$5 million QB ranked No. 1 college football transfer portal player

A quarterback that received $5 million to transfer to another Power Four school in the portal ranks as the No. 1 pickup among transfers.

Nov 29, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby (2) runs with the ball during the game between the Horned Frogs and the Bearcats at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The NCAA transfer portal is nearing the end of its two-week window for college football players to enter in hopes of finding better situations at new programs in 2026. The portal opened its doors on Jan. 2 and will officially close on Friday.

No fewer than 4,000 players from across college football entered the portal in the weeks after the 2025 regular season ended. Much of the discussion about the 2026 portal cycle revolves around quarterbacks shifting to different Power Four programs in search of better situations.

One of these quarterbacks is former Cincinnati signal-caller Brendan Sorsby, who entered the transfer portal and committed to Texas Tech. He will have one season of eligibility for the Red Raiders.

The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder began his college football journey under Tom Allen at Indiana in 2022. He used his redshirt that season, completing only three of six passes and throwing an interception in a blowout loss to Penn State.

Sorsby played in 10 of the Hoosiers' 12 games in the 2023 season. He threw for 1,587 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions while rushing for 286 yards and four more touchdowns. Allen was fired that offseason, and Sorsby entered the portal for the first time.

Cincinnati landed Sorsby from the portal in the 2024 offseason. He started all 12 games for the Bearcats that season, passing for 2,813 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions and rushing for 447 yards and nine touchdowns. The Bearcats were 5-7 in 2024, losing each of their last five games.

Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby (2) | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Sorsby passed for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns and five interceptions and ran for 580 yards and nine touchdowns in his last season with the Bearcats. Cincinnati was 7-5 in the 2025 regular season, losing each of its last five games. Sorsby entered the portal ahead of the Bearcats' bowl game.

Schools scouring the portal for quarterbacks had Sorsby near the top of their wishlist. Max Olson of ESPN released rankings for the best transfers in the 2026 portal cycle, with Sorsby coming in at No. 1 overall.

"He was the Plan A all along for coach Joey McGuire and his staff, a proven Big 12 starter and Texas native that who can elevate an offense who ranked No. 2 nationally in points per game this season before the loss to Oregon in the CFP quarterfinal. The Red Raiders return a lot of players around Sorsby entering 2026 and should be the preseason Big 12 favorite," Olson wrote.

"Sorsby's arrival also allows backup Will Hammond to recover from his torn ACL and prepare to take over as (Texas) Tech's starter in 2027."

Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire on the sidelines against the Oregon Ducks during the first half of the 2025 Orange Bowl | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images