Sources: Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby to apply for 2026 NFL Supplemental Draft

Brendan Sorsby is applying to be eligible for the NFL's supplemental draft this summer.

The Texas Tech quarterback was recently granted an injunction that allowed him to play in 2026 after a two-game suspension, but Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger reported Monday night that Sorsby would petition the NFL to turn pro.

Sorsby had been declared ineligible by the NCAA after placing thousands of sports bets while playing college football and placed bets on Indiana while he was a redshirt freshman member of the Hoosiers' football team. He recently completed an inpatient treatment program for a gambling addiction and his addiction had been cited as the mental health basis for Sorsby to maintain his eligibility when he filed for the injunction.

When that injunction was granted by a Lubbock County (Texas) judge, there was a mass revolt across college sports. That included in the Big 12, where the pushback turned political. After Texas attorney general Ken Paxton said that he'd be prepared to fight for Texas Tech if it was sanctioned by the conference, the Big 12 filed a complaint against the school and Paxton on Monday afternoon.

Hours later, Sorsby was exploring his supplemental draft options.

Texas Tech Board of Regents chair Cody Campbell confirmed that Sorsby would not be part of the team this season in a statement he posted to social media Monday evening. Campbell had previously said that Tech was obligated to play Sorsby in 2026 as part of its NIL deal with him.

“This decision was made with Brendan and his family and is purely an output of practical analysis of the situation,” Cambell wrote. “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. This is the only viable and fair path for Brendan and his future, as well as for his teammates and our university.”

In that complaint, the conference said it wanted to sanction Tech if Sorsby took the field. Betting on your own team is considered one of the biggest violations in sports. Yet Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt attempted to defend Sorsby's actions as recently as Thursday when he said that Sorsby didn't bet on games that he had competed in.

While that may be true, former Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers previously permanently lost his eligibility for betting on the Cyclones while he was a bench player for the team. And there was hardly as much pushback from Iowa State for that clear violation of NCAA rules.

NFL Supplemental Draft explained

The draft began in 1977 as a way for players to enter the NFL if circumstances had prevented them from entering the main NFL Draft earlier that year. If a team wants to choose a player who is eligible for the supplemental draft, it effectively bids a draft pick it would have used in the next season's draft.

If multiple teams want to pick Sorsby, whichever bids the highest round it would draft him. That highest bidder would then forfeit the corresponding pick in the upcoming draft. So if Sorsby goes for a third-round selection in the supplemental draft, the team that gets him won't have their own third-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Where Sorsby will go in the supplemental draft is a big mystery given what has unfolded over the last few months, NFL teams' general unwillingness to bid highly in the supplemental draft and the seemingly top-tier QB class that's likely to be in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Sorsby might have been a first-round pick had he declared for the 2026 NFL Draft. However, it seems virtually impossible that a team would spend a first-round pick in next year's draft to add him to their team this summer.

No player has been selected in the supplemental draft since 2019, when Washington State safety Jalen Thompson was taken with a fifth-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals. Thompson had been declared ineligible for his final season of college football by the NCAA and turned pro after the draft deadline.

The most famous recent supplemental draft picks came over a decade ago when Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor was taken with a third-round pick by the then-Oakland Raiders in 2011 and Josh Gordon was taken with a second-round pick by the Cleveland Browns. Pryor had been suspended by the NCAA as part of its investigation into the Buckeyes and Gordon had been dismissed by Baylor for failing a drug test.

Sorsby's brief time at Texas Tech

After starring in 2025 at Cincinnati, Sorsby became one of the most coveted QBs in the portal at the end of the season when he chose to transfer instead of declaring for the NFL Draft.

Tech reportedly signed Sorsby to an NIL deal worth more than $4 million as he chose them over a host of other schools including LSU. The Red Raiders were in desperate need of a top-tier quarterback for 2026 after winning the Big 12 and making the College Football Playoff for the first time in 2025. Backup QB Will Hammond — who returns for 2026 — played well last season, but he suffered a torn ACL.

With Sorsby, Tech was set to be the favorite in the Big 12. And the Red Raiders may still be. But it quickly became untenable for him to be the team's QB when it was revealed that he had been betting on sports for years.

The NCAA prohibits athletes from betting on college sports and pro sports that are sanctioned by the NCAA, like football, baseball and basketball. Sorsby's thousands of bets included professional games prohibited by the NCAA.

Court documents revealed Sorsby had placed bets under the names of friends and family and his bets totaled $90,000 over three years. He even had continued to bet on pro sports after signing with the Red Raiders.

When Sorsby's rehabilitation stay ended in May, Texas Tech outlined the steps of support he would receive from the university. That even included the installation of software on his electronic devices to make sure that he wasn't placing bets.

In a lengthy video last week, Hocutt revealed that those apps had not been installed on Sorsby's devices until he was granted the injunction. That injunction came approximately two weeks after Sorsby's rehabilitation stay ended.