Just when Joey McGuire thought his team was running smoothly, his QB room took a hit. After a playoff berth last year, Texas Tech was all set to make an impact with Brendan Sorsby this year, but his addiction woes turned every hope upside down. Amidst the chaos, one of their former QBs has stepped up to offer his support.

QB Alan Bowman, who played college football for the team and is now turning heads in the UFL’s team, San Antonio Brahmas, posted a picture carousel of his time at Texas Tech, wearing their jersey, and put a caption saying, “I’m free next fall.” Bowman knows a thing or two about West Texas pressure. Even though his seventh-year college eligibility is long gone, the Brahmas gunslinger floating a tongue-in-cheek return on social media proves one thing. The Red Raider brotherhood sees the crisis unfolding in Lubbock, and they are rallying around McGuire.

Texas Tech football faces a serious problem after quarterback Brendan Sorsby left the team for treatment. He joined a residential program to deal with a gambling addiction, which includes placing thousands of bets on different sports. Sorsby was expected to be the team’s main quarterback after transferring from Cincinnati, which, of course, isn’t happening now.

Coaches and fans saw him as an important player who could help Texas Tech reach a College Football Playoff run. But now, his future for the 2026 season is unclear, which creates a big issue for the team. Reports said that Sorsby placed bets on college and professional sports, with more than 10,000 bets since 2022.

He also bet on Indiana games when he was a freshman and on professional baseball games like the Cincinnati Reds. The NCAA rarely shows leniency when sports wagering crosses over into college athletics. A situation like this almost guarantees a heavy suspension, leaving a massive void on the roster. Yet, rather than throwing his prized transfer under the bus, McGuire chose empathy over football.

“We love Brendan and support his decision to seek professional help,” 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.”

Now, Bowman might have put it up to ease some stress off Joey McGuire’s shoulders, but the reality of their QB room is really dark. Joey McGuire’s fate took another hard turn after Brendan Sorsby’s move to a residential treatment program. After that, the team thought they would move to Will Hammond, but things took a hard turn there, too. Hammond himself is recovering from an ACL injury.

That grace from the head coach doesn’t solve the immediate nightmare he’s facing on the depth chart. Losing a starting-caliber transfer is tough enough, but McGuire’s backup plan was already on crutches before the gambling news even broke out. Talking about the situation, ESPN analyst Pete Thamel explains the pressure McGuire and the team are facing right now.

“The earliest Will Hammond is expected to be back is Week 3, when they play Houston in a game Cody Campbell is unhappy is being played on a Friday night,” Thamel said. “Joey McGuire said about a month ago. That’s the best-case scenario for Will Hammond’s return.”

Will Hammond showed a lot of promise before his injury. He played very well in a big 34-10 win against Utah and became an important part of the team. Last season, even with limited playing time, he threw for 680 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. He also ran for 299 yards and scored 5 rushing touchdowns.

Because of his injury, Texas Tech now has to look at other quarterback options. One is redshirt freshman Lloyd Jones III, who played very little but was efficient, completing 4 of 5 passes for 2 touchdowns. Another option is Kirk Francis, an experienced player who threw for 493 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions during his time at Tulsa. But this is not the first time any team has faced such a problem.

Joey McGuire’s team faces a similar situation to Iowa State’s

The NCAA has already taken strong action in real gambling cases linked to college football programs. One example is the Iowa State case, where five current or former football staff members were punished for making more than 6,200 online bets worth over $100,000 last year. These bets included both college and professional games, and some even involved Iowa State teams. The NCAA said this broke betting rules and hurt the fairness of college sports.

All five staff members admitted they were wrong and accepted punishment. They got a one-year “show-cause” order, which means if any school wants to hire them during that time, it must follow strict NCAA conditions like extra checks, training, and possible suspension.

The NCAA also called these actions Level II violations, which are serious offenses. It shows that even staff members, not just players, can face strong penalties if they break gambling rules. One staff member, Jace Heacock, made 787 bets worth about $55,359. Another staff member, Chase Clark, placed 2,305 bets worth around $18,676, and some of these bets were on Iowa State basketball games.

Michael Dryer also broke the rules. He made 1,182 bets totaling about $11,536, including bets on college basketball. Kyle Highland placed 509 bets worth about $6,365. Mason Williams made 1,455 bets totaling around $11,679.

Because of examples like this, people are closely watching similar situations in college football today. Texas Tech is now dealing with its own gambling-related issue, and it is still unclear how things will turn out for the program going forward.