Texas Tech’s quarterback picture has shifted again, and for now the attention lands on a name that wasn’t supposed to matter this much: Kirk Francis.
With Will Hammond working back from the torn ACL he suffered in the Oct. 25, 2025, win over Oklahoma State, the Red Raiders are still waiting to see when he’ll be ready to take over as QB1. Joey McGuire had said earlier this offseason that Hammond was expected to be cleared around Week 3 of the 2026 season, but that timeline became less relevant once Texas Tech landed Brendan Sorsby from Cincinnati. Sorsby is now gone after the gambling scandal that rocked Texas Tech, which sends the job back to Hammond whenever he’s healthy enough to claim it.
That leaves Francis, the current No. 2 quarterback, in line to matter early if Hammond isn’t ready for the Sept. 5 opener against Abilene Christian - or if the Red Raiders get into blowout territory and need another arm on the field. Francis was already sitting in that backup spot after spring ball, and his role was reaffirmed after Sorsby’s departure.
The 6-foot-2 junior wasn’t expected to be a major factor when he arrived, but Texas Tech’s quarterback room may need his presence sooner than planned. Center Sheridan Wilson said, “Obviously I love them both," and added, "Kirks' a really cool dude, think he's a good team player too.
I've snapped to him several times. Just a great guy.”
Tight end Terrance Carter Jr. drew a comparison between Francis and Mitch Griffis, the Wake Forrest transfer who spent last season behind Hammond and Behren Morton in the quarterback rotation. Griffis was brought in mostly as a veteran helper for the younger quarterbacks, and Francis appears to fit that same mold.
McGuire has made it clear that if Hammond hadn’t torn his ACL, he would have been the projected starter from the start of the offseason. In that version of events, Texas Tech also never would have gone after Sorsby, and the staff would have added a different veteran quarterback to back Hammond up.
Francis brings actual game experience with him. The Tulsa, Oklahoma, native spent his first three seasons with the Golden Hurricane, where he put up 3,045 yards and 18 touchdowns across 18 games. He began as a walk-on, eventually started 10 games, and seven of those starts came in 2024.
His last season at Tulsa was shortened to three games because of what head coach Tre Lamb called a “pretty bad concussion.”
Texas Tech players have liked what they’ve seen since Francis arrived. A.J.
Holmes described him this way: “He's just a real mellow dude,” and added, “Like a real great person. He'll talk to anybody on the team.
That's the first thing I saw. Then on the field, he's just real calm and collected.
He doesn't panic at all. He's got a great arm.”
Coy Eakin was just as direct. “He's a dog, dude,” Eakin said.
“He was a great quarterback at Tulsa, just had some injuries happen, and then he comes here, he plays with confidence, he lets the ball go, he trusts his receivers. He's a great add to the quarterback room.
Nothing falls short in our quarterback room.”
However the first few weeks shake out, Texas Tech sounds comfortable with either quarterback taking snaps from Wilson. As Carter put it: “Whichever one of them plays,” he said, “I'm confidence in either one, because they're both high-level quarterbacks.”