Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton endured a long and grueling road to the College Football Playoff.
Morton has spent the second half of the 2025 season recovering from a hairline fracture in his right fibula, derailing a season in which he — and the Red Raiders — were firing on all cylinders. The injury came after he played two full seasons with a Grade 3 AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder, which meant a complete tear of the ligaments connecting his collarbone to his shoulder blade.
Texas Tech lost just once after Morton’s injury this time around, doing enough to reach the collegiate playoffs as the 4 seed. When the Red Raiders began preparing for the University of Oregon, there was no chance Morton would be on the sidelines.
“It’s just not how I was raised,” Morton said, according to a story published by USA Today on December 31, 2025. “I’m going to do everything possible to get on that field.”
He continued, “When I’m healthy, I think the offense expands a lot. We have so many playmakers though. It makes my job easy. If I can find them open and get the ball to them quickly, I think we can be pretty explosive.”
With Morton’s best football hopefully ahead of him, he has his girlfriend, Texas Tech soccer player Kate Leibel, supporting him from the sidelines. The two have been together for more than two years, with their relationship taking them from the gridiron to Texas’ wine country and beyond.
Though Leibel still has eligibility remaining if she wants to play another year, she refers to herself as a Texas Tech alum in her bio on X and is now offering private soccer lessons to kids in the Lubbock, Texas, area.
Keep scrolling for Behren Morton and Kate Leibel’s full relationship timeline.
June 2023
Morton and Leibel began dating shortly after Leibel’s freshman year ended. Morton had just finished his third year in Lubbock as a redshirt sophomore, poised for his biggest season yet.
December 2023
The couple celebrated Christmas together in Morton’s home town of Eastland, Texas. Leibel posted a carousel of photos from the holiday, with the family dog featured heavily.
“Showed me around <3,” she wrote in the caption.
June 2024
Morton and Leibel celebrated one year together, with Leibel posting an Instagram tribute that showed the two standing together, hugging and walking hand-in-hand.
“One year with my best friend 🤍 it’s so easy to love you B 🫶,” she captioned the pics.
Morton replied in the comments, “Love you munch! ❤️”
March 2025
The duo spent part of their spring break taking in a wine tour in Fredericksburg, Texas, with Leibel sharing photos of the pair sipping wine — red and white — and enjoying time together, exploring the area around Joanna’s Market at Signor Vineyards.
September 2025
The day after Texas Tech’s season-opening win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff University, Leibel shared photos of her and her friends supporting Morton at the game and during a pregame tailgate. In one of the pictures, she is wearing a shirt that says “Morton fan club.” She is wearing his No. 2 jersey in many of the others.
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