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How Texas Tech football's top-ranked portal class pushes 20-plus onto roster bubble
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- How Texas Tech football's top-ranked portal class pushes 20-plus onto roster bubble
The Texas Tech football team's success recruiting the NCAA transfer portal, nabbing 16 players in nine days, comes at a cost. That's not just to The Matador Club donor collective providing the financial backing to attract players.
It's also going to cost more than a few current players their spots in the program. Next year's roster cap will be 105, assuming a federal judge gives final approval on April 7 to the proposed House v. NCAA settlement.
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As of Friday, the A-J projects the Red Raiders to be 18 players over next year's limit. That's based on the following: 19 high-school signees this month , 17 transfers from the portal , 84 players on the current roster with eligibility remaining and three seniors who could return on medical hardship waivers.
Tech coach Joey McGuire said Thursday he won't be surprised if a few more Tech players have their names entered into the transfer portal before the 20-day window closes on Dec. 28.
"And then there are some guys that are trying to decide — they have a year left — that are trying to decide are they going to play another year, older guys," McGuire said. "They are guys that graduate in the spring, they want to graduate as a Red Raider, and so they want to take their chance of making the 105."
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There's another portal window from April 16-25. More than 20 Tech players are on the bubble, having to decide whether to stay for spring practice or enter the college free-agent market now, trying to find a new team and establish themselves months ahead of the 2025 season.
Among them are about 25 walk-ons, most of whom played little this season.
McGuire says none are under any illusions.
"I don't think whenever it comes to the 105," McGuire said, "that anybody doesn't feel like they've had a great conversation with me to (know) exactly where they're at and what they have to do to be in the 105. Again, we try to be really up front and transparent with them and let them make a decision.
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"I don't want to be a coach that's playing with (misleading) some of these guys. There's going to be a lot of coaches that do it, just to try to protect their self through spring and stuff like that. ... We're trying to give our guys the best information and let them decide. And there could be some that we don't want to get in (the portal) that get in."
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Of the players on the Tech roster in the final month of the regular season, 14 have had their names in the portal during the window that opened Dec. 9. Offensive tackles Ty Buchanan and Dalton Merryman started seven and six games this season, and defensive edge player Harvey Dyson started six. Among the others are wide receiver Micah Hudson , now pledged to Texas A&M, receivers Jordan Brown and Brady Boyd and quarterback Jake Strong .
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McGuire said several players with their names in the portal are still practicing with the team and he expects they'll play when Tech faces Arkansas on Dec. 27 in the Liberty Bowl.
As of Friday, On3Sports and 247Sports ranked Tech's transfer-portal class No. 1 in the country. Rivals ranked it No. 2. The Red Raiders have added five defensive backs, four defensive tackles or edge players and three offensive linemen. McGuire plans to take a kicker and be at a stopping point with 17 additions.
"I feel like we'll be in a really good spot," he said. "We'll have addressed our needs and wants, and then we'll take a deep breath and kind of evaluate the roster, of where we're at."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech football's top-ranked portal haul pushes 20-plus onto bubble
