Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby was the hottest player in the transfer portal from the outset, though the race to sign him ended up coming down to the Red Raiders and LSU.

He met with both schools, though he chose the team that was the odds-on favorite at the outset — inking a reported $5 million NIL deal with Texas Tech to be their starting quarterback for one season.

More news: Alabama Loses Five-Star Defender to Transfer Portal After Rose Bowl Loss

His new deal is one of the biggest in the NIL era thus far, rivaling some of the top earners in college football. Sorby was contemplating entering the NFL Draft, but he decided it was better to stay in college for another year, potentially raise his draft stock, and make more money than he would as a Day 2 pick.

In fact, he is making more in one year of college ball than Sanders will make through his rookie NFL deal with the Cleveland Browns.

Sanders is set to make $4.6 million across his rookie deal over the four years, paling in comparison to the college senior’s payday.

Now, the Browns QB was a fifth-round pick in the 2025 draft, meaning that Sorsby, who was graded as a Day 2, would have eclipsed that number in total, though he would not have reached the yearly sum that he is getting.

More news: Florida State Gets DJ Lagway Update As Seminoles Look For Starting QB

Texas Tech is going all-in on the upcoming season, investing millions in football’s premier position and targeting other big-money transfers.

In 2025, the Red Raiders signed multiple players in the portal for over $7 million, including defensive linemen David Bailey, Romello Height, Lee Hunter, Skyler Gill-Howard, and A.J. Holmes Jr.

The defensive front was elite all year, and it was not the reason they lost to Oregon in the Orange Bowl. Their quarterback play led to their downfall, and they are hoping Sorsby can help lead them to a National Championship.

If he does, Sorsby will be well worth the massive investment.

More news: Top Transfer QB Brendan Sorsby Signs With Texas Tech as LSU Misses Out

For more college football news, head to Newsweek Sports.

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Virginia Tech defensive end Kemari Copeland, a Kellam High graduate who earned third-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors in 2025, is returning to the Hokies.

Agency Grady Sports posted on X that, led by agent Nicole Kotler, it helped make Copeland, one of their NIL clients, one of the highest-paid players in college football. No details were given.

Copeland had 48 tackles (11 solo) in 2025, including 7.5 for loss. He led the Hokies with 4.5 sacks

More ex-Nittany Lions set to join Hokies

Meanwhile, Virginia Tech gained a commitment from Penn State transfer quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer. The 6-foot-2, 212-pounder stepped in for the Nittany Lions after Drew Allar’s injury and threw for 1,339 yards in 2025, accounting for nine total touchdowns.

Another former Nittany Lion headed to play for James Franklin with Tech is Daniel Jennings, a 6-2, 257-pound edge rusher. Yet another is tight end Matt Henderson of Powhatan, who redshirted in 2025.

The Hokies also added a commitment from former Michigan State offensive tackle Justin Bell, a 6-6, 311-pounder who redshirted in 2025 as a true freshman, and one from former Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns running back Bill Davis.

Virginia Tech also landed edge Javion Hilson, a 6-5, 250-pounder from Cocoa, Florida, with four years of eligibility. He had just one tackle in 2025.

Ex-ODU receiver Brown chooses LSU

Former Old Dominion wide receiver Tre Brown III committed to LSU after leading the Sun Belt with 20.1 yards per catch in 2025.

He became the latest contributor to the Monarchs’ 10-3 season to join a Power Four conference team, joining quarterback Colton Joseph (Wisconsin) and running back Trequan Jones (Maryland).

Ex-Nansemond River star going to Colorado

Former Nansemond River High star Immanuel Ezeogu, who played for James Madison, committed to Deion Sanders’ Colorado program, the defensive lineman revealed on X. He had 15 tackles and a sack and forced a fumble in 2025.

Former Virginia wide receiver Trell Harris committed to Oklahoma, according to On3 Sports. The 6-foot, 200-pounder had 59 receptions for 847 yards and five touchdowns in 2025.

UVA gained a commitment from Rutgers transfer defensive back Jacobie Henderson, according to the Daily Progress. He had 42 tackles (three for loss) and five pass breakups in 2025.

Defensive lineman Jason Hammond will return to Virginia, the Cavaliers announced, but cornerback Emmanuel Karnley will enter the transfer portal.

Karnley had 26 tackles, an interception and eight pass breakups for UVA in 2025.

Pittsburgh is set to hire Brent Davis as the Panthers’ tight ends coach, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. The former Army offensive coordinator was last at Virginia Tech as the tight ends coach.

