What Texas Tech\u2019s Joey McGuire told SI\u2019s Bryan Fisher about the timeline for Hammond\u2019s return<\/p>\n
The Red Raiders\u2019 first three games are as follows: Sept. 5 at home against Abilene Christian, Sept. 12 on the road against Oregon State, and Sept. 18 at home against Houston. The latter two games will air in prime time on CBS and Fox, respectively.<\/p>\n
McGuire told Fisher on Tuesday that Hammond could return for Texas Tech\u2019s opener against the Wildcats.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’ll see where he’s at,\u201d McGuire said. \u201cHe’s in great shape. He feels good if you ask him if he’ll be starting week one. You know, we’ll see exactly where he’s at, and if his doctor and our trainers say he’s good to go\u2014then he’ll start week one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Per McGuire, the priority is making sure Hammond is \u201cfootball-ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to get the offense and rhythm because\u2014not taking anything away from Week 1 and Week 2. They’re gonna be really good football teams, and we’ve got to go to Oregon State, which is a tough trip\u2014but Week 3, we open up Big 12 play with Houston. They’ll be a top-25 team. They should be undefeated at that point,\u201d McGuire said<\/p>\n
Texas Tech has Kirk Francis looming as a potential backup plan<\/p>\n
Francis, adding to the Hammond-Sorsby cocktail, announced his transfer from Tulsa to the Red Raiders on Jan. 14. He played 18 games over three years with the Golden Hurricane, tossing 18 touchdown passes against 13 interceptions, and was the primary starter for Tulsa\u2019s 3-9 2024 team.<\/p>\n
Crucially, he is the only quarterback on the roster other than Hammond with FBS game experience, and thus may get the chance to spell Hammond if the latter isn\u2019t ready for Abilene Christian.<\/p>\n
Hammond\u2019s past numbers at a glance<\/p>\n
In 2024, Hammond played sparingly as a redshirt freshman, completing 61.4% of his passes for 471 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. More than half of those yards came in the Liberty Bowl against Arkansas, where he racked up 280 in a 39\u201326 loss.<\/p>\n
Last year, Hammond completed 69 of 109 passes (63.3%) for 680 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions. He also ran for five scores, averaging 37.4 yards per contest on the ground. His most complete performance was in relief of Morton against Utah, where he completed 13 of 16 passes for a pair of scores in a 34\u201310 win.<\/p>\n
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