In Case of Emergency: 12 College Football Programs Built to Survive a Quarterback Disaster

As Texas Tech prepares for life without Brendan Sorsby, these 12 other Power 4 programs have built solid depth at the sport’s most important position.

Lane Kiffin made sure to bring in a slew of quarterback options to his new job at LSU, after unexpected star Trinidad Chambliss took over at Ole Miss last year. | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

It is rare for news in April to shake up the College Football Playoff picture, but Texas Tech found itself on the wrong side of a seismic development Monday. Quarterback Brendan Sorsby, one of the top signal callers to move in this year’s transfer portal, has entered into treatment for a gambling addiction and is under NCAA investigation for betting on college football—including Indiana games during his time with the Hoosiers.

Sorsby reportedly bet on Indiana to win, and did not appear in games in which he placed wagers on the Hoosiers, but the NCAA bars players from betting on college and professional sports and gambling on one’s own team is famously verboten. 

As a result, the Red Raiders—who reportedly spent millions in NIL/revenue share dollars to bring Sorsby in from Cincinnati via the transfer portal—will likely have a different quarterback under center when Week 1 against Abilene Christian. Sophomore Will Hammond saw some playing time last year during Tech’s run to the College Football Playoff, but he is still recovering from a torn ACL, though the coaching staff is optimistic that he’ll be ready to play sometime in September. If he can’t go, Kirk Francis, who started 12 games across three seasons at Tulsa, has the most experience in Joey McGuire’s quarterback room.

The Red Raiders have deep coffers, and the quarterback situation, even beyond the big-money acquisition of Sorsby, shows it. There aren’t many programs that have three quarterbacks with collegiate starts under their belt, and the unexpected Sorsby situation shows the importance of depth. 

The proven starting quarterback remains the biggest asset available in the transfer portal. A solid, dependable backup is nothing to scoff at either, as evidenced by the various teams that have taken in experienced starters from smaller schools, not in hopes of finding the next Trinidad Chambliss, but for insurance in case of catastrophic injury, or unforeseen circumstances like the one Texas Tech finds itself in.

Entering the 2026 college football season, these are the 12 other teams that are well prepared in case of a quarterback disaster.

Alabama

Keelon Russell impressed in Alabama’s A Day spring game. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Austin Mack, a 6' 6" signal-caller who served as 2025 starter Ty Simpson’s backup, is in a tightly contested battle for the starting job with former five-star recruit Keelon Russell, who flashed his thrilling potential at Alabama’s spring game. While Mack brings experience and familiarity with coach Kalen DeBoer’s offense, Russell brings elite athleticism and the dual threat capabilities to really open up the playbook. The QB competition will eventually have a winner and loser, but it’s really a win-win for the Tide, because they’ll have a backup quarterback whom both DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb really trust. 

Arizona State

After losing Sam Leavitt to LSU via the transfer portal, Kenny Dillingham and the Sun Devils went to work to shore up their quarterback room in the same manner. Cutter Boley, a transfer from Kentucky who had some bright spots for the struggling Wildcats in 2025, is the expected starter. Boley has 15 college appearances; the person expected to back him up has more than double that. Mikey Keene, who was last seen backing up Bryce Underwood at Michigan, is in Tempe to add depth.

ASU had a similar situation last season, with veteran Jeff Sims stepping in for the injured Leavitt and leading the Sun Devils to a few wins down the stretch. Keene brings a similar profile, with 39 starts across four years at UCF and Fresno State, completing 67.8% of his career passes for 8,245 yards and 65 touchdowns.

Indiana

Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti is pretty good at this transfer portal thing, isn’t he? In each of the last two seasons, a QB Cignetti has landed in the portal has led the program to the College Football Playoff, reaching new heights with Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza this past season. Enter TCU transfer Josh Hoover, an aggressive signal-caller who will benefit from the Hoosiers’ strong running game and defense behind him. And while the Hoosiers’ depth took a bit of a hit when expected backup and Mendoza’s brother Alberto transferred to Georgia Tech, Indiana was able to retain Grant Wilson, who was a starter for Old Dominion and has the benefit of familiarity with the Hoosiers’ offense. 

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LSU 

Lane Kiffin did not just bring in Sam Leavitt, but also young USC transfer Husan Longstreet in to build out his first LSU quarterback room. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

If the 2025 season taught Lane Kiffin anything—and here’s hoping it did—it reaffirmed the importance of a capable backup quarterback. So Kiffin prioritized not only a starter when he nabbed Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt but backups too when he landed Landen Clark and Husan Longstreet. Each has seen game action in their collegiate careers, with Clark making 12 starts for Elon this past season. While Longstreet is a relative unknown and Clark a relative unknown at the Power 4 level, both give Kiffin capable insurance policies in the event that Heisman hopeful Leavitt is ever unavailable.

Michigan

It was a huge win for Michigan when former No. 1 overall recruit Bryce Underwood opted to return to the Kyle Whittingham-led program. The rising sophomore signal-caller, while erratic in his first season as a starter—and during the spring game—still carries immense upside thanks to his combination of arm strength and ability to extend plays.