JMU comings, goings take shape

Alonza Barnett III, the quarterback who led James Madison to the Sun Belt championship and a College Football Playoff berth, revealed his commitment to Central Florida. Meanwhile, former JMU running back Ayo Adeyi committed to Oklahoma State.

JMU defender Aiden Gobaira, who had 38 tackles and four sacks for the Dukes this season after his injury-plagued time with Notre Dame, committed to UCLA, according to On3 Sports, reuniting him with coach Bob Chesney.

Gobaira will be joined at UCLA, according to On3 Sports, by former Virginia Tech cornerback Dante Lovett, who has 36 career tackles, an interception and a forced fumble.

JMU gained a commitment from running back Seth Cromwell, a 5-10, 215-pounder who rushed for 646 yards and nine touchdowns for Northern Arizona in 2025, according to his agency. Also committing to JMU was Danny Royster, a first-team All-Great Lakes Valley Conference defensive end from the Division II University of Indianapolis. So did long snapper Mitchell Dietzel from Eastern Michigan and tight end Cole Keller from East Tennessee State.

Former East Carolina quarterback Katin Houser committed to Illinois. He was 269 for 408 for 3,300 yards, 19 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2025.

ECU hires defensive coordinator, receivers coach

Jordon Hankins was named East Carolina’s defensive coordinator, according to an announcement by head coach Blake Harrell.

Hankins comes from the University of Memphis, where he served as the defensive coordinator (2024-25), linebackers coach (2021-25) and assistant special teams coordinator (2021-23).

Also, ECU hired Juan Soto as the receivers coach. He spent the last two years as the assistant wide receivers coach for North Texas under new Pirates offensive coordinator Jordan Davis.

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UVA 7th, JMU 20th in preseason poll

Virginia was ranked seventh and James Madison 20th in USA Lacrosse’s preseason poll. Defending champion North Carolina, which will open its season at noon Feb. 7 at JMU, was ranked No. 1.

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Commanders do deal with ex-ODU cornerback

Former Old Dominion cornerback Tre Hawkins signed a reserve/futures contract with the Commanders. He spent the second half of the season on Washington’s practice squad.

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NSU assistant makes prestigious list

Norfolk State assistant coach Leonard Fairley has been named to the 2025 Silver Waves Media Rising Stars Mid-Major Assistant Coaches and GMs List, recognizing top emerging talent.

Fairley has been a member of the Spartans’ men’s basketball program for eight seasons, including his time as a student manager before transitioning into a coaching role.

During his tenure on the coaching staff, NSU has compiled a 155-88 overall record and a 77-23 mark in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play, capturing five regular-season championships and three MEAC Tournament titles.

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Radford freshman takes Big South honor

Radford forward Georgia Simonsen was named the Big South Freshman of the Week after totaling 30 points, 13 rebounds and two assists in two games.

A dream season that propelled a Southeastern Conference football program into the national title conversation has been marred by a chaotic coaching exit, leaving an elite roster in limbo. The sudden departure of the program’s architect to a fierce conference rival during the most critical stretch of the postseason has created an unprecedented conflict of interest for the remaining staff.

These assistant coaches are currently attempting to balance their loyalty to a group of championship-bound athletes with the demands of their new employers who are already focused on the next recruiting cycle.

The tension reached a boiling point after an unexpected victory against a top-ranked opponent extended the season and complicated the logistics for everyone involved in the building. ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum recently weighed in on the situation, noting that the optics of this exit have shifted from a standard career move to a damaging public image crisis.

While the departing head coach claims there is a transparent plan for his assistants to support both programs, the reality on the ground suggests otherwise: restricted access and divided loyalties.

The decision to prioritize the transfer portal over a chance at a national title has sparked a national debate about professional integrity and the responsibility a coach has to the players who helped build a winning culture.

Finebaum suggests that one specific individual is responsible for the ongoing friction and has failed to take the necessary steps to protect the program he built from unnecessary distractions. The fallout has created a significant hurdle for a team preparing for a semifinal matchup that represents the pinnacle of their school history.

Paul Finebaum says Lane Kiffin is poorly handling LSU transition

Appearing on the McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning podcast on Monday, Finebaum offered a scathing review of how LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin has handled his exit from Oxford. The veteran broadcaster did not hold back when discussing the optics of the situation as the Rebels prepare for a historic playoff game without total clarity regarding their coaching staff.

Finebaum pointed directly at the new Tigers leader as the primary source of the friction that has dominated the national conversation.

