Texas Tech could have its quarterback back sooner than expected.
Speaking Tuesday at Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, head coach Joey McGuire said sophomore quarterback Will Hammond is on track in his recovery from a torn ACL and has a chance to start the Red Raiders' season opener against Abilene Christian on Sept. 5.
Hammond suffered the injury against Oklahoma State on Oct. 25 last season, ending what had been a promising first year. McGuire said Hammond hasn't had any setbacks during rehab, though the medical staff will ultimately determine whether he's ready to play.
"We're fortunate the original guy (Hammond) is in good shape and as long as we don't have any setbacks through his recovery, then he'll be the guy week one, if not week one for sure week two," McGuire said.
If Hammond gets the nod in the opener, it will have been 316 days since the injury.
Texas Tech brought in Brendan Sorsby through the transfer portal after Hammond went down, but McGuire said Hammond never wavered in believing the job was still his.
"If you asked Will Hammond throughout this process, he would tell you he was our starting quarterback and he wasn't going to back away," McGuire said. "I think one thing that I could say if you wanted to see what Will Hammond was, watch him come off the bench against Utah. Not the game that he played, but the way the players reacted when he came into that game."
Hammond appeared in eight games last season, making two starts against Arizona State and Oklahoma State. He finished with 979 all-purpose yards, 12 total touchdowns and three interceptions.
His teammates said the biggest difference they've noticed isn't just that Hammond is healthy again—it's how much he's improved while working his way back.
"Dude is probably one of the most consistent people I've ever been around," senior wide receiver Coy Eakin said. "Even though Brendan (Sorsby) came in, he still worked his butt off every single day. I went and threw with him in May during our time off and I was like, 'how're you feeling?' He's like, 'dude, I've already hit like 20.9 miles per hour in my rehab.'"
Eakin believes Hammond has come back as a better quarterback than he was before the injury.
"Will, like he was good last year, and he could throw the ball really good last year, but he's tremendously better than he was last year," Eakin said. "It's like night and day difference from how he used to throw it to where he throws now. That's a testament to how he's worked. He went and trained with a couple people throughout May every single weekend."
Senior tight end Terrance Carter Jr. has seen the same thing. He said Hammond's work ethic has rubbed off on everyone around him.
"The guy (Hammond) is a dog," Carter Jr. said. "He's one of the first ones in the facilities and one of the last ones to leave. His work ethic is insane. He pushes me to go every day. There be days where I don't even want to catch sometimes and he's like 'nah bro, 11:30 we're outside,' and I'm like 'I got you bro, I'm there.'"
Even with the optimism around Hammond's recovery, McGuire said Texas Tech has a plan if he isn't quite ready by Week 1.
"If you count out nine months from his ACL repair, August 21 is nine months," McGuire said. "He should be released by then. That's kind of been the deal. Is he going to be football ready? You know, we expect him to be, but if not, then Kirk will be ready to go week one."
