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Joey McGuire ponders positions for pair of athletic 2023 signees
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- Joey McGuire ponders positions for pair of athletic 2023 signees
Texas Tech football coaches believe they have a reliable two-deep at inside linebacker: starters Jacob Rodriguez and Ben Roberts , top backups John Curry and Bryce Ramirez .
The Red Raiders went through spring with a battle at star between Baylor transfer A.J. McCarty and sophomore Brenden Jordan, who started five games as a true freshman last season at the hybrid safety-outside linebacker position.
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The depth at those positions has Tech coach Joey McGuire pondering where to plug in redshirt freshmen Mike Dingle and Marcus Ramon-Edwards , two athletic signees from the 2023 class. Dingle played four games at inside linebacker last season, moved to star in the spring and could be going back to inside linebacker. He, along with Trent Low, are listed behind Rodriguez and Ramirez on the post-spring depth chart .
Ramon-Edwards went through spring as a boundary safety and now tentatively is moving up to star, where he's listed behind McCarty and Jordan.
Texas Tech's Marcus Ramon-Edwards redshirted as a true freshman last season. The Trinity Christian graduate has been considered at multiple safety spots and now is tentatively projected at star safety-outside linebacker in the Red Raiders' scheme.
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McGuire said a few weeks after spring practice he and the staff continue to think it through.
"We're still trying to decide if we're going to keep Dingle at star or if we're going to move him back in at will (boundary inside linebacker)," McGuire said. "If we move him back in at will, he'll be in the rotation in that group.
"If we move Marcus back to star, it's probably smart to move Dingle back to will."
During the Red Raiders' first two years in defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter's scheme, the most productive player at star was Marquis Waters who, in 2022, racked up 60 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, a sack and seven quarterback hurries. He was 6-foot-1 and 219 pounds.
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Star's a premium position that calls for versatility and range. The player lines up to the wide side of the field and can be used to rush the passer, cover receivers and defend the run.
Ramon-Edwards, a 6-3, 220-pound Trinity Christian graduate, didn't play in any games last season. Dingle, a 6-2, 220-pound graduate of Duncan (S.C.) Byrnes, was shut down after four games last season. That kept him in the redshirt window, but he's been withheld from contact since midseason last year because of issues with a surgically repaired shoulder and what McGuire called "continuous stingers."
Texas Tech linebacker Mike Dingle center, is shown during an August practice. Tech coach Joey McGuire says his staff is trying to decide whether the redshirt freshman can help more at inside linebacker, where he played last season, or at star safety-outside linebacker, where he worked this spring.
McGuire said the top four inside linebackers "all had great springs," but, "You could move (Dingle) back in there and he'd definitely play.
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"We're kind of in the same boat at star," McGuire said. "The thinking at star is, I think he (Dingle) could really help us against bigger people, almost being a (strong-side) linebacker instead of a nickel.
"And then A.J. McCarty's kind of your swing guy. I feel great about (sophomore starter) Chapman (Lewis), but if I needed somebody to play free safety, I'd move A.J. back there, and so then you'd want Dingle at star. We'll make a decision before (preseason) camp, so we can get our reps and everything, but we're still kind of talking through that, about where we think he can help us the most."
The next step for Dingle is getting back on to the field.
"It's the strength in his shoulder that we're getting (back)," McGuire said. "The doctor feels great about the direction. If we were playing (real games in spring), he could have played, but since it's spring football, the farther away from any kind of issues with your shoulder, the better."
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McGuire said he expects Dingle to be medically cleared by preseason practice in August.
"He'll be full go," McGuire said. "He's got another checkup in July, but his last checkup, he was trending in a great direction."
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This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Joey McGuire ponders positions for pair of athletic 2023 signees
