What will Texas Tech football depth chart look like for the season opener? Our projection
With the Texas Tech football season opener at Wyoming less than two weeks away, Tech coach Joey McGuire should reveal the game-week depth chart on Monday.
So much experience returns from last year's team, the Red Raiders' starters and top backups have seemed to be mostly known since early summer. There's little reason to expect drastic alterations from the pre-camp three-deep. And we're not forecasting a lot of changes since the open portions of Tech practices never involve 11-on-11 team settings that offer a look at who's starting and what players are next in.
Nevertheless, here's a forecast for the depth chart. With few exceptions, nearly all these positions are as they stacked up this summer, according to McGuire.
Offense
Outside receivers
The starters: WR (X) Loic Fouonji, Jr.; WR (Z) Jerand Bradley, So.
The reserves: WR (X) Jordan Brown, Jr.; WR (X) Coy Eakin, So.; WR (Z) J.J. Sparkman, Jr.; WR (Z) Brady Boyd, So.
In a nutshell: Bradley and Fouonji finished strong last season, Bradley posting team highs of 51 catches, 744 yards and six touchdowns as a redshirt freshman and Fouonji snagging seven passes for 100 yards in the Texas Bowl win over Mississippi. It appeared Eakin would challenge Fouonji for first-team status until he suffered a broken left collarbone early in camp. (He suffered an injured right collarbone in the spring.) Before then, the battle among Fouonji, Eakin and Drae McCray shaped up as one of the team's best. Can McGuire redshirt Boyd as he hopes?
More: Managing the hits: What do camp injuries mean for Texas Tech football receiving unit?
Inside receivers
The starters: IR (H) Xavier White, Sr.; IR (Y) Myles Price, Sr
The reserves: IR (H) Nehemiah Martinez, Jr.; IR (H) Drew Hocutt, Jr.; IR (Y) Drae McCray, Jr.; IR (Y) Jordan Brown, Jr.
In a nutshell: Price has topped 500 yards receiving two years in a row. "We're looking for Myles Price really take another step of being a dominant slot," McGuire said. White and Martinez combined for 77 catches, 966 yards and five TDs last season. Martinez came out of spring as the first-team H, then suffered facial injuries in an on-field scrap with a teammate. That's sidelined him throughout preseason camp, but Martinez should be back early in the season. McCray, an all-conference receiver at Austin Peay, joined the Red Raiders in January. He's not only the Red Raiders' fastest receiver, but can play inside or outside.
Tight end
The starter: Baylor Cupp, Sr.
The reserves: Mason Tharp, Jr.; Henry Teeter, Sr.; Jayden York, Jr.
In a nutshell: It's one of the deepest position groups on the team. Tharp, on the shelf at the end of last season and in the spring, has been healthy in August and impressed during camp. Cupp, after two seasons lost to injury at Texas A&M, began to show last season why he was a top-100 national recruit coming out of high school.
More on Mason: Inside Texas Tech football's efforts to mitigate Mason Tharp's concussion history
Return from gruesome injury: Getting back on track: Baylor Cupp, after 2 seasons lost to injuries, wants to show he can still be a top-notch tight end
Offensive line
The starters: LT Monroe Mills, Jr.; LG Cole Spencer, Sr.; C Rusty Staats, Sr.; RG Dennis Wilburn, Sr.; RT Caleb Rogers, Sr.
The reserves: LT Matt Keeler, Jr.; LG Jacoby Jackson, So; C Sheridan Wilson, Fr.; RG Landon Peterson, Sr.; RT Ty Buchanan, So.
In a nutshell: Tech engineered no more significant position switches in the off-season than reshuffling the offensive line, taking three full-time starters last season and moving them to other spots. Mills went from right tackle to left tackle, Rogers from left tackle to right tackle and Wilburn from center to guard. They made way for seventh-year senior Spencer and sixth-year senior Staats — transfers from a winning Western Kentucky program — to come in and make an impact. This is an old group with four of the backups having started games and Wilson looking like a future standout.
Shuffling the front: Position switches planned for 3 Tech line starters
Quarterback
The starter: Tyler Shough, Sr.
The reserves: Behren Morton, So.; Jake Strong, Fr.
In a nutshell: McGuire named Shough the starter in June, removing any suspense from who'd lead the offense. Shough and Morton both missed games for injury last season. If they can stay healthy, Tech should have one of the best quarterback situations in the Big 12 with both having shown they can win games.
