The saga surrounding Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby seemingly hit a big breakthrough on June 8, when a Lubbock County Court granted him an injunction that gave him eligibility for the 2026 college football season. Rather than suit up for the Red Raiders, though, Sorsby appears to be heading in a different direction.
Brendan Sorsby Is Applying to Enter NFL Supplemental Draft
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on Monday that Sorsby will instead be applying to enter the 2026 NFL Supplemental Draft. Assuming his application is approved, the standout quarterback will be heading to the professional level after admitting that he gambled on games during his collegiate playing career.
Sorsby’s decision will send shockwaves through the NFL, both for this season and for a potentially loaded 2027 NFL Draft. Given his level of talent, it’s fair to assume a quarterback-needy team will use an early-round draft pick on him, thus removing a draft pick from the 2027 class and marking one fewer team competing for a quarterback.
From a college football perspective, it’s obviously a big loss for Texas Tech. Sorsby’s 88.2 PFN QB Impact Score for Cincinnati last year ranked sixth among returning FBS quarterbacks. The Red Raiders angled hard to land a star quarterback in the transfer portal, hoping to build on last year’s momentum, when they won the Big 12 and made their first College Football Playoff appearance.
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A big part of Texas Tech’s inability to go past the CFP quarterfinals came down to their quarterback play. Last year’s starter, Behren Morton, finished outside the top 50 in PFN’s QB Impact Score, limiting the efficiency of their offense and seeing that unit fall short of their dominant defense.
The new projected starting quarterback for the Red Raiders is redshirt sophomore Will Hammond, who’s coming off a season in which he tore his ACL late in October. He started in two games last season, finishing with a 1-1 record while throwing for 680 yards with a 63.3% completion percentage, 7 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. Hammond’s start against Arizona State was the only regular-season game Texas Tech lost.
As a four-star recruit coming out of high school, Hammond has the pedigree to inspire some confidence for Texas Tech fans. That said, he’s very unproven at the collegiate level, and relying on him as the starting quarterback is a risky move for a team with national championship aspirations.
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Obviously, this doesn’t change how talented the rest of the Red Raiders’ roster is. Their defensive line might be the best in college football on paper, consisting of future NFL draft picks like A.J. Holmes Jr., Mateen Ibirogba, Trey White, and Adam Trick. Linebacker Austin Romaine and cornerback Brice Pollock will also end up playing on Sundays, as should offensive players like guard Hunter Zambrano and tight end Terrance Carter Jr.
On paper, the Big 12 has plenty of good teams but lacks a serious title contender in the mix. If Hammond can play at a respectable level, it’s reasonable to think Texas Tech wins the conference and makes it to the CFP again in 2026. However, their chances of making a deep playoff run hinged heavily on the availability of Sorsby. Assuming his application for the NFL Supplemental Draft is accepted, they won’t have that proven star power at the most important position in football.
Texas Tech should still be a playoff contender in 2026, even with Hammond at quarterback instead of Sorsby. But with an unproven quarterback going into the season, it’s an incredible risk projecting them as a championship-winning team at this stage.
