Texas Tech’s QB change adds extra element WVU’s defense has to prepare for
Trending
MORGANTOWN -- Texas Tech kept the college football offseason interesting. The Red Raiders bought talented Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby, but they didn't realize the baggage he possessed. Sorsby had gambling issues and run-ins with the NCAA, where he eventually decided it'd be best if he didn't play in 2026 and prepared for the 2027 NFL Draft.
Texas Tech was out a quarterback, so it went back to junior Will Hammond. Hammond played in eight games in 2025, but had a rollercoaster season, battling with Behren Morton for the starting job. Hammond was injured, which kept him out most of the offseason. There was hesitancy that Hammond could get the Red Raiders back to the Big 12 Championship and the College Football Playoff.
On August 29, a week before the season started, head coach Joey McGuire announced Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos had transferred and joined the team. The doubt in Hammond couldn't have been louder.
Two months, seven games and six Hammond interceptions later, Castellanos made his second start against No. 22 Arizona, where he led the Red Raiders to a come-from-behind 34-26 victory. Castellanos threw for 144 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for 117 yards and another score in the win.
Castellanos’ performance earned him the nod to be the starter again this weekend against West Virginia football.
"They have a new quarterback," Rich Rodriguez said. "I thought Castellanos played well. It's a different style of play with him than they did with Will Hammond."
Castellanos isn't a no-name quarterback in college football. He's been around for quite some time, and the only reason Castellanos will be on the field in Saturday was that, like a ton of college athletes, he won a court case to gain a fifth year to play this season.
Castellanos started his career at UCF, where he didn't play much, and transferred to Boston College. The Georgia native spent two seasons up north and had Heisman Trophy buzz in his final year after leading the Eagles to an upset win over No. 10 Florida State to start the season.
The Seminoles liked Castellanos so much that he ended up there a season later. He started all 12 games for Florida State and threw for 2,760 yards and 15 touchdowns. Castellanos led the team with 557 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. After upsetting No. 8 Alabama to start the year, Florida State never had success with Castellanos. The Seminoles finished 5-7, so they moved on from him. Looking back and after head coach Mike Norvell was recently fired for a 3-5 start, maybe it wasn't his fault.
Now, Castellanos leads the No. 15 team in the country against an improving, but far from perfect, Mountaineers defense.
If you haven't noticed already, Castellanos' strength is his legs. He had 117 yards on the ground this past weekend, and had 1,000 yards rushing in a season at BC. Castellanos rushing ability was what Hammond lacked and creates another element for opposing defenses to prepare for.
"They definitely do a lot more quarterback run game with Castellanos in there," defensive coordinator Zac Alley said. "Overall, the structure of the offense is similar. What they're trying to do, how they're trying to attack you... They just use his legs a lot more."
WVU's faced plenty of dual-threat quarterbacks this season. Week 1 against Coastal Carolina and Deuce Bailey, in Week 3 matching up with Virginia and Beau Pribula and Arizona's Noah Fifita. The Mountaineers have shown they can stop a running quarterback, like Pribula, but they've also been hurt when quarterbacks roll outside the pocket like Fifita and Bailey.
The defensive front has to be disciplined and keep contain to make sure he doesn't scramble for extra yards.
"He's good with his feet," defensive lineman Corey McIntyre Jr. said. "We have to just not make the wrong decision whenever we're pass rushing. Just commit to doing the right thing. Instead of just trying to do two things at once."
The beauty of this week's game is Alley and the defense have had extra time to prepare since they are coming off a bye. Alley had plenty of time to watch tape on Castellanos and the offense as a whole, including being tuned in to the Arizona-Texas Tech game, where Castellanos fully had the keys.
Alley noticed Texas Tech's change at quarterback hasn't changed the way the offense runs. It's still a talented rushing team behind running backs J’Koby Williams and the now healthier Cameron Dickey. The Red Raiders have the fourth-best rushing attack in the Big 12.
Castellanos adds just another layer to the run-game the defense has to be ready for.
"We're able to go through all of it, Alley said. “There were some changes and things that happened in [the Arizona] game, but I think, overall, they kind of do what they do. They just add the quarterback flavor of the weekend now with running that guy and putting him in a position to be successful.”