Texas Tech Red Raiders head football coach Joey McGuire has his quarterback for the 2026 season. On Jan. 4, former Cincinnati Bearcats signal-caller Brendan Sorsby told ESPN that he’s committing to Texas Tech.
Moreover, Sorsby’s choice follows his visits to Lubbock, Texas, on Jan. 2 and Baton Rouge for LSU on Jan. 3, coming after the Red Raiders‘ active work in the transfer portal helped secure the program’s first Big 12 title.
He noted he was impressed by Texas Tech’s facilities and admired the culture established by the coaching staff. Furthermore, the quarterback is projected to receive a major deal from the Red Raiders.
Although the amount isn’t revealed in the story, ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel reported, citing sources, that the figure is projected to be around $5 million.
In 2025, Sorsby established himself as one of the nation’s top dual-threat quarterbacks, throwing for 2,800 yards and 27 touchdowns while adding nine rushing scores on 580 yards.
He is shaping up as a leading prospect in the 2027 NFL draft, which is currently expected to be loaded with quarterback talent. Moreover, Sorsby will have massive expectations to get Texas Tech back to the College Football Playoff.
Brendan Sorsby Will Make the Red Raiders Better
With Sorsby telling ESPN that he is committing to the Red Raiders, college football analyst Josh Pate shared his thoughts on Texas Tech looking to upgrade their QB position after their elimination from the CFP at the hands of the Oregon Ducks.
“I was talking to Joey Maguire after their Oregon game the other day, obviously, really disappointed,” Pate said on the Jan. 4 edition of the “Josh Pate’s College Football Show.” “But then they got to dive right into the portal, and he’s not seeking my advice as to how he builds his roster, but the one thing that I just think about Texas Tech, and the one thing I told him, is it was a great year, but you were limited at quarterback.
“Okay, so maybe they’re going to answer that with Brendan Sorsby. Again, we’re waiting for official word there, but that would be a big upgrade at quarterback. It felt like with Texas Tech, there was a giant glob of peanut butter that was put on the bread. They didn’t spread it out nearly enough. Like they had tons of difference-makers along the defensive front, but there weren’t difference-makers all over the roster.”
Texas Tech Will Have Plenty of Resources to Improve for 2026
Moreover, Sorsby might be the first domino to fall at Texas Tech as Pate believes the football program will use all its resources to ensure that the team has a chance to redeem itself in the CFP next season.
“Trust me, with the resources they have or with the peanut butter they have to spread at Texas Tech, you can spread it as far as you want to and it’ll still be plenty deep enough. You don’t—you won’t have to have some sparse, like, like toast is even showing right here. We didn’t even have enough peanut butter to spread.”
Texas Tech, Joey McGuire Get Huge Transfer Portal News