The NFL’s refusal to hold a 2026 supplemental draft traps the Texas Tech quarterback in collegiate limbo, blocking his latest attempt to escape a looming gambling scandal.
There will be no Supplemental Draft for the NFL in 2026, leaving one college quarterback high and dry after working hard to evade consequences in the NCAA.
With no plans to hold the optional selection process by the league, Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Brendan Sorsby no longer has a path to the NFL in 2026.
The decision was effectively already made by the NFL, which, in a letter sent to Sorsby, noted that there were no previous plans to hold the Supplemental Draft before the passer submitted his application. Following his submission, the league will not be changing its plans.
For more on how this situation impacts Sorsby and his future options, Red Raider Roundtable writer Mike Fisher has an in-depth look at what's next for the collegiate passer.
As for the NFL, Sorsby's bid to reach the pros will have to wait until the 2027 NFL Draft, for which he can now begin to prepare.
The league is taking a strong stance, one the NCAA tried to take but was in the process of being circumvented through legal proceedings, directly explaining to Sorsby that his attempts to side-step collegiate consequences are maneuvers the NFL explicitly noted.
This decision keeps the NFL from being used as another escape route for Sorsby as he has continuously attempted to flee the on-field consequences of his illegal gambling case.
The league has not held the Supplemental Draft since 2023 and there has not been a player selected through the process since 2019.
Sorsby's attempt find a new path beyond his costly gambling scandal has fallen flat for now, but don't expect this to be the last we hear of this situation.
Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, Sorsby's attorney is threatening to further the case to the NFLPA in the hopes of fighting for the quarterback to still have an NFL path in the coming weeks.
However, it is indeed within the NFL's right to decline holding a Supplemental Draft, have done so many times over. Further, the league would have to hold the selection process in order to open a path for the signal caller to enter the league as an undrafted free agent. That path only works if the draft is held, and no team bids to acquire him.
Otherwise, he'll have to wait until 2027 to see what might be possible.
