Brendan Sorsby's time in college is over. The former Texas Tech quarterback has chosen to end the recent saga by parting ways with the program and announcing he will apply for the NFL's supplemental draft.
Unlike the standard NFL draft, the supplemental draft is not always held. It is only conducted when a prospect is eligible to be drafted but missed the regular draft because of eligibility questions. Teams do not have to participate, and the process is conducted as an auction. Only 46 players have ever been selected in the supplemental draft, which speaks to how rarely it occurs.
Sorsby's decision to apply puts the next move on the NFL. The league does not have to hold a supplemental draft for him at all, and it does not have to declare him eligible to compete. If it does, the league's 32 teams each get their say on whether they want him.
Here is a look at what might happen.
What Is the Next Step?
The NFL will decide whether Sorsby is eligible to compete. Given that he is facing the fallout of a gambling scandal, that is far from certain. Historically, the league accepts players who have broken NCAA rules, but not NFL rules.
A useful example is Brian Bosworth, a controversial linebacker at Oklahoma in the 1980s. During the 1987 Orange Bowl, Bosworth wore a shirt protesting NCAA policies, leading Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer to dismiss him from the team. Having not planned on declaring for the draft, he missed the standard process and needed to apply for the supplemental draft. Because he had not broken any NFL rules, the league welcomed him.
The NFL was less accommodating with Terrelle Pryor in 2011, suspending him for his first five games of his NFL career. Pryor had received a five-game ban from the NCAA for a memorabilia scandal, and commissioner Roger Goodell decided it would carry over. Given the nature of Sorsby's situation, a similar outcome is possible, and if the NFL does not allow him to join, his football career could be finished.
What Would the Draft Process Look Like?
If Sorsby clears eligibility, he would enter the supplemental draft as the only player available. Each team would then decide what selection they believed he was worth.
A supplemental draft pick is tied to the following year's draft. If the New York Jets, for example, spent a second-round pick on Sorsby, that would count as their second-round selection in the 2027 draft. Every general manager has to weigh Sorsby against both their current roster and what they expect to be available next year.
That could prove to be a significant obstacle. He only needs one team to decide he is worth the risk, but it is a substantial commitment. NFL teams had Sorsby graded as a first-round talent before the scandal emerged, but that almost certainly reduces his value to some degree. Most front offices are familiar with the cautionary tale of Baltimore Colts quarterback Art Schlicter, who gambled his way out of the league in the 1980s. Treatment has advanced considerably since then, but so has the prevalence of legal wagering. Every general manager and coach will have to decide whether Sorsby is past his problems.
If he goes undrafted, he would be free to sign with any interested team.
What Other Options Exist?
If Sorsby is not allowed into the NFL, his options narrow considerably. He could pursue the courts again, but that is an unlikely path given that federal courts held in Clarett v. NFL that the league is permitted to restrict who is eligible for its draft.
The United Football League has completed its season, and the Canadian Football League has just opened its campaign. This situation is unlikely to be resolved in time for Sorsby to join a CFL roster if the NFL declines him. The more plausible outcome, if he is not accepted outright, is that he receives a conditional suspension with benchmarks tied to his treatment for gambling addiction that he would need to meet before being cleared to play.
What Is Most Likely to Occur?
The NFL is not entirely in uncharted territory. A year after being drafted, New England wide receiver Kayshon Boutte was found to have placed 8,900 illegal wagers while at LSU, including bets on college football. The league chose not to discipline him, and Boutte went on to play in this past season's Super Bowl.
The key difference is that Boutte's situation came to light after he had already been drafted. Sorsby is seeking entry specifically in the wake of his scandal, which makes the cases harder to compare directly. Goodell has been inconsistent with suspensions over the years, so predicting his approach here is genuinely difficult.
The most plausible outcome is that Sorsby gets a conditional path in and must complete treatment before taking the field. If that happens, he becomes a high-risk, high-reward option for a team in need of a quarterback.
If this was your kind of read, you’ll like what’s next. Get The Sandman Ticket, our free, weekly newsletter with picks, insights, and a little bit of everything we love about sports.
