Showing up in style: Behren Morton dishes on hair, Texas Tech football QB room

When the Texas Tech football team starts preseason practice on Wednesday, Behren Morton will be the unquestioned No. 1 quarterback, unlike in the past couple of years. Morton's also assured everyone his throwing shoulder is fine , unlike in the last three months of the 2023 season.

What's left to discuss about Morton, then, during preseason practice? Well, there's always the question of what hairstyle he'll bring to camp.

"I got the mohawk the first year," Morton said. "Then year two I got a design in my head, and then year three was the cornrows."

Indeed, Morton's braids were a curiosity during the Red Raiders' 2023 preseason practice. It sounds as if his coaches and teammates haven't seen the last of them.

"They'll be back," he said. "They'll be back. I've always done something for fall camp. I like doing something in fall camp just to keep the energy high and keep everyone motivated, because once you get into week two of fall camp, it's hot in Lubbock and just to add a little bit more value to the team and just to do more."

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Tech players report for their local media day on Tuesday and take the field the day after. The Red Raiders open the season with an Aug. 31 home game against Abilene Christian.

Told about Morton's declaring he'll bring back the braids, Tech coach Joey McGuire said, "Oh, Lord. I hope not. I like his hair right now."

Morton's hairstyle is a tame topic, given he's been the subject of more serious conversation almost from the moment he arrived on campus as a blue-chip signee. He was hampered throughout Big 12 play last season by a grade-3 sprain to the AC joint in his throwing shoulder, and Tech followers were rattled when Morton missed the last nine sessions of spring football when shoulder soreness didn't subside as normal after the team's first scrimmage.

Shortly thereafter, he had consultations with two high-profile orthopedic surgeons, then spent several days in May in Jacksonville, Florida, working with sports scientist and sports performance coach Tom Gormely. Morton said during Big 12 media days in Las Vegas that his shoulder feels good again.

One other notable change this August: There's no battle for the starting quarterback job. Two years ago, Tyler Shough, Donovan Smith and Morton made Tech the first Big 12 team with three 1,000-yard passers since 2012 Oklahoma State. Last year, Shough and Morton vied for the job. Smith transferred to Houston after the 2022 season, and Shough transferred to Louisville after the 2023 season.

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Now, it's Morton leading a room that includes West Georgia transfer Cameran Brown as the top backup and redshirt freshman Jake Strong dueling second-semester freshman Will Hammond for the No. 3 spot.

McGuire said he specifically directed senior offensive analyst Kirk Bryant and offensive coordinator Zach Kittley to locate a dual-threat quarterback in the NCAA transfer portal this offseason to keep the quarterback-run game in the playbook. Brown is expected to be that guy.

"Obviously you have Jake Strong," Morton said, "but Cam Brown is 6-1, 240 pounds and does not look 240 pounds. He runs a legit 4.4 and that dude can roll, so having that aspect in the quarterback room, it's going to open up the playbook, too, for coach Kittley in the quarterback designed run.

"It keeps my legs fresh, which I really appreciate from coach Kittley. And Will Hammond, he's the definition of a gunslinger. Very mature for his age. A lot of kids, freshmen, aren't that mature, and he's very mature. Takes his studies very serious and takes his football very serious, too."

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This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Showing up in style: Behren Morton dishes on hair, Texas Tech football QB room