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Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby has hired Jeffrey Kessler, the attorney who secured a landmark win in House v. NCAA, to fight the governing body’s gambling investigation into his recent betting activity.
Kessler confirmed Sorsby’s hire to CBS Sports. Sorsby is looking for a negotiated resolution with the NCAA, but if that doesn’t happen, Kessler is prepared to take the case to court, according to sources familiar with the process.
What the Investigation Covers
Sorsby is under investigation for bets he placed on Indiana football in 2022 and on various other sports. He averaged 20 bets per day at times during his tenure on the Hoosiers’ roster that year. Sources told CBS Sports he did not bet on Indiana games in which he actually played.
He’s since entered a residential treatment program for gambling addiction while the NCAA conducts its investigation. He’s expected to remain in treatment for several weeks.
The investigation could result in the NCAA declaring Sorsby permanently ineligible from college sports.
What’s at Stake for Texas Tech
The Red Raiders built their entire roster around Sorsby heading into this season. Texas Tech paid upwards of $5 million to bring him over from Cincinnati after a standout 2025 campaign with the Bearcats, where he threw for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns and just five interceptions while adding nine rushing scores. He was ranked No. 2 overall in the transfer portal and was considered a potential first-round NFL Draft pick before the investigation became public.
Texas Tech entered the spring as the Big 12 championship favorite. That picture looks very different now.
Tech has retained its own counsel for its talks with the NCAA; Sorsby sought out Kessler independently.
Kessler’s Track Record Against the NCAA
Kessler was the lead attorney in House v. NCAA, the landmark antitrust case that pushed the governing body into the revenue-sharing era last summer. His presence here signals that Sorsby’s camp intends to explore every possible legal option before accepting any career-ending ruling.
The NCAA has not given Sorsby or Texas Tech a timeline for completing the investigation. That’s a major point of contention for Sorsby’s camp, with less than four months until the start of next season.
Under NCAA bylaws, wagering on your own school’s games carries the harshest possible penalty: permanent loss of eligibility.
The path forward is narrow. Just this month, the NCAA ruled two former Fordham basketball players permanently ineligible for their alleged involvement in a point-shaving scheme. Sorsby’s situation is different in that there are no point-shaving allegations, but the eligibility consequences under the bylaws are similarly severe.
Still, Kessler’s involvement changes things. The NCAA is already operating under court-imposed constraints from the multi-billion-dollar House settlement. Another high-profile antitrust challenge, one centered on a player’s right to compete, isn’t something the association will take lightly.
Texas Tech’s Quarterback Room
If Sorsby is ruled ineligible, Texas Tech’s options at quarterback are thin. Backup Will Hammond is recovering from a torn ACL and isn’t expected to be cleared for the Red Raiders’ Week 1 game. The only other option with collegiate starting experience is Tulsa transfer Kirk Francis, who Texas Tech brought in with the intention of using him as the third-string quarterback.
