To say that the Texas Tech Red Raiders’ quarterback position has produced some headlines over the last couple of months would be an understatement.
Throughout the entire Brendan Sorsby saga and the perceived hole it left at the QB spot after his mutual parting of ways with the Red Raiders, it’s fair to say that just about everyone who has been paying attention in college football is aware of what’s going on under center at Texas Tech ahead of what is expected to be a successful 2026 season.
On Tuesday, at Big 12 Media Days, we finally have some positive news coming out for Texas Tech, though, when it comes to their passer. According to head coach Joey McGuire, the door is still open for Will Hammond to be ready for Week 1, after recovering from a torn ACL last year.
This is a change from early projections, in which the prevailing view was that Hammond would be ready to return by Week 3 of the season — the conference opener against the Houston Cougars. In Hammond’s place, the Red Raiders would have deployed Lloyd Jones III or Kirk Francis for the first two games of the season against Abilene Christian and Oregon State. However, it now seems as if they might be able to get Hammond under center from the jump.
Hammond’s prior flashes of production for the Red Raiders with nearly 680 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and 299 rushing yards had already positioned him as a long-term building block. But availability, not talent, became the central question.
We will see how healthy and how productive he can be once the season comes along, as Texas Tech’s College Football Playoff hopes likely depend on it, but the early signs are looking good.
This article originally appeared on Red Raiders Wire: Joey McGuire leaves door open for Will Hammond to start Week 1
Reporting by Zachary Neel, Red Raiders Wire / Red Raiders Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Zachary Neel, Red Raiders Wire | USA TODAY Network
