The Red Raiders could see breakout campaigns from their offensive skill duo of quarterback Will Hammond and wide receiver Micah Hudson.
The situation involving Brendan Sorsby clouded much of the offseason discussion about Texas Tech's quarterback position in the offseason removed from its first Big 12 title.
But, with Sorsby's ineligibility fight in the rearview mirror, you'll hear that Red Raiders staff and players have always been confident in new starter Will Hammond.
Hammond himself has kept his chin up, not just as he navigated the Sorsby news but also as he recovers from the torn ACL that cut his 2025 season short when backing up starter Behren Morton.
The redshirt sophomore Hammond says he's fully cleared to practice as camp gets underway.
"I was really proud of the team and the way they handled it all," Hammond said about Texas Tech's offseason business. "There's been so much external noise this offseason. There's been a lot of headlines, and I think the team's done such a great job keeping the main thing the main thing throughout May, June, July."
Hammond appeared in eight games last season, completing 63 percent of his passes and scoring 12 total touchdowns. His personal confidence is among the traits head coach Joey McGuire raves about most.
"The mentality's been the same the whole time," Hammond said about his rehab. "Never take a back seat. Always want to be that guy, and so I'm just glad to be in this position and have the team around me that I have, because that allows you to have the belief that you do something special."
Helping Hammond in those pursuits will be wide receiver Micah Hudson, who steps into his first starting opportunity in his third collegiate season.
The former 5-star recruit struggled under the pressure of a new system as a freshman in 2024, then briefly departed the program for Texas A&M before coming back late in 2025. While transfer receivers Kenny Johnson, Malcolm Simmons and Jalen Jones are expected to produce next to returning starter Coy Eakin, Hudson could be the breakout candidate that surprises people as he assumes a starting spot.
Hudson can thank his bond with Hammond for that possibility.
"It's just so cool to think how long this opportunity has been in the works, to have a connection with a guy like that," said Hammond, who was a part of that same 2024 recruiting class. "We've been great friends since junior year [of high school], and here we are in year three together, doing it together."
Hudson has posted just 16 receptions in 22 games played for 235 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
A player not exempt of adversity of his own, teammates are raving about Hudson and his chances at turning into the star Red Raider Nation has always dreamt he'd be.
"I mean, I think expectations is easily 1000 yard receiver," Johnson told reporters this week. "I mean, that's just a stat thing, but I mean, I think he's a top five guy in the country. You know what I mean? He's explosive. He catches the ball really well. He gets through and in and out his route's really good. I think the sky’s the limit for him."
Hudson has shared a similar conviction about his QB.
"His work ethic’s been the same since before we even stepped at Texas Tech. We came in together, and this is kind of what we imagined, just what we dreamed before we got here, and now it's really here."
