Texas Tech's Joey McGuire Has 'Belief' in Will Hammond, Even Amid QB Castellanos Rumors

LUBBOCK, Texas -- Texas Tech would have never pursued highly-rated transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby - and as a result, got itself into the eligibility mess that followed - if Will Hammond had never torn his ACL last fall.

Also, Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire said he would've taken a different approach with Sorsby's recruitment if he had known the public and the NFL would "blackball" him the way they did, which forced him out of competitive football altogether this season.

Texas Tech's program got "closer" after battling that adversity, but now that the Sorsby situation is a distant memory, Hammond's recovery has allowed him to compete at fall camp and prepare for a Week 1 appearance.

His recovery begins an era many Red Raiders have been anticipating dating back to last season.

However, Tech may still be eyeing ways to buy insurance for their most important position.

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Rumors this week have connected Florida State's Tommy Castellanos to the Red Raiders as the dual-threat QB was granted an extra year of eligibility and entered his name into the transfer portal.

With regard to temporary injunctions, which in some cases have allowed players who took part in NFL camps this summer to return to college, McGuire acknowledged that the new college recruiting landscape has forced him to keep all options on his radar.

"We're always - there's never going to be a time that, the way we do things at Texas Tech, that we're not going to try to make our roster better at any point," McGuire said on 105.3 The Fan this week.

"But ... even with the judge saying [players can return], you don't know if that's gonna happen."

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As it relates to the buzz about Texas Tech pursuing Castellanos, much of Red Raider Nation understands that the move is less about McGuire looking for someone to start over Hammond and more about a backup investment in case something were to go wrong.

Following stints at UCF and Boston College, Castellanos threw for 2,760 yards, rushed for 557 more, and recorded 24 total touchdowns. If he lands at Texas Tech, there could be packages where he executes designed quarterback runs to alleviate running pressure off of Hammond's knee.

But Castellanos swooping in and taking the starting job from Hammond would undoubtedly cause rifts in the locker room. McGuire's frequent endorsements of Hammond paint the picture that he knows his starting quarterback is already in the building.

"You're talking about a fan-favorite and a locker room favorite. Our guys absolutely love him. He's a guy's guy; he's a football guy," McGuire said. "Having Will Hammond, there's a belief because [his teammates] knew he was going to be the starter if he didn't get hurt.

"So, really important to have him. He's in a great spot. He's fully released; he's ready to go Week 1. He's had a really good camp. ... We're excited about Will Hammond."