Texas Tech's Will Hammond shows off speed, impresses in Week 1

However, Hammond's Week 1 performance was not just about his blazing track speed, as it was his only carry of the game. Rather, he completed seven of his nine pass attempts while taking no sacks and throwing one touchdown to Leyton Stone.

Regardless of his passing efficiency, which earned him a strong PFF passing grade of 75.4, the long run was the highlight of the day that even prompted the Texas Tech Football account on X to encourage EA Sports College Football to up his speed rating in their newest game.

Hammond's 64-yard scamper ranked eighth among all players in Week 1, according to Reel Analytics, putting to tape the dual-threat capabilities he displayed at Hutto High School. With the Hippos, he ran for 1,094 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns while finishing as a finalist for the Mr. Texas Football Award, presented by Dave Campbell's Texas Football.

Texas Tech's starting quarterback, Behren Morton, was pulled at halftime due to a hyperextension of his knee, which has left him day-to-day heading into Week 2. According to head coach Joey McGuire, however, the plan was always to bring Hammond in at halftime, regardless of Morton's injury.

"I think our plan worked out the way we wanted it," McGuire said. "We just didn't want him [Morton] to come out like that."

"We wanted to make sure that Will got plenty [of reps], and if Will's got to go [in Week 2] — you know, he's been in two a little over two college games. He's been really successful in those college games, so if he's got to start, then we feel great about that."

The plan, according to McGuire is for Morton to play in Week 2 despite his injury, and he has officially been listed as questionable for the game on Saturday, Sept. 6, against Kent State. However, if he is unable to go or does not last through the whole game, Hammond should be ready to play.

"For Behren this week, it'll just be kind of a tolerance thing, seeing where he's at," said offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich. "I've got all the confidence in the world in Will. I thought he went out and did a great job. He put the ball where he needed to be, and that's the quarterback's job. You're the point guard out there."

Leftwich continued to levy his praise for Hammond, expressing his confidence in his ability as a starting option: "To be honest with you, I think there's a lot of programs in the country right now that would love to have Will Hammond as their starting quarterback."