Kirby Hocutt said Texas Tech is backing Brendan Sorsby’s recovery, not trying to game his restored eligibility, after a Texas judge reinstated the quarterback despite multiple NCAA gambling-rule violations.
2 games of the 2026 season will still be lost under the ruling, Hocutt said, and any return after that will depend on Sorsby’s recovery, compliance and readiness.
Texas Tech has put in place clinical care, device monitoring, financial oversight and outpatient therapy, framing those safeguards as the school’s main role while stressing it was not a party to Sorsby’s lawsuit.
The backlash has centered on integrity and competitive fairness, but Hocutt argued the case also tests how college sports treats a 22-year-old in addiction treatment; the judge’s 4-page order left much of the legal reasoning unexplained.