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Texas Tech football roster analysis, projected spring depth chart
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- Texas Tech football roster analysis, projected spring depth chart
The February national signing day figures to be an afterthought for the Texas Tech football program. In December, as they finished up an 8-5 season, the Red Raiders signed 18 high-school players and 17 veterans in a highly regarded transfer-portal class.
The Red Raiders have done so much roster building, in fact, they face a good bit of roster trimming between now and July 1, when it's anticipated a 105-player cap will go into effect for next season. That's provided a federal judge gives final approval in April to the House v. NCAA settlement proposal.
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Tech's roster makeover hasn't been limited to players. Joey McGuire hired offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich from Texas State to replace Zach Kittley , who became head coach at Florida Atlantic , and hired defensive coordinator Shiel Wood from Houston to replace Tim DeRuyter , who was let go.
Counting players who started at least six games in 2024, the Red Raiders return five on offense, eight on defense and punter Jack Burgess. Tech begins spring practice and March 10 and plays its spring game April 19.
Here's a look at the state of the roster going into the traditional signing period.
More: National signing day: Which Texas Tech freshmen are already on campus?
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Texas Tech football offense
Two questions that will stretch into August: How well does QB Behren Morton recover from shoulder surgery in December , and how effectively do the Red Raiders replace two-time 1,500-yard rusher Tahj Brooks ? Tech fans will keep their fingers crossed for Morton, though it's important to note he said his shoulder wasn't an issue last season, and the surgery was elective. Tech added Wake Forest transfer Mitch Griffis as insurance.
Southern Cal transfer Quinten Joyner will duel holdover J'Koby Williams and Cameron Dickey in an all-sophomores battle for Brooks's job in the spring, and Cam'Ron Valdez will get another look when he returns from season-ending knee surgery. Joyner piled up 478 yards this season at 7.6 yards per carry, and Williams was a bright spot in a Liberty Bowl loss to Arkansas with 123 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Texas Tech Red Raiders offensive guard Davion Carter (56) blocks Cincinnati Bearcats defensive cornerback Karen Carroll (21) in the first half at Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field.
Leading receiver Josh Kelly (89 catches, 1,023 yards, 5 touchdowns) completed his eligibility, but the unit's in good hands with Caleb Douglas (60-877-6) and Coy Eakin (49-652-7). Of three tight ends who earned regular time, Mason Tharp and Jalin Conyers are graduating, but Johncarlos Miller (10-122-3) remains. The key transfers in are WR Reggie Virgil (41-816-9 last year with Miami, Ohio) and TE Terrance Carter (48-689-4 with Louisiana-Lafayette).
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Two full-time starters — C Sheridan Wilson and OG Davion Carter — are back on the offensive line. Also back is starting OG Vinny Sciury, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in game two this season. Newcomers Howard Sampson from North Carolina , Will Jados from Miami (Ohio) and Hunter Zambrano from Illinois State were highly regarded tackles in the portal.
More: Texas Tech football: How soon are a name change, field logos coming to Jones AT&T Stadium?
Texas Tech football defense
Big 12 tackles leader Jacob Rodriguez gave the Red Raiders welcome news when he opted for a fifth year instead of the NFL draft. Rodriguez and Ben Roberts give Wood an experienced inside-linebacker tandem.
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Tech sought a quick fix in the portal after ranking No. 132 in the FBS in pass defense and tied for 99th in sacks. Up front, the Red Raiders coaxed edge player Romello Height from Georgia Tech and tackle types Lee Hunter (UCF), Anthony Holmes (Houston) and Skyler Gill-Howard (Northern Illinois). Dooda Banks underwent season-ending knee injury midway through Big 12 play, which will have him parked for the spring.
Texas Tech's Ben Roberts does a drill at a spring football practice, Thursday, March 21, 2024, at Sports Performance Center.
Though Harvey Dyson and Trevon McAlpine transferred to Tulane, the Red Raiders have numbers with the return of edges Charles Esters, Joseph Adedire, Isaac Smith , Amier Washington and Terrell Tilmon and tackles Jayden Cofield and Braylon Rigsby.
