Brendan Sorsby’s fight with the law has finally ended. On Monday night, reports surfaced that Texas Tech and the QB had mutually agreed to part ways, ending one of the wildest college football off-field eligibility sagas. However, just about a couple of hours before the split became public, a former Alabama star and ex-NFL running back was already voicing locker room trust concerns. 

“How can you trust somebody?” Trent Richardson said on THE DYNASTY: A Podcast on the Alabama Crimson Tide, questioning whether a player who bets on his own school can ever regain the confidence of teammates. “And this is no hatred to the kid. I hope he lives life like how he wants to live. But at the same time, you got to be real about the situation. It’s people coming out saying that he didn’t kill nobody; that’s crazy.”

Trent Richardson pointed to the sacrifices players make every year, from summer workouts and endless practices to surgeries and rehab sessions. He argued that gambling introduces doubt into a locker room where trust is supposed to be absolute. 

“You telling me that you’re betting on the game,” he said. “We don’t know if you’re betting on losing and winning. At the end of the day, I cannot put my career on the line for you and put it in your hands. I don’t know if I’m gonna get the full potential because you’re not matching my intensity because when I’m sitting there giving my all, you’re betting.”

It’s a harsh stance. But it shows why Brendan Sorsby’s situation became so controversial. 

The QB admitted to placing about 2,900 sports bets totaling more than $30,000 over four years. Among those wagers were bets involving Indiana during his time with the Hoosiers. Later, after transferring from Cincinnati to Texas Tech on an NIL package reportedly worth at least $5 million, Brendan Sorsby fought to restore his eligibility through the courts after the NCAA declined to reinstate him.

For a moment, it appeared he had won when Judge Ken Curry granted a temporary injunction that blocked the NCAA from enforcing a permanent ban. But that ruling led to an NCAA appeal, followed by the Big 12 filing a lawsuit against Texas Tech and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as they sought confirmation that it could independently discipline the Red Raiders under conference rules. That’s why Texas Tech Board of Regents Chairman Cody Campbell explained why separation became unavoidable.

“This decision was made with Brendan and his family and is purely an output of practical analysis of the situation,” he wrote in a statement on Monday. “Brendan and Texas Tech stand on very solid and legitimate legal ground, but he faces a June 22 deadline to be eligible to enter the NFL’s supplemental draft, and there is no practical way to resolve all the various pending legal disputes and ensure his eligibility prior to this date.”

Nobody wanted to keep fighting a battle against the calendar. And with the college chapter now closed, Brendan Sorsby’s attention turns toward the NFL.

Brendan Sorsby’s next focus is the NFL Supplemental Draft

Brendan Sorsby’s departure leaves Texas Tech backup Will Hammond in position to take over the Red Raiders’ offense in 2026. Now, as Sorsby looks ahead, he might be able to prevent a dormant season if an NFL team can pick him during the supplemental draft.

ESPN draft analyst Field Yates noted that if he had enjoyed a strong 2026 season at Texas Tech, he could have positioned himself as a legitimate first-round prospect in the 2027 NFL Draft.

“Each NFL team is going to have a different evaluation of how much this gambling scandal that has led to all of this impacts the outlook for Brendan Sorsby,” he said in his latest video posted on X. “Make no mistake about it. This guy’s legit. He had a chance to go into the top 10 picks if things broke really right during his time at Texas Tech.”

That’s why any team considering him will have to weigh in on the pros and cons of selecting him. Teams that could welcome another QB include the New York Jets, the Cleveland Browns, and the Arizona Cardinals. It remains to be seen if this month will sort out Brendan Sorsby’s football path for the 2026 season.