The current and former Red Raiders quarterbacks were in contact with one another throughout the offseason as they each recovered from significant knee injuries.
LUBBOCK - Texas Tech quarterback Will Hammond spoke on the Big 12 Today show this week and offered more updates that bode well for the redshirt sophomore quarterback being available sometime this season despite tearing his ACL last October.
Throughout the summer and at conference media days, head coach Joey McGuire and teammates have spoke highly of Hammond's rehab, to the point where he could be ready to suit up for the conference opener in Week 3 versus Houston.
"Fully recovered at this point," Hammond said. "Got cleared [for football activities] by the surgeon about three weeks ago, so great to have that verbal approval from him.
"I would give it a high chance that I'm out there playing Week 1. Obviously, at this point it's still up to our training staff here. They got the last say, but physically, I feel ready to go for Week 1 and I'm just excited to get back out there with the guys and get rolling."
Hammond appeared in eight games last season when senior starter Behren Morton was injured. The Hutto, Texas native completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 680 yards and seven touchdowns. Hammond added 299 yards and five scores as a rusher, often taking advantage of designed quarterback runs that were rarely used with Morton under center.
READ MORE: Where is Will Hammond in Latest QB Ranking?
Hammond's rushing ability was, understandably, thought to be a concern as he returns from the knee injury, but he remains confident.
"I feel great running the ball," he said with a chuckle. "We've done a lot of great change-of-direction drills; our PT guys here at Tech have been awesome. I feel physically ready to do both, throwing and running the ball."
In his rehab, Hammond has used laser speed tracking technology to measure his top-end sprinting. He mentioned how he's registered 20.7 miles per hour on the gun, an already elite number that looks even more impressive following this injury. Hammond saw that moment as a turning point in his recovery.
Hammond isn't the only notable quarterback with Texas Tech ties who is undergoing a similar process.
Kansas City Chiefs superstar and Red Raiders alum Patrick Mahomes is rehabbing a torn ACL of his own, suffered late last season in a forgetful year for one of the AFC's top powers.
While he was already ahead of schedule in his recovery - especially after the fallout of the Brendan Sorsby situation officially moved Hammond into QB1 status - Hammond noted that he was a month ahead of Mahomes' injury. The two were able to meet in person during Texas Tech's Pro Day ahead of last spring's NFL Draft.
"I mean, he's the best player in the world," said Hammond, who also works out with Mahomes' quarterback trainer, Jeff Christensen, in the offseason.
"To be able to at least get a little bit of advice from him every so often is cool," Hammond added. "It's fun to hear about how they approach [the injury] in an NFL building versus the way we approach it in a college building. Very similar, but kinda fun to just hear his process.
"Just good to have someone like that in your corner."
