Well, here we go again. Back and forth is the best description to describe Brendan Sorsby of Texas Tech.
It appears now that Sorsby will definitely be headed to next month’s NFL Supplemental Draft.
This has been an ongoing tale of if Sorsby will stay in college or enter the NFL. In his last item of business, a Texas judge allowed him to remain in college for one more year with a two-game suspension. The hearing happened on June 1, and the ruling became known on June 8. And
as far as anyone knew, that is what would occur from that point on.
Initially, the NCAA ruled him ineligible for the 2026 season because of all of his gambling bylaw violations. Sorsby had transferred from Cincinnati to Texas Tech to get a fresh start right before the NCAA came down on his hard.
What has transpired now?
As far as the Texas judge’s ruling, nothing has changed. He is cleared to play for Texas Tech. But Sorsby now wants to drop the college route and enter the NFL. He has decided this on his own.
Blue shirt, red shirt, or the orange shirt, and then puts on a black shirt. Who knows?
What changed the athlete’s mind? He was projected to become the highest NIL recipient in college football this upcoming season with a value of $5 million. Sorsby was also supposed to be one of the sport’s elite quarterback prospects.
But in the interim, because of the Texas judge’s ruling, a ton of college coaches, athletic directors, and school presidents have reigned down hard on Texas Tech for keeping Sorsby on their roster and stating that the two-game suspension was not what their game was about.
LINK: 2026 TEXAS TECH FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Colleges have already begun to not schedule Texas Tech in other sports for their upcoming season. The football schedule is already set with times, and so far, none of the programs listed have been cancelled. But the whispers have begun. A University of Michigan volleyball match that was scheduled against Texas Tech has already been canceled. The cancellation of other events has been discussed.
A look at their football roster, and Sorsby is listed as a new incoming player.
The NFL’s deadline for any player to apply for the Supplemental Draft is June 22. Right now, the special draft is not scheduled, and Sorsby is most likely the only athlete available. The NFL supplemental draft is not held every year but is available to players who have exhausted their eligibility but graduated later, or are facing disciplinary or academic issues.
Perhaps it was Sorsby who decided that the scrutiny was going to be too much, and would only end up as a distraction, and maybe he felt that he had to just hang it up at the college level and proceed to the pros. Maybe it was Sorsby’s parents, or his coach, or even the AD that offered him this advice.
Needless to say, this has been on-again, off-again.
The Big-12 has already filed a federal complaint against Texas Tech. The NCAA has appealed the judge’s ruling. Sanctions against Texas Tech are being discussed.
In the meantime, it is official: Sorsby will enter the NFL Supplemental Draft. As part of this decision, his attorneys are going to withdraw their pending lawsuit against the NCAA. This decision will also make him ineligible to play college football under the governing body’s ruling.
What does all of this have to do with the Arizona Cardinals?
Sorsby (6’-3”, 235 pounds) could become a valuable prospect that Ossenfort and the coaching staff may want to consider. He went to Indiana and Cincinnati for two years each. When he entered the transfer portal this last time, college programs lined up in droves in order to have him come to their school.
His career college stats: Played in 35 games, tossed 968 passes and completed 594 for 7,208 yards, 60 touchdowns with just 18 interceptions, a career 61.4% completion ratio, and his 81.5 QBR was 11th in the FBS. He is a very good runner with 320 rushes for 1,295 yards, a 4.0 average yards per attempt, with an additional 22 touchdowns.
Scouting report on Bleacher Report:
PRO
“He’s a big kid that can do it all. He can run. He can throw. He’s accurate. He makes all the off-platform throws. He’s a frickin’ competitor. He’s not soft. He does not turn the ball over, and he does not miss open guys. He had 36 total TDs and only six turnovers. He is about as good as you can be at all the stuff that you can’t coach — the off-platform throws, the tight-window throws.”
CON
“When you watch the tape, there are just some bad things, some strange losses, and some clunker performances. Just a lot of it. And if you think about whatever he’s gone through the last year, and the scrutiny he’s already gone through, and now the scrutiny that he’s going to receive, and he’s gonna come out and perform at a higher level? Man, that’s a hard scenario to see.”
Are the Cardinals satisfied with their quarterback room? If not, Sorsby could very well be headed to the desert.
The way the Supplemental Draft works is not like April’s college draft. There aren’t any rounds per se. A team bids for his services. Whatever round the player is taken, that pick is forfeited in next April’s draft. The NFL hasn’t had a supplemental draft since 2023.
Let’s say that Arizona puts in a bid for him for Round 3. Any team that puts in a bid for him in Round 1 or 2 would get him. But if any team puts in a bid for Sorsby in Round 4 or below, Arizona gets the player. However, let’s say that three clubs plus the Cardinals put in a bid for him in Round 3. That is where the April draft comes into play. Teams are still in their original draft slots, which means the Las Vegas Raiders hold the first spot, followed by the New York Jets, and then the Cardinals at #3, and so on.
Only the Raiders and Jets will select ahead of Arizona.
The Raiders signed veteran Kirk Cousins in free agency and then drafted Fernando Mendoza first overall in the draft, so there shouldn’t be any interest with this franchise. The Jets drafted Clemson QB Cade Klubnik in Round 4 and signed veteran Geno Smith this offseason, which means they should be good.
Right now, Sorsby has a Round 2 grade.
All of this means, most likely, that because the Cardinals have one of the highest draft slots, if they want Sorsby, he will become an addition to the quarterback room.
