Cincinnati's Scott Satterfield Expects Heavy NFL Interest in QB Brendan Sorsby

Scott Satterfield has fielded plenty of questions from NFL teams about Brendan Sorsby, especially after his former quarterback transferred to Texas Tech and information about Sorsby’s gambling addiction became well known. The University of Cincinnati coach expects the queries to increase now that Sorsby has decided not to play for Texas Tech this fall and will instead apply for the NFL supplemental draft. "There certainly have been scouts and GMs that have reached out just asking questions and more on a personal level, probably more than the football level, with their interest knowing that potentially something like this could happen. I certainly think now that the news is out, over the next few weeks, there’s going to be a lot more inquiries about him and trying to find more about him," Satterfield said Tuesday. "He’s very talented, has great size, can run, can throw." Sorsby’s decision capped a week of legal drama. A Texas judge had granted Sorsby a temporary injunction allowing him to play for Texas Tech this season despite being declared ineligible by the NCAA for wagering on college sports, including bets made on his own team while he was at Indiana. Satterfield said every NFL team had already asked him about Sorsby, especially early in the year when it seemed Sorsby might declare for the NFL draft in April. However, Sorsby chose to play his senior season at Texas Tech after signing a name, image and likeness deal. Sorsby passed for 2,800 yards and 27 touchdowns with five interceptions last season. He also ran for 580 yards and nine touchdowns. The Bearcats started 7-1 before losing their final four regular-season games. Sorsby did not play in Cincinnati’s 35-13 loss to Navy in the Liberty Bowl. In 2024, Sorsby completed 64% of his passes for 2,813 yards and 18 touchdowns with seven interceptions. He rushed for 447 yards and nine touchdowns that year. Cleveland coach Todd Monken hinted at the kinds of research some teams might be conducting when he was asked whether the Browns would be interested in Sorsby. "I don’t think we’re in a position to want to go down that road. That’s my opinion, that’s not (general manager) Andrew’s (Berry). I think that’s a slippery slope when you go down that, irrespective of talent, right? In terms of the situation he’s himself in, we all know what that is. He put himself in that situation. And we’ve seen in other sports with players who have been banned for life from playing in professional sports. "From my end of it, it’s kind of a tough angle to go down that road and think that’s going to be your franchise quarterback if he’s ever eligible to even play in the NFL," Monken said. If Sorsby had played for Texas Tech this season, it would have created a circus atmosphere on Oct. 24 when the Red Raiders are scheduled to visit Nippert Stadium for Cincinnati’s homecoming game. Cincinnati has a federal lawsuit pending against Sorsby in Ohio accusing him of breaching his NIL contract following his transfer to Texas Tech. A pretrial conference is scheduled in that case on July 10. Satterfield said he hopes Sorsby can overcome his problems and bounce back. "I’m pulling for Brendan in his future endeavors. I think if you just look at the history of the NFL, there are guys that have made mistakes and they still have taken chances on them, so I feel like he will have certainly learned from this and grow, and somebody will give him an opportunity," Satterfield said. Reporting by the Associated Press.

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NFL Confidential: What Do Execs, Scouts Make Of Brendan Sorsby Amid Controversy?