Starting cornerback Bralyn Lux and safety C.J. Baskerville are out of eligibility. Safeties Chapman Lewis and A.J. McCarty and cornerback Maurion Horn return, but they had a rough go as first-year starters. Looking for better than last year's yields of 308 passing yards per game and 28 TDs, Tech landed five DBs: Safety Cole Wisniewski (North Dakota State) and corners Tarrion Grant ( Purdue ), Amier Boyd-Matthews (Texas-El Paso), Brice Pollock (Mississippi State) and Dontae Balfour (UNC-Charlotte).
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More: Jacob Rodriguez leads Texas Tech football coaches' all-Big 12 honorees
Texas Tech football special teams
The Red Raiders took two big hits in graduation. Gone are kicker Gino Garcia and kickoff-return man Drae McCray. Garcia made 19 of 20 field goals this season and 33 of his last 36. In yet another transfer add, Tech found a capable replacement for Garcia in Upton Bellenfant, who made 18 of 21 field goals this season for the University at Buffalo.
McCray, in kickoff-return average, ranked 14th in the FBS this season (25.4) and ninth the year before (27.6).
Burgess averaged 42.2 yards per punt.
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Texas Tech football pre-spring depth chart projection
Note:The following projection is highly speculative based on Texas Tech having new offensive and defensive coordinators with new systems and a large number of newcomers from the NCAA transfer portal. An "x" denotes players likely to miss spring practice recovering from surgery.
Offense
QB:x-Behren Morton, Sr.; Will Hammond , Fr-RS; Mitch Griffis, Sr.
RB:Quinten Joyner, So.; J'Koby Williams, So.; Cameron Dickey , So.; x-Cam'Ron Valdez, Sr.
WR:Caleb Douglas, Sr.; Tyson Turner, Fr-RS
WR:Coy Eakin, Jr.; T.J. West, So.
WR:Reggie Virgil, Sr.; Kelby Valsin, So.
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TE:Johncarlos Miller, Sr.; Terrance Carter, Jr.; Jason Llewellyn, Jr.
LT:Howard Sampson, Jr.; Jacob Ponton, Fr-RS.
LG:x-Vinny Sciury, Sr.: Will Jados, Sr.; Nick Fattig, So.
C:Sheridan Wilson, Jr.; Caleb Rodkey, Sr.
RG:Davion Carter, Sr.; Dylan Shaw, So.; Holton Hendrix, Fr-RS
RT:Hunter Zambrano, Sr.; Daniel Sill, So.; Ellis Davis, Fr-RS
Defense
DE:Charles Esters, Sr.; Amier Washington, So.; x-Joseph Adedire, Jr.; x-Dylan Spencer, So.
NG:Lee Hunter, Sr.; x-Dooda Banks, Sr.; Jayden Cofield, So.
NT:Skyler Gill-Howard, Sr.; Anthony Holmes, Jr.; Braylon Rigsby, So.
DE/OLB:Romello Height, Sr.; Isaac Smith, Jr.; Terrell Tilmon, Jr.; Ansel Nedore, Fr-RS
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MLB:Ben Roberts, Jr.; John Curry, So.; Mike Dingle, So.
WLB:Jacob Rodriguez, Sr.; Bryce Ramirez, Sr.; x-Justin Horne, So.
NB:A.J. McCarty, Sr.; Brenden Jordan, Jr.; Marcus Ramon-Edwards, So.; Oliver Miles, Fr-RS
CB:Brice Pollock, Jr.; Macho Stevenson, So.; Tarrion Grant, So.
SS:Cole Wisniewski, Sr.; Jordan Sanford, Jr.; Malik Esquerra, Fr-RS
FS:Chapman Lewis, Jr.; Devynn Cromwell, Sr.; Peyton Morgan, Fr-RS
CB:Maurion Horn, Jr.; Dontae Balfour, Sr.
Special teams
K:Upton Bellenfant, Jr.; Stone Harrington, Jr.
P:Jack Burgess, Sr.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech football roster analysis, projected spring depth chart
