Story by
With his shoulder finally healthy, Behren Morton looks to lead Texas Tech football to greatness
- Story by
- With his shoulder finally healthy, Behren Morton looks to lead Texas Tech football to greatness
Few outside of the Texas Tech football team facilities will ever know the true extent of Behren Morton 's shoulder injury.
For the past two years, the Red Raider quarterback hasn't just had to manage the game on the field. Morton also had to manage the pain and potential for further injury to his throwing shoulder.
Advertisement
No practicing during the week. Forget about bench pressing in the weight room. Keep some extra weight on to protect himself. Pre-game shots for added insurance. Dealing with other teams trying to pry him from the Red Raiders , and even some death threats over his play.
All of this to be on the field for every game of the 2024 season. By the time Texas Tech wrapped up a spot in the Liberty Bowl, Morton, his family and medical advisors finally put him under the knife , correcting the grade-3 AC joint sprain suffered 15 months prior.
"I don't think people realize," associate head coach Kenny Perry said, "what that guy's gone through for two years."
That Morton only missed three full games in that time — one full contest at BYU, skipping the bowl game and halves of two other contests — avoiding further damage was remarkable enough. Add in the statistical excellence of his play — he ranked 10th in the nation in passing yards through the 2024 regular season — and Morton could have played his final year doing the same things as before.
Advertisement
But Morton was ready to take the plunge, undergoing surgery in December. It cost him time on the field during the spring, but the quarterback that emerged for preseason camp is one head coach Joey McGuire hasn't seen in years.
"Honestly," McGuire said, "you see the guy that his ankle wasn't sprained in the first half against Oklahoma State my first year."
McGuire is entering his fourth year as head coach, this being the most expectation-filled season to date. Much of that potential — Big 12 championship, College Football Playoff berth — rests on the shoulder of Morton's surgically-repaired right shoulder.
"This is the most confidently I can say this is the best I've felt in a really long time," Morton said earlier in preseason camp. "I just feel the sensation in my arm kind of coming back. I don't have that huge bump on my shoulder anymore. And I've lost 10, 15 pounds this season too."
Advertisement
Among his teammates, Coy Eakin knows Morton about as well as anybody. Their relationship predates their union at Texas Tech, their connection on the field obvious from the jump. Eakin said after the team's first scrimmage that he's seeing a different side of Morton than he's even seen before.
"When I first came here," Eakin said, "I always thought Behren had the most talented arm I've ever seen in person or online. To have him back and have a healthy arm is, I mean, it's amazing. Even if he's late on the read, he's going to fit it in a tight window."
New teammates have also sung Morton's praises for his work in camp. That includes those on the defensive side of the ball.
"The zip he has on the ball," North Dakota State transfer safety Cole Wisniewski said. "He's able to really push seam balls, get it to where it needs to be really fast. It's really hard to make plays on certain balls."
Advertisement
Morton's shoulder health even caused a stir on the transfer market. ESPN's Pete Thamel reported earlier this year Texas Tech was "pushing hard for a starting quarterback," even linking the Red Raiders to Georgia transfer Carson Beck , who wound up at Miami.
That irked McGuire enough for him to declare in April, "We were at no point in any time in conversations with anybody about a quarterback. Without a doubt." Still, some wondered whether Tech would've been better off going after a proven backup in case Morton's shoulder wasn't ready to go this season. That was also not in consideration.
"I felt really good about everything the doctors were talking about with his shoulder," McGuire said. "At the end of the day, I was sitting there going, at the very worst, his shoulder is going to be where it was last year. He had a lot of good moments in the season. I think being a year older and how much experience he has is only going to be better."
McGuire sees the Morton of old, one who hasn't existed for the better part of two years. If the Eastland native feels as good as he says he does, the lofty expectations, the dreams of rewriting the narrative around the Red Raiders, should all be within reach.
Advertisement
"He's definitely excited," offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich said. "I can't tell you the amount of times that he's just said it feels so good to be back 100%, and he feels like he's back to being himself."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech football's Behren Morton eager to show off his healthy shoulder
