Sorsby ended his fight with the NCAA and now turns his attention to enrolling in the 2027 NFL Draft.
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby and his fight with the NCAA over eligibility after his admitted gambling addiction came to an end with the former Indiana and Cincinnati student-athlete agreeing with the NFL that he is eligible to enroll in the 2027 NFL Draft.
This comes after the league declined to host a supplemental draft after, despite being granted an injunction in court, Sorsby was told he could not compete for the Red Raiders, who were facing a lawsuit from the Big 12 Conference and possible sanctions.
Other leagues also expressed their denial of Sorsby, but it's now clear that the dual-threat QB will spend this season training for the 2027 draft taking place in Washington, D.C. His statistical body of work comes via two seasons as the Cincinnati starting quarterback, where he threw for over 5,600 yards and 45 touchdowns.
Indiana's Fernando Mendoza capped his national-championship-winning college career by being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft by the Las Vegas Raiders.
Next spring could also see a quarterback taken first overall.
Where does Sorsby stack up among the upcoming class?
Here is a look at the top names also likely to come out of college and enter the pros.
Dante Moore, Oregon
Moore's Ducks torched the Red Raiders in the last CFP after Tech sat through a bye into the quarterfinals. Many thought Moore would have been the second or third QB taken in the 2026 draft if he were to enter, but instead he chose to run it back with Dan Lanning in Eugene one more year.
After a CFP semifinals berth bringing playoff pedigree, Moore will enter the NFL as one of the most experienced college passers because he will have had over three full seasons of starting experience across his time at UCLA and Oregon.
Last year, Moore threw for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns as a dynamic athlete with a knack for deep ball accuracy.
Arch Manning, Texas
The nephew of Super Bowl champions Peyton and Eli could still technically exercise his redshirt year and come back to the Longhorns in 2027, but if Manning carries his strong end to 2025 into this upcoming year, he'll put Texas in national title contention and himself into No. 1 overall pick range.
In his first season as the full-time starter following two years sitting behind Quinn Ewers, Manning completed 61 percent of his passes for 31,63 yards and 26 touchdowns. He added 399 yards and 10 scores on the ground with a physical run style that's more reminiscent of his grandfather, Archie, than his uncles.
NFL teams' marketing departments could be thinking about the publicity opportunities as much as the football, but Arch is still as close to the full package as there is in the college game.
Julian Sayin, Ohio State
Sayin also just finished his first season as the full-time starter after sat as a freshman during the Buckeyes' title run. In 2025, he was a Heisman finalist with 3,610 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a nation-leading 77 percent completion percentage.
Sayin has some physical development to experience, but he's undoubtedly one of the purest passers in recent memory and will likely be a first-rounder if he enrolls in the draft.
LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
Sellers is a physically imposing specimen who is dangerous on the ground and through the air. The 6-3, 238-pounder has nearly 5,000 passing yards over the last two years leading the Gamecocks, along with 944 yards and 12 touchdowns rushing.
He's got one of the strongest arms in the country and will be picked off of sure-fire athletic potential if he enters the NFL Draft after a bounce-back 2026 season.
Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State
Mestemaker follows his head coach Eric Morris - a former Texas Tech staffer and QB whisperer - to Stillwater where a lot of hype for the Cowboys comes as a result.
The 6-4 gunslinger led the country in passing yards last season at North Texas, tossing for 4,379 yards on over 68 percent accuracy.
Sorsby falls right around this area as the No. 6-8 best quarterback likely available in the 2027 NFL Draft, where Notre Dame's CJ Carr, Miami's Darian Mensah and Indiana's Josh Hoover are near.
ESPN's Mike Tannenbaum believes that could make him a second or third-round selection.
Unfortunately for Sorsby, he'll be away from a locker room as he prepares for the next step, but his option to enter the 2027 NFL Draft is still a better way for his story to end than expected.
