Cincinnati Gambling Investigation
NCAA Sends Formal Inquiry to Cincinnati Regarding Brendan Sorsby's Impermissible Gambling History
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Key Points
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The NCAA letter to Cincinnati is a procedural notice of an investigation rather than a charge of wrongdoing; Cincinnati officials say it is a formality and that the program will continue to cooperate.
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Sorsby's total impermissible bets across his college career (Indiana, Cincinnati, and Texas Tech) are estimated at about $90,000.
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ProhiBet, the conference-wide gambling-compliance app used by all Big 12 programs, can alert universities when student-athletes attempt to sign up for betting platforms or place wagers.
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Cincinnati-specific betting details include 165 bets totaling $38,000 made while Sorsby was with the Bearcats, plus more than $60,000 transferred to a friend for shared sportsbook activities.
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Sorsby's path: he began at Indiana in 2022, transferred to Cincinnati for the 2024 season (throwing 5,613 yards and 45 touchdowns across two seasons there), and then joined Texas Tech in January with one season left of eligibility.
The NCAA has opened a formal inquiry into the University of Cincinnati over former quarterback Brendan Sorsby's gambling habits, according to The News Tribune. The letter targets Sorsby's time with the Bearcats specifically, where he allegedly placed 165 bets totaling $38,000 — part of roughly $90,000 in impermissible wagers across his entire college career.
Sorsby was permanently barred from NCAA competition this spring after admitting to the bets. He had played at Indiana, then Cincinnati, before joining Texas Tech in January 2025. The inquiry does not charge Cincinnati with wrongdoing — but it puts the program under the NCAA's microscope.
Cincinnati Says It Knew Nothing About the Bets
University officials insist no one on the athletics staff knew Sorsby was gambling. Cincinnati described the NCAA's letter as a formality and said the program has been in ongoing talks with the NCAA about the case. Coach Scott Satterfield declined to comment beyond the university's standard statement at Big 12 Media Days, according to BND.
The university says it provides extensive gambling education to student-athletes. Officials also say they would report any violations they found. Whether the NCAA accepts that defense will depend on what investigators uncover during the review.
Sorsby's Trail of Bets Across Three Programs
Sorsby started at Indiana in 2022, transferred to Cincinnati before the 2024 season, then moved to Texas Tech in January 2025 with one year of eligibility left. Across all three schools, he placed an estimated $90,000 in impermissible bets, according to The News Tribune. His Cincinnati total alone was $38,000 in direct wagers, plus more than $60,000 transferred to a friend for shared sportsbook activity.
Despite the scandal, Sorsby was a productive player at Cincinnati. He threw for 5,613 yards and 45 touchdowns across two seasons with the Bearcats. The NCAA banned him permanently this spring after he admitted to the full scope of his betting, ending his playing career entirely.
ProhiBet App Was Supposed to Catch This
All Big 12 programs use a compliance tool called ProhiBet. The app can flag when a student-athlete tries to sign up for a betting platform or places a wager. It is designed to catch exactly this kind of behavior before it spirals. The fact that Sorsby bet tens of thousands of dollars raises questions about whether the alerts worked — or whether anyone acted on them.
The case now highlights a bigger problem in college sports: gambling activity can cross multiple schools, but compliance systems often work school by school. Indiana, Cincinnati, and Texas Tech each had a piece of Sorsby's record. Whether shared data could have stopped the pattern earlier is a key question the NCAA's broader investigation may address.
What Comes Next for Cincinnati's Compliance Standing
The NCAA inquiry is just the start. It is a procedural notice — not a finding of guilt. Cincinnati must now cooperate fully with investigators and show what its compliance staff knew and when. The outcome could bring sanctions, or it could clear the program entirely. Either way, the school's reputation for oversight is now under scrutiny, according to Idaho Statesman.
For the Big 12, the case lands at an awkward moment. Cincinnati is a newer member of the conference and wants to build credibility. A drawn-out NCAA investigation is not the kind of attention the program was hoping to attract heading into the 2025 season.
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