The Texas Tech Red Raiders battled it out against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, and by all means, the Red Raiders dominated, winning 34-10. What’s special about it is that Joey McGuire’s QB1, Behren Morton, exited the game due to an injury after passing for 142 yards and completing 12 of the 19 passes. One would have expected the Red Raiders to falter, but in came QB2 Will Hammond, with the responsibility of a potential Big 12 title on his shoulders, and started delivering like he was playing in his backyard.

The QB finished the game, passing for 169 yards and two touchdowns. The best part? Hammond has been a force in the ground game, notching 61 yards on 8 carries, something Behren Morton never looked to promise. By all means, this is the start of his journey as he is leading Texas Tech in an intimidating Utah Utes environment, and scripting new pages in his footballing chapter. And while just one performance is showing his brilliance, it took way more than that for him to come to this moment.

Who Is Will Hammond?

A native of Hutto, Texas, Will Hammond grew up loving the game, admiring those deep passes and the position he now plays. His older brother Reed was a “beast” quarterback, according to him, and at the age of just 6, Hammond knew that he had to follow in the footsteps of his brother. “I opted to play quarterback [at age 6] because I wanted to be like my older brother, Reed, who was ‘a beast’ at the position,” said Hammond to The Statesman. Also, deeply religious, Hammond, a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the faith gave him hope and a never-back-down attitude. The work ethic then came easily with that drive.

Hutto football coach Will Compton, in an interview with the Statesman, told how deeply driven Hammond was in high school and showed that on Compton’s first day of the job. “On my first day on the job, I’m still unloading boxes and trying to unpack, and he pulls up a chair right next to my desk. He starts off by asking me what I’m looking for on third downs when it comes to down and distance. I remember thinking, I guess we’re doing this right now, man.” That desire to constantly improve showed when Hammond threw screamers after screamers on third-and-long situations against Utah. Moreover, being a kid, Hammond also took full advantage of things kids of his age take for granted.

While kids his age played video games like Madden for fun, for Hammond, the game became an opportunity to learn about coverages and plot schemes. He didn’t throw those passes in Madden just for “merriment,” for Hammond; it became an exercise, perfecting every play, and learning anew. “You win from within. I play a lot of Madden. It’s a game I grew up playing with my brothers. Beginning in my freshman year, it taught me a lot about coverage. I fell in love with the idea of scheming,” said the QB. Those weekend games with his brothers helped him massively, because when Hammond took the field for his high school, no play was too complicated.

Hammond quickly emerged as a leading quarterback for his high school, amassing a whopping 8,700 yards and 84 touchdowns during his prep career. That’s not all, since the QB honed his dual threat talent, too, notching up 2,344 rushing yards for 37 touchdowns over four seasons in his high school. Hammond’s recruitment gradually skyrocketed, and while other power teams offered him, his decision to choose Texas Tech became grounded in the legacy that coaches like Mike Leach laid.

Meet Texas Tech freshman QB challenging Behren Morton for the QB1 job

Hammond, in his recruitment, earned an impressive four-star rating and drew offers from programs like Penn State, Auburn, Oregon, and Texas A&M in the 2024 cycle. However, his love for Texas Tech was declared quite early on as he finally signed his NLI on December 20, 2023. “They were the first team to believe in me (during the recruiting process),” said Hammond about choosing Texas Tech. While Hammond did redshirt in his 2024 season, he still showcased his caliber, filling in for an injured Behren Morton against TCU.

Hammond finished with 1221 yards against TCU, completing 10 of the 15 passes while garnering 16 yards on the ground. It was a start and a testament to his quality, which has become even sharper now. Moreover, the QB also started against Arkansas last year and became Texas Tech’s 8th true freshman quarterback to start, joining the club with the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield. Against Arkansas, Hammond finished with 280 yards, completing 20 of the 34 passes and earning widespread praise for his role. Going into the 2025 season now, a more prominent role surely is on the cards for Hammond.

Morton suffered a serious blow to his helmet on a second-and-28 play after Utah linebacker Jonathan Hall’s shoulder hit Morton’s helmet. Although no targeting call was made upon review, Morton couldn’t make the field again as Hammond took over for him. By the looks of it, the injury doesn’t look serious, and it may have been even possible for Morton to make the field again in the game after some time. However, this could have been a conscious decision from Joey McGuire, giving Will Hammond his chance to prove. And boy did he prove it stylishly, right?