For Texas Tech quarterback Will Hammond, the last calendar year has been an eventful one to say the least.
In the Red Raiders’ 2025 opener—and throughout the start of the `25 season—Hammond split time quarterbacking Texas Tech with Behren Morton. On Oct. 25, Hammond tore his ACL in a 42–0 win over Oklahoma State, ending his season. Morton raised his draft stock enough to become a seventh-round pick of the Patriots, which would have left Hammond to slide into the starting role if not for Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s transfer.
Sorsby, of course, is gone due to extraordinary circumstances—leaving Hammond back in charge for `25 if he can get healthy on time. According to Red Raiders coach Joey McGuire, that’s likelier than you think.
What Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire told SI’s Bryan Fisher about the timeline for Hammond’s return
The Red Raiders’ first three games are as follows: Sept. 5 at home against Abilene Christian, Sept. 12 on the road against Oregon State, and Sept. 18 at home against Houston. The latter two games will air in prime time on CBS and Fox, respectively.
McGuire told Fisher on Tuesday that Hammond could return for Texas Tech’s opener against the Wildcats.
“We'll see where he's at,” McGuire said. “He's in great shape. He feels good if you ask him if he'll be starting week one. You know, we'll see exactly where he's at, and if his doctor and our trainers say he's good to go—then he'll start week one.”
Per McGuire, the priority is making sure Hammond is “football-ready.”
“You want to get the offense and rhythm because—not taking anything away from Week 1 and Week 2. They're gonna be really good football teams, and we've got to go to Oregon State, which is a tough trip—but Week 3, we open up Big 12 play with Houston. They'll be a top-25 team. They should be undefeated at that point,” McGuire said
Texas Tech has Kirk Francis looming as a potential backup plan
Francis, adding to the Hammond-Sorsby cocktail, announced his transfer from Tulsa to the Red Raiders on Jan. 14. He played 18 games over three years with the Golden Hurricane, tossing 18 touchdown passes against 13 interceptions, and was the primary starter for Tulsa’s 3-9 2024 team.
Crucially, he is the only quarterback on the roster other than Hammond with FBS game experience, and thus may get the chance to spell Hammond if the latter isn’t ready for Abilene Christian.
Hammond’s past numbers at a glance
In 2024, Hammond played sparingly as a redshirt freshman, completing 61.4% of his passes for 471 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. More than half of those yards came in the Liberty Bowl against Arkansas, where he racked up 280 in a 39–26 loss.
Last year, Hammond completed 69 of 109 passes (63.3%) for 680 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions. He also ran for five scores, averaging 37.4 yards per contest on the ground. His most complete performance was in relief of Morton against Utah, where he completed 13 of 16 passes for a pair of scores in a 34–10 win.
