No team in college football has dominated the headlines over the past two months like Texas Tech.
The noise around the Red Raiders was almost exclusively about their now-former quarterback Brendan Sorsby and his eligibility for this season.
Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire watches play in the second half of a Big 12 Conference championship NCAA college football game against BYU Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
By the time the season kicks off, however, head coach Joey McGuire hopes the focus is on the product on the field.
“Whoever the quarterback is, I feel really good about my team,” McGuire said on Josh Pate’s College Football Show earlier this month.
This summer, BuffZone is previewing each of Colorado’s opponents for the 2026 season and in this installment, we look at Texas Tech. CU will host the Red Raiders on Oct. 3 at Folsom Field.
Sorsby was a high-profile and high-priced transfer from Cincinnati who was expected to help Texas Tech contend for the national title. He was later declared ineligible by the NCAA for gambling on his own team while a student-athlete at Indiana.
At one point, Sorsby received a court injunction that would have allowed him to play, which led to major backlash around the country, including from other schools in the Big 12. Texas Tech stood by Sorsby until eventually the quarterback dropped the lawsuit against the NCAA and parted ways with the team on June 18.
“No matter where we end up there, this is going to galvanize this football team,” McGuire told Pate about two weeks before the Sorsby saga came to an end.
Without Sorsby, Texas Tech is still loaded with talent and will go into the season as one of the favorites – if not the favorite – for the Big 12 title and a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Last year, the Red Raiders, backed by wealthy booster Cody Campbell, loaded up on transfers and had the best season in school history. They went 12-2 and crushed BYU 34-7 in the Big 12 title game before being ousted by Oregon, 23-0, in the CFP quarterfinals.
Despite a heavy load of transfers, McGuire said it was the “best locker room” he’s had in 32 years as a coach. Several players from that team are gone, including nine NFL draft picks, but expectations in Lubbock, Texas, are for the team to be at least as good, if not better, this year.
“We’ve got to do it again this year,” McGuire said. “We’re getting there. We’re not there yet, but we’re getting there. … We’ve had moments that you can see the light coming on, just like last year.”
The Red Raiders will lean on either Will Hammond, who started two games last year, or Tulsa transfer Kirk Francis at quarterback.
Regardless of who plays quarterback, Texas Tech is loaded in the backfield, with its top two rushers from last year – Cam Dickey (1,124 yards) and J’Koby Williams (868 yards) – back. (Hammond was third on the team with 299 rushing yards).
Receiver Coy Eakin (48 catches, 637 yards) and tight end Terrance Carter Jr. (55 catches, 624 yards) are also back, while Tech added four transfer receivers. That transfer group is led by former Pittsburgh standout Kenny Johnson (48 catches, 695 yards last year).
Defensively, the Red Raiders were third nationally in points allowed (11.8 per game) and yards allowed (258.3) and first against the run (68.1 yards per game) last year.
Six players from that defense were NFL draft picks, but linebacker Ben Roberts (named most outstanding player in the Big 12 title game) and first-team All-Big 12 cornerback Brice Pollock are back.
Of course, the Red Raiders also hit the portal to fill holes. Pass rushers Trey White (19.5 sacks last two years at San Diego State) and Adam Trick (13 sacks last two years at Miami-Ohio) were brought in, as was linebacker Austin Romaine, who was All-Big 12 second team for Kansas State the last two years.
While Sorsby has dominated headlines in recent weeks, the Red Raiders have plenty of talent and momentum to make a push for Big 12 and national titles without him.
“We will be there by the time we break camp and get ready for Week 1,” McGuire said.
Texas Tech running back Cameron Dickey (8) runs against West Virginia during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in Morgantown, W.Va. (AP Photo/Kathleen Batten)
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Head coach: Joey McGuire, 5th season (35-18)
2025 season: 12-2, 8-1 Big 12; lost to Oregon in Orange Bowl (CFP quarterfinals)
Series with CU: Buffs lead 6-5
Matchup with the Buffs: Saturday, Oct. 3, time TBD, at Folsom Field in Boulder
3 Guys to Watch
RB Cam Dickey: Second-team all-Big 12 last year, as he rushed for 1,124 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. He also caught 25 passes for 224 yards and two scores.
QB Will Hammond: Redshirt sophomore is coming off a torn ACL, but is expected to be ready by September. He threw for 680 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions last year as a backup, while rushing for 299 yards and five touchdowns.
DT AJ Holmes: Named Associated Press second-team All-American last year, posting 38 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He played three seasons at Houston before transferring to Tech a year ago.
Notables
This year will mark Tech’s first visit to Boulder since beating the Buffs 27-24 on Oct. 23, 2010. CU is 4-1 against the Red Raiders in Boulder. … Kicker Stone Harrington was first-team All-Big 12 last year. He was 22-of-28 on field goals, including 3-of-5 beyond 50 yards, with a long of 58. … Carter Jr. was a second-team All-Big 12 selection. Center Sheridan Wilson, left tackle Howard Sampson, Williams (who is also a kick returner) and Roberts were third-team choices. …. … Tech lost 21 players in the transfer portal, but none that were among its top rotational players. … The Red Raiders brought in 20 transfers, including eight on the defensive line and edge, such as projected starters Mateen Ibirogba (Wake Forest), Trick and White. … On3 rated Tech’s transfer class at No. 2 in the country. On3 and 247Sports both had Tech’s prep recruiting class in the top 20 nationally.