Red Raider Review

Hype building for the return of Texas Tech QB Behren Morton

Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton is poised for a big time season for the Red Raiders in 2025.

Chris Breiler

Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images
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Outside of the stellar job Texas Tech did in the transfer portal during the offseason, one of the biggest reasons of optimism in Lubbock is the return of veteran quarterback Behren Morton. As a junior, Morton started 12 of 13 games for the Red Raiders in 2024 (the first TTU QB to start 12 regular-season games since Patrick Mahomes in 2016).

Morton finished his junior campaign with a career-high 3,335 passing yards and 27 touchdowns (both good for top 20 in FBS), completing 295-466 attempts. But the gunslinger wasn't 100% last season, dealing with a shoulder injury that seemed to impact his overall game. So when the 2024 season came to an end, Morton elected to have shoulder surgery in December.

After several months of recovery and rehab, it appears that Morton is on track to be back at full strength when the Red Raiders kick off fall camp in a few months.

With a healthy Morton back in the mix, the Texas Tech offense should be one of the most electric in the Big 12, if not the entire country. The veteran QB recently shared his thoughts about the new-look offense under first-year offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich.

"There's so much to be excited about," Morton said. "Coach Leftwich's offense is very diverse. A lot of deep choice (routes). We're going to be pushing the ball down the field with Caleb Douglas and Reggie outside. Those guys can roll, so we're going to let them roll. .There's obviously some new plays, but for the most part, it's from the same branch of the air raid."

Morton enters his senior campaign already ranked among some of the best quarterbacks to every come through Lubbock. Here's a closer look at where he ranks within the Texas Tech record books heading into the 2025 season:

  • Enters his final season as a Red Raider already ranked sixth in the Texas Tech record book for career completions (574), seventh for career touchdown passes (49), ninth for career pass attempts (931) and 10th for career passing yards (6,209) … also moved into ninth place for career touchdowns responsible for (56) and 10th for career total offense attempts (passing/rushing) with 1,076 as well as yards of total offense (6,284). 
  • Will have the opportunity during senior season to become the fourth Red Raider in program history to throw for 10,000 career passing yards, joining a prestigious list that includes Graham Harrell (15,793), Kliff Kingsbury (12,429) and Patrick Mahomes II (11,252). 
  • Likely to move up the career chart for passing yards in the first few weeks of the 2025 season as he trails the likes of Zebbie Lethridge (6,789), Billy Joe Tolliver (6,756) and B.J. Symons (6,378) by less than 600 yards. 
  • Recorded four 300-yard passing games in 2024, giving him six now for his career, which ranks at No. 14 all-time in Texas Tech history. 

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Chris Breiler
CHRIS BREILER

Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. In January of 2025, he took over as Publisher for Maryland On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.

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