Last week, the Texas Tech football social media team sent a clear message about the biggest question mark surrounding this year’s team.
With Brendan Sorsby no longer in the picture after an offseason saga where the Cincinnati transfer lost his eligibility when the NCAA learned he made thousands of bets and even gambled on his own team, this is Will Hammond’s team now.
The reins have been handed over to the sophomore quarterback, who had his 2025 season cut short by a torn ACL suffered in late October.
That’s a view quickly backed up by his teammates and his coach.
“The guy’s a dog, bro. He’s one of the first ones in the facility and one of the last ones to leave,” preseason All-Big 12 tight end Terrance Carter Jr. said of Hammond at Big 12 media days three weeks ago.
“The guy’s a dog, bro. He’s one of the first ones in the facility and one of the last ones to leave.”
— Texas Tech tight end Terrance Carter Jr., on Will Hammond
“His work ethic is insane. He pushes me to go every day. (There’d) be days I don’t even want to catch sometimes, he’d be like, ‘Nah bro, 11:30, we outside.’ I’m like, ‘Got you, bro. I’m there.’ That just shows you how much everybody bought into it.”
Earlier this offseason, as the Sorsby drama unfolded, questions abounded about when Hammond, coming off a major injury, might be available to play.
Several times in recent weeks, though, Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire has expressed optimism that Hammond could be ready for the season opener when the Red Raiders host Abilene Christian on Sept. 5.
Time will tell if that happens, and whether the Red Raiders will start him before the team’s Week 3 Big 12 opener against Houston. If not, Lloyd Jones III or Tulsa transfer Kirk Francis will get the nod. Said McGuire: “I feel good about that (QB) room. We just need to stay on track.”
What is assured, though, is that this is Hammond’s team — and he’s not only got the confidence within himself to take on the QB1 mantle, but his teammates and coach have the utmost confidence in him as well.
The confidence and preparation to lead a program
That confidence could be a major catalyst if Texas Tech repeats as conference champions and makes it back to the College Football Playoff.
“Will has a super bright future. He’s a fantastic teammate,” senior linebacker Ben Roberts said. “He knows everybody on the team, and a lot of guys at a lot of places don’t. He prepares himself the way that, like he’s the starter. He’s been doing that since he got to Texas Tech, and he’s got a whole lot of confidence.”
That self-assuredness carries weight with his teammates.
“He’s so confident as a young player, it just breathes throughout the whole team,” said defensive tackle AJ Holmes Jr., the preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. “And then his work ethic, the work he put in, it’s just bound to have a good outcome.”
His coach echoes those sentiments, while adding it’s not by coincidence or luck — Hammond is prepared.
“That young man, he’s one of the guys — he’s one of the first two or three people in the building. He’s one of the last ones to leave. Extremely hard worker," McGuire said of Hammond, who joined Texas Tech as a four-star talent from the Austin area in 2024.
“He’s got great confidence in himself, and he’s prepared himself to be in the position he’s in. He’s got really an infectious personality that people just gravitate to. I think that’s why there’s a lot of confidence in Will.”
The mindset of a competitor
As both his coaches and teammates recall, before Sorsby was brought in, Hammond was already preparing for the time when he would take over the program as the team’s QB1.
Last season, as the Red Raiders won the Big 12 and earned a spot in the College Football Playoff, they were led by two-year starter Behren Morton. But he was a senior, and there were times when Morton, now with the New England Patriots, was hurt, and that allowed Hammond to get important reps on the field.
“He don’t care who you bring in, he’s gonna be the starter. That’s always been his mindset,” Carter said. “Last year ... he ended up getting hurt ... so we had to go get a QB (out of the transfer portal), but we all knew that was our QB1.”
Hammond showcased his dual-threat abilities during the 2025 season while playing in eight games and starting two before his injury in a win over Oklahoma State.
He ended up completing 63.3% of his passes for 680 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions, while also rushing for 299 yards and five touchdowns with a 7.0 yards-per-carry average.
“We’ve been fortunate, one, that he hasn’t had any setbacks; and, two, if you ask Will Hammond throughout this process, he would tell you he was our starting quarterback and wasn’t going to back away,” McGuire said.
No game last season showed off his potential more than when Texas Tech went into Rice-Eccles Stadium last September in a top-25 matchup with Utah.
Morton left the game early in the third quarter after getting injured, and Hammond took control of the hotly contested matchup. In just under a half of work, he completed 13 of 16 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 61 yards on eight carries.
Behind his stoic leadership, the Red Raiders pulled away late to win 34-10 after going into halftime up 10-3.
“Whenever he checked into that Utah game, he was — Utah, I feel like most people would be pretty nervous in that situation. Not Will, though,“ said Texas Tech center Sheridan Wilson.
“Will was ready to go. He had that fire in his eyes.”
His impact went beyond that impressive stat line, McGuire said.
“Watch him come off the bench against Utah, and not the game that he played,” the coach said. “I’m not talking about the play, but the way the players reacted when he came into that game, the belief and the love they (have) for him. We’re fortunate to have him.”
He won’t have to do it himself
One key aspect to Texas Tech’s confidence that Hammond will come in and have the opportunity to take the Red Raiders to the next level — getting back to the playoff and winning this time — is that he is surrounded on offense by several all-conference-caliber players.
Hammond won’t have to do it all alone.
He’ll be joined in the background by the deepest running back group in the Big 12, and one of the best in the country, with Cameron Dickey, J’koby Williams and Quentin Joyner all back.
“I think people forget that we got him, honestly,” Carter said of Joyner, who missed all of last season because of a late fall camp injury. Before that, Joyner was on the Doak Walker Award watch list. “I’m excited to see what he’s gonna do this year.”
Dickey and Williams, meanwhile, combined for nearly 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns between them last season.
There’s plenty of standout pass catchers, too, from Carter (51 receptions for 532 yards and three touchdowns in 2025) to Coy Eakin (48 receptions, 637 yards, six touchdowns) and including guys like former five-star talent Micah Hudson and Alabama State transfer Jalen Jones.
The latter two are guys that Carter said to watch in this year’s offense.
Up front, Texas Tech also brings back plenty of experience with guys like Wilson, senior left tackle Howard Sampson and sophomore right tackle Jacob Ponton.
“The good thing is I think we have one of the top running back rooms in the country, if not the best. We have one of the top tight end rooms in the country. I think we’ve improved our offensive line. We’ve got a very deep wide receiver room,” McGuire said.
“You know, it’s not all on him. He’s going to have a lot of people around him to help him succeed.”
