Brendan Sorsby was on course to participate in the supplemental draft as his means of entering the NFL in 2026. That will not be taking place, however.
The NFL announced on Tuesday that the supplemental draft will not be held in 2026. As a result, Sorsby will not be able to turn pro this summer. The embattled Texas Tech quarterback will instead be eligible for the traditional NFL draft in April 2027.
[RELATED: Fallout From NFL’s Sorsby Decision]
A letter addressed to Sorsby from the NFL’s management council (h/t NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport) details the league’s reasoning for this decision. It reads in part:
“Under our Collective Bargaining Agreement, the League retains sole discretion to determine whether it is appropriate to conduct a Supplemental Draft in any given year. The League has not conducted such a draft for several years and, prior to your submission, the League had no plans to do so this year, as no other player has sought entry… The issues presented by your Petition are too significant, and too closely tied to the League’s core integrity interests, to permit meaningful review within the timeline presented.
“… even after receiving notice of the NCAA’s decision rescinding your college eligibility in May, you sought to avoid the consequences of that determination through litigation rather than accepting responsibility for your actions, and you pursued entry into the NFL only after abandoning those efforts.”
Sorsby spent time this spring in a rehab facility for treatment of a gambling addiction. That has been followed by a lengthy, controversy-filled saga over his NCAA eligibility. Attempts to be granted eligibility for 2026 fell short at first, with the NCAA denying him reinstatement, although a surprise injunction against the NCAA seemed to put Sorsby on track to play for the Red Raiders this fall. Sorsby’s attorneys later dropped their suit against the NCAA with attention turning to entry into the NFL, although today’s news means that will not be possible.
The NFL cancelling its supplemental draft has become an annual trend; the league last held this event in 2023. No one has been selected in that midsummer draft since the Cardinals chose safety Jalen Thompson in 2019. But Sorsby was poised to revive the event. Instead, he will reside in limbo as a result of the league’s decision Tuesday.
In an email (via ESPN.com’s Pete Thamel), Jeffery Kessler indicated a view that the NFL’s decision “is a violation of the CBA and the law. We will pursue this immediately with the NFLPA.” Sorsby, of course, is not a member of the NFLPA. But Kessler drove the effort that momentarily reopened the door for the embattled quarterback to play college football in 2026. An injunction granted by a Lubbock, Texas, judge shocked the football world and had Sorsby on track to improbably make his Texas Tech debut. This sparked tremendous backlash against the Red Raiders, but the Big 12 program instead ended up urging the QB to declare for the supplemental draft rather than accept a two-game suspension and play in 2026.
This profiles as a line in the sand of sorts by the league. The NFL has allowed numerous other players with NCAA eligibility issues in the past entry into the league via the supplemental draft, which is in place for prospects whose statuses at the college level have changed after a season.
The various issues that derailed those players’ college paths did not involve gambling, and after the league has seen betting issues become a problem involving a handful of cases in recent years — with full-season and six-game suspensions taking place (Jameson Williams and Isaiah Rodgers have been among those banned) — it will not attempt to expedite Sorsby’s complicated journey.
The NFL has, of course, embraced partnerships with gambling companies; those have helped create annual salary cap spikes over the course of the 2020 CBA. Sorsby’s camp surely could make such an argument, but as it stands, the two-time transfer is stuck for 2026.
The former Indiana and Cincinnati quarterback admitted to making thousands of bets on college and pro sports; those totaled upwards of $90K and included 40 wagers on Indiana while he was on the Hoosiers’ roster. This led to treatment for gambling addiction, which Sorsby completed. Most expected the supplemental draft to be his endgame, and after the Big 12 executed a federal court filing in a response to the injunction, the QB’s camp withdrew his lawsuit and prepared for the NFL.
Sorsby had until June 22 to file paperwork for the supplemental draft, and while it was viewed as likely that would be his gateway into the pro game, the unusual nature of the QB’s infractions created a murky situation. Most of the NFL had accelerated research into Sorsby as a prospect, as his agent indicated 26 teams contacted him about the former Hoosiers and Bearcats starter. A pro day was scheduled for July 10. Sorsby’s agent, Joey Slavin, also said he was not expecting his client to be suspended upon NFL entry.
Today’s supplemental draft news could be interpreted as a de facto suspension, and a source informed Thamel and ESPN colleague Adam Schefter the league’s reaction to Sorsby’s 11th-hour supplemental draft declaration represents “an avoidance of that distraction (to teams) caused by his own timing.” The league’s letter encouraged Sorsby to focus on the 2027 draft; by that point, the NFL will have had more time to examine the volume of his gambling infractions.
Potential litigation from Sorsby against the NFL could take place, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio offers, as no language in the CBA pertains to investigations or accountability regarding the supplemental draft. If/until that commences, the league is punting on the Sorsby matter.
It will be interesting to see if Sorsby tries to resume his legal battle against the NCAA and complete an awkward audition season ahead of the 2027 draft. The NCAA had appealed the Lubbock judge’s injunction before Sorsby withdrew his suit.
Teams exploring this situation, for the time being at least, will not have a potential first-round talent to bid on. Had Sorsby been permitted supplemental draft entry, the prospect of a team giving up a 2027 second-round pick to acquire him this July was viewed as likely. Now, the NFL is set to force Sorsby — potentially after a year out of football — to vie with the likes of Arch Manning, Dante Moore and others (should these two be part of that class, which is widely expected to present better options compared to this year’s prospect pool) as part of the ’27 draft. More will surely emerge on this front, but for now, the league has acted with regards to Sorsby’s 2026 standing.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
