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Ranking Texas Tech football's top portal additions, transfers making impact elsewhere
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- Ranking Texas Tech football's top portal additions, transfers making impact elsewhere
The Texas Tech football team is six games into the season and on the first of its two open weeks. With the Red Raiders ' 5-1 record and a 3-0 Big 12 mark, things look promising for a postseason .
Tech has 17 players who joined the program via the NCAA transfer portal during the offseason, and 21 players who left the Red Raiders after last season popped up on rosters elsewhere.
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The season's midpoint seems a good time to gauge the returns Joey McGuire' s team has gotten from its offseason additions and look at what other teams are getting from the players who were Red Raiders last year. Here's a countdown of the top seven who came in and the top seven who left, based on production so far.
Texas Tech football top performers who transferred in
7. Jalin Conyers, TE:The transfer from Arizona State has partnered with Mason Tharp and Johncarlos Miller to make tight ends a key part of the offense, be it in 11, 12 or 13 personnel. Conyers has been used as a blocker, pass catcher and occasional wildcat formation quarterback. He's caught 14 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns and scored on one of his five carries.
More: Jalin Conyers finds his happy place with Texas Tech football
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6. Davion Carter, OG:The transfer from Memphis has been the Big 12's highest-graded interior offensive lineman in pass protection by Pro Football Focus. He's started five of six games.
5. Johncarlos Miller, TE:Another member of the Red Raiders' three-pronged tight-end arsenal, the transfer from Elon caught a touchdown pass three games in a row and ran in a two-point conversion in Tech's victory last week at Arizona.
4. Jack Burgess, P:The transfer from Weber State is averaging 42.7 yards per punt. That's down about 5 yards from Burgess's average last season, but the coordination of his punts with the coverage team has yielded minimal returns. Within the conference, he's tied for third in punts fair caught (eight) and punts inside the 20 (seven).
Caleb Douglas #5 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders runs with the ball during the first half of the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Jones AT&T Stadium on September 21, 2024 in Lubbock, Texas.
More: Ranking Texas Tech football's remaining 7 opponents by degree of difficulty
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3. Caleb Douglas, WR:The lanky transfer from Florida has made big plays on everything from shallow crossing routes to deep balls. Though Douglas has had issues with dropped passes, there have been a lot of loud moments embedded in his 21 catches for 320 yards.
2. De'Braylon Carroll, DT:The transfer from Rice is the highest graded interior defensive lineman in the Big 12 by Pro Football Focus, ranking first overall, third against the run and fifth in pass rush. He's been credited with 11 tackles, including 2½ tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery. 1. Josh Kelly, WR:The transfer from Washington State ranks sixth in the FBS in catches (44) and 14th in receiving yards (514). Kelly's on pace to be the Red Raiders' first 1,000-yard receiver since Antoine Wesley in 2018.
More: Big 12 power rankings: Kansas State football keeps No. 1; Iowa State, Texas Tech move up
Top performers elsewhere who transferred out
ACU wide receiver Nehemiah Martinez completes a pass against West Georgia during Saturday’s home opener at Wildcat Stadium Sept. 7, 2024. Final score was 38-24, ACU.
7. Jacoby Jackson, OG, Mississippi State:Jackson's started four games at left guard, increasing his total of career college starts to 18. The bad news is, MSU is 1-4, 0-2 in the SEC and Jackson is among the conference's lowest-graded guards, overall and in pass blocking, by Pro Football Focus.
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6. Landon Peterson, OG, North Texas:Peterson has started four games for UNT (2-3), two each at guard and tackle. Pro Football Focus has him as the Mean Green's best run-blocking lineman and second overall in pass blocking.
5. Tyler King, WR, Wyoming:King, playing for a 1-4 team, is fourth in the FBS with a 32.2-yard kickoff-return average and the Cowboys' second-leading receiver with seven catches for 99 yards. He's scored on a 3-yard run against Air Force and a 100-yard kickoff return against North Texas.
4. Steve Linton, DE, Baylor:Linton is PFF's highest-graded pass rusher among Big 12 edge defenders, but middle of the pack overall. He's been credited with 13 tackles, two sacks, two quarterback hurries and a caused fumble.
3. Monroe Mills, OT, Louisville:Mills has started all five games this season at left tackle, running his total of career college starts to 27. PFF has him as Louisville's highest-graded offensive lineman, overall and in run blocking. The Cardinals rank 14th in the FBS in passing offense, 15th in total offense and 17th in scoring offense.
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2. Nehemiah Martinez, WR, Abilene Christian:The former New Deal and Lubbock-Cooper standout is having a banner year with 31 receptions, 611 yards and eight touchdowns. He leads the FCS in receiving yards and touchdowns and leads the United Athletic Conference in catches. 1. Tyler Shough , QB, Louisville:Shough's the fourth-leading passer in the Atlantic Coast Conference, averaging 288.6 yards per game through five games with 13 touchdowns and two interceptions. His numbers are remarkably similar to those of Behren Morton , who's passed for 273.3 yards per game with 14 TD passes and two interceptions.
Don Williams has covered Texas Tech sports since 1986. Reach him by email at dwilliams@lubbockonline.com. Follow on X.com @AJ_DonWilliams.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Ranking Texas Tech football portal additions, departures at midseason
