Brendan Sorsby Visits Texas Tech on Day 1 of the Transfer Portal
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Just one day after losing the Orange Bowl to the Oregon Ducks on New Year's Day, the Texas Tech Red Raiders are making moves to try to get back to the College Football Playoff next season. With an exodus of talent graduating and heading to the 2026 NFL Draft, Tech is preparing to reshape and restock its roster for 2026.
The first big move came on the opening day of the 2026 transfer portal window, which opened on Friday, Jan. 2, and closes on Friday, Jan. 16. The Red Raiders are meeting with quarterback Brendan Sorbsy, commonly considered one of the top quarterbacks available.
According to multiple reports, Texas Tech is bringing Sorsby in for a visit on the first day of the transfer portal window. He is also set to meet with the LSU Tigers, with starter Garrett Nussmeier set to enter the draft after exhausting his eligibility.
Sources: Former Cincinnati QB Brendan Sorsby has visits lined up to both Texas Tech and LSU. He’s set to fly to visit Texas Tech today and will go from there Baton Rouge. He's ESPN's No. 1 ranked portal player in @max_olson rankings. pic.twitter.com/6icd8xa0xz
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 2, 2026
Sorsby is ranked as the No. 1 player in the portal by ESPN, No. 2 by 247Sports, and No. 7 by On3. Alongside stars like Sam Leavitt and Drew Mestemaker, he is one of the most coveted players at the most important position in football, which makes him a hot target. He also showed significant signs of improvement in 2025, making him an intriguing option for win-now programs.
Born in Dallas, Sorsby attended Lake Dallas High School in Corinth, Texas, and grew up in Denton, Texas, which may have led to a possible connection to the Lone Star State.
As well, his girlfriend, former Cincinnati volleyball player Gretchen Sigman, also transferred to Texas Tech. This led many Red Raiders fans to believe he could follow suit.
Sorsby would be a good fit for Texas Tech's offense due to his arm talent and athletic abilities. The former Cincinnati quarterback finished second in the Big 12 in throws 20+ yards downfield, with 62 attempts.
He completed 23 of them (second most in the Big 12) with eight touchdowns and just three turnover-worthy plays. Sorsby also had a 92.7 PFF passing grade on those throws, third in the Big 12 behind Julian Lewis (93.0) and Texas Tech's Behren Morton (94.2).
Additionally, his athletic ability would mesh well with Mack Leftwich's offense; with Will Hammond under center, the Red Raiders displayed an expanded running game that could work with Sorsby in the backfield.
Sorsby finished the year with a 76.7 PFF rushing grade. He had 580 rushing yards, 300 yards after contact with 22 missed tackles forced, and nine rushing scores. He also scrambled 34 times, second in the conference, gaining 283 yards.
Brendan Sorsby has a high-powered NFL arm pic.twitter.com/Zyo3lQqSb0
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) October 23, 2025
Morton is graduating at the end of the year after spending five seasons with Texas Tech, and the Red Raiders are preparing for their next era under center. However, Morton's poor end to his season left fans disappointed, as Tech's offense failed its defense in the College Football Playoff.
With PFF grades of 56.6 against BYU in the Big 12 Championship Game and 30.0 against Oregon in the Orange Bowl (his fourth-lowest and lowest of the season, respectively), Morton's shortcomings held back the Red Raiders' offense. No area was it clearer, though, than in his response to pressure.
Including the postseason, Morton recorded a passing grade of 42.7 when under pressure in 2025 — a massive dropoff from his 81.8 grade when kept clean. This was matched by his 24.1% pressure-to-sack rate, converting nearly one in every four pressures into a sack.
As for Sorsby, he displayed a better ability to handle pressure in 2025; the Cincinnati quarterback recorded a 70.5 passing grade under pressure compared to 88.3 when kept clean, and his overall pressure-to-sack rate was just 6.1%.
Sorsby would be both a stylistic fit and an upgrade over Morton as the Red Raiders look to contend for a national title immediately. The quarterback is opting to return for his fifth collegiate season, potentially turning down a mid-round NFL Draft slot. Texas Tech would be a good fit if he wants to win, making this a potentially potent pairing.
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-43389ae7766a84cbb8a6c33939d17968.jpeg "Jordan Epp")
Jordan Epp is a journalist who graduated from Texas A&M in 2022 and is passionate about telling stories, sharing news, and finding ways to entertain people through the medium of sports. He has formerly worked as a writer and editor at The Battalion and The Eagle, covering football in College Station, Texas, and served as the managing editor for PFSN.
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