It’s safe to say that NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes has been the lone bright spot in the Texas Tech quarterback room in the past several years. In his final season at Tech, Mahomes threw for 5,052 yards and 41 touchdowns. Since 2018, no quarterback room has netted more than a combined 25 touchdown passes in a season.
Not great.
The 2022 season brings new possibilities, but also new challenges. The hiring of coach Joey McGuire signaled a welcome change, along with the hopes of an improved offense, and improved quarterback play.
There’s no answer to the quarterback question yet. There are three candidates for the starting position: Oregon transfer Tyler Shough was named the starter in 2021 and played 4 games before being sidelined with a broken collarbone. In four games he totaled 872 yards passing and 6 touchdowns to 3 interceptions. Donovan Smith led the Red Raiders to a Liberty Bowl victory, where he had 252 yards passing with one touchdown. Shough is a senior entering 2022, but with an extra year of eligibility due to Covid. Smith will be a sophomore. Freshman Behren Morton is the final piece of the puzzle. A redshirt in 2021, he saw limited action, but impressed at Tech’s spring game in April. Morton has a high ceiling, but has not had much chance to prove himself to the coaching staff.
Really impressive pitch and catch on this deep ball between @BehrenMorton & @JordanBrown6ix. Brown transferred in this spring from Kansas@RedRaiderNation pic.twitter.com/Q9UjOc3hKv
— Chaz Wright 🌵 (@ChazWrightTV) April 24, 2022
There is no denying that Texas Tech’s quarterback room has the talent to make some noise in 2022. Morton was a 4-star recruit in 2020. Smith showed flashes of greatness in the Liberty Bowl. Shough led Oregon to a Pac-12 championship in 2020 before transferring. However, it remains to be seen whether or not the potential will translate to success on the field.
It will likely be a while before McGuire names a starter for week 1, but it’s clear he has his hands full. One thing is certain: the Red Raider faithful will be watching intently, waiting to see if one of these passers will write their name in the book of Texas Tech’s storied quarterback history.
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