It’s been anything but a quiet offseason in Lubbock. In fact, before the Sorsby legal fight over his eligibility and his eventual exit from the program, head coach Joey McGuire’s team entered the offseason with new noise in Lubbock. Fueled by Texas Tech’s 2025 Big 12 title, outside criticism that Texas Tech’s success is simply a product of outspending everyone else hasn’t quieted down.
All of those ingredients mixed together produced a villainous pie that all doubters keep asking for seconds of. McGuire pushed back on that narrative directly in an interview with On3’s Pete Nakos (subscription required), noting the Red Raiders aren’t even the top spender in the sport. McGuire pointed out that several programs who’ve spent more than Texas Tech in 2025 didn’t walk away with a national title.
Still chasing the ghost of the Orange Bowl
McGuire didn’t get hung up on the money, as his larger point was that rather than fixate on the outside chatter, the program is channeling everything into a “hunting” mentality this season, driven by the memory of how last year ended. Texas Tech’s 2025 season ended abruptly, but it was historical. The Red Raiders celebrated their first-ever Big 12 championship and a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. But that run was capped by a lopsided 23-0 loss to Oregon in the Orange Bowl quarterfinal.
When the college football world had its eyes on Texas Tech, in the biggest game in program history, it laid quite a few duck eggs in Miami to accompany the goose egg on the scoreboard. The offense managed only 215 total yards and threw two interceptions.
McGuire said he’s rewatched that tape repeatedly this offseason, using it as the program’s driving reminder. He made it very clear how much the Orange Bowl performance has driven his mentality this offseason:
I just keep going back to the Oregon game. We’re hunting because the last thing we have, the reminder we have, is us getting our butts kicked and getting shut out.
A key lesson from that playoff appearance: the layoff between the conference title game and the CFP quarterfinal isn’t a bye at all. It’s essentially a second training camp, and McGuire says Tech has to approach that prep differently in the future. In the short-lived 12-team playoff era, Indiana’s Curt Cignetti is the only one who has figured out how to manage that extended layoff after conference championship week.
Clarification on Will Hammond comments
When Sorsby arrived via the transfer portal, it was clear he instantly became QB1 to give Will Hammond more time to recover from his ACL tear. McGuire remarked in the spring that he wanted Hammond ready by Week 3. This only became headline news once Sorsby’s future appeared to be that he would only be suspended for two games.
McGuire clarified that the comment was never meant as a knock on Hammond’s ability to play in Weeks 1 or 2. It was simply about not needing him at full strength that early, given the original plan. With Sorsby now gone, it has left no doubt that this is Hammond’s team.
Hammond has been throwing since before spring break, working through player-led 7-on-7s all summer, and has been cleared by the surgeon who performed his ACL repair. He’s set to be the starter in Week 1, though he’ll wear a brace through fall camp as a precaution.
McGuire made clear he doesn’t view Hammond’s confidence as broken by the coaching staff bringing in a transfer competitor. “I don’t know if he ever thought that he wasn’t the guy — and I really mean that,” McGuire told Nakos. McGuire praised Hammond’s mentality of being ready to compete with anyone put in front of him.
Looking ahead
Fall camp opens next week, with the regular season set to kick off September 5. Texas Tech hasn’t won back-to-back conference titles since its days in the Border Conference in the 1950s. Who could forget that historic run?
But in all seriousness, this program is navigating for the first time the pressures that come with being a team with legitimate national championship aspirations. McGuire will continue to build on last year’s breakthrough, stressing the importance of “hunting” and not viewing themselves as “the hunted.” If that messaging strikes a chord in the locker room, expect the Red Raiders to get back to the Playoff, this time with a different ending in mind.
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This article originally appeared on Red Raiders Wire: Joey McGuire opens up about ‘hunting’ mindset in 2026
Reporting by Andrew McCleary, Red Raiders Wire / Red Raiders Wire
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By Andrew McCleary, Red Raiders Wire | USA TODAY Network
