Former Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby opens up about gambling scandal that ended college career

Former Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is opening up about the gambling addiction and betting scandal that ended his college career, saying he has “a ton of regret” over his actions, according to The Athletic.

Sorsby discusses his experience in “The Program,” a four-part Paramount+ documentary series about Texas Tech football that premieres Friday. The Athletic viewed advance copies of the series.

“I know how quickly things can go wrong,” Sorsby says in the documentary. “Everything can get ripped from you.”

Sorsby said he began gambling before college, traveling from his hometown of Denton to Oklahoma after turning 18, when he could legally gamble there. He later began betting on sports while playing at Indiana and Cincinnati before transferring to Texas Tech.

“I couldn’t watch sporting activities without wanting to have something at stake, wanting to have some skin on the game,” Sorsby said, according to The Athletic.

Court records show Sorsby placed more than 9,000 bets totaling at least $90,000 during his college career, including at least 40 wagers involving Indiana football while he was a member of the Hoosiers.

He continued betting after transferring to Texas Tech ahead of the 2026 season.

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“Whenever I got to Tech, same deal. Making more money than I ever made in my life, no reason to gamble. And yet I still did it,” Sorsby says in the documentary. He described himself as “chasing a dopamine hit” and said people around him at Texas Tech did not know about his gambling problem.

Sorsby took an indefinite leave from the Red Raiders in April and entered a residential treatment program for gambling addiction. The NCAA later ruled him permanently ineligible after investigating his betting activity, including wagers involving Indiana.

Sorsby challenged the decision in court and briefly regained his eligibility in June after a Texas judge granted a temporary injunction. The order would have allowed him to play for Texas Tech after he served a two-game suspension. The dispute escalated when the Big 12 pursued legal action over whether it could sanction Texas Tech if Sorsby played.

Sorsby ultimately ended his eligibility challenge and left Texas Tech.

In the documentary, Sorsby recalls breaking down during a phone call with his parents and agent as the consequences of the scandal became clear.

“In my head, I’m thinking I just threw everything I’ve worked for my entire life out the window,” Sorsby said. “Like, it’s over.”

Sorsby later sought to enter the NFL through the supplemental draft, but the league did not hold one in 2026. He is now preparing for the 2027 NFL draft.

The documentary offers a behind-the-scenes look at the controversy as part of a broader examination of Texas Tech’s offseason under coach Joey McGuire. Cameras had been following the Red Raiders since January, months before Sorsby’s gambling problems became public.

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This article originally published at Former Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby opens up about gambling scandal that ended college career.

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