With more eyes on Texas Tech football, Tyler Shough welcomes the spotlight

The whistle blows in the Sports Performance Center, a signal that the first Texas Tech football practice of the season is about to begin.

At his spot in front of the stretching line, Tyler Shough hops to his feet and moves his hips, his shoulders. The anointed starting quarterback for 2023 goes through individualized handshakes with several teammates and staffers.

There's no hint of the pressure or attention that's on Shough and the Red Raiders on this first Friday morning of August. He's loose as a goose, ready to get Tech's most anticipated season in more than a decade started.

Shough is well aware of what lies in front of him and his teammates. It's one of the reasons why the Chandler, Ariz., native opted to return to Lubbock. Projected as a mid-to-late round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, Shough looked at what the Red Raiders had coming back — 17 starters, including 11 on offense — and decided he wanted in.

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And he knows whether the Red Raiders achieve those goals falls largely on his shoulders.

"I know what we can be capable of this year," Shough said, "and I really wanted to be a part of that. This group is special, so it's been fun this whole offseason. The fall, I think, is really going to be representative of what we can do."

Tyler Shough changes nutrition to benefit Texas Tech football

Shough admits he has a sweet tooth. That becomes even more prominent later in the day, after the hustle and bustle as he settles in with his fiancé Jordan Wormdahl.

When head coach Joey McGuire officiates their spring wedding, Shough hopes there's a few more rings involved with the ceremony.

To prepare for the season, Shough knew he had to get his body right. He ditched the brownies and ice cream for frozen fruits and protein muffins. He'll include chocolate-covered strawberries to spice things up, but he's sticking to the changes in hopes of a healthy season.

"It's little things to where I can still have my fun with the guys," Shough said, "and still have a little bit of sweetness, a little bit of protein. ... I’ve been working with our nutritionist Hannah (Petersen) a lot just to find things we can work into my diet, that's going to (be) beneficial for us."

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Shough's first two years at Tech were hampered with injury. He suffered a broken collarbone on his left shoulder in 2021, missing the final nine games. Shough returned in 2022, winning the quarterback battle over Behren Morton and Donovan Smith, to start the season opener.

That victory proved short-lived. Shough reaggravated the same shoulder and didn't return until Oct. 29 against Baylor. Dietary changes, Shough hopes, will play a role in keeping him on the field.

"That endurance level is up more," Shough said. "I really don't get tired much. I'm trying to stay healthy going into those later games in the season. That was my biggest goal was to get my body ready to take hits and withstand a lot of games."

How Shough will be utilized in 2023

When Shough returned, Red Raider fans held their breath with each hit he took. That frequency increased as Shough was used more in the running game during a four-game winning streak to end the season.

Shough totaled 72 rushing attempts and was third on the team in rushing yards (269) despite playing seven games. His 25 carries — for 111 yards and two scores — in the Texas Bowl win over Ole Miss were the most in a single game by any Tech player last season.

Offensive coordinator Zach Kittley doesn't foresee taking Shough out of the running game entirely. Shough enjoys it too much.

But Kittley does want to limit the carries.

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"A lot of those games, the bowl game for example, I don't know how many true quarterback runs calls we had," Kittley said, "but him just being able to ... scramble around and get us some yards and big yards at times, that's something that he's talented at. He wants to run.

"The bigger thing for him is let's get some yards, let's get down, let's get out of bounds, let's slide. Some of those things, but definitely don't want to live in the quarterback run-game world."

Kittley hopes improved play from the offensive line — which gave up 41 sacks last season — will avoid overuse of Shough in the run game.

Shough welcomes added attention

Tech will have a number attached to its name to start the season for the first time since 2008. Outsiders are taking notice of the happenings in Lubbock.

External expectations are starting to match what the Red Raiders believe themselves. Drawing more eyes onto the program, and himself, is something Shough embraces.

If anything, he wants the team to garner more attention once games are played.

"We want high expectations," Shough said. "Me, personally, and a lot of the guys, we feel like there's not enough on us. We're so confident in our abilities and what we can do, and every single day we see the guys around us.

"We don't want anybody to know, but if they do know, that's good because we're going to go out there and play our best game trying to get better every single week. We don't really care what people think, but we're trying to live up to our potential, really."

Don Williams of the Avalanche-Journal contributed to his report.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Tyler Shough welcomes, wants even more eyes on Texas Tech football