TTU’s Brendan Sorsby hires attorney to regain NCAA eligibility

Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sourceby Attorney Jeffrey Kessler has been retained to try to regain his college eligibility, sources tell ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Adam Schefter.

Sorsby is currently under NCAA investigation for sports gambling, and the school announced Monday that he is checking into a residential treatment program for a 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 represented Tom Brady, Ray Rice, Ezekiel Elliott, Adrian Peterson and The NFLPA. New Orleans Saints‘ “Bountygate” player.

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

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

If Sorsby and Kessler fail to find a path to eligibility, Sorsby could potentially enter the NFL’s supplemental draft. The league will then review his application, and the circumstances underlying why he is applying. The league said no deadline has been set 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. Safety Jalen Thompson was not selected in the 2010–2010 NFL Supplemental Draft.

Sorsby moved to ESPN’s No. 1 transfer this offseason and joined a Texas Tech program in 2025 looking to win back-to-back Big 12 championships and return to the College Football Playoff after 12-2 seasons.

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