Texas Tech is Looking to Reload in 2026

To say the result of the Orange Bowl was a disappointment for Texas Tech would be an understatement. The Red Raiders looked awful in their 23-0 loss to Oregon in the College Football Playoff. And to make matters worse, it gave the Big 12 yet another black eye when it comes to the national narrative.

One could understand if Texas Tech sulked in their own self-pity, but that’s not who they are, especially under Joey McGuire. Not even a week after the ugly loss, Texas Tech is back on its feet, gearing up for 2026.

The Red Raiders already have eight incoming transfers for next season, which includes a few big names. One is linebacker Austin Romaine from Kansas State. Romaine was a second-team All-Big 12 selection this past season and, when healthy, is one of the best linebackers in the conference. 

Unfortunately, he dealt with injuries in 2025, but he still managed to put up numbers with 96 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and three forced fumbles in just nine games. Austin is viewed as one of the best linebackers in the portal and fills a huge void for Texas Tech, which will lose All-American linebacker Jacob Rodriguez. He should be a great addition to play next to Ben Roberts, who will also be coming back in 2026.

Tech was also able to beef up its defense line with several commits, including Mateen Ibirogba from Wake Forest. 247Sports has Ibirogba as the No. 6 overall prospect in this portal cycle. On3 ranks him No. 9, and both regard him as the top interior defensive lineman on the market. 

But the real reason why every is jumping back on the Tech bandwagon next season is because of the addition of quarterback Brendan Sorsby. It would be hard to find a transfer portal quarterback list and not see Sorsby’s name at the top. Even ESPN had him as the number one player in the portal prior to his commitment to Texas Tech.

Brendan started his career at Indiana for two seasons and spent the last two years at Cincinnati, where he made a name for himself. In 2025, Sorsby threw for 2,800 yards and finished with 27 passing touchdowns to just five interceptions. But what made him even more desirable is the fact that over the last two years, he has combined for over 1,000 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground.

Not only does he have a cannon for an arm, but he also has the athletic ability to move the chains with his legs. By no means is he a finished product. One of the issues during his time in Cincinnati is that he has had a decline in performance later in the season.

In his first eight games of the year, Sorbsy threw 20 touchdown passes on just one interception. But in his final four games, he threw seven touchdown passes and four interceptions, all in losing efforts. When you look at he problems that Cincinnati has had the last two years, it’s that they fall off a cliff.

As crazy as it sounds, the Bearcats were 0-8 in the month of November over the last two seasons, and Sorsby deserves some of the blame for that. But when you watch him play, you can see that the talent is certainly there, and that is why so many schools were after him.

If you watched the Orange Bowl game, it was clear that the offense wasn’t ready for that moment. They finished with four turnovers and failed to score a single point against Oregon. I know that they faced a good defense, but what we saw in that game was unacceptable.

It made many people wonder while Tech was busy spending all that money during the offseason, if they should have tried to upgrade at the quarterback position. Instead, they stuck with Behren Morton, which was fine during the regular season.

But in crunch time, when they needed the offense to step up, they simply weren’t ready to. Bringing in a guy like Brendan Sorsby shows that they know what they must do to take that next step. Texas Tech had a championship-caliber defense, and now they are trying to add the pieces to turn the offense into the same thing.

The transfer portal is still open, and I expect a lot of movement still to come, but one thing is clear, and it’s that Texas Tech is committed to doing whatever it takes to get back to Arlington and to the College Football Playoff. Don’t be surprised to see them still playing football around this time next year.