Brendan Sorsby takes leave from Texas Tech football for gambling addiction help
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This story has been updated with more information. Check back for additional updates.
Quarterback Brendan Sorsby will take an immediate and indefinite leave of absence from the Texas Tech football program to enter a residential treatment program for a gambling addiction. The Tech athletics department made the announcement on Monday, April 27.
"Texas Tech is committed to supporting Brendan through his recovery process and to ensure his long-term health and well-being," Tech's announcement said.
"We love Brendan and support his decision to seek professional help," Tech coach Joey McGuire said. "Taking this step requires courage, and our primary focus is on him as a person. Our program is behind Brendan as he prioritizes his health."
Simultaneously with Tech's announcement, ESPN reported that Sorsby is under investigation by the NCAA "in the wake of the discovery of Sorsby making thousands of online bets on a variety of sports via a gambling app, which jeopardizes his eligibility with Texas Tech."
Tech's announcement said the department's "primary focus remains on fostering an environment where student-athletes feel empowered to prioritize their mental health and seek professional assistance.
"To protect the integrity of the recovery process, Texas Tech will have no further comment on Brendan’s status or treatment progress at this time. We kindly ask the media and the public to respect the privacy of Brendan and his family."
NCAA rules prohibit its athletes betting on college or pro sports. ESPN's report, citing unnamed sources, said Sorsby bet on Indiana football in 2022, when he redshirted for the Hoosiers as a true freshman and played in one game.
"The bets in 2022, according to sources, were on Indiana to win and none came in a game in which Sorsby appeared," ESPN's Pete Thamel reported. The report also said, "Sorsby's gambling has not drawn the attention of law enforcement, according to sources, nor has he been linked to anyone attempting to influence the outcome of a game."
According to amended NCAA guidelines released in 2023, athletes who wager on their own games or on other sports at their own school are subject to "permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports."
Sorsby is a 6-foot-3, 235-pound senior from Corinth Lake Dallas. He played for Indiana in the 2022 and 2023 seasons and for Cincinnati in the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
As the Cincinnati starter in 2024, he passed for 2,813 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushed for 447 yards and 9 TDs. In 2025, he passed for 2,800 yards and 27 TDs and rushed for 580 yards and 9 TDs.
He transferred to Tech in January. Cincinnati subsequently filed suit, alleging Sorsby broke a multi-season revenue-sharing agreement with the university and owes a $1 million buyout.
Asked by the Avalanche-Journal on March 5 about progress toward a resolution, Sorsby said, "I've got a bunch of people handling that right now, so I'm really just focused on what's going on here. Don't really have anything for you on that, but I've got some people working on it."
Sorsby practiced with the Red Raiders throughout spring football and threw four touchdown passes in the spring game on April 18.
The developments could put Tech, in effect, having to begin next season with its No. 3 quarterback. In September, the NCAA announced it was moving to a single transfer-portal window. That was in January, and the spring portal window was eliminated.
McGuire said in late March that Will Hammond, in a best-case scenario, would return in week 3 of the season. Hammond's recovering from season-ending ACL surgery. At the same time, McGuire said Tulsa transfer Kirk Francis was ahead of redshirt freshman Lloyd Jones III.
"Kirk's played," McGuire said, "so he's processing stuff at a little bit different level just because he's played college football."
Francis, a 6-2, 200-pound junior, passed for 3,045 yards and 18 touchdowns in 18 career games with Tulsa after starting his career as a walk-on.
His best season came in 2024 when he completed 149 of 253 passes for 1,585 yards with 9 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Staying in the four-game redshirt window in 2023, he threw for 967 yards and 6 TDs, and in 2025 he passed for 493 yards and 3 TDs with 4 interceptions.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Brendan Sorsby takes leave from Texas Tech football for addiction help
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