There’s a fresh quarterback wrinkle for Texas Tech as Friday night’s Big 12 matchup with Houston approaches.
According to college football insider Pete Nakos, the Red Raiders plan to mix in Florida State transfer Thomas Castellanos at quarterback alongside starter Will Hammond when the Cougars visit Lubbock, Texas. Castellanos has seen only limited action so far, completing one pass for eight yards against Oregon State.
Texas Tech enters the game as a 7.5-point favorite, and the spotlight will be on Houston quarterback Connor Weighman as well as whatever shape the Red Raiders’ quarterback rotation takes under the lights.
Castellanos gives Texas Tech a veteran option with a long track record. The fifth-year quarterback has 6,457 career yards and was added in late August by offensive coordinator Matt Leftwich to bolster a room that had previously been led by Brendan Sorsby, who is no longer with the program after a long, tumbling gambling scandal.
His path to Lubbock has bounced around quite a bit. Castellanos started at UCF, then moved to Boston College after seeing minimal snaps in 2022.
With the Eagles, he settled in as a passer who hovered around 60% completion and produced more than 3,000 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. Florida State later brought in the Waycross, Georgia, native from the portal, and the Seminoles went 5-7 with Castellanos starting all 12 games.
Even with Castellanos in the mix, Will Hammond appears set to handle most of the work against Houston. He has already put up 487 passing yards with two touchdowns and one interception this season, and since Sorsby’s departure, he has clearly held the top spot on the depth chart.
Still, Castellanos gives Texas Tech something extra: a more dynamic look under center and a seasoned backup who can be deployed in a two-quarterback setup. That kind of rotation could force Houston to stay alert and keep its defense guessing on third and fourth down.
Friday night should tell the story of how much Texas Tech wants to lean into that approach, and whether Castellanos becomes part of the plan.
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