There was never a doubt in Will Hammond’s mind that he was going to be the starting quarterback for the Texas Tech football team during the 2026 season.
Even before the Brendan Sorsby saga unfolded, the Cincinnati transfer leading the Red Raiders during spring ball and Hammond recovering from his torn ACL suffered in October, the third-year sophomore was confident he would reclaim the spot when healthy. Circumstances have led to Hammond being the guy anyway, so it worked out.
Hammond spoke to the local media Tuesday inside the newly named Galaxy Stadium with the same confidence he took into his rehabilitation. Despite Sorsby coming in as the insurance policy, Hammond felt he was going to overtake the seasoned veteran when he got the chance.
Medically cleared a month ago, Hammond and the Red Raiders head into preseason camp knowing exactly where they’re going, which wasn’t necessarily the case a few months ago.
“The mentality’s been the same the whole time,” Hammond said. “Never take a back seat. Always want to be that guy, and so I’m just glad to be in this position and have the team around me that I have, because that allows you to have the belief that you do something special.”
While the Sorsby saga unfolded in the spotlight, Hammond quietly worked his way back. Head coach Joey McGuire’s initial timeline put Hammond available around Week 3 of the 2026 season. Now he’ll be the one taking all the first-team reps throughout camp.
“We were always kind of ahead of schedule in terms of what we’d imagined when surgery happened,” Hammond said. “Whenever all the news was coming out, we didn’t have to really speed anything up. It was just make sure we’re continuing to stay consistent with the rehab process, and that’s paid off.”
Texas Tech was put into an unfavorable light with Sorsby’s gambling scandal, lawsuits and mudslinging coming from every direction. For other players on the roster, there wasn’t much they could do but stick together.
“I was really proud of the team and the way they handled it all,” Hammond said. “There’s been so much external noise this offseason. There’s been a lot of headlines, and I think the team’s done such a great job keeping the main thing the main thing throughout May, June, July.”
With all that in the rearview mirror, Hammond and his teammates can focus on what’s ahead. For Hammond, that’s getting back into the groove of a regular practice schedule, finding his timing and connections with his teammates. Much of that has already been done in the offseason, Hammond holding almost daily throwing sessions with Texas Tech’s top receivers.
One of Hammond’s best traits, which had some calling for him to be the starter over Behren Morton last season, is his mobility. Coming off a knee injury, there’s some question as to how much Hammond will be asked to use his legs in Mack Leftwich’s offense. Hammond assured everyone that he will still be a factor to some extent.
“We’ll still be able to use my legs,” Hammond said. “I’ll still be able to run the ball when needed, but I don’t think that’s going to be as much of a focus. When you want to go out there and play 16 games, you don’t want to be running your quarterback around too much. So there will be an aspect of it that we’ll use, but I think the priority will just be to go get out there and hand it off to those running backs. They’ll carry the majority of the rushing yards.”
Hammond isn’t the only Red Raider getting his chance to shine. Micah Hudson, the first five-star recruit for Texas Tech in decades, is part of the same recruiting class as Hammond. The pair have been linked together for years, since their junior campaigns at their respective high schools.
Hammond said he’s working on an Instagram post where the last photo is of him and Hudson together on a junior day visit. In their brief time together on the field at Texas Tech, they’ve shown the connection that’s spawned from those recruiting visits. Now they’ll get the chance to show why they came to Texas Tech together.
“It’s just so cool to think how long this opportunity has been in the works,” Hammond said, “to have a connection with a guy like that. We’ve been great friends since junior year, and he we are in year three together, doing it together.
“I’m just excited to have a guy like that, just the bond that we’ve built and how much this place has changed over the last few years in such a great way. We’re just excited to be an instrument and continuing to build this place to be something really special.”
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Will Hammond details road to recovery to be Texas Tech football’s QB1
Reporting by Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal | USA TODAY Network
