Quinten Joyner injury update: Texas Tech RB suffers torn ACL ahead of 2025 season

According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Texas Tech running back Quinten Joyner will miss the entire 2025 season due to a torn ACL. Joyner is in his first season with the program, joining the Red Raiders via USC. One of the many NCAA transfer portal additions made this offseason in Lubbock, the Red Raiders will now be without a big-time playmaker.

Joyner has played in 18 games over the last two years, rushing for 603 yards and three touchdowns on 81 carries. Most of his production came during the 2024 season, when Lincoln Riley was able to carve out a bigger role. USC also used Woody Marks at running back to create a solid one-two punch inside the Big Ten.

But when Joyner decided to enter the portal this offseason, he ultimately wound up landing in a spot much closer to home. Joyner’s high school days were spent at Manor (TX), about 15 miles outside of Austin. Texas Tech gave the running back an opportunity to return to the Lone Star State. The move was filled with excitement, likely on both ends.

Instead, head coach Joey McGuire and his staff will help Joyner get on the road to recovery. Hopefully, we are able to see Joyner back on the field in 2026 — another year where you imagine Texas Tech will be looking to compete inside the Big 12.

More on Texas Tech, running back situation heading into 2025 season

Texas Tech entered the offseason with the goal of finding a way to replace Tahj Brooks. He and his back-to-back seasons eclipsing 1,500 yards with double-digit touchdowns were out of eligibility. Brooks can now be found practicing with the Cincinnati Bengals ahead of his NFL rookie season.

Joyner was supposed to be their guy, a crown jewel out of the transfer portal. Now, some other options are going to have to emerge in quick fashion.

“This obviously hurts. Joyner is an extremely talented back that had bell cow written all over him for TTU,” Rivals’ Cody Bellaire said via X after the news broke. “But, people are going to learn about Cam Dickey and J’Koby Williams. Both were 4-star outliers for us.”

Aug. 30 against Arkansas Pine-Bluff is Texas Tech’s season opener. Two more nonconference games against Kent State and Oregon State follow before getting into the Big 12’s nine-game schedule. It’s a league the Red Raiders hope to find themselves on top of, even after the Joyner injury, in early December.