TTU’s Brendan Sorsby hires attorney to seek to regain NCAA eligibility

texas tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby Sources tell ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Adam Schefter that he has retained attorney Jeffrey Kessler to try to regain his college eligibility.

Sorsby is currently under NCAA investigation for sports gambling, and the school announced Monday that it is investigating a residential treatment program for gambling addiction.

Kessler is a prominent antitrust attorney with a strong record of success against the NCAA and was one of the lead attorneys for the plaintiffs in the House v. NCAA case. He has also represented the NFLPA on behalf of Tom Brady, Ray Rice, Ezekiel Elliott, Adrian Peterson and… New Orleans Saints‘”Bountygate” player.

The NCAA prohibits student-athletes from betting on pro and college sports. Sources told Thamel that Sorsby is believed to have placed thousands of online bets on various sports through a gambling app, including bets on Indiana football, while he was a member of the program in 2022.

Based on NCAA guidelines, which were revised in 2023, student-athletes who bet on their own sports or other sports at their school could potentially face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility.

If Soursby and Kessler fail to find a path to eligibility, Soursby could potentially choose to enter the NFL supplemental draft. The League will then review his application and the underlying circumstances of why he is applying. The league says there is no set deadline for the supplemental draft.

If Soursby chooses that path, he would become the most prominent college athlete to enter the NFL supplemental draft since wide receiver Josh Gordon in 2012 and quarterback Terrelle Pryor in 2011. The NFL has not had a supplemental draft pick since safety Jalen Thompson was a fifth-round selection in 2019.

Soursby was ESPN’s No. 1-ranked transfer this offseason and joins a Texas Tech program that is trying to win back-to-back Big 12 championships and return to the College Football Playoff in 2025 after a 12-2 season.

Sorsby earned second-team All-Big 12 honors after throwing for 2,800 yards and 27 touchdowns at Cincinnati last season. He was expected to be a top NFL draft prospect entering 2026, as well as one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in college football with over $5 million.