After weeks of drama, Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is NFL-bound, but questions about his professional future still linger. Sorsby will enter the NFL Supplemental Draft, his legal representation confirmed on Monday. The announcement came as his gambling scandal jeopardized his college future, getting an injunction against the NCAA last week before the association, the Big 12 and others fought to make Sorsby ineligible. Now, Sorsby will become one of the most intriguing prospects to enter the supplemental draft in quite some time. He could be the first player taken in the first round of the supplemental draft in 34 years, as teams weigh whether to use a high draft pick on him. So, with Sorsby now becoming a pro, what do execs and scouts around the league think about his talent and situation? Here's what we learned from our conversations. Ralph Vacchiano: Brendan Sorsby might have had the talent to be a first-round pick in next year’s NFL Draft had he remained in college. Now, teams have to weigh whether he's worth using a first-round pick on in the supplemental draft, and his gambling problem makes him a risk that not everyone will be willing to take. "We tend to forgive a lot of things if a guy can play," one NFL executive told me. "But gambling in sports has always just been different. Betting, especially on your own team, is the one line [players] just can’t cross." Sorsby, of course, admitted to placing bets on his own team when he was briefly at Indiana University, which is why he was banned from playing college football until a court granted an injunction to let him play next season for Texas Tech. But after the NCAA, Big 12 and others sought to make Sorsby ineligible to play again, he decided to enter the supplemental draft. Now, the ball is in the NFL's court. What punishment could he receive from the league? And for the 32 teams, is Sorsby's talent worth the off-field risks? "If you need a quarterback, he’s going to be tempting," the executive told me. "But because he’s a quarterback, it’s an even tougher call. The guy isn’t just an anonymous guard. He’s going to be the face of the franchise. He’ll be watched everywhere he goes, whatever he does, every social media post, every person he takes a photo with. "And it’s not like you have to just keep him out of casinos, or can give him weekly drug tests to monitor him. Gambling is everywhere and you might never know if he’s doing it. Even if he says he’s completely beaten the problem and never has any other issues, can you really trust him? Will your fans trust him? Will the media? "Everything is a potential problem." That’s probably why one NFL scout told me, "I’m glad that’s above my pay grade. I wouldn’t want to have to make that call. He’s a really strong prospect, but there’s so much more that goes into taking him. You’re really risking a lot." Eric D. Williams: NFL front office personnel, scouts and coaches will be tasked with executing a risk assessment on Sorsby, weighing his enormous talent on the field against what he has done off it. "He’s a starting NFL quarterback," a front office executive told me. "He would have been a top 15 selection this year. But there’s no guarantee the addiction will go away." A longtime NFL scout that I spoke with believes that if Sorsby was in the 2027 NFL Draft, he’d come off the board on Day 2. "I grade him as a third-rounder," the scout told me. "I thought he should stay in school, take the NIL (name, image and likeness) money and get better. Someone will draft him and I don’t think a QB like him gets drafted past the third/fourth round. Some will reach for him in the third. "Desperation makes teams do crazy things for quarterbacks. Some teams will get scared off for sure, but one will be desperate. The reasoning is second chances. Johnny Manziel got one." And as the gambling controversy is at the forefront with Sorsby's situation, it isn't the only bit of off-field drama he's been involved in this offseason. Sorsby's previous school, Cincinnati, is also suing him, alleging he breached his NIL contract with the Bearcats when he refused to pay a $1 million exit fee after transferring to Texas Tech. So, that's why another league source I spoke with wondered about the prospect of taking a quarterback with poor decision-making off the field as the face of your franchise. "Call me crazy, but the standard needs to be much higher at the QB position," the league source told me. "You need to be a leader. I’d stay away if it was me. Decision-making and judgment are obviously lacking." Vacchiano: People around the NFL seem split on where Sorsby would have gone if he had entered the 2026 NFL Draft. One scout told me he had thought Sorsby was a Day 3 pick, even before his gambling issues were revealed. An NFL executive told me he probably was "a mid-to-high second-rounder." But another NFL scout pointed to the weak quarterback class overall in 2026 and said, "He might have been the second [quarterback] off the board … before the gambling stuff, of course." "Maybe not, because I guess the Rams really loved Ty Simpson [who they took 13th overall]," the scout told me. "But other than Fernando Mendoza, I’m not sure anyone [in the 2026 draft] had more potential than this guy. He’s huge (6-foot-3, 235 pounds), he can run, he’s got a rocket arm, and he’s good under pressure. There’s a lot to work with there. "Now, it’s not perfect. His decision-making isn’t always great. He can force some passes, and he loves to throw deep even when the intermediate throw is there. He runs a little too quickly sometimes instead of letting this develop. But in a bad quarterback class, he would’ve stood out." Prior to Monday's news, Sorsby was trying to stand out among several top quarterback prospects in the 2027 NFL Draft. If he had remained in college and gotten to play this season, where could he have gone in next year's draft? "I need to see more," the scout told me. "I’d probably put him on the fringe of the top group, just based on talent. If a guy that big has a strong season, he could really rise and be a top 10 pick. But if he struggles, and you add in the gambling stuff, he could drop himself off a lot of draft boards, too." FOX Sports NFL Draft analyst Rob Rang believes that Sorsby would've had the physical tools to be drafted ahead of Ty Simpson had he entered the 2026 draft, but NFL scouts will have to vet his significant, off-the-field gambling issues before taking a chance on bringing the player into their organization. Rang, who recently offered his evaluation of Sorsby, projected that the former Cincinnati quarterback would be a second-round pick in the supplemental draft. He made that projection after watching every touchdown and interception Sorsby threw this past season, along with some of his tape at Indiana. "He’s very impressive," Rang told me. "He’s got a real intriguing skill set to him in that he’s got the prototypical size. He’s got a snappy release and plenty of arm strength. Good accuracy. And he’s an athlete. He’s an aggressive scrambler and so physically speaking he’s got all the traits to be a very successful NFL quarterback. "He has the physical skills to warrant being selected ahead of Ty Simpson. He is a more physically talented player than Ty Simpson. And he’s a three-year starter, where Ty is only a one-year starter. But of course, Ty Simpson checked every box when it comes to a guy who bided his time at Alabama and played pretty well when he got his opportunity, where with Brendan you’re talking about a player who’s transferred three times and comes with questions about his decision-making that NFL teams are going to have to evaluate." On the field, Sorsby completed 61.4% of his passes for 7,208 yards and 60 touchdowns against 18 interceptions over 35 combined games at Cincinnati (2024-25) and Indiana (2022-23) while rushing for another 1,295 yards and 22 touchdowns. Those are impressive numbers. But ultimately, Rang said the issue for Sorsby’s draft future will be what teams are willing to overlook his off-the-field transgressions. "That is the million-dollar question here," Rang told me. "I think that the physical talent justifies a first-round grade. But the character concerns that may or may not be completely justified, but that’s going to require some real investigation from teams. And teams are typically hesitant to draft players in the supplemental draft with the round that equates to their talent. Usually, they drop a round or more than they normally would, just because of the fact that it’s the supplemental draft, and you wouldn’t have the opportunity to evaluate them as you normally would for a normal prospect."

