Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby has retained attorney Jeffrey Kessler to try to regain his college eligibility, sources tell ESPN's Pete Thamel and Adam Schefter.
Sorsby is currently under NCAA investigation for sports gambling, and the school announced Monday he was checking into a residential treatment program for a gambling addiction.
Kessler is a prominent antitrust attorney with a strong record of success against the NCAA and was one of the lead attorneys for the plaintiffs in the House vs. NCAA case. He has also represented the NFLPA on behalf of Tom Brady, Ray Rice, Ezekiel Elliott, Adrian Peterson and the New Orleans Saints' "Bountygate" players.
The NCAA prohibits student-athletes from betting on pro and college sports. Sorsby is believed to have placed thousands of online bets on a variety of sports via a gambling app, sources told Thamel, including bets on Indiana football while he was a member of the program in 2022.
Based on the NCAA's guidelines, which were revised in 2023, student-athletes who wager on their own games or on other sports at their own school can potentially face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility.
If Sorsby and Kessler are unsuccessful in finding a path to eligibility, Sorsby could potentially opt to enter the NFL's supplemental draft. The league then would review his application, and the underlying circumstances of why he is applying. The league says there's no deadline set for the supplemental draft.
If Sorsby does choose that path, he'd become the most prominent college athlete to enter the NFL supplemental draft since wide receiver Josh Gordon in 2012 and quarterback Terrelle Pryor in 2011. The NFL hasn't had a supplemental draft pick since safety Jalen Thompson was a fifth-round selection in 2019.
Sorsby was ESPN's No. 1-ranked transfer this offseason and joined a Texas Tech program seeking to win back-to-back Big 12 championships and return to the College Football Playoff after a 12-2 season in 2025.
Sorsby earned second-team All-Big 12 honors last season at Cincinnati after throwing for 2,800 yards and 27 touchdowns. He was expected to be a top NFL draft prospect at his position entering 2026 as well as one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in college football at more than $5 million.