Hello, hello!
This is supposed to be the down time for NFL Draft analysis! But, as we know, this sport never sleeps. This week’s topic? New Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby.
Sorsby is a 22-year old quarterback with 31 collegiate starts under his belt at two different schools. He transferred to Texas Tech this offseason from Cincinnati, where he spent the past two seasons as the guy at the top of the depth chart. He was widely viewed as being in the first-round discussion for the 2027 NFL Draft.
That is now very much up in the air, as he recently checked into a rehab facility due to a gambling addiction (the details of which I will address below).
My thought for this week’s email? I’ll provide my full scouting report on Sorsby, based on all of the work I’ve done to this point. The structure of the report is EXACTLY what you would find if he were to be in one of our DieHard Draft Guides. So if you like what you see, and you want more of it, be sure to become a DieHard so you can get access to the 2026 version of the guide as well as to get a jump on next year’s class! I’ll be making that one public at the end of the summer before the College Football season kicks off.
At this point, with everything that we know, I find it HIGHLY unlikely that Sorsby will ever play another down at the collegiate level. He will almost certainly be forced to enter the Supplemental Draft, which would (in theory) land him in an NFL Training Camp two months from now.
With that all said, here’s my full report on Sorsby:
👤 BACKGROUND
Will be a 22-year old rookie (born January 20, 2004)
From Denton, TX (in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex)
Briefly moved away from the quarterback position, playing running back in middle school.
Was a 3-star recruit at Lake Dallas High School (5 NFL alum, including Broncos LB Drew Sanders and former Bears DT Dusty Dvoracek)
Was lightly-recruited and viewed as a late-riser at the position; had interest from other high schools to transfer before his senior season but he decided to stay
Also lettered in baseball in high school
Indiana was his only Power 4 offer; chose the Hoosiers over reported offers from Abilene Christian, Fordham, Delaware, Army, Navy and others
In 2022 he redshirted his first season in Bloomington, appearing in just one game as a reserve behind Connor Bazelak and Dexter Williams
In 2023 he (surprisingly) won an offseason battle with incoming transfer Tayven Jackson
Won just one game as the starter in HC Tom Allen’s final season
Week 7 vs Penn State: Took multiple hits as a runner, briefly leaving the game to have his right shoulder looked at, but did not miss any time
Entered the Transfer Portal immediately after the season ended, before Curt Cignetti was hired, landing with Cincinnati just days afterwards
In 2024 he was the starter all year for the Bearcats
The only FBS quarterback to record both a 425-yard passing game and a 125-yard rushing game on the year
Cincinnati started the year 5-2 but went 0-5 to end the regular season, where he completed just 59% of his passes with 5 TDs and 3 INTs
In 2025 he started every regular season for the Bearcats as a Team Captain
Week 1 vs Nebraska: ran a failed 2-minute drill in a three-point loss that ended on an interception throwing a double move downfield vs Cover 2
Week 4 vs Kansas: Led the team to victory on a 2-minute drive to win the game
Week 10 vs Arizona: ran a failed 2-minute drill where he went 4-and-out as a passer, including an overthrown sluggo route to end the day
Similar to the previous season, Cincinnati started hot with a 7-1 start but faded down the stretch, going 0-4 to close the season; Sorsby completed just 56% of his passes with 7 TDs and 4 INTs in that span. This means he has not won a game after Halloween since 2023, and it was his lone win as a starter that season.
Was named Honorable Mention All-Big 12
He did not play in the Liberty Bowl, as he already announced his intent to transfer
He entered the Transfer Portal in December and visited both LSU and Texas Tech (along with reported interest from Miami), ultimately choosing the Red Raiders.
In April 2026, the week after the NFL Draft, Texas Tech announced that Sorsby was checking into a residential treatment program for a gambling addiction after reportedly making thousands of online bets on a variety of sports, including on his own team during his first season at Indiana.
