Texas Tech quarterback Will Hammond will start the Red Raiders’ season-opener against the Abilene Christian Wildcats on Sept. 5 after he secured the team’s QB1 spot.
Hammond will lead the Red Raiders this season as they attempt to retain their Big 12 championship and clinch a berth in the College Football Playoff.
Will Hammond Defiant After Texas Tech-Brendan Sorsby Move
Hammond was expected to be polarizing quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s backup this season before the former Cincinnati Bearcats star left college football amid a full-blown gambling scandal.
The Red Raiders signed Sorsby, the consensus top quarterback in the transfer portal, to replace Behren Morton, who departed for the NFL.
Sorsby’s gambling addiction and subsequent court battle played out while Hammond was recovering from an ACL injury sustained against the Oklahoma State Cowboys last season.
In an interview with USA Today’s Matt Hayes, Hammond revealed how he handled the Red Raiders’ signing of Sorsby.
“Let me ask you something,” Hammond said. “If your boss hired someone to take your place, would you just sit around and let it happen? Now you know how I felt. I wasn’t listening to anybody or anything. I’m a big believer in myself, and always have been. It wasn’t going to change because they brought somebody else in.”
In 2024, Hammond barely played, backing up Morton and managing 471 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions, while adding 49 rushing yards and 2 scores.
Hammond finished last season with 680 passing yards, 7 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions, while adding 299 rushing yards and 5 scores. He earned a commendable 80.2 PFN College QB Impact Score. In Week 4, the quarterback turned heads against the Utah Utes when he led four scoring drives to lead the Red Raiders to a commanding 34-10 win.
Last week, Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire spoke to reporters about Hammond’s readiness to be the Red Raiders’ QB1 next season.
“He and I, during camp, eat a couple times together and just remind him, man, he’s got to be Will Hammond. He is extremely unique. That’s why people are so drawn to him,” McGuire said. “He is a different cat with his personality and just his thought process.
“And so that’s what’s going to make him successful. But, you know, what’s going to make him successful is him just being him and not trying to be somebody else.”
The Sorsby saga turned the Red Raiders into the villains of college football. Now, McGuire’s team will be under the spotlight as they attempt to win a College Football Playoff game with Hammond under center.
