Reports indicate that Cincinnati was reportedly aware of gambling by Brendan Sorsby and allowed him to play anyway.
The saga involving current Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Brendan Sorsby is getting a bit messier. According to USA Today’s Matt Hayes, when Sorsby was previously with the Cincinnati Bearcats for the 2025 season, the athletic department was made aware in August that Sorsby was gambling ahead of the season, per two sources with direct knowledge. In spite of this reported intel, the program allowed Sorsby to play across 12 games, which could open up the Bearcats to some trouble with the NCAA.
The Big 12 uses something called ProhiBet, which is a compliance app that all student-athletes in the conference are required to download. It tracks when athletes attempt to sign up for betting apps or platforms or place wagers and notifies the university. And the tracking on Sorsby’s gambling is extensive, going back to 2022 when he began betting on the Indiana Hoosiers to win games while he was on the team at the time.
Reports indicate that Sorsby made “thousands” of online bets during his career, though they were typically smaller wagers of around $1 dollar, perhaps hoping not to trigger any tracking services. He has since entered a treatment facility with no return stated. Cincinnati declined to comment on the situation while the Red Raiders have released a statement of support.
To read more about the scandal and the potential awareness by the Bearcats, check out the full story from Red Raiders Roundtable writer Nick Teague.
There are penalties that are triggered when players place prohibited bets, with those wagering more than $200 risking eligibility loss, and higher penalties for placing bets on their own sport or game. For a brief period, student athletes were able to bet on professional sports, but that ruling was rescinded back in November. That won’t absolve any of the allegations of Sorsby betting on college sports, including his own team.
But now Cincinnati might not have their hands clean either after allowing Sorsby to play in 2025. He was signed to an $875k contract at the time, and signed a greater one at Texas Tech, where everything, for now, is on hold regarding Sorsby’s future in college football.