Show of hands: who has ever experienced a dust storm? Texas Tech alumni are very familiar with what a dust storm is, but for the uninitiated, dust storms are more of an agitator than a destroyer. Sometimes they can come out of nowhere. A crystal-clear, sunny day can be enveloped by brown circling dirt. It’s as if you skipped ahead into a time you never wanted. During the storm, everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, gets caked in dirt. Nothing is safe. If you were lucky enough to attend Texas Tech when the dorms didn’t have air conditioning (which Sneed Hall didn’t as late as 2006), all of your belongings and bed looked like they had to be dug out of the beach. Traversing across campus during a dust storm meant dirt getting stuck in your nostrils and teeth. However, most of the time, dust storms are short-lived events. Many of them only last 10-15 minutes. When the dust does settle, life returns to what it was, with some extra cleanup required. The Texas Tech football program just went through the nastiest dust storm of its history. The wind and dust died down as quarterback Brendan Sorsby and Texas Tech mutually parted ways, with Sorsby declaring for the NFL Supplemental Draft. While the program looks to kick off the dust from the national blowback of how they handled this situation, it’s time to shift the attention back onto the field. With Sorsby officially out, the QB1 position is firmly Will Hammond’s again.
QB1 was already on the roster?
Hammond was always seen as the future of the Texas Tech football program. The former four-star recruit from the class of 2024 has seen plenty of significant playing time already in his Red Raider career. He has appeared in 12 games in the last two seasons, with four starts. Hammond found himself multiple times being thrust into a game due to Behren Morton suffering an injury during the game. Most notably, Hammond’s second-half performance on the road against Utah guided the Red Raiders to their first signature win of what would be the best season in program history.
But, like many well-thought-out plans, they often meet something unforeseen. That came in the way of an ACL tear Hammond suffered against Oklahoma State in late October of the 2025 season. If Hammond gets through 2025 healthy, Texas Tech isn’t in the market for a transfer quarterback. Head coach Joey McGuire even said “If [Will isn’t] hurt…we wouldn’t have necessarily been looking for a starting quarterback.” But, as the old saying goes, “If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas.”
Higher floor, lower ceiling?
Much of the criticism thrown towards Morton was that his play did not elevate against the top teams he faced throughout his career. Morton was steady, but never game-breaking. Hammond’s two-year numbers aren’t necessarily eye-popping. He has completed 62.7% of his passes for 1,151 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions. But the most notable difference between Morton and Hammond is Hammond’s ability to use his legs. He has 60 career rushing attempts for 348 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. The Utah game performance looked like a quarterback capable of winning a national championship. However, for every Utah game performance, he had at least two games that fell into the “Arizona State” category of a quarterback who never looked in rhythm passing.
Plenty of help
There isn’t a clear timetable for when Hammond will return. McGuire is on the record targeting week three against Houston as the earliest he could return. Whenever Hammond returns, he will be surrounded by plenty of help. Not only will the Texas Tech defense do a great job of keeping opposing teams off the scoreboard, but the talent to which Hammond could spread the ball is bountiful. Additionally, Hammond’s offensive line includes no less than two future NFL draft picks in Howard Sampson and Jacob Ponton, so he should be operating from a lot of clean pockets. But make no mistake about it, Hammond’s consistency in his game must improve for this program to not only repeat as Big 12 champions, but to make a legitimate run in the College Football Playoff.
This article originally appeared on Red Raiders Wire: ‘We wouldn’t have necessarily been looking for a starting quarterback’
Reporting by Andrew McCleary, Red Raiders Wire / Red Raiders Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Andrew McCleary, Red Raiders Wire | USA TODAY Network
