Brendan Sorsby is headed to NFL. So who will be Texas Tech QB in 2026?
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At long last, the Brendan Sorsby drama has come to a close. At least through Texas Tech’s lens. But now, a new problem has arisen in Lubbock with him on his way to the NFL supplemental draft after he was granted a temporary injunction against the NCAA: Who in the world is going to be under center for Joey McGuire and the Red Raiders?
The presumed answer is Will Hammond, but a lot of questions surround the redshirt sophomore. The biggest surrounds his health. Hammond tore his ACL on Oct. 25 against Oklahoma State, which shut him down for the rest of the 2025 season. Hammond was replaced by Mitch Griffis, who has since transferred to East Carolina.
For Texas Tech, with or without Sorsby the goal remains the same: A return to the College Football Playoff. It seems as though Hammond is the frontrunner to help it get there, but he will likely open the season watching before Texas Tech’s Big 12 opener in Week 3.
With that in mind, while Texas Tech likely has its long-term starter penciled in, who will open the season taking snaps for the Red Raiders?
Who is Texas Tech football starting QB?
Texas Tech’s starting quarterback is projected to be Will Hammond, a redshirt sophomore who is returning from a torn ACL that cut his 2025 season short.
Hammond completed 69-of-109 passes in 2025 for 680 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions. He came in for an injured Behren Morton against Utah and looked impressive, completing 13-of-16 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns. He got a start against Arizona State in a 26-22 loss where he completed 22-of-37 passes for 169 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. His torn ACL came the next week in the second half against Oklahoma State.
Will Hammond injury update
Because Hammond’s injury came later in the season, his status for Week 1 is in question. He should, however, be ready to start in Week 3 against Houston for the Red Raiders’ Big 12 opener.
Hammond is returning to 7-on-7 drills, according to the Lubbock Avalanche Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. The resumption of football activities is, of course, a good sign.
“So he’s in a good spot,” McGuire said of Hammond’s return. “We’re really fortunate to have Will Hammond. If he’s not hurt, then we’re not talking about this… We wouldn’t have been looking for necessarily a starting quarterback [in the NCAA transfer portal in January]. We’d have been looking for probably a depth piece in that room, and then that money would have been allocated to other positions.”
Who will start at quarterback for Texas Tech Week 1?
Assuming Hammond is not ready to play in Week 1, the most likely candidate to start is redshirt freshman Lloyd Jones III. Jones got snaps for Texas Tech last season against West Virginia as a true freshman. Tulsa transfer Kirk Francis will, however, inevitably compete for reps. For either of them, the door is wide open if Hammond has to wait a few weeks.
Texas Tech football 2026 schedule
Here’s a look at the Texas Tech football schedule. The first two games of the season are to be played against Abilene Christian and Oregon State before opening Big 12 play against Houston on Sept. 19.
*- denote Big 12 games
Times to be announced
- Sept. 5: vs Abilene Christian
- Sept. 12: at Oregon State
- Sept. 19: vs Houston
- Sept. 26: vs Sam Houston State
- Oct. 3: at Colorado*
- Oct. 17: vs Arizona State*
- Oct. 24: at Cincinnati*
- Oct. 31: vs Arizona*
- Nov. 7: vs West Virginia*
- Nov. 14: at Oklahoma State*
- Nov. 21: at Baylor*
- Nov. 28: vs TCU*
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who will start at QB for Texas Tech? Will Hammond likely to be under center
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