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Next orders of business for Texas Tech football with spring practice on horizon
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- Next orders of business for Texas Tech football with spring practice on horizon
The Texas Tech football team is nearly eight weeks removed from a Liberty Bowl loss to Arkansas and looking ahead to a March 10 start to spring practice .
A ton's happened during the off-season. Between college football's early national signing day and the NCAA transfer portal , Tech's added 36 new players — so many that Joey McGuire's staff stood pat during the traditional February national signing day . The Red Raiders got good news in the form of extended eligibility for offensive guard Davion Carter , linebacker Bryce Ramirez and defensive back Devynn Cromwell , all of whom were seniors in the two-deep in 2024.
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They knocked out two of the objectives on our off-season to-do list from early December: Hang on to Jacob Rodriguez and get a kicker you can count on. Rodriguez, the Big 12's leading tackler last season, announced he'll stay for his last year of eligibility rather than declare for the NFL Draft.
And to succeed departing kicker Gino Garcia, who made 19 of 20 field goals in 2024, they fished from the transfer portal the University at Buffalo's Upton Bellenfant, who made 18 of 21.
More: Texas Tech football roster analysis, projected spring depth chart
More: Texas Tech football: How soon are a name change, field logos coming to Jones AT&T Stadium?
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Oh, and Tech handled a crisis that was perhaps unexpected, but shouldn't have been: It kept James Blanchard , the architect of that portal class, after College Football Playoff runner-up Notre Dame tried to hire the Red Raiders' general manager.
Now what? Here are the next orders of business.
Texas Tech linebackers Bryce Ramirez (3) and John Curry (6) put the clamps on Washington State quarterback John Mateer, center, during the Red Raiders' 37-16 loss on Sept. 7 in Pullman, Washington.
Get a handle on the roster
To be clear, we feel sure McGuire, his assistants and the personnel department already have a good idea how they'll go about it. McGuire's simply not detailed publicly how he'll trim the 2025 roster from the currently projected 123 players to 105, other than acknowledging some will have to be cut. He'll have to do that by July 1 if the House v. NCAA settlement proposal receives final approval — not a sure thing, given that more than 35 objections have been filed.
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If judge Claudia Wilken signs off, Tech will decide how to split 85 scholarships and $15 million in revenue sharing among 105 players.
More: Kirby Hocutt details Texas Tech athletics plan for revenue sharing, scholarships
More: Texas Tech football should hope judge rejects House v. NCAA settlement | Don Williams
Foster team unity
Nearly all of Tech's 17 portal additions were starters or key players at their previous schools. Putting a boatload of veteran newcomers with credentials on the field and in the locker room with returning experienced players and up-and-comers yields the potential for personality clashes.
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Not that McGuire wants to give back any of the new guys. They'll just need to work it out during winter conditioning and spring practice.
Teach, teach, teach
Speaking of new guys, that also describes the top assistants. Offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich and defensive coordinator Shiel Wood have been here less than three months.
In addition to coaching the players, they'll largely be coaching the coaches. Often, wholesale staff changes come with two new coordinators. That's not the case here. It's not common for an eight-win bowl team to have new coordinators leading a largely holdover staff.
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Wood added two staff members with whom he has a history: safeties coach Rob Greene and senior defensive analyst Jack Teachey. New secondary assistant Collin Shank came from Army, where he worked under defensive coordinator Nate Woody, a longtime mentor for Wood.
Leftwich added assistant quarterbacks coach Lindsey Scott Jr., who he coached at Incarnate Word.
Related: Shiel Wood aims to be more than a distinctive name with Texas Tech football
Related: Once dueling Patrick Mahomes, Mack Leftwich set to lead Texas Tech football offense
Design the running game
The departure of two-time 1,500-yard rusher Tahj Brooks means the running-back roles are likely to look vastly different. There's youthful promise here, but the Red Raiders are more or less starting from scratch.
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Quinten Joyner, from Brooks' hometown of Manor, rushed for a career-high 478 yards last season as a sophomore at Southern Cal. J'Koby Williams and Cameron Dickey rushed for 236 and 225 yards, respectively, as true freshmen for the Red Raiders.
Joyner, coming out of high school, was ranked the No. 36 prospect in Texas on the 247Sports composite index. Williams finished strong with 123 yards and a touchdown in the Liberty Bowl, earning the award for Tech's outstanding offensive player.
All three have already shown they're power-conference material. So has senior Cam'Ron Valdez, who has 511 career rushing yards in backup duty. He's coming off a season-ending knee injury.
Whether the rushing offense features a lead dog or a committee remains to be seen.
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More: What does Texas Tech football freshmen's Liberty Bowl showing mean for the future?
Sep 21, 2024; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Behren Morton (2) throws a pass against Arizona State Sun Devils defensive lineman CJ Fite (99) in the first half at Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field.
Rehab, rehab, rehab
Behren Morton underwent elective surgery on his throwing shoulder on Dec. 10 in Los Angeles. He said the shoulder injury that dates to September 2023 didn't bother him in 2024, when he finished eighth in the FBS in passing yards per game and 16th in touchdown passes.
Nevertheless, the Red Raiders want to see Morton stay on schedule in rehabilitation. Same goes for defensive linemen Joseph Adedire, Dylan Spencer and Dooda Banks, guard Vinny Sciury, linebacker Justin Horne and Valdez. They're all likely to be out or limited for spring after season-ending surgeries.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech football next orders of business as spring practice nears
