Joey McGuire says Texas Tech misjudged the Brendan Sorsby battle, while Will Hammond’s recovery now becomes the key to the Red Raiders’ season.
FRISCO - Joey McGuire spends every fall dissecting mistakes on film. This offseason, Texas Tech’s biggest review has had nothing to do with missed tackles or blown assignments.
It’s been about Brendan Sorsby.
The Red Raiders’ quarterback controversy became a legal and political firestorm, and McGuire now admits Texas Tech might have handled the situation differently had the school known where it would lead.
“If I would have been able to have a crystal ball,” McGuire said at Big 12 Media Days, he likely would’ve advised Sorsby to abandon the college fight sooner and pursue the NFL supplemental draft.
Instead, Texas Tech publicly defended Sorsby after his NCAA eligibility was revoked over gambling violations.
The school released lengthy messages aimed at its supporters, but the response stretched far beyond Lubbock.
Administrators around the Big 12 pushed back, Nebraska reportedly backed away from future scheduling discussions, and the dispute eventually drew state officials and federal litigation into the mess.
McGuire acknowledged Texas Tech underestimated the backlash.
The fallout left Sorsby without a college season, a supplemental draft opportunity or immediate access to another major professional league.
He’s now training in Dallas for the 2027 NFL Draft while remaining welcome around the Texas Tech program.
“He chose us,” McGuire said. “I expect and hope whenever he’s a starting quarterback for an NFL team… it’s ‘Brendan Sorsby, Texas Tech University.’”
Texas Tech has also pledged to continue supporting Sorsby’s recovery and won’t seek repayment of money he received before leaving the program.
While the controversy dominated the offseason, Will Hammond quietly became the most important player on the roster.
Hammond was once viewed as Texas Tech’s future at quarterback before suffering a torn ACL late in 2025.
McGuire said the uncertainty surrounding Hammond’s recovery was the primary reason the Red Raiders added Sorsby in the first place.
“When you have the amount of money invested in a roster, you’ve got to make sure that you’re protecting that money,” McGuire said, explaining the need for an experienced option while Hammond’s status remained unclear.
Now the plan has flipped back.
Hammond has participated in player-led seven-on-seven work and is expected to receive full clearance on Aug. 21, exactly nine months after the injury.
Texas Tech can’t erase the Sorsby saga. It can only learn from it.
The legal fight is over. The public statements have stopped.
The season will now rise or fall with Hammond’s knee and if McGuire’s team can finally make football the biggest story in Lubbock again.
