The Texas Tech Red Raiders have their successor to Behren Morton.
After building a Big 12 champion and making the College Football Playoff with a monstrous transfer portal haul, Cody Campbell, Joey McGuire and Texas Tech are doubling down. They landed Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby, unanimously considered one of the top transfers available, on Jan. 4.
With Sorsby secured, the Red Raiders have their coveted quarterback and will look to make more noise in 2026.
Here are five things to know about Sorsby.
Sports Roundup
1. The basics
Name: Brendan Sorsby
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6-3 Weight: 235 pounds
Hometown: Denton, Texas
High school: Lake Dallas High School
Previous colleges: Indiana, Cincinnati
2. Hefty price tag
Sorsby certainly didn’t come to Lubbock for free.
According to On3’s Pete Nakos, his NIL deal with Texas Tech will pay him $5 million for the 2026 season. The Red Raiders had to pony up to get Sorsby aboard given what a hot commodity he was in the portal. He was coming off a 2025 season with Cincinnati that saw him throw for 2,800 yards and 27 touchdowns with five interceptions, as well as nine rushing touchdowns.
He also visited LSU, so Tech had to fight off Lane Kiffin for its portal target. On top of that, Sorsby was also weighing the possibility of entering the 2026 NFL draft.
Instead, he’ll join Joey McGuire’s squad for his final season of eligibility and try to lead Texas Tech back to the CFP.
3. Local kid
Sorsby played his high school ball at Lake Dallas High School.
As a high school prospect, 247Sports rated him as a three-star quarterback and the No. 66 QB in the Class of 2022. He chose Indiana over offers from Army, Delaware and Navy. The Denton Record-Chronicle named him its 2021 Quarterback of the Year after he threw for 1,271 yards, 14 passing touchdowns and ran for 823 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Lake Dallas High School quarterback Brendan Sorsby (2) throws a pass during the first half as Frisco High School hosted Lake Dallas High School at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco on Friday evening, September 10, 2021.
Stewart F. House / Special Contributor
“We definitely had some tough seasons while I was there, but we figured it out my senior season,” Sorsby said at Big 12 Media Days in 2025. “Lake Dallas taught me a lot of valuable lessons about staying loyal, staying true to who you are and finding a way through the tough times.”
Sorsby was an all-district honoree in both football and baseball for Lake Dallas.
4. Not the only one headed to Tech
His girlfriend, Gretchen Sigman, was a Cincinnati volleyball player and was part of the reason it was speculated that Sorsby could be headed to Lubbock.
Sigman committed to transfer from Cincinnati to Texas Tech on Dec. 15. Less than a month later, Sorsby joined her in Lubbock.
Now the couple will both suit up for the Red Raiders next fall.
5. A grand welcome
Texas Tech welcomed Sorsby with quite the announcement.
Aside from all the hype on social media, an LED billboard in Times Square displayed Sorsby’s image. The billboard read, “Welcome to Lubbock, Brendan Sorsby.”
Texas Tech mega-booster Cody Campbell posted his own photo of the billboard and hinted at more portal action for the Red Raiders.
“Times Square in New York City today,” he wrote. “The @TexasTechFB Brand is national, just like our intentions and ambitions! Wait until you see What (or who) is Next!!”
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