On the Hardwood
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ESPN’s Jeff Borzello power ranks the top 25 and has Texas Tech at No. 18 after a loss to Houston (for the record, he didn’t move Texas Tech up or down):
Tech let a potentially massive win slip through its hands Tuesday night, falling by 4 points at Houston after leading by 6 late in the game. But it was another impressive performance for freshman guard Jaylen Petty, who moved into the starting lineup after Christmas and has been one of Grant McCasland’s most consistent players since. As a starter, he’s averaging 17.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists and shooting 61.5% from the field and 52.4% from 3; coming off the bench, he was averaging 7.2 points and shooting 31.6% overall and 34.5% from 3.
On the Gridiron
ESPN’s Max Olson ranks the best quarterbacks that have been int he portal and Brendan Sorsby was No. 1 on his list:
Scout’s take: Sorsby is a three-year starter with excellent size, arm strength and mobility. He can make off-platform throws, drop the ball in when throwing downfield and get the ball out quickly on RPOs. He anticipates extremely well and throws receivers open. He’s a powerful runner with excellent size and good quickness. This is an instinctive player in the pocket with elite processing and navigation skills when pressured. — Tom Luginbill
What he brings to Texas Tech: The Red Raiders were not going to be outbid in their battle with LSU for Sorsby. He was the Plan A all along for coach Joey McGuire and his staff, a proven Big 12 starter and Texas native who can elevate an offense that ranked No. 2 nationally in points per game this season before the shutout loss to Oregon in the CFP quarterfinal. The Red Raiders return a lot of playmakers around Sorsby entering 2026 and should be the preseason Big 12 favorite. Sorsby’s arrival also allows backup Will Hammond to recover from a torn ACL and prepare to take over as Tech’s starter in 2027.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Jr. has his NFL Draft big board and has OLB David Bailey at No. 6 overall (and No. 1 outside linebacker), DT Lee Hunter as the No. 4 defensive tackle, LB Jacob Rodriguez as the No. 9 off-ball linebacker, and OLB Romello Height as the No. 10 outside linebacker.
CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford on teams that have upgraded early thus far:
Joey McGuire has already found his replacement for Behren Morton under center coming off the Red Raiders’ Big 12 Championship and first playoff appearance. With LSU and others in pursuit, Texas Tech swooped in with a lucrative offer to land Sorsby, who threw for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns and five interceptions for the Bearcats this season. Sorsby had a seven-game stretch this fall in which he accounted for 25 total touchdowns without a turnover before Cincinnati dropped its last four contests.
Texas Tech football has a portal signing page of their own that I had not noticed.
The Athletic’s Sam Khan Jr., Antonio Morales and Manny Navarro have winners and losers from the portal window and Texas Tech is one of the winners, along with Indiana, Oklahoma State, Penn State, and Texas A&M, with losers being LSU, Iowa State, Florida State, North Texas and San Diego State.