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How Texas Tech football DTs shape up after Jayden Cofield surgery
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- How Texas Tech football DTs shape up after Jayden Cofield surgery
Texas Tech football defensive tackle Jayden Cofield has undergone surgery for a left lower-leg injury he suffered on New Year's Day in the Orange Bowl , a Tech athletics spokesman confirmed on Thursday, Jan. 8.
The spokesman said the football program has no specific timetable for Cofield's recovery and expects to learn more as the Red Raiders approach spring practice.
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On Wednesday, Cofield posted a picture on social media from a hospital room showing his left lower leg and foot wrapped and propped up. He wrote, "Be back soon."
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Cofield played in all 14 games this season, getting credit for 25 tackles, including 4 1/2 tackles for loss with 1 1/2 sacks. The 6-foot-2, 330-pound Manor graduate will be a junior next season.
He was the top backup this season to Lee Hunter, who was named a second-team all-American by the Football Writers Association of America and third team by The Associated Press. Hunter is out of eligibility.
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Oregon beat Tech 23-0 in the Orange Bowl, a College Football Playoff quarterfinal.
Jayden Cofield awaits the start of a dirll during the Texas Tech football team's spring game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, at Jones AT&T Stadium.
What Texas Tech football defensive tackles are returning in 2026?
A.J. Holmes moved into the starting lineup in the seventh game of the season and was so productive that he wound up earning second-team All-America recognition from The Associated Press. Holmes, 6-foot-3 and 300 pounds, finished with 38 tackles, including nine tackles for loss with 4 1/2 sacks. On top of that, he had four batted passes and two fumble recoveries.
Holmes will be a senior in 2026 and likely anchor the Tech defensive tackles rotation, assuming he doesn't declare for the NFL draft. He was the eighth-highest graded interior defensive lineman in the country by Pro Football Focus.
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Tech is awaiting a ruling on whether Skyler Gill-Howard, the original starter at Holmes' position, will receive an eligibility clock extension for 2026. Gill-Howard is out of eligibility. He suffered an ankle injury in the sixth game of the season, underwent surgery and didn't play after that. Generally speaking, a player cannot receive a waiver for a season in which he played in more than 30% of his team's games.
Tech's other defensive tackles with eligibility remaining include Keyshawn Williams, who'll be a sophomore in 2026, and Dylan Singleton, who'll be a redshirt freshman.
Dooda Banks exhausted his eligibility. Braylon Rigsby, Amier Washington, Tanner Allen and Kasen Long have their names in the NCAA transfer portal.
Defensive tackles joining Texas Tech football from the transfer portal
The Tech personnel department and coaching staff have mined the NCAA transfer portal to cover their bases. Of the 13 commitments they had through Jan. 7, four are from defensive tackles: Mateen Ibirogba (6-3, 296) from Wake Forest, Bryce Butler (6-5, 320) from Washington, Julien Laventure (6-1, 270) from Akron and JoJo Johnson (6-2, 288) from Oregon State.
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On3 and 247Sports rank Ibirogba as the top defensive tackle available in the transfer portal this cycle and a top-10 player overall. Laventure was second-team all-Mid-American Conference with 48 tackles and 10 1/2 tackles for loss. Johnson led Oregon State in quarterback hurries this season with eight and was second in tackles for loss with 6 1/2.
Former Texas Tech football defensive tackle signs NFL contract
The Minnesota Vikings on Wednesday signed former Tech defensive tackle Jaylon Hutchings , coming off a stellar year in the Canadian Football League, to a reserve/future contract.
Playing his second season with the Calgary Stampeders in 2025, Hutchings was named first-team all-CFL and was the highest-graded defensive player in the league by Pro Football Focus. He led CFL defensive tackles in sacks with eight.
Hutchings started 57 games for the Red Raiders from 2018-23.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: How Texas Tech football DTs shape up after Jayden Cofield surgery
