Texas Tech's Brendan Sorsby opts for NFL after Big 12 pressure on offense, PR drama

After a seven-day court battle, Brendan Sorsby has decided not to play college football this season at Texas Tech.

The ruling comes on the same day the Big 12 filed a lawsuit in Texas federal court that sought to be given the power to punish Texas Tech for playing a quarterback this season, even when the NCAA ruled he was ineligible to play.

For the past three months, Sorsby has been involved in an NCAA investigation tied to thousands of bets placed during his college career, many of which came while he was on Indiana's roster. This bet was flagged by law enforcement, and they forwarded it to the NCAA.

Big 12 files against Texas Tech seeking court approval to approve Brendan Sorsby

In the past few weeks, Sorsby filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in the Lubbock district court, where an order was given that would allow him to be eligible this season for the Red Raiders. Then came the backlash in college athletics, with the Big 12 conference looking for ways to punish Texas Tech.

That case against Sorsby is expected to be dismissed Tuesday morning, sources tell OutKick. The school will continue to support the quarterback in his off-field battle with gambling addiction.

Also, Texas Tech officials will not seek a refund of the money already paid to Sorsby, with sources noting that the quarterback has already taken in the bulk of the income.

The chairman of the Board of Regents, Cody Campbell, issued a statement Monday night, confirming these details.

“Texas Tech will not seek the return of any monies already paid to Brendan for his NIL agreements with the University,” Campbell noted.

This quickly got out of control for the Red Raiders

The sad part for everyone involved is how far Texas Tech went out of their way to get him on the field this season. Last week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to Big 12 officials, warning them that if the conference punishes the school for playing Sorsby, the state will take them to court.

Then came a scathing letter from Sorsby's attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, who also threatened to sue the Big 12 conference, on behalf of Texas Tech, if any sanctions were handed down by the conference.

Quarterback Brendan Sorsby of the Cincinnati Bearcats speaks to the media during Big 12 Media Days at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, on July 8, 2025. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

To make matters worse, Texas Tech officials released a 21-minute video last week, in which they went through some of the equipment Sorsby was placed on when he was given the order.

The video was apparently not well received, and Texas Tech officials endured a lot of backlash from opposing conference leaders from across the Big 12.

After the Big 12 filed a lawsuit, the pressure is on for Sorsby and Texas Tech

In the past 24 hours, the conversation has changed within Lubbock, as the school learned that Big 12 officials were preparing to file a federal lawsuit against Sorsby.

Those inside Sorsby's circle were beginning to feel the pressure to continue to include his name in the NFL Supplemental draft, and not have to deal with the intense pressure that wasn't going away anytime soon.

“I don't know why they would try to justify this last week, it just makes sense. The heat the guy was getting, and what was to come, wasn't worth the suffering,” the Power Four's sports director told OutKIck. “Texas Tech should have made this decision on its own when it first faced the NCAA. This is the reason why we have language in the rev-share and NIL contracts that also relate to the NCAA rules.

“If the school knows the rules have been broken, that should be the end of the conversation.”

Brendan Sorsby of the Cincinnati Bearcats watches before the game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, Nov. 1, 2025. (Bryan Byerly/ISI Pictures)

BRENDAN SORSBY ADMITS TO BETTING NEARLY $90,000 DURING COLLEGE CAREER AS NCAA BATTLE CONTINUES

In fact, Texas Tech has overplayed its hand in this, and the past few days including Cody Campbell making an appearance on the Dan Dakich show and trying to compare the situation to the fall of Penn State and Jerry Sandusky have made this even worse.

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Now, for all the damage this has caused in the last few weeks, Sorsby will move on to a professional career. In the meantime, Texas Tech will do whatever it takes to mend any kind of broken relationship within the Big 12 caused by this.

For Brendan Sorsby, the focus will be on his ongoing battle with gambling addiction, while preparing for life outside of college football.