Major college football QB expected to ‘command’ up to $5 million in transfer portal

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

The Cincinnati Bearcats looked like a potential playoff team after a 7–1 start before dropping each of their final four games to close the 2025 season at 7–5 overall and 5–4 in Big 12 play.

Despite the late slide, it was Cincinnati’s highest win total since joining the Big 12 in 2023 and the program’s best season yet under third-year head coach Scott Satterfield.

Much of that success was fueled by junior quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who has since announced his intention to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal.

In 12 appearances during the 2025 season, Sorsby completed 61.6% of his passes for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns, and five interceptions, while also rushing for 580 yards and nine scores, establishing himself as one of the portal’s most coveted dual-threat quarterbacks.

On Tuesday, On3’s Pete Nakos reported that Sorsby could command NIL offers approaching $5 million on the open market, a figure that would place him among the highest earners in college sports.

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby (2) warms up before the game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

A Lake Dallas, Texas, native, Sorsby was a three-star recruit and the No. 66-ranked quarterback in the 2022 class according to 247Sports.

He received nearly a dozen scholarship offers, including from Indiana, Army, Navy, and Delaware.

Sorsby initially signed with Indiana in February 2022 and emerged as the Hoosiers’ full-time starter in 2023.

He threw for 1,587 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions while rushing for 276 yards and four scores before entering the transfer portal and transferring to Cincinnati in 2024.

On3’s NIL tracker currently lists Texas quarterback Arch Manning as the nation’s highest-valued college athlete at $5.3 million, while Sorsby is valued at approximately $2.4 million, the 12th-highest overall.

Any deal approaching $5 million would immediately place Sorsby alongside Manning at the top of the NIL market.

Early links and reporting have connected Sorsby to programs including Texas Tech, Tennessee, Oregon, Indiana (return), and other Power-Five schools.

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