Ranking the Most Valuable QBs in College Football After NCAA's Brendan Sorsby Decision

The Texas Tech Red Raiders made one of the biggest splashes of the offseason by landing Cincinnati quarterback transfer Brendan Sorsby.

The program reportedly paid ESPN's No. 1 overall transfer around $5 million to make the move to Lubbock, but their Big 12 title repeat and College Football Playoff hopes came to a screeching halt over the past few weeks. This unfortunate development occurred after it was revealed that Sorsby had been betting on his team's games while he was redshirting at Indiana as a freshman.

This violates the NCAA's rules that forbid athletes from gambling on college or professional sports, and immediately put him in line to lose his eligibility. With the NCAA ruling that he violated the rule and is no longer eligible, Sorsby and Texas Tech filed an appeal to have him reinstated.

This was again denied by the NCAA, and we'll now see Sorsby seek an injunction for his eligibility for the upcoming season. However, there do seem to be more signs toward him not playing again in college as opposed to him making a return.

With Sorsby presumably out of the mix, Texas Tech loses its star quarterback, and the sport of college football also seems to be on track to lose one of the biggest names in the sport. If Sorsby is in fact unable to return to the college ranks, there will be a new top five in terms of the sport's most valuable quarterbacks, according to On3's NIL Valuations.

New top five of most-valuable quarterbacks in college football

Texas Tech's Brendan Sorsby. — Texas Tech's Brendan Sorsby looks on during the spring football game, Friday, April 17, 2026, at Jones AT&T Stadium. | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Prior to all of this drama, On3 had Sorsby as the fifth-most valuable athlete in college sports and had just two quarterbacks ranked ahead of him on the list at $3.1 million. With Sorsby currently viewed as permanently ineligible, those rankings have seen a slight change.

Sneaking into the fifth spot in the most valuable quarterback rankings is South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers at $2.7 million. A true dual threat who measures in at 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, many folks around the sport were expecting or at least subconsciously hoping that Sellers would hit the portal after 2025.

After a tremendous 2024, his numbers took a hit this past season as he threw for 2,437 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also ran for 270 yards and five scores. His loyalty is unmatched, with reports surfacing that he turned down $8 million, which could end up tremendously helping the Gamecocks program or hurting his future.

Two Big Ten quarterbacks next

The Big Ten has surpassed the SEC as the premier college football conference, so it isn't surprising to see that it has two of the sport's highest-paid players. Tied at No. 3 at $3 million apiece are Michigan's Bryce Underwood, and Oregon's Dante Moore.

Underwood was the No. 1 overall recruit and started immediately as a freshman, throwing for 2,428 yards with 11 scores to nine picks, while also rushing for 392 yards and six scores. He will have a more quarterback-friendly offense in 2026 following Michigan bringing in head coach Kyle Whittingham, who brought along his tremendous play-caller in Jason Beck from Utah.

As for Moore, he easily could have been a first-round pick in this year's draft, but opted to return for a final season. He led the Ducks to the College Football Playoff Semifinal this past season, and will look to get them over the hump in 2026.

New SEC quarterback in second

After a stellar tenure at Arizona State, Sam Leavitt took his talents to LSU to play for former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. Leavitt's season was ending prematurely due to an injury, but he did lead the Sun Devils to the College Football Playoff in 2024.

His NIL Valuation comes in at $4 million, as the Bayou Bengals will have one of the more expensive rosters in all of college football.

Leading the pack

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) and Michigan Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood. — Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) and Michigan Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) shake hands. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Leading not just college football, but all of college athletics in NIL Valuations is Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning. The nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning holds a $5.4 million value, and could easily be worth way more based on his name and brand appeal. He led the Longhorns to a 10-3 record in his first year as the starter, and will head into next season with championship or bust expectations.

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