One of the biggest stories in college football is surrounding Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby. The former Cincinnati quarterback has been denied eligibility by the NCAA for the 2026 season after admitting to sports gambling while he was playing for Indiana and Cincy, which is strictly prohibited.
Although Sorsby was expected to be a top quarterback for Texas Tech this fall, his status is up in the air for the 2026 season in Lubbock. In response to the story, the SEC has now instituted mandatory sports gambling education for all 16 member schools, including South Carolina. The announcement came on Wednesday during the SEC's ongoing spring meetings this week in Destin, Fla.
While the education for all member schools is expected to be quite useful and informative, South Carolina and head coach Shane Beamer were actually way ahead of the SEC on this. Just last month, Beamer told reporters during a media availability that he had someone come and talk to his players in 2024, two years ago, about gambling for athletes being strictly prohibited. Per Beamer via The State, he had a presenter from the SEC that initially spoke to Gamecock coaches come in and speak with his players directly.
“I was like, ‘We need to get this guy to come to Columbia and educate our guys,’” Beamer said via the newspaper. “It seems really simple because it’s on your phone,” Beamer continued, “But you can’t do it. So we did that education.”
The state of South Carolina does not allow sports gambling, one of just 12 states that it is not legalized. But with how often Gamecock athletes travel to states where sports betting is legalized, and accessibility being easier than ever on your phone, it's easy to see confusion about what is allowed and what isn't.
“I’d say that’s pretty consistent throughout the year,” Beamer added via The State. “Whether it be during NCAA Tournament/March Madness. Whether it be during the Masters. Just friendly reminders — to coaches, too — about what you can and can’t do.”
According to the conference's official release on the education, the mandatory video will be "incorporated into each institution’s student-athlete education requirements and will provide clear, practical guidance on recognizing risks, understanding Conference and NCAA policies, and knowing how to report concerns."
Kudos to Beamer and the Gamecocks on getting ahead of this one.
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