Brendan Sorsby has brought Texas Tech a great deal of scrutiny. First, the program pulled out all the stops to support its QB1 in his reinstatement battle because it viewed him as a key piece of its championship aspirations. Then came the controversy itself: his gambling-related issues. Although Sorsby will not play for the Red Raiders and instead plans to enter the professional ranks, Texas Tech continues to face backlash. Several Big 12 athletic directors and programs have already boycotted the school, while the conference has taken legal action. Now, a Big Ten team is reportedly joining the growing list of programs refusing to compete against Texas Tech.

Michigan canceled its upcoming women’s volleyball match against the Red Raiders as part of an athletic boycott sparked by the 22-year-old’s court ruling, as reported by Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger on June 16. He also mentioned that Michigan’s athletic officials plan to hold meetings to discuss prohibiting all future contests against Texas Tech. In other words, the department is considering a scheduling ban against the Red Raiders, similar to those implemented by Georgia and Nebraska.

While Sorsby filed a lawsuit against the NCAA to restore his eligibility and obtained a temporary injunction, his violation of the organization’s strict sports-wagering rules sparked outrage. The primary concern was that allowing Sorsby to compete after he admitted to placing 40 impermissible bets on his own team, Indiana, in 2022, would jeopardize the competitive integrity of college sports.

Even Georgia AD Josh Brooks pointed to the threat to competitive fairness if the Texas Tech quarterback were allowed to take the field. Meanwhile, Kansas State AD Gene Taylor said he would rather accept a forfeit loss than play against an ineligible opponent. However, opposition to Sorsby’s ruling was not limited to rhetoric. On June 15, Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark filed a federal lawsuit against the Red Raiders and the Texas attorney general in an effort to enforce the conference’s bylaws and sanction the school.

“The threat that gambling poses to the integrity of athletic competition has been understood—and has been borne out by scandal—for over a century. That history informs the Conference’s values and governance practices and explains why these values are non-negotiable,” read the complaint, as reported by Yahoo Sports.

“In an industry that rarely agrees on anything, there is finally an issue that everyone seems to agree on (other than TTU and the Attorney General): universities should not field players who have bet on their own team’s games in college athletics.”

This legal action and the continued backlash ultimately pushed Brendan Sorsby to part ways with Texas Tech. However, that does not mean programs like Michigan will reconsider their department-wide scheduling ban, especially when Oregon State is reportedly considering paying a fee to cancel or replace its September game against Texas Tech, according to a report by The Oregonian.

In short, treating Sorsby’s problem as a medical issue and supporting him for personal growth now has cost Texas Tech big. However, is Sorsby’s football journey certain?

What’s next for Brendan Sorsby

The quarterback has decided to enter the 2026 NFL Supplemental Draft, but he still requires approval from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to enter the draft pool. Moreover, his reported wagers totaling more than 9,000 could be a major concern for NFL teams. More importantly, which franchise will be willing to spend a 2027 draft pick on a player with a gambling history? That’s the big question.

“If he wanted to apply to the NFL for the supplemental draft, folks I talked to believe he would not be approved,” CBS’ Jonathan Jones said in April 2026. “So the supplemental draft seems like an extremely unlikely pathway this summer. And here’s why: The NFL is obviously very hard on those who gamble on NFL games. If you are in the NFL and you do bet on your team, win or lose, you are banned for a minimum of two years. That’s how seriously the league takes this.”

Despite that, Sorsby’s talent, which was on full display during his breakout 2025 season at Cincinnati, cannot be overlooked. Given that, a quarterback-needy team could take a chance on the former Texas Tech signal-caller. Still, nothing has been finalized yet. However, Texas Tech will not seek a refund of the NIL money paid to him, and his legal team has confirmed that the lawsuit against the NCAA has been dropped.