Is Texas Tech QB room underrated nationally? Why Joey McGuire thinks so

The return of Tyler Shough as Texas Tech’s starting quarterback late last season coincided with the start of the Red Raiders’ four-game winning streak to close out the year.

Shough’s play during that stretch contributed to Tech beating Kansas, Iowa State, Oklahoma and then Ole Miss in the Texas Bowl.

It’s also part of why Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire believes the Red Raiders’ quarterback room deserves more respect within discussions about the top quarterback groups in the Big 12.

Shough, who opened both 2021 and last season as Texas Tech’s starting QB prior to suffering injuries, was named the Red Raiders’ 2023 starter on Friday following a spring competition with former On3 top-85 overall recruit Behren Morton. Morton, who started four games last year (including two 300-yard passing performances), will be his backup.

“It’s really, to me, insulting that we’re talking about all these quarterback rooms, and there’s great quarterbacks across the country, but for our room not to be talked about where you have two players that have won Power Five football games and played at the level that they played at at different times last year,” McGuire told On3. “And you can’t say ‘Well, it’s because so and so got hurt.’ The people that are being talked about out of our conference, they both got hurt last year, too.

And then, my No. 2 right now (Morton), he’s won Power Five games. He’s not been a guy that (just) has a lot of potential. He has a ton of potential, but you’re sitting there talking about two other rooms, and they haven’t played a snap of college football, but they’re talking about those rooms. It’s crazy. …

“But I’ve got two guys that have won Power Five football games. And even in a loss against Oklahoma State, Behren Morton lit it up. He played really well. And they’ve both done it at that level versus, you know, how many stars they got coming out of high school.”

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Shough, a Class of 2018 top-125 overall recruit and former Oregon transfer, was the Ducks’ starting QB in 2020 before transferring to Texas Tech.

During the four-game winning streak to close out last season, Shough accumulated 1,329 total yards (1,065 passing, 264 rushing) and eight total touchdowns.

In the 42-25 Texas Bowl victory over Ole Miss, Shough threw for 242 yards and a touchdown while also running for 111 yards and two scores.

“The key with him is staying healthy,” McGuire said. “He’s had unfortunate accidents the last two years, so staying healthy (is the key). I think that he can play at the level of anybody else in the country. I really do. And he’s done it. But I think he can be as good as any quarterback in the country. His deal is just for us to keep him healthy and him to stay healthy because as far as the knowledge of the offense, the control of the offense, his leadership ability, his athletic ability, his arm talent, it’s all there. We just need to be able to put it together for a full season.

“If he would have come out (for the NFL after last year), he had an invite to the Combine if he chose to come out. So it’s not a kid that doesn’t have that kind of ability.”

This spring added to McGuire’s confidence, not only with Shough but with Morton as well.

In the second spring under the combination of McGuire and offensive coordinator Zach Kittley, Shough improved his completion percentage by 10 percent compared to last spring, according to McGuire.

Morton, meanwhile, went from giving up 26 sacks last spring in live rep situations to just six sacks this spring.

“They both did a great job,” McGuire said.