On Monday, May 18 2026, Sorsby and his legal team filed for an injunction against the NCAA, which reportedly included the following:
A claim that the NCAA’s stance on gambling was ‘deeply hypocritical’, as he is currently ineligible due to his clinically diagnosed gambling addiction (which they label as a mental health disorder) while also benefiting from the same gambling industry
An admission that Sorsby did place multiple bets on his own team while serving as the backup quarterback at Indiana in 2022
A request to make him eligible, immediately, and to allow him to play in games during the fall of 2026
An offer to accept a two-game suspension pending the completion of his treatment in a residential facility (where he has been since the end of April 2026)
A request for an expedited hearing from the NCAA on June 15th, one week before the deadline for the Supplemental Draft (June 22nd)
YR | SCHOOL | W/L | YARDS | TDs | INTs | COMP % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2025 | CINCINNATI | 7-5 | 2,800 | 27 | 5 | 61.6% |
2024 | CINCINNATI | 5-7 | 2,813 | 18 | 7 | 64.0% |
2023 | INDIANA | 1-6 | 1,587 | 15 | 5 | 57.0% |
2022 | INDIANA | 0-0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 50.0% |
🏃♂️ PHYSICAL TOOLS
Solid height with a thick, sturdy frame at 6-foot-3, 235 pounds
Good athlete; not just slippery in a short area. Speed to get to the corner and if there's a crease downhill he can eat up yardage. A threat to keep it on option runs and they pulled that lever often.
Runs Speed Option very well and carries out fakes well on RPOs.
Has the body armor to withstand contact and live to the next play
Pretty good arm strength; not a drive thrower. Puts a lot of air under his deep ball but he can make any throw necessary from a physical standpoint.
The ALL NFL Draft Podcast: Scouting Brendan Sorsby With Greg Cosell
Don’t just take my word on Sorsby! I caught up with NFL FIlms’ Greg Cosell to discuss the talented quarterback and how he projects to the NFL. Catch it on the latest ALL NFL Draft Podcast!
🏈 PRE-THROW
Got most pre-snap direction from the sideline
Not much evidence of navigating dirty pockets with his eyes up
Post-snap processing isn't great yet; not as many in-structure throws late in the progression that I'd want to see (best examples came in the Oklahoma State game). Shows flashes of getting deep into pure progression concepts but not often enough. More likely to drop his eyes and get frenetic when that first read is not there.
A 'see it' thrower; not a ton of anticipatory passes.
That said he doesn't force the issue into tight coverage.
🏈 PASSING SKILLSET
Fast release and he can easily change the arm angle to find throwing lanes; he's creative as a thrower. Seems to get a lot of passes knocked down at the line. Lower body mechanics suffer late in the down; will step in the bucket often.
Overall accuracy is not a strength. Up and down ball placement when he's clean. Under pressure it sinks more than most passers and his deep ball accuracy is sporadic; lots of overthrows.
Good touch to all areas of the field; throws pretty slot fades and back shoulders. Layers throws (skinny post on 3rd-and-16 vs Oklahoma State on the 1st play of the 4th Quarter). Changes his arm speed up for underneath throws.
🏈 USAGE / PLAY PERSONALITY
Lined up almost entirely in the shotgun and pistol. Ran play-action from the latter where he briefly turned his back to the defense. Had some under center runs mixed in but not much.
Ran a lot of second- and third-level RPOs that produced a lot of vertical throws, primarily outside the numbers
Competitive downhill as a runner; took some vicious shots through the teeth of the defense and popped right back up.
“As weird as it sounds, I like to get hit … I like to deliver hits. That’s the fun of football.” - Sorsby in October 2023.
📊 NUMBERS THAT MATTER
One of just four Power 4 Quarterbacks over the last two seasons to combine for at least 5,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards
One of just 20 quarterbacks since 1956 to throw for 7,000 yards, 60-plus TDs, and 25 or fewer INTs along with 1,000 yards and 20 TDs on the ground (a list that includes several Heisman Trophy winners)
Posted a strong 6.1 Pressure to Sack Rate in 2025
Only 10 quarterbacks selected in the last ten NFL Drafts (2017-2026) attacked the middle of the field at a lower rate in their final collegiate season than he did (just 8.6 percent of his throws between the numbers at a depth of 10-20 yards last fall).
🗯️ WORD ON THE STREET
“It gets us fired up. Not all quarterbacks are willing to lower their shoulders. He’s not afraid to do that to keep the drives going. That’s a momentum thing. We feed off of that.” - ex-Indiana RB Josh Henderson in November 2023
“For a young guy, his poise on how to operate the offense in a hostile environment and all the things we were doing as far as pre-snap motions, I was very impressed.” - ex-Indiana OC Rod Carey in November 2023
"He has worked hard to learn the offense, and he's made a lot of plays. I think he has earned the respect of his teammates, which is huge. There are so many little things that go into being the starter, and I think Brendan has handled himself well. … He has a quiet confidence about himself but he shows humility too, which I like in a quarterback.” - Cincinnati HC Scott Satterfield in August 2024 after naming Sorsby the starter
“Super talented. Really natural thrower, can run around.” - anonymous Big 12 coordinator in August 2025
"He's big, tough, athletic and smart. He's a leader and can make off-schedule plays and change arm angles. He's got the 'It.' I think he's very gifted.” - Anonymous scout to ESPN in November 2025
Is still learning how to watch tape and prepare like a pro; scouts think the upside is sky-high because he has not scratched the surface in this area yet
College and NFL evaluators polled after the 2026 NFL Draft were all over the board on his draft value; some saw him as a first-round talent ‘all day’, others saw more of a developmental player you take early on Day 3 based off tape study.
