Former Texas Tech staffers reveal the truth about why Brendan Sorsby was granted an injunction to play college football again
Sources reveal why Brendan Sorsby was granted an injunction against the NCAA, and add insight into his return to college football as quarterback of the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
The college football and NFL worlds were turned upside down on Monday with groundbreaking news that Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby was granted an injunction against the NCAA, renewing his eligibility for the 2026 season.
After an investigation found that Sorsby placed thousands of bets, some of which were on his own team during his time at Indiana, and with a net total of close to $10ok wagered, the NCAA suspended Sorsby indefinitely, with most believing his college career was over. And then a court, in Lubbock County, the same place where the Red Raiders play football, changed everything. We at A to Z Sports spoke to former Texas Tech staffers and current college football personnel members to see how that happened.
Brendan Sorsby 2025 stats
- 2,800 passing yards, 580 rushing yards.
- 36 total touchdowns.
- 155.1 passer rating, 81.5 QBR.
Brendan Sorsby’s injunction comes down to geography
“This was the outcome because that hearing was held in Lubbock county, with tons of Texas Tech Alumni,” said one source. “Anywhere else and he’s not playing college football again.”
When it was announced that Sorsby would be seeking legal counsel from esteemed lawyer Jeffrey Kessler, those in the legal world knew that, at the very least, Sorsby had a fighting chance. Kessler has a résumé that includes helping establish NIL after fighting and winning against the NCAA’s no-compensation rules in Alston v. NCAA, and he even helped establish the NFL’s free agency cycle in McNeil v. NFL.
Still, it was viewed as a long shot for Sorsby to be granted an injunction. But the location of the hearing changed everything. One judge who holds multiple degrees from Texas Tech recused himself from the case, but most of the judges in that court hold degrees from Texas Tech, which probably didn’t hurt Sorsby’s appeal.
How coaches in college football feel about Brendan Sorsby’s injunction
“He shouldn’t be allowed to play. Betting close to six figures, some of which was on your own team, and being allowed to play is insane,” said one source. “He’s only playing college football again because that courtroom was in Texas.”
It’s rare in society that we reach unanimous, or close to unanimous, opinions on anything. In this case, it feels like everyone outside of Lubbock is against Sorsby and Tech. We already have reports of schools in the Big-12, Big-10, and even SEC looking for ways to get out of playing Tech in the future, in any sport, and some as soon as this season.
There are certain lines that no one wants to see crossed. Precedents that no one wants to see set, for fear of what could happen to the game in the future, yet it feels like we have seen a lot of that in collegiate athletics lately.