With Brendan Sorsby’s Status in Limbo, Here’s How Texas Tech’s Quarterback Room Looks

The Texas Tech quarterback room now has a multi-million dollar hole in it with high-priced transfer portal addition Brendan Sorsby set to take an indefinite leave to address a gambling addiction.

Sorsby, who is under investigation by the NCAA after he placed thousands of online bets, allegedly placed wagers on Indiana football games while he was a member of the program during the 2022 season. While Sorsby's gambling has not yet been looked into by law enforcement, it puts his eligibility in serious jeopardy given the NCAA’s rules, which forbid athletes from placing bets on collegiate or professional sports.

So with Sorsby's status in limbo, what does the Texas Tech quarterback room look like?

Sorsby's indefinite leave due to gambling leaves Texas Tech's QB room inexperienced

Backup QB, Will Hammond (Soph.)

Will Hammond, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Brendan Sorsby — Will Hammond is set to be Texas Tech's starter with Brendan Sorsby on indefinite leave. | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hammond spent the 2025 season as the backup to then-starter Behren Morton, though he was thrust into action multiple times, first in the season-opening victory over Arkansas Pine-Bluff in which Morton hyperextended his right knee.

Hammond fired a touchdown pass and scored on a 64-yard scamper to the end zone to finish off the 67–7 victory. Morton again was forced out of a September win over Utah, with Hammond firing two touchdown passes in relief. When Morton reaggravated his knee injury during an October game against Kansas, Hammond drew the first start of his career, completing 22-of-37 passes for 167 yards two touchdowns and a rushing score in the loss to the Sun Devils.

Hammond’s season unfortunately came to an end when he suffered a torn ACL during the Red Raiders’ Oct. 25 win over Oklahoma State. He missed the entire spring while continuing to rehab from the injury but has returned to throwing in the past week, and there is optimism that he’ll be ready to take the field for Week 1 against Abilene Christian on Sept. 5, according to Pete Nakos of On3.

Hammond has limited experience in a starting role, but his dual-threat capabilities, as well as the flashes he showed in action during the 2025 season, make him the most logical replacement for Sorsby in the increasingly-likely event the Red Raiders enter the 2026 campaign without the services of their portal star.

Third-string QB, Kirk Francis (Jr.)

Francis is the only other quarterback on Texas Tech's 2026 roster with starting experience at the collegiate level. A transfer from Tulsa, Francis made seven starts for the Golden Hurricane, completing 58.9% of his passes for 1,585 passing yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions in 11 games total.

He entered the 2025 season as Tulsa’s starting QB, but a concussion in a Week 2 game against New Mexico forced him to the sidelines. Francis was benched following a three-interception game in a 45–7 loss to Memphis in October.

Unlike Hammond, Francis offers little with his legs and isn’t as accurate a passer as his fellow Red Raiders signal-caller. That said, In light of the Sorsby news, Texas Tech is rather fortunate that Francis also opted to transfer to Lubbock, as his starting experience, while limited, will be valuable in the event that Hammond isn’t ready for Week 1 or suffers another injury.

Fourth-string QB Lloyd Jones (R-Fr.)

Texas Tech's Lloyd Jones III attends spring practice. — Texas Tech quarterback Lloyd Jones took a redshirt season in 2025. | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jones redshirted the 2025 season and spent much of the year rehabbing a knee injury he had suffered during his senior year of high school. He was limited to one game, a November contest in which he saw garbage-time duties in a 49–0 win over West Virginia. Jones completed 4-of-5 passes for 72 yards and two scores in the victory.

A former four-star recruit, Jones is a big, athletic signal-caller with the ability to use his legs. His spring competition with Kirk Francis for the temporary backup role with Hammond sidelined will only benefit him—and Texas Tech—moving forward.

Holden Phillips (R-Fr.)

An accurate passer who spent the 2025 season as a redshirt, appearing in one game and completing his lone pass attempt. Barring any unforeseen injuries, Phillips isn't likely to see a ton of playing time for the Red Raiders in 2026, but he’s part of the program's long-term future at the position after a prolific high school senior season in which he threw for 4,438 yards, 57 touchdowns.

Stephen Cannon (Fr. )

Cannon, another dual-threat signal-caller, committed to the Red Raiders in April 2025. He's unlikely to see much game action in 2026, even in light of the Sorsby news. Cannon was a three-star prospect in the 2025 class.

Any way you slice it, potentially losing Sorsby is a massive blow to the QB room of the Red Raiders, who carried College Football Playoff hopes into the 2026 season after spending big in the portal to bring the former Cincinnati QB in. There’s potential (Hammond) and experience (Francis) still in this room, but expectations for the Red Raiders should understandably be tempered in light of the Sorsby news.

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