A new report is shedding more light on the gambling habits of former Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who remains suspended from participation in college football after it was revealed last month that he regularly wagered on sports throughout his time as a student-athlete.According to new reporting from ESPN, Sorsby, 22, is alleged to have wagered over $90,000 during his time in college and high school, with some wagers placed by the former football star as recently as this year.Sorsby, who was Cincinnati’s quarterback throughout the 2024 and 2025 seasons, was deemed ineligible to play football in the future by the NCAA in April, which was just months after the Dallas-area native transferred back to his home state to play football for Texas Tech. His ineligibility was recently upheld this week by the NCAA as an investigation into his conduct continues.All NCAA athletes are strictly prohibited from placing sports bets of any kind, including on professional leagues and sports outside of the ones that they play in. NCAA rules dictate that all athletes found to have violated this rule be permanently barred from participating in collegiate sports.Shortly after Sorsby was accused by the NCAA of violating this rule last month, the quarterback immediately entered a 35-day gambling rehabilitation center in Arizona on his own accord, which his attorneys say has now been completed.Since the allegations against him became public, Sorsby has not denied or shied away from them, saying that he developed a gambling addiction in high school that he could not bring himself to stop as he entered college.”It became a habit for me to bet,” Sorsby recently wrote in a statement to the NCAA as part of his bid to get his suspension overturned. “My betting became a compulsion, which made it virtually impossible to resist the constant notifications I received from betting apps. I lost complete control of my addiction. I now realize the apps controlled me and I did not control them.”Sorsby’s attorneys are asking the NCAA to treat his gambling addiction like any other mental health condition as they continue to push for his reinstatement ahead of the 2026 football season. In addition to attending treatment at the gambling rehabilitation facility this month, Sorsby has offered to continue to regularly receive treatment and monitoring into the future and work in conjunction with the NCAA to educate other student-athletes about the dangers of gambling. However, Sorsby’s odds of reinstatement with the NCAA are widely considered by those familiar with the situation to be marginal at best.”Brendan asks only for the NCAA to abide by its commitment to evaluate his reinstatement appeal based on his actual conduct and the mental health condition that spurred it,” Sorsby’s attorneys wrote in a letter to the NCAA. “The online gambling market has evolved at breakneck speed over the last several years. The NCAA at times has struggled to keep pace with developments and chart a course of action that promotes student-athlete welfare, while at the same time monetizing the gambling industry for its own benefit.”According to documents obtained by ESPN in relation to the case, Sorsby reportedly admitted to placing at least 2,900 bets that totaled more than $30,000 while he was a backup quarterback for Indiana University between June 2022 and December 2023. This included at least 40 different wagers on Indiana football, although Sorsby says that he never wagered on games in which he saw any playing time. All of the bets Sorsby made on IU football reportedly totaled approximately $850.”Once I became part of the active roster with an opportunity to play, I immediately stopped betting on Indiana,” Sorsby continued in his statement to the NCAA. “However, my gambling on other sports did not stop; it escalated and became compulsive. What started small when I was in high school turned into a daily habit of betting on all kinds of sports, including some sports that I didn’t follow and had no interest in, like tennis and Romanian soccer. Gambling became an addiction.”In 2024, Sorsby is then alleged to have continued to regularly gamble when he transferred to the University of Cincinnati as a starting quarterback, although the former Bearcat denies ever betting on any UC football games.During his two seasons at Cincinnati, Sorsby is alleged to have wagered more than $60,000 on a FanDuel account registered to his brother-in-law that was accessed by Sorsby and a friend, according to reports. Sorsby then placed at least 165 bets on college and pro sports throughout his time with the Bearcats.Additionally, after Sorsby transferred to Texas Tech earlier this year, he is then alleged to have continued to regularly gamble by indirectly placing wagers on accounts that belonged to two of his friends. He sent a total of $5,000 to the friends, who then placed bets on his behalf on the PGA Tour, NBA and MLB.Sorsby was ESPN’s No. 1 player in the NCAA transfer portal rankings this year, and was expected to have been one of the sport’s highest-paid players at $5 million during the 2026 football season prior to being suspended.He continues to remain on Texas Tech’s roster as his longshot bid to regain eligibility for the 2026 season remains ongoing.
