As Brendan Sorsby is checking into residential treatment for gambling addiction and facing a potentially permanent NCAA ban, head coach Joey McGuire’s quarterback room is in a challenging position. Will Hammond and Kirk Francis are the internal answers, but the portal window can stabilize the room for the 2026 season.
Here are five potential transfer quarterback targets for Texas Tech.
Which Transfer Quarterbacks Could Texas Tech Target Amid the Brendan Sorsby Drama?
1. Sam Houston Transfer Hunter Watson
Watson is a Texas native and remains one of the more experienced dual-threat options available in the market for Texas Tech. Following a 2025 season that was cut short by a knee injury, he entered the transfer portal in January.
Watson began the 2025 season as Sam Houston’s primary starter but was sidelined after Week 10 following the knee injury against Louisiana Tech. Before the injury, he appeared in seven games, throwing for 1,108 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions, while adding 276 yards and 2 scores on the ground.
Watson’s college journey began at the Division II level with Arkansas-Monticello (2021–22), followed by a stint at Iowa Western CC, where he led the team to an NJCAA national championship and earned All-American honors. He later transferred to Sam Houston, where he started 12 games in 2024.
2. Coastal Carolina Quarterback Samari Collier
Collier is approaching the end of his college eligibility after spending time at Coastal Carolina. He arrived at Coastal Carolina as an elite player and made an immediate impact during the 2025 season in eight games. He totaled 489 passing yards, 7 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions while completing 48.7% of his passes and also added 429 rushing yards and 7 rushing touchdowns in the season.
Before Coastal Carolina, Collier rebuilt his career at Hutchinson Community College, earning 2023 KJCCC Co-Offensive Player of the Year honors after an earlier stop at Illinois.
3. UMass Transfer Brandon Rose
Rose also remains one of the more experienced names available for Texas Tech. He was originally a high-upside recruit for Utah, joining the Utes as a 3-star pro-style quarterback out of Murrieta Valley High School.
However, Rose’s time with Utah was marred by timing and injuries, including a season-ending injury in the 2024 season that paved the way for his first transfer. He appeared in three games that season, starting once, and did not play in 2023 after redshirting in 2022.
Rose spent the 2025 season with UMass and secured a 61.5 score in the PFSN College Football QB Impact Metric. He completed 52 of 88 passes (59.1%) for 424 yards, 1 touchdown, and 3 interceptions in six games. Injuries again limited his season, leading him back into the transfer portal.
4. Sacramento State Quarterback Cardell Williams
Williams entered the transfer portal in December after finishing the 2025 season at Sacramento State. He played in 12 games (starting the final 10) for the Hornets and posted a 150.7 passer rating while throwing for 1,621 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Before his time at Sacramento State, Williams played at Tulsa from 2022 to 2024 after arriving as an elite recruit from Westfield High School in Houston.
5. Kent State Graduate Transfer CJ Montes
Montes is categorized as a graduate transfer and has been a frequent name in portal discussions for several programs. He began his career at New Mexico before transferring to Fordham. After an injury-shortened 2024 campaign with the Rams, he transferred to Kent State for the 2025 season, where he briefly won the starting job.
Montes played in the first two games of the season, throwing for 140 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception before suffering a season-ending injury. Injuries also limited him in 2024 at Fordham, where he played just three games. However, his 2023 season was outstanding, as he threw for over 3,000 yards and 26 touchdowns with just 1 interception, finishing as a finalist for the Walter Payton Award.
