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Looking at the option that Texas Tech has at quarterback in the wake of the Brendan Sorsby gambling scandal.

After quickly getting bounced from the College Football Playoff in 2025, the Texas Tech Red Raiders dipped into the Transfer Portal, looking for a quarterback who could lead them over the hump. Eventually, they landed on Brendan Sorsby, who previously played for Indiana and Cincinnati.

Now, the Red Raiders need to adjust to life after Sorsby before he even took a snap for them. On Monday, it was reported that Sorsby would be checking himself into rehab for gambling addiction. That included gambling on Indiana games when he was a backup quarterback there. ESPN‘s Pete Thamel had more.

“Sorsby’s decision to seek treatment, according to sources, came in the wake of the discovery of Sorsby making thousands of online bets on a variety of sports via a gambling app,” Thamel wrote. “Which jeopardizes his eligibility with Texas Tech… According to sources, Sorsby bet on Indiana football while redshirting for the Hoosiers as a true freshman in 2022, a season in which he played in a single game as a reserve. The bets in 2022, according to sources, were on Indiana to win and none came in a game in which Sorsby appeared.”

Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports warned that this is severe enough to ban Sorsby from competition. So, with that in mind, Texas Tech needs to figure out its plan at quarterback quickly.

The Transfer Portal Isn’t Coming to Save the Texas Tech Red Raiders

In year’s past, the answer would be simple for Texas Tech. Use the Spring Transfer Portal to find a quarterback. That might be a borderline starter losing their job, or someone who the Red Raiders were able to tamper with.

That really isn’t an option anymore. The Spring Transfer Portal window no longer exists. Landing Brendan Sorsby in the Winter was Texas Tech’s plan at quarterback.

There have been some teams who look to recruit outside of portal windows. After all, any student can unenroll and enroll at a new school, so long as they’re accepted. They don’t need the Transfer Portal to do that. However, the NCAA is looking to limit it. That’s meant implementing some harsh penalties for teams and coaches who take these players outside of the approved window.

Head coaches could be suspended for as many as six games, or half the regular season. On top of that, schools face massive fines of up to 20% of their football budget.

Now, there is a theory that those laws would not hold up in court. In particular, that the rules around transfer windows and those punishments would violate anti-trust laws. However, nobody has been hit with them yet, and there have been no legal challenges as a result. It’s unlikely Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire wants to test them.

Texas Tech’s Quarterbacks Beyond Brendan Sorsby

Assuming that Texas Tech doesn’t want to test the new transfer punishments in court, then they’re going to be reliant on quarterbacks currently on their roster to replace Brendan Sorsby. That leaves them a few interesting options.

That starts with Will Hammond. Now a redshirt sophomore, Hammond was expected to be Texas Tech’s backup in 2026. That comes after he filled in for Behren Morton at times in 2025, while Morton battled his own injury concerns. In that still limited time, he managed to throw for 680 yards and 7 touchdowns. He also rushed for 299 yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground. However, he tore his ACL and has missed Spring recovering. It’s in doubt if he’ll be ready for the season as of now.

The most experienced option to start for Texas Tech is then Kirk Francis. He spent three seasons at Tulsa, playing in 18 games to mixed results. Originally, the Red Raiders hoped he could provide some veteran depth, but now he may be getting pushed to the front.

From there, Texas Tech has three inexperienced quarterbacks on the roster. Holden Phillips and Lloyd Jones III are both redshirt freshmen who played in one game last year. Meanwhile, Stephen Cannon is an incoming freshman. Both Jones and Cannon were four-star recruits.

None of these options are ideal to replace Sorsby. Texas Tech’s best bet will be Hammond. However, that’s making a big assumption about both his health and his readiness for the starting job.