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Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby Reportedly Looking To Enter NFL Supplemental Draft

One of the biggest controversies in recent college football history might soon reach a resolution. Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is set to apply for entry in the NFL Supplemental Draft, NFL Network reported Monday. Sorsby's lawyers also to withdraw their lawsuit against the NCAA, which would allow him to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft, NFL Network added in its report. Sorsby's decision to seek entry in the NFL Supplemental Draft came a week after a Texas judge granted him an injunction against the NCAA, allowing him to play for Texas Tech in the 2026 season amid his gambling scandal. However, the NCAA, the Big 12 and other college administrators have pushed for Sorsby to receive a greater punishment than a two-game suspension in recent days. Both the NCAA and Big 12 made filings in separate courts on Monday to try to overrule the decision made last week. News of the scandal broke in April, when Sorsby checked himself into rehab for a sports gambling addiction. He admitted to placing over $90,000 over four years in May, while court documents showed that Sorsby placed at least 40 wagers against Indiana or his teammates during his time with the program (2022-23). Sorsby transferred from Indiana to Cincinnati before the 2024 season. He transferred from Cincinnati to Texas Tech this past offseason, joining the Red Raiders as one of the top players in the portal. If approved, Sorsby could become the first player selected in the NFL Supplemental Draft since 2019. He also might be one of the more highly-touted players to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft in quite some time. Some 2027 NFL mock drafts had Sorsby as a first-round pick. With that in mind, Sorsby could become the first player taken in the first round of the NFL Supplemental Draft since 1992. FOX Sports NFL Draft analyst Rob Rang recently gave Sorsby a Round 2 grade, but believes he has a high ceiling. "There was not a player in the 2026 draft class with a higher ceiling and lower floor than Sorsby, so projecting where he would have been selected is a more complicated hypothetical than it might appear," Rang wrote. Sorsby threw for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns and five interceptions at Cincinnati in 2025.

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Where In The World Cup Is Jameis Winston?

Jameis Winston traded the gridiron for the world’s game this summer, living it up with a different kind of football (and football fans) as a FOX Sports World Cup correspondent for the 2026 tournament. Winston — the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner and current quarterback for the New York Giants — will take the hype around the largest World Cup yet, as a 48-team tournament co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. Here’s a look at some of the best moments from Winston’s World Cup journey: Jameis got up close and personal with one of the best fan bases in the world in Dallas, where the Netherlands and the always raucous "Oranje Army" know how to make an entrance. Winston rode along with the Dutch fans in their "Oranje Army Bus" and admitted that "there's nothing bigger than the Dutch Army." USA! USA! Jameis took in the sights and sounds at Los Angeles Stadium for the United States' opening match Friday, which included meeting up with influencer IShowSpeed. Not a bad way to see one of the USA's biggest wins ever at a World Cup.

