Clint Brakebill Sports

Please disregard the entire offseason.

College football has changed.

The transfer portal, NIL and the constant search for the next guy have turned roster management into something between free agency, speed dating and checking Zillow even though you already own a perfectly good house.

Texas Tech’s quarterback situation might be the perfect example.

Will Hammond was already there.

Talented. Young. Highly recruited. A guy Texas Tech had developed and a guy plenty of Red Raider fans were excited about.

So naturally, Texas Tech spent the offseason trying to find someone else to play quarterback.

That someone eventually became Brendan Sorsby.

Tech went into the portal and landed the big-name quarterback it wanted. Sorsby was coming off a strong season, had experience and looked like the kind of addition you make when you believe your roster is ready to win right now.

The message wasn’t exactly subtle.

Will, buddy, we like you.

We just like this other guy enough to go get him and make him QB1.

Fair enough. This is college football now.

Then things got weird.

Sorsby’s tenure at Texas Tech went south before he ever took a meaningful snap for the Red Raiders, and suddenly the carefully constructed quarterback plan needed another plan.

Fortunately, there was this quarterback named Will Hammond.

You may have heard of him.

Turns out he was already on the roster.

And now Texas Tech’s social media account is rolling out the dramatic photos.

QB1 

There he is.

Will Hammond.

Our guy.

The future.

The man.

Always believed in him.

Please do not review the transaction history.

And look, I get it. What is Texas Tech supposed to do now?

Post a picture of Hammond with the caption:

“Well, this is awkward.”

Of course not.

They should promote him. They should build him up. And if Hammond is the guy taking the snaps this fall, Texas Tech should absolutely get behind him.

But you have to appreciate the comedy of how we got here.

Imagine your company spends months conducting a nationwide search for someone to replace you.

They find him.

Hire him.

Everybody celebrates the hire.

Then before his first day, the whole thing falls apart.

Monday morning your boss walks into your office, puts both hands on your shoulders and says:

“Clint, we have always believed you were the right man for this job.”

Sir.

I was here the entire time.

That’s Will Hammond.

He didn’t win the job in some dramatic quarterback battle.

He survived the offseason.

There should be an award for that in modern college football.

And maybe this ends up being the best thing that could have happened to him. Hammond gets the opportunity, Texas Tech still has a talented quarterback, and there is something pretty appealing about watching the guy who got passed over become the guy.

Sports have a funny way of doing that.

Sometimes Plan A works.

Sometimes Plan B works.

And sometimes you spend an entire offseason looking for a quarterback only to discover you already had one.

So congratulations, Will Hammond.

QB1.

The guy Texas Tech believed in all along.*

Terms and conditions apply. Previous quarterback searches excluded.