The short-lived Brendan Sorsby era at Texas Tech is over after the vilified quarterback who admitted to a gambling addiction earlier this offseason declared for the NFL supplemental draft.
He officially never played a down for the Red Raiders after joining the rising program as a five-star transfer out of the portal following two seasons at fellow Big 12 school Cincinnati.
So, that all but writes the story on the 2026 Texas Tech squad, right?
Hardly.
There are a few primary reasons why the defending Big 12 champion Red Raiders are still likely to be the league favorite when the 2026 season kicks off this fall and why Sorsby’s absence doesn’t change that.
The schedule plays into the Red Raiders’ hands
Much has been made of Texas Tech’s favorable 2026 schedule, which includes seven home games.
From a Big 12 perspective, the Red Raiders won’t face two of their other primary contenders, BYU and Utah, during the regular season. Additionally, of Texas Tech’s other conference games against projected contenders — Houston, Arizona, Arizona State and TCU — all are at home.
In ESPN’s initial spring SP+ rankings released in late March, Texas Tech was ranked No. 7, more than 10 spots above the next-highest Big 12 team, BYU, at No. 18, while Utah was next at No. 25.
Even factoring in the loss of Sorsby, it’s believable Texas Tech is still the team to beat.
Of the Red Raiders’ five road games, including four in league play, the toughest road stretch happens when Texas Tech plays at Oklahoma State (No. 38 in SP+) on Nov. 14, then at Baylor (No. 51 in SP+) the next weekend.
Arguably, the toughest stretch for the Red Raiders may come over three weekends in October, when Texas Tech hosts Arizona State (Oct. 17), then plays at Cincinnati the next Saturday before hosting Arizona on Halloween.
Even then, Texas Tech is a heavy favorite throughout its schedule, which is especially favorable in September outside of a Friday night Big 12 opener at home against Houston (No. 36 in SP+).
The Red Raiders open the season against FCS opponent Abilene Christian, then play at Oregon State (No. 91 in SP+) before hosting Sam Houston (No. 136 in SP+) the week after facing Houston.
That makes for an easy transition into the year for whoever is under center Weeks 1 and 2 before the Red Raiders face Houston in a critical Big 12 opener.
Texas Tech already has its next multi-year QB … he is just coming off a season-ending injury
There is a trusted quarterback in the wings at Texas Tech in Will Hammond. He just needs to be 100% back from a torn ACL he suffered last October when starting in place of an injured Behren Morton.
In eight games last season, Hammond showed why there is belief that he can be a multi-year starter for the Red Raiders.
He ended up completing 63.3% of his 109 passes in 2025 for 680 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions and showed off the ability to be a dual threat by running for 299 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 7.0 yards per carry.
Hammond’s revelatory game came in a top 25 matchup at Utah, when he entered the contest early in the second half after Morton took a hard hit and exited the game.
Hammond proceeded to complete 13 of 16 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns to go with eight carries for 61 yards. He turned a 10-3 game at halftime into a 34-10 Red Raiders victory after the visitors scored 24 fourth-quarter points, and hurt Utah on the ground and in the air.
After Utah briefly trimmed the Texas Tech lead to 13-10, Hammond began the ensuing possession with a 32-yard run to spark a touchdown drive that ended with a 24-yard touchdown pass.
His 21-yard TD strike with under two minutes to play capitalized on a Utah turnover and effectively ended the game.
Once he is healthy, Hammond is expected to be Texas Tech’s starting QB — and if he weren’t coming off the injury, the Red Raiders wouldn’t have had as much of a need to add someone like Sorsby.
Things have progressed positively enough that there’s optimism Hammond could be ready for the Red Raiders’ game against Houston in Week 3, according to head coach Joey McGuire.
The coach told reporters recently that Hammond has been cleared to throw in team 7-on-7 summer workouts, according to The Athletic, and a team source told the news organization that in May, Hammond reached 20.5 miles per hour while running full speed in a straight line.
“I’m pretty hopeful that he’ll be back for Week 1,” that source told The Athletic.
If Texas Tech needs to rely on another quarterback to begin the year, there is confidence that Tulsa transfer Kirk Francis can handle things until Hammond is good to play.
The aforementioned early-season schedule should presumably give Francis the chance to get the Red Raiders through their early contests without too many issues and the opportunity to set Hammond up well when he is ready.
It’s a loaded roster yet again
Texas Tech’s disruptive defense played a major role in the Red Raiders winning the Big 12 and reaching the College Football Playoff a year ago.
They are far from depleted on that side of the ball, even after six Texas Tech defenders were taken in April’s NFL draft, led by edge rusher David Bailey and linebacker Jacob Rodriguez.
While these players won’t be easy to replace, the Red Raiders still have six defensive returners back, including first-team All-Big 12 cornerback Brice Pollock and two third-team all-conference honorees in defensive lineman AJ Holmes Jr. and linebacker Ben Roberts.
Then there’s the latest incoming transfer class. Of the 20 players Texas Tech brought in via the portal this offseason, there are four rated as four-star defenders by 247 Sports, including defensive linemen Mateen Ibirogba, edge rusher Adam Trick, linebacker Austin Romaine and cornerback Davin Martin.
On the offensive side, there is a deep stable of weapons to complement Texas Tech’s signal caller.
The Red Raiders have the deepest running back room in the Big 12, and one of the best in the country, with 1,000-yard rusher Cameron Dickey returning, along with speedy J’koby Williams (more than 1,200 all-purpose yards in 2025) and USC transfer Quinten Joyner back after missing 2025 due to injury.
Tight end Terrance Carter Jr. is another All-Big 12 candidate, and while Caleb Douglas and Reggie Virgil left for the NFL, the Red Raiders also have Coy Eakin and former five-star talent Micah Hudson back at wide receiver.
The Red Raiders also return three starters on the offensive line — left tackle Howard Sampson, center Sheridan Wilson (both earned third-team All-Big 12 honors last year) and right tackle Jacob Ponton — and brought in four-star transfer interior lineman Jordan Church from Louisville.
In other words, while teams like BYU, Arizona, Arizona State, TCU and Utah may be nipping at Texas Tech’s heels, the 2026 season still looks bright for the Red Raiders, even without Sorsby.
