Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby plans to apply to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft, ending the drama over whether he would be eligible to play for the Red Raiders this year despite violating NCAA gambling rules.

Monday night’s news came one week after the college sports world was roiled by the ruling of a Lubbock County judge, who barred the NCAA from preventing Sorsby from playing despite having admitted to thousands of gambling violations, including betting on his own team when he was at Indiana.

But it also came at the end of a day in which the NCAA and the Big 12 each had court filings in separate lawsuits involving Sorsby’s case. The debate over his eligibility involved the attorneys general of several states and the presidents of the Big 12 universities, and it raised questions about the NCAA’s legitimacy if the organization could not enforce its own rules.

In a letter to fans, Texas Tech Board of Regents Chair and megadonor Cody Campbell said Texas Tech would continue to provide support and recovery resources for Sorsby. It also won’t seek repayment of any amounts already paid to the quarterback through school NIL agreements. Sources familiar with Sorsby’s contract said the quarterback had already earned about $1 million through deals with Texas Tech and third-party outlets.

“This decision was made with Brendan and his family, and is purely an output of practical analysis of the situation,” Campbell wrote. “Brendan and Texas Tech stand on very solid and legitimate legal ground, but he faces a June 22nd 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.

“Brendan, while he made many mistakes that he openly admits, has also been part of a much larger broken and predatory system, and we believe that all people deserve a second chance. It is gut-wrenching that there is no viable path to providing him with redemption at the collegiate level.”

Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby intends to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft, a source confirms to @TheAthletic. pic.twitter.com/dzUNXn6EV7

— Justin Williams (@Williams_Justin) June 16, 2026

Texas Tech president Lawrence Schovanec and athletics director Kirby Hocutt also released a statement in which they said, “When Brendan’s lawsuit resulted in the granting of a temporary injunction, we found ourselves in a difficult situation. With his health and wellness as our top priority, we supported him in spite of very different perspectives and opinions. Our position was challenged by many but our support for him never changed. We will continue to extend all available resources that Brendan had as a student and athlete to ensure his transition is as successful as possible.”

In an Instagram post, Sorsby thanked his family, his coaches and teammates at Texas Tech and “so many others who have encouraged me to address and learn more about this important issue. As my journey continues, I remain fully committed to and focused on being the best I can be, both on and off the field.”

One of the most sought-after quarterbacks in last winter’s transfer portal out of Cincinnati, Sorsby chose Texas Tech, a program that won last year’s Big 12 championship but failed to score against Oregon in the College Football Playoff. With a financial package worth more than $4 million, Sorsby was supposed to take the Red Raiders over the top.

But he announced in April that he would enter a treatment facility for a gambling addiction, which came after the NCAA notified Texas Tech of an investigation into his gambling. In subsequent legal filings, the NCAA learned of Sorsby’s gambling through law enforcement.

By his own admission, Sorsby has wagered at least $90,000 on more than 9,000 bets over the course of his college career, with stops at Indiana and Cincinnati before Texas Tech. That included betting on Indiana football as a team member, though not in games he played in, as well as Indiana and Cincinnati men’s basketball games, also against NCAA rules. Sorsby also transferred money to others to gamble under proxy sports betting accounts, including since he transferred to Texas Tech in January. (Mobile sports betting is illegal in Texas.)

He was deemed permanently ineligible by the NCAA, which also denied his appeal in late May. Sorsby filed a lawsuit against the NCAA last month, claiming the organization was not looking out for his best interest and welfare by banning him. The judge in Lubbock County sided with Sorsby last Monday, granting an injunction through the college football season, as well as a self-recommended two-game suspension for the quarterback.

That ruling sparked backlash across the country. Nebraska and Georgia told their coaches not to schedule Texas Tech in any sport. The Big Ten considered a league-wide ban but opted against it. Big 12 administrators seethed and considered a slew of potential conference sanctions.

Texas Tech school leaders said they were focused on Sorsby’s recovery and had put monitoring in place to make sure he didn’t place any more bets. They didn’t explicitly say they planned to play him, but Campbell said that Texas Tech owed it to Sorsby to play him if he was eligible.

Last week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to the Big 12, warning the league against levying sanctions against Texas Tech. (Under state law, the Texas attorney general would represent Texas Tech in court.)

That letter was part of the Big 12’s federal filing on Monday, claiming the conference had a First Amendment right to enact its own bylaws, and that a supermajority of schools could vote to sanction Texas Tech if Sorsby played. Attorneys general from Oklahoma, Kansas and Utah wrote letters in support of the Big 12.

“It’s been a challenging week for both our conference and the college athletics landscape,” Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said. “The Big 12 looks forward to moving ahead as 16 strong. We wish Brendan Sorsby success in his future endeavors.”

Sorsby’s plan to enter the supplemental draft ends the drama. His attorney Jeffrey Kessler told The Athletic they plan to withdraw their state lawsuit on Tuesday, which would make Sorsby ineligible to play college football and therefore eligible for the NFL Supplemental Draft.

The supplemental draft is typically meant for college players who lose eligibility late in the process. The first one was held in 1977. Prospects have to apply with and be approved by the NFL league office for eligibility in the supplemental draft. The league hosts the supplemental draft only when there are eligible players, which hasn’t happened since 2023. There were two eligible prospects that year, though neither was selected. A player hasn’t been selected in the supplemental draft since 2019 — the longest drought in its history — when the Arizona Cardinals selected defensive back Jalen Thompson.

The deadline to apply is June 22. An NFL spokesperson declined to comment on Sorsby’s situation.

What’s next for Texas Tech at QB?

Without Sorsby, Texas Tech will move forward with Will Hammond as its starting quarterback. Hammond has been recovering from an ACL injury suffered last October, but head coach Joey McGuire said last month he expects him to be ready early in the season.

Hammond has participated in seven-on-seven throwing. He should be fully cleared to play in late August, but it might take more time for him to get game-ready. Hammond threw for 680 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions in eight games last season as a redshirt freshman in relief of injured Behren Morton. Hammond helped lead Texas Tech to a win at Utah but also started the team’s lone regular-season loss, at Arizona State. Behind Hammond is Tulsa transfer Kirk Francis.

“He’s in a good spot,” McGuire said of Hammond. “We’re fortunate to have Will Hammond. He’s one of the most competitive, most dedicated guys. His team loves him. If you watch when he came in against Utah, just to see how the offensive line reacted whenever he entered that game. He’ll be ready to go, (but) I do not see pushing him in Week 1 to be ready to go.”

What are Sorsby’s pro prospects?

Based on talent (and under normal circumstances), the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Sorsby likely would have been viewed as a potential first-rounder in the 2026 draft. With or without the off-field issues, however, it wouldn’t have been a guarantee — the skilled big man (who plays a lot like Giants QB Jaxson Dart) had back-to-back productive years at Cincinnati but was not tested against the type of competition he’d have seen this season at Texas Tech. Oh, and there’s nothing normal about these circumstances.

Sorsby will probably be worth a pick for one of the many QB-needy teams who might be interested in coughing up a future selection. The question is: How early a pick will a GM be inclined to risk? The last quarterback taken in the supplemental draft was Terrelle Pryor in 2011 (a third-round pick by the then-Oakland Raiders). No team has given up a first-rounder in the supplemental draft since the Giants took QB Dave Brown in 1992.

— Ralph Russo and Nick Baumgardner contributed to this story.