Brendan Sorsby’s path is finally pointed in one direction.
The former Texas Tech quarterback said Tuesday that he is now locked in on the 2027 NFL Draft, closing the door on any plan to play in 2026 or keep fighting the league’s decision not to stage a supplemental draft for him. The NFL also told its 32 teams in a memo Tuesday that Sorsby will not be pursuing litigation against the league.
The memo spelled out where things stand: “For purposes of League and CBA rules, Mr. Sorsby will be considered a ‘Draft-Eligible’ player for the 2027 NFL Draft.
Mr. Sorsby will not be eligible to sign an NFL Player Contract until the completion of the 2027 NFL Draft,” the memo read.
Sorsby, in a statement to The Athletic, said he is “fully committed to being the best version of myself that I can be while getting ready for the 2027 draft.”
He also addressed the gambling issues that have put his career on pause. “I accept 100% responsibility for my actions,” Sorsby’s statement read.
“I did not have control of my gambling problem and it took getting caught for me to realize that, but it was truly the best thing that could’ve happened to me. Because of this, I have been able to get the help I need and fully focus on my recovery.”
The league, according to a source who spoke to The Athletic on condition of anonymity, has agreed not to discipline Sorsby for the prior misconduct already known. But that doesn’t mean the door is shut on further review. The source said the NFL still can investigate his conduct and can consider earlier misconduct if future violations come into play.
Sorsby, 22, has been stuck in this mess since April, when he announced an “immediate indefinite leave of absence” to enter residential treatment for a gambling addiction. The NCAA later found that he broke multiple gambling rules, including betting on his own team when he was at Indiana. That ruling made him permanently ineligible for college football, and his appeal was dismissed with prejudice on June 18.
Before that, the legal fight had already taken over the conversation. On June 15, Sorsby said he planned to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft.
The league answered by saying there would not be a supplemental draft in 2026 and pointed him toward the future instead, telling him to “focus on preparing for possible entry into the NFL through the 2027 NFL Annual Draft.” His legal team pushed back, calling the move a violation of the collective bargaining agreement and saying it would “bring this to the (NFL Players Association).”
There was also a brief court victory along the way. Earlier this month, a judge in Lubbock County, Texas, granted an injunction that would have let Sorsby play the 2026 college season after serving a two-game suspension.
But the NCAA and Big 12 challenged that ruling, and the pressure kept building. Nebraska and Georgia even told their coaches not to schedule Texas Tech in any sport, while the Big Ten considered a leaguewide ban before backing off.
Texas Tech, meanwhile, stayed on the record with support. Board of Regents chair and megabooster Cody Campbell said in a June 15 statement that the school would continue offering Sorsby recovery resources and would not try to recover any NIL money he earned after transferring to Texas Tech.
The gambling totals are stark. Sorsby has admitted to wagering at least $90,000 on more than 9,000 bets during his college career, with stops at Indiana and Cincinnati before Texas Tech. That included betting on Indiana football while he was on the team, though not in games he played in, plus bets on Indiana and Cincinnati men’s basketball, all of which violated NCAA rules.
For now, the NFL has made the timeline clear. Sorsby’s college route is gone, a 2026 pro debut is off the table, and his football future now points toward the 2027 draft.
The only other immediate path left appears to be the UFL. League co-owner Mike Repole has publicly invited him to join, though Sorsby has not said whether he’s considering it.
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