Behind the still relatively-green Underwood, the Wolverines have the experienced Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, who brings with him 31 games of collegiate experience, including two seasons as a starter for Colorado State, and freshman Tommy Carr is coming off of a very strong spring. If Underwood sustains an injury or falters, Whittingham has a reliable fallback option, and another exciting young QB as well. 

Missouri

Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz wasn’t taking any chances after what happened to the Tigers last season. Beau Pribula and Sam Horn took their quarterback battle into the season, with Horn suffering a broken tibia in the first half. Pribula went on to excel as the full-time starter until he also sustained a season-ending injury in October.

As such, Drinkwitz made sure that Matt Zollers, who appeared in seven games last season, returned for 2026. He also landed promising Ole Miss transfer Austin Simmons, who impressed Drinkwitz this spring and was named the team’s 2026 starter despite his limited experience in the role. But with Zollers and Nick Evers, who has 12 games of experience to his name, the Tigers have the kind of depth behind Simmons needed to withstand any more QB fiascos. 

Nebraska

TJ Lateef remains on Nebraska’s roster after stepping in for Dylan Raiola last season, even with the addition of Anthony Colandrea. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Cornhuskers’ QB room is in good shape entering 2026. Anthony Colandrea, the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year at UNLV in ‘25, can attack defenses with his arm and his legs while the returning TJ Lateef brings seven games of experience in Nebraska’s offense, having filled in for the injured Dylan Raiola last season. The Cornhuskers also have a returning bounceback transfer in Daniel Kaelin, who spent his freshman season with the program before he transferred to Virginia. But in Colandrea and Lateef, the Cornhuskers have two players they can feel comfortable with starting games under center, which is more than many other programs can say. 

Oregon

There may be no quarterback room in the country better equipped for potential disaster than Dan Lanning’s. Not only did Heisman hopeful Dante Moore put the NFL draft on hold for another year to return to school, but the Ducks also landed one of the most experienced signal-callers in the transfer portal in Dylan Raiola, the former Nebraska QB who boasts 22 starts for another Big Ten program.

Moore’s return gives the Ducks a championship ceiling, but there might not be a tremendous drop-off if Raiola, who could thrive in Oregon’s explosive offensive environment, must step in.  

Tennessee

The Volunteers’ QB battle intensified this spring, with top 2026 recruit Faizon Brandon showcasing his ability to use his legs to extend plays, a feather in his cap. Meanwhile, George MacIntyre lacks the dual-threat abilities that Brandon possesses, but does have a big frame, a strong arm and perhaps a more refined ability to read defenses. Tennessee also has a third-string QB with starting experience in Ryan Staub, who made a start for Deion Sanders’s Colorado squad last year. 

Utah

Utah had a role for Byrd Ficklin in last year’s offense, even as Devon Dampier shined as QB1. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

It feels rare for a top program to play two quarterbacks for significant time during a season and bring them both back the following year, with such a need at the position across the country. Former New Mexico star Devon Dampier impressed in his first season with the Utes, throwing for 2,390 yards, 24 touchdowns and just five interceptions with 835 yards and 10 scores on the ground. His backup, Byrd Ficklin, also had a sizable role in the offense—especially on the ground. As a freshman, he only threw 35 passes across 12 games (with 301 yards and three touchdowns), but ran the ball 61 times for 513 yards and 10 touchdowns.

While the Utah coaching staff has undergone some major changes with Kyle Whittingham taking last year’s offensive coordinator Jason Beck with him to Michigan, it stands to reason that new head coach Morgan Scalley and OC Kevin McGiven have plans for Ficklin to contribute once again in 2026.

Virginia 

The Cavaliers were aggressive in putting Tony Elliott in position to win in 2025, and it paid off in a major way, as Virginia reached the ACC championship and was on the verge of a College Football Playoff berth before a conference title game loss against Duke. Even with a disappointing finish, the 11–3 campaign was proof positive of what a well-supported Hoos team could accomplish, especially with a quality quarterback like North Texas transfer Chandler Morris under center.

Morris had a waiver to play another year rejected, as UVA went out and brought in not one, but two experienced quarterbacks from Power 4 programs in Missouri transfer Beau Pribula and former Pitt starter Eli Holstein. Pribula is the favorite to start after a solid run at Mizzou before a dislocated ankle ended his season prematurely. Holstein has 18 starts under his belt before ultimately ceding his job to Mason Heintschel with the Panthers last season, but he’s a capable player with significant experience in the ACC.

West Virginia

Coach Rich Rodriguez brought in an exciting talent from a former Big 12 foe during the offseason in Oklahoma transfer Michael Hawkins Jr., a junior with nine games under his belt. Hawkins flashed potential for the Sooners in 2024, but was supplanted by Washington State transfer John Mateer last fall, appearing in just two games.

Now at West Virginia, Hawkins is the transfer quarterback threatening to bump a young player with some starting experience down the depth chart. Scotty Fox Jr. played in 10 games for the Mountaineers a year ago, and will try and hold off Hawkins—or serve as quality depth in the QB room. The program also has veteran Max Brown, a former player at Florida and Charlotte, on the roster.

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