Texas Tech does not need a Pete Rose as its starting quarterback
Joey McGuire is the ideal coach, and Lubbock is the perfect place, for a player “with a past,” but the Red Raiders do not need Brendan Sorsby on this team.
No school in the Big 12 has as much positive momentum as Texas Tech, and no one is worth the headache, distractions and negative narratives that Sorsby will bring to the team if he is allowed to play in 2026. Not even a quarterback who is projected as a high NFL draft pick.
Let him go be great someplace else.
Texas Tech’s Brendan Sorsby issue
Other than the continued chatter of the expansion of the playoff, the most interesting storyline this offseason is Sorsby, who after transferring from Cincinnati to Texas Tech was ruled ineligible by the NCAA because he gambled on everything but Colombian female guinea pig mud wrestling; among his thousands of bets included Indiana football games when he was a member of the team.
The evidence that has been leaked detailing Sorsby’s gambling addiction is tragic. He will be part of the wave of college-aged men who in the next few years will fight a gambling addiction “helped” because of America’s, and sports’, new relaxed policies toward something that previously was highly restricted.
As much hypocrisy as the NCAA, NFL, NHL, NBA and the rest all exhibit with their relationship with legalized gambling, the players know the rules. They can’t bet on the games they play in; the end.
This week, Tech ruled him ineligible primarily because officials felt the NCAA would eventually do it. By Tech announcing it, it starts the potential reinstatement/resolution process quicker.
He is still listed on the Red Raiders’ roster.
Armed with a good agent and lawyer, Sorsby is suing the NCAA so he can play college football in 2026. Because, these days, everyone wants to stay in school.
By all accounts, Sorsby has been a good guy since he arrived in Lubbock in January. He was not the big-headed transfer portal diva.
Sorsby’s attorney said he would agree to a two-game suspension, and asked for a ruling by June 15. If the ruling is against Sorsby, he can apply for the NFL’s supplemental draft, which is June 22.
Multiple Tech officials said they have no idea what to expect from the ruling. Factoring in that the NCAA has turned into the New York Jets of the courtroom, they are prepared for a scenario where Sorsby will be allowed to play after serving a suspension.
They are equally prepared for the scenario where Sorsby will not be with the team, which at this point is the easier solution.
Texas Tech’s easier route
This sordid Sorsby story puts Tech in the awkward position of having to lobby for a young person they like, and who they know has a problem. If he’s allowed to play, the focus on Red Raiders’ football season will be their Pete Rose quarterback.
For all Red Raiders involved, this will be exhausting. Because it will not go away. The jokes on social media will be endless, and opposing fans will be merciless.
McGuire is capable of dealing with this narrative rhetorically, and given Tech’s location in Lubbock, it’s a great place for a player with this story to reside. There is a layer of unseen protection in America’s more remote college towns.
It would also be better if Sorsby loses his case. If he loses his appeal, it should allow Tech to avoid paying the $5 million he is reportedly scheduled to make this season. In addition, the guy behind him they like just as much.
One small detail to Sorsby’s case is the status of backup sophomore quarterback Will Hammond’s knee. At the time he suffered a season-ending torn ACL on Oct. 25 against Oklahoma State, he was playing exceptionally well in the place of injured starter Behren Morton.
Had Tech known Hammond’s knee would progress at the current rate the Red Raiders believe it is, they would not have pursued Sorsby in the transfer portal. Hammond is ahead of schedule, and could be available for their first game, Sept. 5 against Abilene Christian.
Whatever the judge rules, Tech is covered at QB1, but the way this spring has played out, the one they don’t need is the one they signed.
This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
