NCAA opens probe of Sorsby's time at Cincinnati

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Eli LedermanJul 8, 2026, 02:11 PM ET

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Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.

The NCAA has sent a letter of inquiry to Cincinnati centered on former quarterback Brendan Sorsby's time with the program, sources told ESPN Wednesday.

Sorsby, who was ruled permanently ineligible by the NCAA this spring after he admitted to placing thousands of impermissible sports bets over the past four years, spent two seasons with the Bearcats before transferring to Texas Tech this offseason. The NCAA's probe into his time at Cincinnati follows the high-profile legal saga over Sorsby's eligibility last month, which concluded with the school parting ways with the transfer quarterback on June 15.

Bearcats coach Scott Satterfield declined to comment on the matter at Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, Texas, on Wednesday. A Cincinnati spokesperson also declined to comment, but provided a general statement on the months-long situation involving the program's former quarterback. News of the letter of inquiry was first reported by Yahoo Sports on Wednesday.

"We have had continuous conversations with the NCAA since the initial reports related to impermissible sports wagering began," the statement read. "As we have stated before, we do not believe any athletics official or staff member was aware of any impermissible sports wagering."

Sorsby began his college career at Indiana in 2022. He transferred to Cincinnati ahead of the 2024 campaign and threw for 5,613 yards and 45 touchdowns in two seasons as the program's starter. Sorsby, the No. 1 prospect in ESPN's transfer portal rankings this offseason, joined the reigning Big 12 champion Red Raiders in January with one season of remaining eligibility.

The NCAA permanently barred Sorsby from NCAA competition in May over a years-long trail of impermissible bets that totaled an estimated $90,000 across his time at Indiana, Cincinnati and Texas Tech. Sorsby's betting history while at Cincinnati was included in a list of stipulated facts agreed upon by Texas Tech and the NCAA during his reinstatement process.

Sorsby acknowledged placing at least 165 impermissible bets on college and professional sports totaling at least $38,000 in 2024, including three wagers on Cincinnati men's basketball made on a FanDuel account he shared with a friend. Between December 2023 and June 2025, Sorsby provided more than $60,000 to the friend to deposit in the shared account.

Based on the betting history obtained by the NCAA, there was no evidence Sorsby funded, placed or was otherwise involved in wagering on Cincinnati's football team during his two years as a starter for the Bearcats.

Sorsby ultimately sued the NCAA over its May ruling. A subsequent temporary injunction issued by a Texas court momentarily paved the way for him to return to the field in 2026 and fueled a contentious battle over his eligibility between Texas Tech and the Big 12 in June.

The Big 12 filed a lawsuit against Texas Tech and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on June 15, seeking declaratory judgments and injunctive relief affirming the Big 12's authority to enforce its bylaws and sanction Texas Tech if Sorsby played in any conference games. The school announced Sorsby's departure from the program the same day, and Sorsby officially dropped his lawsuit against the NCAA on June 18.

Last month, Sorsby's agent, Ron Slavin, told Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan that Cincinnati should be "questioned or catching heat" for its role in the Sorsby saga, stating that the school knew of Sorsby's gambling for two years and "never said anything."

Cincinnati, which is suing Sorsby for breach of contract following his transfer to Texas Tech, denied Slavin's claims at the time and issued a statement to ESPN on the matter.

"All of our student-athletes receive extensive gambling education multiple times throughout the year, and we would never knowingly play an athlete who violated NCAA sports wagering regulations," the statement read. "If we ever became aware of impermissible wagering, we would report to the NCAA and comply with sanctions."

ESPN's Max Olson contributed to this report.