Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images
By Chris Marler
Brendan Sorsby has a problem. College sports have a bigger one.
Earlier this week, prize transfer portal prospect Brendan Sorsby got into a bit of trouble when it was revealed that the star quarterback had a gambling problem. Sorsby was found to have been betting and betting a lot. Like a lot, a lot. Not only that, but he was betting in games he was a part of while at Indiana in 2022.
The news came out after Sorsby made an announcement that he would seek professional help for his addiction. It was also revealed that he placed over 10,000 bets since 2022. At one point he averaged over 20 bets a day, and the dealer’s choice, pun intended, were anywhere from pro sports and collegiate sports to balls and strikes on each pitch.
NEW: Brendan Sorsby attended Cincinnati Reds games on repeated occasions and placed live wagers on balls and strikes, @PeteNakos reports.
The bets ranged anywhere from $2.50 to less than $1 per pitch. https://t.co/IvnmNlbncx https://t.co/nLYokP0tvz pic.twitter.com/t80K3pPMUG
— On3 (@On3) April 27, 2026
We are in the “we listen and don’t judge” era of society, so I’m not going to call Sorsby a degenerate. Let’s just call him dedicated. That being said, betting balls and strikes, no matter what the price, is a problem.
Sorsby clearly has an issue, and it’s good he’s getting help. I won’t judge him, but this is a situation of his own making. The consequences could be significant, potentially costing him his $5 million deal and even his college football future.
Here comes the part that makes me more frustrated than anything Sorsby did – the adults in the room covering it.
Until that wild JP Morgan story broke on social media in the middle of the week, Brendan Sorsby’s bad decision making dominated college football media and social media. The low hanging fruit jokes making fun of his addiction were rampant. The pearl clutching and hypothetical moral victories were everywhere.
Nearly all of it traced back to sites, platforms and partnerships with, you guessed it, gambling companies. CBS Sports broke down the story this week, then in the same breath updated how sportsbooks had shifted the odds for the upcoming season.
Brendan Sorsby has entered a gambling addiction program for sports betting, which could end his college career.
The second paragraph of this story is remarkable. pic.twitter.com/9m0MMi4Gqq
— Matt Schick (@ESPN_Schick) April 29, 2026
“BREAKING: Brendan Sorsby in rehab for gambling addiction. Texas Tech’s win total drops from 11.5 to 10.5.”
Helen Keller couldn’t be that tone deaf.
Looking down your nose at a kid who has a problem and made some life-altering decisions is pretty wild when I have to click through a FanDuel or DraftKings pop up ad three times just to get through the article.
That part isn’t changing. Brendan Sorsby’s life, though, absolutely did. And why would any of it change? There’s money on the table, and if college sports has taught us anything in the NIL era, it’s that money comes first, always.
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