The Latter-day Saint QB who could shape the Big 12 race if Brendan Sorsby is ruled ineligible

Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby watches the school's NFL football pro day, Thursday, March 26, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. | Annie Rice

Why there’s uncertainty at QB for Texas Tech

The Red Raiders brought in Cincinnati transfer Brendan Sorsby this offseason to take over for the graduating Morton.

It was a significant addition — Sorsby was rated the No. 2 overall transfer in this offseason’s transfer portal by 247 Sports after throwing for 2,800 yards and 27 touchdown with five interceptions for the Bearcats last season.

Sorsby’s future and potentially his NCAA status came into question a week and a half ago, though, when the school announced that Sorsby, a redshirt senior, was taking an “immediate indefinite leave of absence” from the Red Raiders program and entering a residential treatment program for a gambling addiction.

“We love Brendan and support his decision to seek professional help,” McGuire said in a statement. “Taking this step requires courage, and our primary focus is on him as a person. Our program is behind Brendan as he prioritizes his health.”

The NCAA is investigating Sorsby for reportedly making “thousands of online bets on a variety of sports via a gambling app,” according to ESPN, and there are no clear answers at this point whether Sorsby will be able to play in the 2026 season, or if the NCAA will deem him ineligible.

It’s the most high-profile NCAA gambling scandal since the widespread legalization of sports betting, which came with the 2018 Supreme Court ruling that a federal ban on sports gambling was unconstitutional.

The NCAA has a strict no-gambling rule for student-athletes, and it can result in “permanent loss of remaining academic eligibility,” per NCAA guidelines.

Sorsby was expected to be a Heisman Trophy contender while leading Texas Tech, which won the Big 12 last season and played in the College Football Playoff.

Instead, Sorsby is waiting for answers about his future. He has retained noted sports labor lawyer Jeffrey Kessler, according to The Athletic, in preparation for a potential eligibility battle with the NCAA if he loses his eligibility amid the gambling allegations.

Sorsby has one season of eligibility remaining.

Tulsa quarterback Kirk Francis looks for an open receiver while facing Temple during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Philadelphia. Temple won the game 20-10. | Jason Miczek

Who does Texas Tech have at QB to potentially replace Brendan Sorsby?

The question of who could step up if Sorsby is deemed ineligible isn’t exactly clear for Texas Tech at the moment.

While Hammond was the team’s backup last season and still has three years of eligibility remaining, he suffered a torn ACL in a game in late October 2025 and there’s uncertainty when he’ll be ready to return.

According to several reports, Hammond has been throwing since March, though not with full movement, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

On Sunday, Hammond’s QB trainer, Jeff Christensen, gave On3 an update on his recovery, stressing that it’s important to be careful in the recovery process — and look at it as a work in progress — until the knee is 100% healthy.

He also gave a positive prognosis at this point.

“Things are really, really good,” Christensen told On3. “Threw it really well today. The knee is getting better at a rapid pace; it’s going really well.”

If the NCAA rules against Sorsby, until Hammond is available the most likely candidates to play quarterback for Texas Tech to start the year are redshirt junior Kirk Francis or redshirt freshman Lloyd Jones III.

Texas Tech opens its 2026 season Sept. 5 against Abilene Christian, then will play its first Big 12 game at home against Houston in Week 3 on Sept. 18.

Francis is a transfer from Tulsa who threw for 3,045 yards, 18 touchdowns and 13 interceptions over three seasons with the Golden Hurricane. Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal said that based on limited observations of spring camp, Francis was “pretty clearly the second choice to Sorsby.”

Jones was rated the No. 60 recruit from Texas in the 2025 recruiting class by 247 Sports, though he redshirted last year because of his own injury issues. He was recovering from a knee injury suffered in high school during the first half of the 2025 season.

Jones played in one game, completing 4 of 5 passes for 80 yards while adding three carries for 15 yards in a blowout win over West Virginia.

Before his season-ending injury, Hammond played in eight games during the 2025 season and showcased some of the skills that potentially could make him a multi-year starter for Texas Tech.

He completed 63.3% of his passes for 680 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions, headlined by the win over Utah, and rushed for 299 yards and five touchdowns.

Hammond ended up starting two games in relief of Morton, going 1-1.

Whether it’s Sorsby, Hammond or one of the other two quarterbacks leading the Red Raiders this season, they are expected to again be Big 12 favorites, thanks to another stellar transfer class that is rated No. 10 this offseason by 247 Sports.

BYU and Utah are also among the programs projected as Big 12 contenders this year, though neither plays Texas Tech in the regular season.

The 6-foot-2 Hammond, who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said he had 30-35 family members on hand when the Red Raiders faced Utah in Salt Lake City last year.

“All my aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, they all live here in the state of Utah,” Hammond said following the win last September. “My oldest brother’s wife, they’re having a baby in December, so they’re having a baby shower. It was just a perfect opportunity ... everyone came out. I’m excited to go spend that time with them.”

While there are plenty of uncertainties surrounding the QB position for Texas Tech right now, the mantle could land on Hammond to lead the Red Raiders and try to keep teams like BYU and Utah from knocking them off as defending Big 12 champions.

“In the event of a Sorsby suspension, this is Will Hammond’s team as soon as Hammond is medically cleared to play in games coming back from his season-ending knee-ligament tear in October,” Williams wrote this week. “ We’re sticking with what McGuire has consistently said, most recently: that, in the best-case scenario, Hammond will be back in week three.”

Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Will Hammond (15) runs out of bounds during an NCAA football game between the University of Utah Utes and the Texas Tech University Red Raiders held at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News