No. 1 transfer portal QB earns $5 million NIL deal after interest from major college football programs

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby points to fans as he walks off the field after defeating the Baylor Bears at Nippert Stadium. | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The opening days of January 2026 have been unusually active, with several highly ranked portal quarterbacks drawing immediate multi-site visits, rapid offers, and sizable NIL packages.

Programs with recent transfer-driven success, including Indiana, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech, responded by moving aggressively to secure veteran starters, compressing what would typically be multi-week recruitments into 48–72-hour decision windows.

One of the biggest dominoes to fall was former Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby.

On Sunday, On3’s Pete Nakos reported that Sorsby and Texas Tech reached an NIL arrangement worth approximately $5 million for the 2026 season, with Sorsby committing to the Red Raiders after visits to Lubbock and LSU and amid reported interest from Indiana and Miami, two of the four remaining College Football Playoff teams.

NEW: Brendan Sorsby and Texas Tech have agreed to an NIL deal around $5M for the 2026 season, @PeteNakos reports🤯https://t.co/dWsToLuEjQ https://t.co/VzRF9o3o6v pic.twitter.com/uXAlBXYFsX

— On3 (@On3sports) January 5, 2026

Sorsby is a Texas native who began his collegiate career at Indiana, where he redshirted in 2022 and started in 2023 before transferring to Cincinnati.

Across his four-year collegiate career (two seasons at Indiana and two at Cincinnati), he has accumulated 7,208 passing yards and 60 passing touchdowns, while adding 1,305 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns on the ground, with a career completion rate of 61.4 percent.

His breakout campaign came in 2025 at Cincinnati, when Sorsby started 12 games and threw for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns, and just 5 interceptions, while also rushing for 580 yards and 9 touchdowns, numbers that elevated him to the top of the transfer portal quarterback market.

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby (2) passes the ball against the Utah Utes during the third quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Why LSU, Miami, Indiana, and Texas Tech Entered the Race for Sorsby

Texas Tech emerged as a logical fit for Sorsby, a Texas native returning home, with the Red Raiders coming off a transfer-heavy roster build, a College Football Playoff appearance, and the financial flexibility to pursue a proven portal quarterback.

The program also entered the offseason needing to reset its quarterback room following the end of Behren Morton’s eligibility.

LSU and Miami were mentioned as potential landing spots because both programs possess recent Power-5 resources, competitive windows, and either a clear need or demonstrated interest at quarterback. 

LSU was reported to host Sorsby for a visit in Baton Rouge following his trip to Texas Tech, while Miami was cited by national reporters as one of several programs monitoring the top quarterbacks in the portal.

Indiana appeared in coverage largely due to Sorsby’s collegiate roots there, with his prior tenure making any potential return a notable storyline.

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