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49ers Mourn Sudden Death Of Former All-Pro Linebacker Aldon Smith At 36

Aldon Smith, the troubled but talented pass rusher whose promising career was derailed by legal problems, has died at age 36. The San Francisco 49ers announced Smith's death on Saturday night. The team did not disclose a cause of death. "We are devastated by the sudden and tragic passing of Aldon Smith," the 49ers said in a statement. "Aldon’s undeniable talent and sheer dominance on the field were on display from the moment he joined our organization, having recorded one of the best rookie seasons the National Football League has seen. Beyond his excellence as a player, Aldon will be remembered for his infectious smile that lit up every room he walked into." Smith was drafted by the 49ers with the seventh overall pick out of Missouri in 2011 and made an immediate impact on the team, helping San Francisco snap a playoff drought and reach the NFC title game his first three seasons with one trip to a Super Bowl. He had 14 sacks as a rookie when he finished second to Von Miller in voting for the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year and had a franchise-record 19 1/2 sacks in 2012 when he was named a first-team All-Pro. His 33 1/2 sacks in his first two seasons are the most in NFL history. He kept that pace up with 4 1/2 sacks in the first three games in 2013 before the off-field issues started with an arrest for DUI and a stint in rehab for substance abuse that sidelined him for five games. He was also arrested on a weapons charge that season but returned to the field. "I’m getting there," he said after his stint in 2013 on the non-football injury list. "Every day’s just a step closer to getting to where I want to be I’ve gotten a lot of support, from my family, friends, organization, teammates and everything. And it really says a lot that people care about me outside the field and they care about me as a person." Smith had 3 1/2 sacks in the playoffs that season but was suspended for the first nine games in 2014 and never made it back to his early level of performance because of suspensions and injuries. San Francisco then released him in August 2015 after another drunken driving charge — his fifth arrest in three years. He signed with Oakland just before the start of the 2015 season and had 3 1/2 sacks in nine games before being suspended again. "Aldon proudly wore the Silver and Black, was respected by his teammates and will be missed dearly," the Raiders said in a statement. Smith applied for reinstatement to the NFL in 2016, but was not allowed back initially. The Raiders released him in 2018 following a domestic violence arrest. A plea agreement was reached in that case. He eventually was reinstated in 2020 and played 16 games for Dallas that season and had five sacks. He signed with Seattle the next season but was arrested again for battery and was released in training camp. He served a six-month jail sentence for DUI in 2023 and never played again in the NFL. Smith finished his career with 52 1/2 sacks in 75 games. In college, he was a first-team All-Big 12 selection and the recipient of Missouri’s Defensive Lineman of the Year Award in 2010. Reporting by the Associated Press.

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Andy Reid ‘Optimistic’ QB Patrick Mahomes Will Be Ready for Chiefs Training Camp

