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Brendan Sorsby broke the firewall between gambling and sports when he wagered on Indiana University games as a seldom-used scout team quarterback. Now, despite a local judge's ruling that the NCAA could not keep him from the field in 2026, he's on to the NFL.
Sorsby was thrust into the spotlight after admitting his gambling problem and seeking help after at least $90,000 in bets in his time as a student athlete. Though a judge ruled him eligible for the 2026 season -- minus a two-game suspension handed down by Texas Tech, who landed him in the transfer portal at a reported cost of roughly $5 million -- public opinion crystalized against the Red Raiders in a palpable way. Rather than play under one heavily scrutinized spotlight, the athletic quarterback opted to end his college career before an offseason of legal challenges and boycotts could swirl around him.
Per Tom Pelissero, Sorsby filed paperwork Monday that will almost certainly make him the first prospect selected in the NFL's supplemental draft since 2019.
Sorsby would have benefitted from another year in college, especially with the high priced roster of an ascending Red Raiders team around him. However, the tape we have from his last two seasons at Cincinnati paint the picture of an NFL caliber quarterback. He led the Big 12 in both adjusted yards per attempt (9.3) and passer rating (155.1) last fall. In a seven-game stretch between Weeks 2 and 10, he had a sterling 20:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio and was undefeated -- though only one of those wins came against an opponent that finished 2025 with more than five wins.
It's how he performed outside that stretch, however, that would have made his 2026 valuable beyond an hefty paycheck from Texas Tech impresario and megabooster Cody Campbell. His TD:INT ratio dropped to 7:5, his offense failed to score more than 24 points in any contest and Cincinnati lost all five of those games -- including a four-week disasterpiece in which only one defeat came by less than 12 points, eliminating the Bearcats from the Big 12 title race in the process.
That was the second-straight season in which Sorsby sputtered en route to losing streaks of four-plus games to finish the year. Despite this, his tools and improvement made him a worthy investment for a college team looking to spend big -- and will likely convince an NFL team to burn a Day 2 or early Day 3 2027 draft pick on him in this summer's supplemental proceeding.
At 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, he's got the build of a dropback quarterback. With 1,027 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground, he's got the legs to be a dual-threat presence, escaping pressure and looking for big throws to turn potential losses into game-changing plays.
When he's feeling it, Sorsby can absolutely spin the ball, keeping his eyes downfield for big gains. But, as you probably guessed by the preceding paragraphs, consistency is a massive issue. He leans on his athleticism too often at times, leaving pockets too early, giving up on reliable-but-unsexy tosses and firing misses downfield. The good news is those misses are usually in places where no one can get to them -- see last year's five interceptions. The bad news is he's got a shooter's mentality, and those misses can add up -- see last year's 11-for-33 performance in a season-sinking 45-14 loss to Utah.
2026 was an opportunity to lock in a first round slot while cementing Texas Tech's ascension to college football's new ruling class. Instead, teams are going to have to weigh his potential against his instability on the field and his awful decision-making off it. Between his lower draft stock and the money he'll no longer be making at Texas Tech, this could be a loss that totals in the tens of millions of dollars for the prospect.
Still, it only takes one team to fall in love with a young quarterback; no one thought Ty Simpson was going to be a top 15 pick under the Los Angeles Rams opted to make a pricy investment in their Matthew Stafford succession plan. Sorsby could be a first round selection at the supplemental draft. It seems much more likely teams would wait and invest a second, third or fourth-round pick on him.
The supplemental draft was established in 1977 to provide a pathway for players to enter the NFL after missing the declaration date for the annual spring draft. It's an alternative route for prospects whose circumstances may have changed since the spring, often due to NCAA/team discipline (see: Terrelle Pryor in 2011 or Josh Gordon in 2012) or personal issues.
Teams submit bids for any players they want in the supplemental draft, telling commissioner Roger Goodell the draft pick they're willing to give up in next year's regular draft in order to make it happen. So if a team bids a second round pick on Sorsby this summer, they'd forfeit their second round selection for the 2027 NFL Draft. Draft order is split into three tiers:
Draft order within those tiers is composed by random draw. The supplemental draft is only held when players have declared for it. It has not been held since 2023 and no one has been selected since 2019, when safety Jalen Thompson was selected in the fifth round by the Dallas Cowboys.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Brendan Sorsby NFL future: Where divisive QB could land in supplemental draft
Continue reading...
