Sports

If Brendan Sorsby Turns to the NFL, What Does the Tape Say About His Future?

By Doug Farrar Athlon Sports

For the most part, when the NFL draft is over, the NFL draft is over, and NFL teams are combing the weeds for undrafted guys and veteran free agents if they're still looking to advance their rosters from a talent perspective. One interesting exception is the supplemental draft. The reason the supplemental draft could matter in 2026 as it hasn't mattered in years is the case of Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who is trying to push back on his current eligibility status based the NCAA's investigation into his sports betting history, for which he has entered and completed a residential treatment program.

On Tuesday, the NCAA deemed Sorsby permanently ineligible, and though both Sorsby and Texas Tech are appealing that decision, he may have just two choices for his football future: Wait until the 2027 pre-draft process to show what he can do, or enter the supplemental draft. He has until June 22 to make that decision, and he would be trying to make the leap to a league that recently suspended multiple players for gambling activities, including prominent receivers Jameson Williams and Calvin Ridley.

One never knows how off-field stuff will sort itself out, so all we have is the tape, based on a 2025 season for the Cincinnati Bearcats in which Sorsby completed 205 of 336 passes (61.0%) for 2,782 yards (8.3 YPA), 26 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a passer rating of 107.0. He also ran 101 times for 596 yards (5.9 YPA), nine touchdowns, and four fumbles.

So, let's say that Sorsby enters the supplemental draft, and let's say that he learns to manage any particular demons along the way. What does the tape say about what kind of quarterback the NFL will be getting?

Pocket movement

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For a 6'3", 235-pound guy who can really move, Sorsby is also an encouragingly nuanced quarterback from the pocket. Last season when confined to that small boxing ring, he completed 183 of 283 passes (64.7%) for 2,601 yards (9.2 YPA), 1,204 air yards, 23 touchdowns, four interceptions, and a passer rating of 115.5. Sorsby's EPA from the pocket of +88.46 was 10th best in the NCAA among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts.

Sorsby succeeds from the pocket because he can get the ball out quickly, and his mechanics allow him to get the ball downfield with authority even when he's doing so out of a zero- or one-step drop. He also has the size and athletic ability to work through bodies around him or on him. This is how he generated a 114.6 passer rating on throws of 20 or more air yards from the pocket.

Bottom line is, Sorsby's NFL team won't need to break him to the studs when developing him as a pure pocket passer.

Winning outside the pocket

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Here's where I would love to see more done. When throwing outside the pocket in 2025, Sorsby completed 24 of 53 passes (45.3%) on just 55 dropbacks for 199 yards (3.8 YPA), 128 air yards, four touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 72.8. Generally speaking, when he did have to go outside the pocket, it was as a reaction to pressure, and he was going to run the ball at that point. Sorsby has the tools to be an excellent boot-action and RPO passer; he just needs the right system to bring that all out.

When he did use play-action on throws outside the pocket, Sorsby completed 16 of 29 passes (55.2%) for 126 yards (4.3 YPA), 79 yards after the catch, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 100.6.

Were I Sorsby's NFL offensive coordinator, I would like to see those attempts double - at least. I'd also like to see the yards per attempt double - at least.

Under pressure

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For the most part, Sorsby trusts his mechanics and physicality when under pressure - there are times when he gets jumpy in the pocket under those circumstances, but it's not a death sentence. Last season when pressured, he completed 38 of 90 passes (48.8%) for 579 yards (6.4 YPA), three touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 70.6. When blitzed, he completed 80 of 136 passes (58.8%) for 1,078 yards (7.9%), 11 touchdowns, three interceptions, and a passer rating of 101.9. Sorsby has developed a sense of the coverage openings created by blitzes, which will certainly help him at the next level.

Going through progressions

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Sorsby has a lot on the ball here. Not only will he work through progressions in more than a pure progression sense at times, but he can also look defenders off within the structure of the down, and this leads me to believe that he can easily digest a lot of changing information in the crucible of the time any quarterback may have to throw. And when he uncorks a deep no-look pass in the right direction, that's pretty fun.

Winning as a runner

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Not only did Sorsby prove valuable as a runner overall in 2025; he also helped to define his offense with that ability - both on scrambles and designed runs. Whether it was with an old-school QB draw, or an RPO read, Sorsby as a pure runner was one of the most essential components of Cincinnati's offense in 2025. This is more than an accessory in his case; it's a primary feature. Think of the NFL quarterbacks whose ability to run ties everything together, and Sorsby has the potential to be that over time.

What still needs work?

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Beyond the obvious, which adds its own complications here, let's stick with the on-field stuff that needs to be ironed out.

  • Maybe "tuck the ball and run at the first sign of color" was how Sorsby was coached, but I would like to see him throw more outside the pocket - both when pressured, and an designed boots. I think he could be a natural in that McVay/Shanahan/Kubiak styles of passing games in which designed mobility is mandatory.
  • There are times when Sorsby becomes too frantic when in the pocket, and when moving around, and that's where a lot of his negative plays came from. He needs to stay within himself in those critical moments where the game slows down, so he doesn't speed up.
  • He'll also drift back in the pocket at times, which throws his mechanics off, and leads to miscalculations in velocity. This was Shedeur Sanders' big problem at Colorado, and it takes time to break that bad habit.
  • Sorsby is also still learning to vary his throwing speeds and platforms, and some real howlers can result from that. He will be too fine with his throwing process at times, and he starts pushing the ball instead of throwing it.

Overall, I would have placed Sorsby as my QB3 in this draft class behind Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson, and not that far behind Simpson, about whom I have serious questions. If Sorsby is ultimately allowed to return to college for a fifth season, and improves where he needs to improve under offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mack Leftwich, he could find himself in the discussion for at least QB2 in what's supposed to be a ridiculously loaded class.

If he instead enters the supplemental draft and becomes an NFL player in 2026, there is a path to relative success in the right offense. That would entail more designed route concepts, and marrying the run game with Sorsby's own ability to keep defenses off balance with his legs. He could be a credible rookie, though his best bet would be to have a redshirt season at the professional level… for all sorts of reasons. I would not to throw too much on the kid as he's working on life off the field, while at the same time trying to digest an NFL passing game.

But there are all kinds of reasons that Brendan Sorsby would be the most consequential supplemental draft pick in a very long time.

Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 5:55 AM.

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