No. 1 transfer portal player earns Top 5 NIL college football ranking

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby (2) runs with the ball against the Baylor Bears in the first half at Nippert Stadium. | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Brendan Sorsby, the top-ranked player in ESPN’s 2026 transfer-portal rankings, announced his commitment to Texas Tech on Jan. 4, 2026, following visits to both Texas Tech and LSU.

The move was widely viewed as the marquee acquisition of the portal’s quarterback cycle and one of the first major dominoes to fall in a rapidly reshaped market.

Several other high-profile quarterback moves followed. Former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt committed to LSU, former five-star Nebraska signal-caller Dylan Raiola landed at Oregon, Josh Hoover left TCU to become Indiana’s projected starter, and Drew Mestemaker followed his head coach to Oklahoma State.

Rocco Becht also transferred to Penn State, DJ Lagway committed to Baylor, Byrum Brown landed at Auburn, and Beau Pribula is heading to Virginia.

The sheer volume of proven starters and blue-chip talents changing programs made the 2026 quarterback cycle one of the most active in recent memory.

Despite that depth, ESPN’s transfer-portal rankings still placed Sorsby at No. 1 overall and as the top quarterback in the cycle. Evaluators cited his size (6-foot-3, 235 pounds), mobility, and efficiency during the 2025 season as separating factors, reinforcing his status as the most complete and game-ready option available.

Before his commitment, multiple outlets reported that his deal would make him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in college football for 2026, with total compensation reportedly “north of $5 million” through NIL, marketing agreements, and third-party partnerships.

At the time of writing, Sorsby’s NIL valuation sits at approximately $3.1 million, placing him inside the top five among all college athletes.

He trails only Texas quarterback Arch Manning ($5.4 million), BYU basketball star AJ Dybantsa ($4.4 million), Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith ($4.2 million), and fellow transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt at LSU ($4 million).

Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby (2) warms up before the game against the Utah Utes | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Sorsby’s 2025 season at Cincinnati included 2,800 passing yards, 27 passing touchdowns, and only five interceptions across 12 games, while also adding 580 rushing yards and nine scores on the ground, emerging as one of the nation's top dual-threat quarterbacks. 

Across four collegiate seasons, two at Indiana and two at Cincinnati, Sorsby has posted career totals of 7,208 passing yards, 60 passing touchdowns, a 140.6 passer rating, and 1,295 rushing yards over 35 games.

Texas Tech’s pursuit of Sorsby came as little surprise. Joey McGuire and his staff identified him as a ready-made starter capable of stepping into an offense that, prior to a shutout loss to Oregon in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal, ranked among the nation’s most explosive in scoring.

His arrival also stabilizes the quarterback timeline in Lubbock. Backup quarterback Will Hammond, a former four-star recruit who earned the No. 2 role as a true freshman in 2025, is still rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered in October. With Sorsby in place, Hammond can continue his recovery without pressure to immediately assume the starting job in 2026.

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