Sorsby was thrust into the spotlight after admitting his gambling problem and seeking help after at least $90,000 in bets in his time as a student athlete. Though a judge ruled him eligible for the 2026 season -- minus a two-game suspension handed down by Texas Tech, who landed him in the transfer portal at a reported cost of roughly $5 million -- public opinion crystalized against the Red Raiders in a palpable way. Rather than play under one heavily scrutinized spotlight, the athletic quarterback opted to end his college career before an offseason of legal challenges and boycotts could swirl around him.
Per Tom Pelissero, Sorsby filed paperwork Monday that will almost certainly make him the first prospect selected in the NFL's supplemental draft since 2019.
What is Brendan Sorsby's NFL future?
Sorsby would have benefitted from another year in college, especially with the high priced roster of an ascending Red Raiders team around him. However, the tape we have from his last two seasons at Cincinnati paint the picture of an NFL caliber quarterback. He led the Big 12 in both adjusted yards per attempt (9.3) and passer rating (155.1) last fall. In a seven-game stretch between Weeks 2 and 10, he had a sterling 20:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio and was undefeated -- though only one of those wins came against an opponent that finished 2025 with more than five wins.
It's how he performed outside that stretch, however, that would have made his 2026 valuable beyond an hefty paycheck from Texas Tech impresario and megabooster Cody Campbell. His TD:INT ratio dropped to 7:5, his offense failed to score more than 24 points in any contest and Cincinnati lost all five of those games -- including a four-week disasterpiece in which only one defeat came by less than 12 points, eliminating the Bearcats from the Big 12 title race in the process.
That was the second-straight season in which Sorsby sputtered en route to losing streaks of four-plus games to finish the year. Despite this, his tools and improvement made him a worthy investment for a college team looking to spend big -- and will likely convince an NFL team to burn a Day 2 or early Day 3 2027 draft pick on him in this summer's supplemental proceeding.
At 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, he's got the build of a dropback quarterback. With 1,027 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground, he's got the legs to be a dual-threat presence, escaping pressure and looking for big throws to turn potential losses into game-changing plays.
When he's feeling it, Sorsby can absolutely spin the ball, keeping his eyes downfield for big gains. But, as you probably guessed by the preceding paragraphs, consistency is a massive issue. He leans on his athleticism too often at times, leaving pockets too early, giving up on reliable-but-unsexy tosses and firing misses downfield. The good news is those misses are usually in places where no one can get to them -- see last year's five interceptions. The bad news is he's got a shooter's mentality, and those misses can add up -- see last year's 11-for-33 performance in a season-sinking 45-14 loss to Utah.
2026 was an opportunity to lock in a first round slot while cementing Texas Tech's ascension to college football's new ruling class. Instead, teams are going to have to weigh his potential against his instability on the field and his awful decision-making off it. Between his lower draft stock and the money he'll no longer be making at Texas Tech, this could be a loss that totals in the tens of millions of dollars for the prospect.
Still, it only takes one team to fall in love with a young quarterback; no one thought Ty Simpson was going to be a top 15 pick under the Los Angeles Rams opted to make a pricy investment in their Matthew Stafford succession plan. Sorsby could be a first round selection at the supplemental draft. It seems much more likely teams would wait and invest a second, third or fourth-round pick on him.
How does the NFL supplemental draft work?
The supplemental draft was established in 1977 to provide a pathway for players to enter the NFL after missing the declaration date for the annual spring draft. It's an alternative route for prospects whose circumstances may have changed since the spring, often due to NCAA/team discipline (see: Terrelle Pryor in 2011 or Josh Gordon in 2012) or personal issues.
Teams submit bids for any players they want in the supplemental draft, telling commissioner Roger Goodell the draft pick they're willing to give up in next year's regular draft in order to make it happen. So if a team bids a second round pick on Sorsby this summer, they'd forfeit their second round selection for the 2027 NFL Draft. Draft order is split into three tiers:
- Teams with six wins or fewer in 2025
- Remaining non-playoff teams
- 14 playoff teams
Draft order within those tiers is composed by random draw. The supplemental draft is only held when players have declared for it. It has not been held since 2023 and no one has been selected since 2019, when safety Jalen Thompson was selected in the fifth round by the Dallas Cowboys.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Brendan Sorsby NFL future: Where divisive QB could land in supplemental draft
Continue reading...
