Brendan Sorsby will not play college football in 2026. It's increasingly unlikely he'll play in the NFL this fall. And even if he wanted to, the former Indiana, Cincinnati and Texas Tech quarterback will not play in the Canadian Football League, either.
The CFL said in a statement to USA Today on Friday that it will not permit any of its teams to sign Sorsby while he waits out his year in football purgatory before pursuing an NFL career in 2027.
“Upholding the integrity of the league and ensuring fair competition are paramount to the CFL,” the CFL said in a statement issued to USA Today. “The allegations involving Brendan Sorsby are serious and concerning. At this time, the CFL will not register a contract for him, and no team will be permitted to add him to its negotiation list.”
It's possible that the CFL is simply using the opportunity to grandstand here, given that the CFL season is already underway and Sorsby had yet to show public interest in playing professional football north of the border. It's also possible that this was simple optics for the CFL, boiling down to the same issue we wrote numerous times during which Sorsby had the entire college football world in limbo: for the CFL, the juice simply is not worth the squeeze.
But even if those two things are true, it shows how severely Texas Tech, and Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, miscalculated the public reaction to their attempt to muscle Sorsby onto a college football field this fall. The Big 12, the NFL, and the CFL all reacted violently against it, further showing just how isolated the Red Raiders were in their view of the issue.
As it stands, Sorsby's choices appear to be to play junior college football this fall, or to ride it out away from the limelight, serve his time, and try again in 2027. Unironically, the latter might be the best thing for his mental health. Ironically, Sorsby's attempt to nullify his punishment for placing numerous bets on his own team backfired on him to such a degree that he's now facing a much harsher punishment -- both financially and reputationally -- than if he'd just accepted the NCAA's initial ruling in the first place.