’t bat for Sorsby throughout this process, but how much can they realistically do? Football season’s a ways out, but we all know how long these scandals drag out, especially if legal action is taken.