Throughout the course of the offseason, we’ve seen some breadcrumbs drop when it comes to Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Will Hammond, particularly in regard to his injury recovery.
After tearing his ACL a season ago, there was a hope that Hammond could come back for the bulk of the 2026 season. With Brendan Sorsby out of the picture, the hope then turned to an early return, potentially in Week 3. Not long after that, head coach Joey McGuire left the door open for a potential Week 1 return for Hammond.
Now, as we are fewer than 50 days away from the start of the season, McGuire is offering the most positive update yet.
“Will Hammond will be ready to go Week 1,” McGuire said this week.
This is obviously a major development for the Red Raiders, with Hammond now getting a couple of early-season games against Abilene Christian and Oregon State to knock the injury rust off before opening conference play against the Houston Cougars in Week 3.
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. Now, it appears that he will be available for the entire season in Lubbock, which bodes well for the Red Raiders’ Big 12 title defense.
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This article originally appeared on Red Raiders Wire: Joey McGuire offers definitive update on Will Hammond’s Week 1 status
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