“I think it’s incredibly sad,” Paul Finebaum said during the broadcast. “There’s one person who can make all this easier and that’s Lane Kiffin. Lane Kiffin is badly losing the PR battle. I know he’s working hard. I’d love to look at Kiffin’s phone right now, guys, you can probably attest to this. To see how many media members he has texted, trying to spin them on how much he cares about the Ole Miss program. But it’s pretty obvious that he doesn’t.”

The analyst argued that the coach’s focus has clearly shifted to his new surroundings at the expense of his former players. “He cares about where he is now, which is understandable but it also negates a lot of what he said leading into his departure that he really wanted to stay there,” Finebaum noted.

“I think it turns out that Keith Carter and a lot of the administration at Ole Miss made a real good decision because I don’t think Ole Miss would’ve beaten Georgia if Kiffin had been going back and forth between Baton Rouge and Oxford.”

As the postseason reaches its peak, the veteran journalist lamented the lack of resolution for the remaining staff and athletes. “I’m not going to try to sound like I’m a peacekeeper for the UN,” Finebaum added.

“I think it’s really tragic that more hasn’t been done by all parties, but mainly Lane Kiffin, to make this transition for Ole Miss easier as they get ready to go to the Fiesta Bowl.”

The Ole Miss Rebels will play the Miami Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Read more on College Football HQ

There are a lot of underqualified QBs making big bucks this season.

PublishedJanuary 5, 2026 6:27 PM EST•UpdatedJanuary 5, 2026 6:27 PM EST

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NFL fans are all too familiar with the market for quarterbacks.

The demand for great signal callers in pro football FAR exceeds the supply, so teams are more than willing to pay top dollar for mediocre (at best) QBs to help deliver some wins to their franchise.

Look at some of the quarterback contracts in the NFL, and you will see several players being paid either purely on potential or because their team just didn’t have a better option.

READ: NFL Teams Not Enjoying Dividends From Big Money QB Investments

Guys like Daniel Jones and Tua Tagovailoa were given massive contract extensions just for being “good enough,” but it isn’t entirely their teams’ faults.

The market for quarterbacks is so bloated – thanks in part to more deserving signal callers like Matthew Stafford and Patrick Mahomes inking mega deals – that even mediocre quarterbacks can command a fortune, hamstringing their franchises from making other moves to help the team.

It looks like college football, in their quest to be the NFL Jr., is following down a similar path.

Trey Wallace wrote earlier about how bad the market has gotten in the transfer portal, but it’s at its absolute worst when it comes to quarterbacks.

The latest offender is a familiar one: the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

I’ve written extensively about how Texas Tech has spent their way into becoming the next college football powerhouse, and while I can’t fault them for playing within the rules (because there are no rules), it doesn’t mean I have to like it.

The Red Raiders are all in on Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby, inking the former Bearcat to a $5 million payday.

I mean absolutely no disrespect to Sorsby, but is he worth more money than most NFL players on rookie contracts?

The answer is actually more complicated than that, though, as there isn’t a salary cap (yet) in college sports, so Sorsby is technically worth whatever a team is willing to pay for him.

The problem is that for every Texas Tech (oil money) or Michigan (Larry Ellison), there are several other programs that won’t be able to keep up in the arms race.

I’m not even talking about the Tulanes and James Madisons of the world. Even blue-bloods like Georgia and Ohio State don’t have the booster base to keep up with any of the Texas schools.

That means teams like Tech, A&M, and even Houston can theoretically price out everyone for almost any player they want.

READ: College Footbal Is SIck – Transfer Portal, NIL, And More

Unqualified quarterbacks commanding top dollar in college football isn’t a new phenomenon, either.

Miami reportedly paid Carson Beck somewhere in the vicinity of $4 million to forgo his final season at Georgia and skip the NFL Draft to come down to Coral Gables, and while the Hurricanes are in the College Football Playoff semifinals, most of that is thanks to their dominance on the offensive and defensive lines of scrimmage.

The Canes probably could have gotten a similar result this season if they had cut that quarterback budget in half or, God forbid, actually developed a quarterback that was already on their roster for a fourth of Beck’s price tag.

Even non-traditional powers are upping the ante for quarterbacks.

A team like Duke paid their QB, Darian Mensah, $8 million over multiple years to leave Tulane after a stellar true freshman season.

Giving $8 million to a Group of 5 freshman feels risky, and while it paid off for the Blue Devils, it also robs a team like the Green Wave of the ability to develop a special talent like Mensah.

I don’t have a solution to any of this, and I doubt the NCAA does either.

They let this genie out of the bottle and have no desire nor power to put it back, so we as fans are now forced to deal with the consequences.

Regardless of what ends up happening, this is just another example of college football following in the footsteps of its older brother, the NFL, and being all the worse for it.

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: I want my college football back.