👥 PLAYER COMPARISON
WORKING COMP:
Jaxson Dart
Dart was maybe a bit better as a vertical passer, but the athleticism / toughness / size are all reminiscent of the 2025 1st-round pick. My grade on Sorsby is a bit higher, and I have a bit more of a positive outlook on him reaching his upside than I did with Dart.
OTHER NAMES IN CONSIDERATION:
Sam Howell
I could make an argument that this is the most likely outcome for Sorsby
Drew Lock
Shorter Jeff Driskel
Driskel was taller, but they shared a LOT of similarities in the scouting report.
📝 SCOUTING REPORT
3-year college starter across two P4 programs, including the last two in HC Scott Satterfield's RPO-heavy operation. Tough, athletic quarterback with good touch to all levels of the field. He can complete throws from various arm angles and can be a playmaker with his legs. If you can keep him clean and keep the reads well-defined for him, he can absolutely execute your offense at a high level, but when things are not as clean I think his play really suffers. The longer he holds the ball, the more his mechanics, accuracy and processing wane. While he's capable of creating outside of structure, it's a bit more volatile than I'd like to see at this stage of his development before entering the NFL. Overall, I see a player with the physical traits to be an NFL starter but with an understandably wide range of outcomes. There is still projection required with this player both on and off the field from a football standpoint, and - if pressed - I think he's more likely to stick long-term as a spark-plug backup quarterback as opposed to being a team's answer at the position. The upside is there as an elusive aggressor who is capable of making big plays as both a runner and thrower, but patience and the right ecosystem will be required. I would not want him to play right away.
PARTING THOUGHT
Me, personally? Based on all of the information at our disposal at this moment, I would be hard-pressed to submit a bid higher than the fourth round on Sorsby if he enters the Supplemental Draft. And I think that’s how it will play out this summer.
He has Round One talent with Day Two tape right now. There is reason to believe that, with more on- and off-field development (classroom and preparation), that he could get to starting-level play sooner rather than later. Teams will have to decide whether they can trust him. I understand that gambling is front-and-center for young people right now, and I do understand the hypocrisy angle of things … but at the same time there’s a pretty stark line in the sand. No matter what sport you play, professional or collegiate, if you bet on your own team (no matter if it’s to win or lose), it’s a non-starter. Significant punishment. He absolutely knew better.
What further complicates matters is that, right now, from what is being reported, Sorsby is still at his rehabilitation facility. The deadline to submit his name for the Supplemental Draft is exactly one month from now (June 22nd). How soon, before or after, can he begin meeting with teams and interviewing with them? Investing in a franchise quarterback is a career-altering move as a General Manager.
Albert Breer of the MMQB recently provided a detailed look at all of the work the Raiders did before selecting QB Fernando Mendoza last month. That was for the consensus No. 1 pick in the draft, a player with a squeaky clean profile. It spanned months and months of pre-draft meetings and contact points. You’re taking all of that prep work and shrinking it down to a very short time span.
Then, you have to take the 2027 Draft into account. This is a class that could (potentially) be chock-full of NFL talent. By submitting a bid on Sorsby now, with an abridged ‘pre-draft’ process, you’d be forfeiting a chance to take a quarterback next spring, when you’re afforded an entire fall AND offseason’s worth of work.
Make no mistake, area scouts already have a lot of the information that they’d want to know on Sorsby. They went through the paces of evaluating him last fall just in case he were to enter the 2026 Draft. In the last few weeks, they’ve done further work with their sources at Indiana, Cincinnati and Texas Tech. But GMs and coaches will want to speak to him as well. They’ll want to get their hands on him and work him out. None of THEM have seen him throw up close. It’s a very complicated dynamic. I’m fascinated to see how it plays out.
Lastly, in every profile in the Draft Guide, I provide links to highlights and breakdowns so that you can watch and form some of your own opinions on these players as well! Here’s what I pulled on Sorsby over the last several months:
Best,
Fran Duffy
PS — I’m going to start doing some position-specific and more team-specific content here in the Newsletter. If you want me to cover your team or if you have any requests on my evaluation process on certain positions, let me know!
