The Texas Tech Red Raiders are gearing up for the 2026 college football season after a dramatic offseason.
They acquired quarterback Brendan Sorsby in the transfer portal, but he is now ineligible to play this season due to a violation of gambling rules. A lengthy legal battle ensued before he and Texas Tech ultimately parted ways, paving the way for Will Hammond to be the new starting quarterback.
Tim Capurso of Sports Illustrated made a bold prediction for every team ranked in the US LBM preseason coaches poll, and his is about Hammond.
Hammond was slated to be the Red Raiders’ backup, then top portal addition Sorsby’s gambling problems came to light, resulting in the mother-of-all investigations and legal battles, a fight Sorsby’s camp ultimately lost. The winner here is Hammond, who has a chance to be one of the best stories of the season. Provided he retains his explosiveness coming off of a torn ACL, Hammond’s athleticism and dual-threat capabilities are going to win Texas Tech a lot of games in 2026.
Hammond completed 63.3% of his passes for 680 yards, seven touchdowns, three interceptions and a 73.6 QBR before his 2025 season was cut short. The junior quarterback also rushed for 299 yards and five additional touchdowns, averaging 7.0 yards per carry.
Contact/Follow us@RedRaidersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas Tech news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Red Raiders Wire: Sports Illustrated has bold prediction for Texas Tech’s Will Hammond
Reporting by Curt Bishop, Red Raiders Wire / Red Raiders Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Curt Bishop, Red Raiders Wire | USA TODAY Network