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes made it through the team's offseason program just months after surgery to repair two ligaments in his left knee, and coach Andy Reid is optimistic that the two-time MVP will be ready for training camp next month. Mahomes was excused Thursday from the traditional running test that Reid uses to wrap up his mandatory minicamps. But even that conditioning test, Reid said, Mahomes "probably could've done it and made it, I'm sure, with will." "I love what he did this offseason, the way he attacked the rehab," Reid said. "He's on course to ... get ready for camp." Mahomes, who signed a lucrative contract extension on Wednesday, has been spending the offseason in Kansas City, rather than his home in Texas, so that he can continue rehabbing with the Chiefs staff. That includes Julie Frymyer, their head physical therapist, who has helped Mahomes overcome other injuries throughout his NFL career. "The healing process has to keep taking place," Reid said. "He gets periodic checks, but he's been working close with Julie on the rehab part of it. Then he comes out and practices — he does rehab before practice, comes to practice, then goes after practice." The spare-no-second schedule is designed to get Mahomes ready to start against the Broncos in Week 1 on Sept. 14. Being ready for training camp at the end of July would be even better. "You just kind of take it day by day, I think. It looks like he's going to be able to do some things during camp," Reid said. "He did it out here, so I would presume in 40 days he'll be even better than that. So we'll just see where it goes, and you go through peaks and valleys in this thing — in rehabs — where you might plateau for a little bit, and you don't know when those are going to take place. But so far, it's been a pretty steady climb up the hill there." Mahomes signed a restructured contract Wednesday, which adds two years to the deal through the 2033 season and pushes the total compensation to $504.75 million, with incentives and escalators that could send the value to $522.25 million. Mahomes would be 38 in the final year of the contract, meaning he might well finish his career playing in Kansas City. "Listen, he's done a great job as a professional, and then off the field as a father and husband, so you got the whole package there," Reid said. "He's a great representative and a heck of a football player." Chiefs Expect Other Injured Players Back By Training Camp In other news, Reid said first-round draft pick Mansoor Delane was held out of the mandatory minicamp because of a relatively minor shoulder injury. The cornerback should be ready for the start of training camp at Missouri Western State University. Wide receiver Rashee Rice also should be ready for camp after rehabbing a minor knee surgery while serving out a jail sentence. The procedure to clean debris out of his right knee took place about a week before Rice was ordered to jail for violating the terms of his probation for his role in a car crash that left multiple people injured. The 26-year-old Rice was booked into the Dallas County jail on May 19 — he's been allowed out for supervised rehab work — and he is due to be released Tuesday. "(Chiefs trainer) Rick (Burkholder) has talked to him more than what I have," Reid said, "just making sure that everything was set where he could do some rehab with it and still do the time that he needed to take care of. So he's been on top of that, and thank good they're allowing him to do it. They've been great with that." What About Travis Kelce's Upcoming Wedding to Pop Star Taylor Swift? Reid said his plan for the six weeks until training camp is to "step away," but he sidestepped a question on whether "stepping away" involved attending the wedding of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and pop superstar Taylor Swift next month. The exact date and location — presumably Madison Square Garden in New York — has been a closely guarded secret. "Can’t talk about it," Reid said, smiling. "Listen, he’s been here most of the offseason, if not the whole offseason. He’s been around and it’s good to have him. He did the mandatory camp and did a nice job there, so it’s good to have him back in and rolling. He’s very excited. You see no distractions with that and the wedding. If it’s like when I got married, my wife did everything, so I just kind of followed her lead on it, showed up, right? Maybe he’s doing more but he looks like he’s pretty focused in on this job here, too." Reporting by the Associated Press.

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2026 NFL Odds: Back Sean McVay to Win Second COY Award

The number of Sundays without NFL football is quietly creeping towards single digits. The biggest move made this offseason was a stunner on the first day of June, with the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl, the Los Angeles Rams, acquiring the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett. After losing a nail-biter to the eventual champion Seattle Seahawks in the NFC title game, the ultra-aggressive Rams made a trade with the Cleveland Browns to add what they hope is the final piece of a championship puzzle. The Rams are now as low as +500 to win it all next year, the shortest odds on the board. While they are the rightful favorite, considering their abundance of talent on both sides of the ball, is there a better way to bet on their success and get some juicier odds? Well, Rams head coach Sean McVay is 40-1 to win NFL Coach of the Year. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. Granted, this award often goes to the coach of the team who generally overachieves preseason expectations the most … but it doesn't always go to that coach. In 2019, John Harbaugh won it after leading the Baltimore Ravens to a gaudy 14-2 record. The Ravens had made the playoffs the year prior, and were not a surprise contender, so their coach won the award by simply winning a lot of football games. In 2007, the New England Patriots went 16-0, and head coach Bill Belichick was named Coach of the Year. You catch my drift: The award can be won by simply dominating the competition, and the Rams have the talent to do just that. There is also a scenario where Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is 38 years old, potentially misses a few games due to injury. Under these circumstances, McVay would have a chance, from a narrative perspective, to garner lots of support by possibly winning with a backup quarterback. In short, the Rams have the talent to flirt with 14- or 15-plus wins, and considering the odds, that makes McVay a good sleeper candidate to win the hardware. PICK: Sean McVay (40-1) to win Coach of the Year

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