Texas Tech’s newest money splash, former Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby, checked into a residential treatment program for a gambling addiction, ESPN reported on Monday. The decision came after it was discovered Sorsby had placed thousands of online bets on different sports.

While Texas Tech is “committed to supporting Brendan,” you have to think there are many disappointed that the man they are paying between $4 million and $6 million may not be eligible next season. That disappointment must have been even stronger when they found out, per ESPN sources, that he had bet on 2022 Indiana while with the Hoosiers.

While the Hoosiers have since turned into a National Champion team with prospects of joining the likes of Ohio State and Georgia in college football’s perenial elites, that 2022 team was horrendous.

Under former Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen’s leadership, Indiana went 4-8 that season, with its only wins coming against Illinois, Michigan State, Idaho, and Western Kentucky. In fact, the team was so bad that Liam Clifford had three receptions for 31 yards that game.

It’s safe to say Sorsby did not win a lot of his bets that season.

With that in mind, we decided to brainstorm some Penn State things that the Texas Tech quarterback may have bet on.

2004 Penn State Football

Penn State football was struggling in the early 2000s with a 22-26 record from 2000 to 2003. The only redeeming season was 2002, when the Nittany Lions went 9-3, and even that was followed by a 3-9 season the year after.

Heading into 2004, the calls for Joe Paterno to step down were arguably the loudest they had ever been. This caused the long-time head coach to attempt to reinvent himself in the offseason and turn the Nittany Lions’ fortunes around. Some even began to call the season the start of “Grand Experiment II.”

Despite this, the turnaround would not come that season. With inconsistent receiver play and an injury to both starting quarterbacks, yes, there were two at times that season, Penn State fell to 4-7.

The following year, however, Paterno’s shift in energy paid off. Penn State went 11-1 with wins against Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and an Orange Bowl Victory against Florida State.

Similar to his bets with Indiana, Sorsby would likely have been a little early on the Nittany Lion train in the early 2000s.

THON To Not Break Its Fundraising Record

Sorsby is #notFTK.

He’s making $6 million a year to play football, and he couldn’t even send a $1 to THON last year? Crazy world we live in.

Despite THON surpassing its own single-year fundraising record for five consecutive years, raising from $13,756,374.50 in 2022 to $18,841,726.53 in 2026, the Denton, Texas, native likely would have taken the under on the total this year.

2021 Penn State Wrestling

Penn State wrestling is the best dynasty in college sports, hands down. The Nittany Lions hold 13 of the last 15 national championships and all of the last five. The storied program has been home to some of college wrestling’s best-ever athletes, such as Dan Hodge Trophy winners Mitchell Mesenbrink, Aaron Brooks, Bo Nickal, Zain Retherford, and David Taylor.

With that being said, 2021 could be considered a down year for Penn State, simply because it did not win the national title. That season, Iowa took home the crown, narrowly outscoring the Nittany Lions 129-113.5.

Due to Sorsby’s former betting habits, this would likely have been the year the Texas Tech quarterback decided to hop on the bandwagon and take Penn State to win the national championship before the season.

Over 13.5 Commonwealth Campuses In 2027

Penn State announced in May 2025 that it would be shutting down seven Commonwealth Campuses after the spring of the 2026-27 academic year. This will include Penn State’s DuBois, Fayette, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre, and York campuses. This leaves 13 Commonwealth Campuses under the Penn State umbrella.

Rumor has it that a large reason for the board approval was an anonymous bet out of Lubbock, Texas, that there would be over 13.5 Commonwealth Campuses in 2027. Hmm… I wonder who that could have been.

Penn State Football 2025

With all the returning talent in the world, eight players to be drafted next spring, and a star quarterback, surely the preseason No. 2 Nittany Lions are set to make a deep run in the College Football Playoffs. Well… at least that’s what Soresby, and unfortunately many of us, thought.

Leave it up to the former Cincinnati man to jinx Penn State’s most anticipated football season in decades.

President Neeli Bendapudi’s Salary To Remain Under $1 Million

With Commonwealth campuses closing due to funding and a $750 million renovation to Beaver Stadium underway, Sorsby thought a raise in President Neeli Bendapudi’s salary would never happen. Unfortunately for him, he was wrong again.

Seeing the lack of confidence from one of the nation’s most talented quarterbacks, Bendapudi knew she had to do something. In September 2025, after a Board of Trustees vote, Penn State’s Salary rose from $950,000 to $1.4 million annually.

To rub it in Sorsby’s face even more, she also improved her annual retention bonus from $300,000 to $525,000 and added a clause that if Bendapudi meets “mutually approved goals,” she gets a 15% bonus of her base salary.

Bendapudi can now make $2.785 million a year, blowing the line of $1 million out of the water.