Lubbock judge restores Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby’s eligibility for 2026 season

Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby will be eligible to play for the Red Raiders during the 2026 season after a Lubbock judge granted a temporary injunction against the NCAA on Monday, marking a significant development in one of college athletics’ most closely watched eligibility disputes.

District Judge Ken Curry of Lubbock County ruled that the NCAA cannot prevent Sorsby from “practicing, playing or otherwise participating on Texas Tech’s football team for the 2026 season.” The ruling temporarily restores the quarterback’s eligibility after the NCAA previously declared him ineligible following his admission that he had gambled on sports, including games involving his own team while playing at Indiana.

In his decision, Curry wrote that Sorsby “demonstrated that he will suffer a probable, imminent, and irreparable injury if this Court does not issue this temporary injunction because he will be unable to participate as a member of Texas Tech University’s 2026 Football season.”

According to multiple reports, Sorsby will still serve a two-game suspension before becoming eligible to return for Texas Tech’s Week 3 Big 12 opener against Houston on Sept. 18.

The case has drawn national attention as college athletics continues to navigate the growing influence of legalized sports gambling and ongoing debates over the NCAA’s authority to enforce eligibility rules. Sorsby reportedly checked himself into rehabilitation for a gambling addiction earlier this year and admitted to betting thousands of dollars on baseball, football and other sporting events while competing as an NCAA athlete.

Current NCAA rules prohibit student-athletes from wagering on sports in which the organization sponsors a national championship.

The NCAA sharply criticized Monday’s ruling.

“The NCAA strongly disagrees with the court’s ruling in Sorsby’s case and is deeply concerned about the damaging, far-reaching and broadly destabilizing ramifications of this outcome — which undermines and corrupts the integrity of sports,” the organization said in a statement.

The NCAA added that it remains “committed to supporting student-athlete mental health but must continue to aggressively defend against actions that defraud college athletics and threaten competitive integrity, such as betting on one’s own sport.”

The decision also prompted a response from NCAA President Charlie Baker, who argued the case highlights the need for federal intervention in college sports governance.

“There is no better example of why targeted intervention from Congress is necessary,” Baker said. “When you have schools and deep-pocketed supporters willing to look the other way on the glaring integrity threat of betting on your own team — and judges whose rulings effectively strip away our ability to stop them – only Congress can equip the NCAA to apply this common sense rule to everyone fairly and consistently.”

Sorsby arrived at Texas Tech as one of the most prominent transfer portal additions of the 2026 cycle after spending two seasons at Cincinnati. He reportedly agreed to a deal worth $5 million and is expected to earn several million dollars in name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation.

On the field, Sorsby produced strong numbers for the Bearcats, throwing for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2025 while adding nine rushing touchdowns. The year before, he passed for 2,813 yards and 18 touchdowns, also rushing for nine scores.

With the injunction now in place, Sorsby appears set to lead Texas Tech’s offense this fall while the broader legal and regulatory questions surrounding his case continue to unfold.