Many Texas Tech fans complain that the national media has a bias against the Red Raiders. Certainly, there have been more than a few pundits eager to take shots at Tech's turbulent offseason and the way the program and school administration handled the Brendan Sorsby saga. However, not every national analyst is discounting the Red Raiders in the wake of Sorsby's departure, as ESPN's lead college football voice, Kirk Herbstreit, recently praised Tech's starting QB, Will Hammond, in a social media post.
Herbstreit took to X to post a short video in which he listed five quarterbacks around the nation who are not getting the attention they deserve. In the video, he points out that this season features a number of star QBs. Though he doesn't name them all individually, the national media is focusing on players like Arch Manning at Texas, Julian Sayin at Ohio State, Dante Moore at Oregon, and CJ Carr at Notre Dame as players to watch in 2026.
Of course, there was a time when Texas Tech thought that one of the stars at the position would be leading the offense in Lubbock this fall. However, Sorsby's admission of gambling on college football when he was at Indiana and Cincinnati derailed those plans and thrust Hammond into the starting role despite the fact that he is less than a year removed from tearing a ligament in his knee.
While Red Raider fans know what Hammond's potential is, many national voices seem to be ignorant of what the former 4-star signee brings to the table. That doesn't appear to be the case with Herbstreit, though, who listed Hammond as his top underrated QB to watch.
"All the talk in the offseason about Sorsby at Texas Tech," he says, "Oh my gosh, is he going to play? Is he not going to play? Obviously he's not. Oh well, I guess they're not going to be a threat.
"Are you kidding me? Will Hammond? I think Will Hammond is an awesome player. We got a taste of him last year. A guy that's 6'2", 210 pounds, coming off the ACL. About the ten-month mark right now. Hurt it at the end of October last year.
"I think he's got a chance to be in a great spot with an uber-talented roster there in Lubbock. And don't forget that they still have a quarterback, and his name is Will Hammond. And if he's healthy, and word is he's ahead of schedule, look out for him to have a big year. I think Texas Tech is going to be a playoff team this year, but Will Hammond has a chance to have a big year. Keep an eye on him as well."
Keep your eyes on these QBs going into this 2026 college football season 👀 pic.twitter.com/S9d6JWqliE
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) August 20, 2026
Hammond won't be overlooked for long once Texas Tech dominates
If Texas Tech has the type of season that most around the South Plains expect, then Hammond is not going to remain overlooked for long. He will remind everyone around the nation just what his pedigree is.
We've seen glimpses of his talent on display in his young Red Raider career. Last season, he played the entire second half at Utah in relief of the injured Behren Morton.
In that road game against the No. 16 team in the nation at the time, he entered with the score 10-3 in favor of his team. He then proceeded to complete 13 of 16 passes for 169 yards and a pair of TDs with no picks to lead his team to a 34-10 victory.
In 2024, in just his second collegiate appearance, he had to play the second half of another road game, at TCU. That day, though he did lose a costly fumble as Tech was trying to drive for the winning score in the final two minutes, he threw for 121 yards and a TD on 10 of 15 passing, and he led Tech to 17 second-half points (including his own 4-yard TD run) in a heartbreaking 35-34 loss.
Hammond has made only two starts in his career. Unfortunately, Tech is 0-2 in those games. One was the 2024 Liberty Bowl, a game in which a horde of key Red Raiders, including RB Tahj Brooks, sat out in a 39-26 loss to Arkansas. That night, Hammond was 20-34 for 280 yards and one TD with two interceptions.
Last season, he had to make the start at Arizona State, his only Big 12 start thus far. He and the offense struggled to find a rhythm as he went 22-37 for just 167 yards in a 26-22 loss.
However, the takeaway from that game should be that, despite his struggles, in the fourth quarter he rallied his team from a 19-7 deficit to take a 22-19 lead in the final two minutes thanks to his own TD run and an impressive TD pass.
Texas Tech fans have seen enough of Hammond to know that he has everything it takes to be a star in the Big 12 and on the national stage. What's more, he's surrounded by one of the best supporting casts any QB could ask for.
Kerbstreit obviously knows what Hammond is capable of, and as soon as the Red Raiders begin to tear through the competition in 2026, the rest of the nation will get wise as well.
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