Texas Tech is making a terrible bet on Brendan Sorsby
He isn't good enough for how Tech is handling this.
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You don't earn Second Team All-Big 12 honors, or become a top commodity in the transfer portal by being an awful quarterback. Brendan Sorsby isn't awful - as evidenced by a 27:5 TD:INT ratio last season at Cincinnati. It wasn't surprising that Texas Tech and other big-name schools courted his services so heavily when he entered the portal last December.
Why did Tech pay such a hefty price to land Sorsby? Why is the whole Red Raider fanbase vociferously defending a player who bet on his own team and has never even played an actual game for theirs? Because they believe he elevates them from a team who got shut out in the playoff six months ago into one who can legitimately win them a national championship. I'm not being facetious when I say I can understand where that belief comes from! Despite losing some massive pieces from last year's roster –defenders David Bailey and Jacob Rodriguez among them– Tech reloaded and should be the favorites to win the Big 12 again, as well as make the playoff. I can also understand why this particular player's status means so much to Tech after last season.
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2025 was the best season in Texas Tech history. It came with unprecedented success for both team (their first Big 12 title, most single-season wins (12), and a first round playoff bye) and individual (All-American honors for Bailey and Rodriguez, fifth place Heisman finish for Rodriguez). The only smudge? The way it ended. Tech got skunked in the playoff against Oregon, mostly because Behren Morton's performance was among the worst we've seen from a QB in CFP history. That's why this whole saga boils down to a program thinking they finally have their missing piece to a national championship, and not wanting it taken away from them. Nothing more, nothing less. The way they've decided to handle it makes a complete mockery of everything sports should stand for, but I understand the bloodlust to win. Unfortunately, Tech and their fans will eventually face the reality that Sorsby (if he actually plays this season) isn't the caliber of QB worth dying on this mountainous a hill for.
In six games versus FBS teams with winning records last season, Sorsby didn't exactly light it up as a passer for Cincinnati. His 54.9% completion percentage fell outside the top-100 of qualified QBs, while his 6.8 yards per attempt (60th), nine TD (36th), and 123.01 rating (76th) weren't close to special, either. To be fair, those numbers are just a slice and don't tell the whole story. The Bearcats' disastrous record (1-5) in those games isn't all on Sorsby, either. Football's a team game, and I'm willing to give some grace when the guy coaching that team is Scott Satterfield. To his credit, Sorsby also rushed for 315 yards and five TD in those games. Don't you think a $5 million, national title-caliber QB could give you a little more than everything I just laid out for you, though? If this helps put his passing numbers in perspective, can you guess who this QB was last season?
- Five games versus FBS teams with winning records, 64.7% completion, 6.8 yards per attempt, four touchdowns, four interceptions, 121.20 rating.
Answer: Behren Morton - the QB Sorsby's replacing.