A new report is shedding more light on the gambling habits of former Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who remains suspended from participation in college football after it was revealed last month that he regularly wagered on sports throughout his time as a student-athlete.
According to new reporting from ESPN, Sorsby, 22, is alleged to have wagered over $90,000 during his time in college and high school, with some wagers placed by the former football star as recently as this year.
Sorsby, who was Cincinnati’s quarterback throughout the 2024 and 2025 seasons, was deemed ineligible to play football in the future by the NCAA in April, which was just months after the Dallas-area native transferred back to his home state to play football for Texas Tech. His ineligibility was recently upheld this week by the NCAA as an investigation into his conduct continues.
All NCAA athletes are strictly prohibited from placing sports bets of any kind, including on professional leagues and sports outside of the ones that they play in. NCAA rules dictate that all athletes found to have violated this rule be permanently barred from participating in collegiate sports.
Shortly after Sorsby was accused by the NCAA of violating this rule last month, the quarterback immediately entered a 35-day gambling rehabilitation center in Arizona on his own accord, which his attorneys say has now been completed.
Since the allegations against him became public, Sorsby has not denied or shied away from them, saying that he developed a gambling addiction in high school that he could not bring himself to stop as he entered college.
“It became a habit for me to bet,” Sorsby recently wrote in a statement to the NCAA as part of his bid to get his suspension overturned. “My betting became a compulsion, which made it virtually impossible to resist the constant notifications I received from betting apps. I lost complete control of my addiction. I now realize the apps controlled me and I did not control them.”
Sorsby’s attorneys are asking the NCAA to treat his gambling addiction like any other mental health condition as they continue to push for his reinstatement ahead of the 2026 football season. In addition to attending treatment at the gambling rehabilitation facility this month, Sorsby has offered to continue to regularly receive treatment and monitoring into the future and work in conjunction with the NCAA to educate other student-athletes about the dangers of gambling. However, Sorsby’s odds of reinstatement with the NCAA are widely considered by those familiar with the situation to be marginal at best.
“Brendan asks only for the NCAA to abide by its commitment to evaluate his reinstatement appeal based on his actual conduct and the mental health condition that spurred it,” Sorsby’s attorneys wrote in a letter to the NCAA. “The online gambling market has evolved at breakneck speed over the last several years. The NCAA at times has struggled to keep pace with developments and chart a course of action that promotes student-athlete welfare, while at the same time monetizing the gambling industry for its own benefit.”
According to documents obtained by ESPN in relation to the case, Sorsby reportedly admitted to placing at least 2,900 bets that totaled more than $30,000 while he was a backup quarterback for Indiana University between June 2022 and December 2023. This included at least 40 different wagers on Indiana football, although Sorsby says that he never wagered on games in which he saw any playing time. All of the bets Sorsby made on IU football reportedly totaled approximately $850.
“Once I became part of the active roster with an opportunity to play, I immediately stopped betting on Indiana,” Sorsby continued in his statement to the NCAA. “However, my gambling on other sports did not stop; it escalated and became compulsive. What started small when I was in high school turned into a daily habit of betting on all kinds of sports, including some sports that I didn’t follow and had no interest in, like tennis and Romanian soccer. Gambling became an addiction.”
In 2024, Sorsby is then alleged to have continued to regularly gamble when he transferred to the University of Cincinnati as a starting quarterback, although the former Bearcat denies ever betting on any UC football games.
During his two seasons at Cincinnati, Sorsby is alleged to have wagered more than $60,000 on a FanDuel account registered to his brother-in-law that was accessed by Sorsby and a friend, according to reports. Sorsby then placed at least 165 bets on college and pro sports throughout his time with the Bearcats.
Additionally, after Sorsby transferred to Texas Tech earlier this year, he is then alleged to have continued to regularly gamble by indirectly placing wagers on accounts that belonged to two of his friends. He sent a total of $5,000 to the friends, who then placed bets on his behalf on the PGA Tour, NBA and MLB.
Sorsby was ESPN’s No. 1 player in the NCAA transfer portal rankings this year, and was expected to have been one of the sport’s highest-paid players at $5 million during the 2026 football season prior to being suspended.
He continues to remain on Texas Tech’s roster as his longshot bid to regain eligibility for the 2026 season remains ongoing.