- May 21, 2026
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Brendan Sorsby made the most prudent decision he could.
Despite winning a temporary injunction that preserved his NCAA eligibility for 2026, a pair of legal developments on Monday apparently forced his hand.
Via NFL Network, Sorsby is applying for the NFL's supplemental draft.
The move caps a day that began with the Big 12 filing a lawsuit in a Dallas federal court aimed at securing a ruling that the conference can sanction Texas Tech if Sorsby plays in 2026. Then, the NCAA filed an appeal of last week's ruling that restored Sorsby's eligibility, seeking a ruling before the start of the college football season.
The new lawsuit and/or the appeal could have left Sorsby out of luck for 2026. Given that Sorsby was facing a June 22 deadline to apply for the supplemental draft, he had to make a quick decision.
Also potentially influencing the outcome was the storm of criticism that emerged after Sorsby's win in court, one week ago. He and Texas Tech faced intense scrutiny and criticism. That would have made it more difficult to navigate the season — even if Sorsby had secured his ability to play.
Another factor, as we hear it, is that Texas Tech was getting wobbly in the face of the legal assault from the Big 12. If, in the end, Texas Tech wasn't going to play Sorsby in order to keep the peace with the conference over the long haul, Sorsby's only play (if he wants to play in 2026) was to enter the supplemental draft.
The next question is whether the NFL will welcome him. In 2011, Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor entered the supplemental draft after he had received a five-game suspension by the NCAA. The league applied a five-game suspension to Pryor that same year.
Despite winning a temporary injunction that preserved his NCAA eligibility for 2026, a pair of legal developments on Monday apparently forced his hand.
Via NFL Network, Sorsby is applying for the NFL's supplemental draft.
The move caps a day that began with the Big 12 filing a lawsuit in a Dallas federal court aimed at securing a ruling that the conference can sanction Texas Tech if Sorsby plays in 2026. Then, the NCAA filed an appeal of last week's ruling that restored Sorsby's eligibility, seeking a ruling before the start of the college football season.
The new lawsuit and/or the appeal could have left Sorsby out of luck for 2026. Given that Sorsby was facing a June 22 deadline to apply for the supplemental draft, he had to make a quick decision.
Also potentially influencing the outcome was the storm of criticism that emerged after Sorsby's win in court, one week ago. He and Texas Tech faced intense scrutiny and criticism. That would have made it more difficult to navigate the season — even if Sorsby had secured his ability to play.
Another factor, as we hear it, is that Texas Tech was getting wobbly in the face of the legal assault from the Big 12. If, in the end, Texas Tech wasn't going to play Sorsby in order to keep the peace with the conference over the long haul, Sorsby's only play (if he wants to play in 2026) was to enter the supplemental draft.
The next question is whether the NFL will welcome him. In 2011, Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor entered the supplemental draft after he had received a five-game suspension by the NCAA. The league applied a five-game suspension to Pryor that same year.