Shough named Texas Tech’s starting quarterback

Shough, in his second season with the Red Raiders, previously started the first four games of the 2021 season after earning the starting job out of preseason camp. He was injured early in the first half of the Big 12 opener against Texas, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season.

“I first want to praise all three of our quarterbacks as this was an unbelievable competition,” McGuire said. “Tyler has played well and put our offense in position to be effective consistently throughout camp, which has earned him the right to be our starting quarterback. Tyler has a great football IQ and has really captured what we want this offense to look like with the type of responsibility we put on the quarterback.

“As I’ve said all along, though, we fully intend for Red Raider fans to see all three of these QBs throughout the season. This is as gifted as a room as I’ve ever seen, and I’m willing to put the depth of our quarterback position against anyone else in the country. I know both Donovan (Smith) and Behren (Morton) will be ready when called upon as they have certainly earned the respect of myself and their teammates.”

Shough completed 69.6 percent of his passes (64-of-92) during his debut season as a Red Raider a year ago, throwing for 872 yards and six touchdowns prior to his injury. Between his time as a Red Raider and at Oregon, he is completing 66.4 percent of his passes overall, totaling 2,575 yards and 22 touchdowns through the air with only nine interceptions over 19 games, including 11 starts.

A native of Chandler, Arizona, Shough was among the top quarterback prospects in the country coming out of Hamilton High School as he was considered a top-100 prospect and the No.6 pro-style quarterback in the country by both 247Sports and Rivals. He signed with Oregon out of high school and was named the Ducks’ starter prior to the 2020 season after sitting behind eventual NFL first-round selection Justin Herbert.

The Red Raiders open their debut season under McGuire with a 7 p.m. kick Sept. 3 against Murray State. Season tickets are still on sale in advance by calling 806-742-TECH or by visiting www.TexasTech.com.