Where Texas Tech's Will Hammond ranks among QBs going int0 2026

Going into the 2026 season, the Texas Tech Red Raiders are projected to be among the top teams in the nation, with a good chance to repeat as Big 12 Champions and make another trip to the College Football Playoff. If that's going to happen, it will be thanks in large part to a dominant defense; there is hope that the offense can improve this year under the tutelage of starting quarterback Will Hammond.

Hammond has shown flashes of productivity in years past, but it would be a stretch to say that he's cemented himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. Of course, that doesn't mean that he can't do that this year. Going into the season, The Athletic broke down the 138 projected starting QBs in the nation and put them into tiers.

So, where did Hammond end up?

The Red Raiders' passer landed at No. 35 on the list, squarely in Tier 4 of all passers. He is listed right behind Kentucky Wildcats' QB Kenny Minchey, and right ahead of Wisconsin Badgers' QB Colton Joseph.

"With Brendan Sorsby out of the picture, the Red Raiders’ hopes rest on Hammond, their 2024 quarterback signee," The Athletic writes. "His dazzling second-half performance against Utah in relief of Behren Morton won supporters last season, but he was up-and-down in a loss to Arizona State. He’s still recovering from a knee injury suffered last October, but head coach Joey McGuire recently confirmed Hammond is expected to be cleared and ready for Week 1."

Fortunately, Texas Tech proved a year ago that it can be good enough on the defensive side of the ball to be a great Big 12 team and make it to the playoff, despite how average the offense is. Of course, that ended up being the Red Raiders' downfall in the postseason, falling to the Oregon Ducks in the Orange Bowl after getting shut out, 23-0.

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This article originally appeared on Red Raiders Wire: Where Texas Tech's Will Hammond ranks among QBs going int0 2026