Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti Has Interesting Take on Brendan Sorsby Drama

Former Cincinnati and Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is the most-talked about player in college football these days despite losing his eligibility for his admitted gambling addiction.

Sorsby is set to enter the NFL supplemental draft next month - provided the league lets him - and it's expected a team will pick him at some point and add him to its roster before training camp.

The 22-year-old QB will likely have to serve some sort of a suspension for violating the NCAA's gambling policy after admitting to betting on his own team, the Indiana Hoosiers, during his brief stint with them early in his career.

Though he didn't play for current IU head coach Curt Cignetti, Sorsby did get a somewhat surprising glowing review from Cignetti during an appearance on the "Rich Eisen Show" on Friday.

"I know Brendan a little bit," Cignetti said. "He was actually in the program for about a week-and-a-half when I was hired. I think he's an outstanding quarterback and a great kid. I think he's going to be a great pro with the proper support system to overcome some of the issues he's had. I think he's got a lot of talent, and there will be an NFL team real happy to have him."

Unlike most fans - and some NFL executives - Cignetti isn't ready to end Sorsby's football career before it even gets started simply because he made a mistake and was trying to rectify it (Sorsby announced at the end of April he was checking into a treatment facility for help with his gambling addiction).

To Cignetti's point, Sorsby's NFL future at this point should be less about his fit from a skillset point of view and more about which team will best help him work through his personal issues and develop in a low-pressure environment.

Most can agree there needs to be some sort of punishment for Sorsby for betting on his own team, and given the NFL's track record with gambling-related violations, Sorsby will like serve anywhere from a six-game suspension to a full season.

Josh Shaw (2019), Calvin Ridley (2022), Quintez Cephus (2023), C.J. Moore (2023), Demetrius Taylor (2023) Eyioma Uwazurike (2023), Shaka Toney (2023), Isaiah Rodgers (2023), and Rashod Berry (2023) were all suspended for an entire season, and Jameson Williams (2023), Stanley Berryhill (2023), and Nicholas Petit-Frere (2023) were all suspended for six games.

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This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 4:31 PM.