McGuire on how Tech staff made choice: Making the call: Texas Tech names Shough starting quarterback
Running back
The starter: Tahj Brooks, Sr.
The reserves: Cam'Ron Valdez, So.; Bryson Donnell, Fr. or Anquan Willis, Fr.
In a nutshell: Brooks rushed for 568 yards and 691 yards the past two seasons with seven touchdowns in each. Speed back Valdez averaged 9.4 yards per carry in limited touches last season. They're the one-two, according to McGuire. To the extent a third back gets time, it'll be interesting to see whether it's Donnell, who turned heads last season, or Willis, who McGuire said impressed him in the spring as a first-semester freshman.
More: 'Something different': Tech freshman running back garners lofty comparison
Defense
Linemen
The starters: Field DE Myles Cole, Sr.; DT Jaylon Hutchings, Sr.; DT Tony Bradford, Sr.; Boundary DE Steve Linton, Sr.
The reserves: Field DE Joseph Adedire, So.; Field DE Charles Esters, So.; DT Quincy Ledet, Sr.; DT Blake Burris, So.; DT Dooda Banks, So.; DT Trevon McAlpine, Fr.; Boundary DE Isaac Smith, So.; Boundary DE Bryce Ramirez, Sr.; Swing DE Harvey Dyson, Fr.
In a nutshell: In Hutchings and Bradford, Tech boasts one of the most productive and experienced interior tandems around. Bradford has recovered from off-season shoulder surgery. The wild cards are the edge rushers. Tech coaches haven't been bashful about trumpeting they expect a lot from Cole and Linton. For the players, that's a big check to cash, considering Cole has 1 1/2 sacks in 47 career games and Linton has 4 1/2 sacks in 29 career games. Coaches believe they can unlock Linton's pass-rush potential by moving him farther out on the edge than what he played at Syracuse. Keep an eye on how many games Adedire plays. McGuire would like to keep him in the four-game redshirt window, but acknowledges the talented sophomore might be too impactful to sit.
More: McGuire ponders redshirting pair who played in 12 games in '22
Linebackers
The starters: Field ILB Jacob Rodriguez, Jr.; Boundary ILB Jesiah Pierre, Sr.
The reserves: Field ILB Tyrique Matthews, Sr.; Boundary ILB Ben Roberts, Fr.; ILB Wesley Smith, So.; Boundary ILB Ty Kana, Fr.; Boundary ILB Mike Dingle, Fr.
In a nutshell: Rodriguez and Pierre both showed last season they're made of Big 12 stuff, which should ease the loss of the team's top two tacklers, Krishon Merriweather and Kosi Eldridge. Pierre is making the switch from boundary end, where he started last season and finished strong. Rodriguez rotated with Eldridge last season. The depth is cloudy for the moment with top backups Matthews (calf) and Roberts (back) missing chunks of time in camp. Matthews earned a lot of trust when he rotated with Merriweather, and Roberts stood out behind the scenes among freshmen who redshirted last season. Former walk-on Smith has generated considerable buzz.
Seniors opt in: Corners carousel: Williams to return in '23, Minor to transfer
Defensive backs
The starters: CB Rayshad Williams, Sr. or Bralyn Lux, Jr.; Field S Julian (C.J.) Baskerville, Jr.; Free S Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Sr.; Boundary S Tyler Owens, Sr.; CB Malik Dunlap Sr. or Bralyn Lux, Jr.
The reserves: CB Maurion Horn, Fr.; Field S Brenden Jordan, Fr.; Free S Cameron Watts, Sr. or Chapman Lewis, Fr.; Boundary S/Field S Joseph Plunk, Jr.; Boundary S Jalon Peoples, Fr.; CB Nate Floyd, So.; CB Jordan Sanford, Fr.
In a nutshell: Williams, Dunlap and Taylor-Demerson are returning full-time starters, and the Red Raiders landed another starter in Lux, who came aboard from Fresno State. Whether Lux bumps Williams or Dunlap or fits in as a nickel, those three plus Horn project as the top four corners. Baskerville, who takes over for Marquis Waters at star, got a jump on adjustment time when he transferred in January from San Diego State. Coaches are entrusting the boundary safety to Owens, whose speed and measurables have outpaced his production to this point in his career. While Tech can run out an experienced group of starters, there's a lot of questions about a second team.
Going with Garcia: All-conference kicker plans transfer to Texas Tech
Special teams
The starters: PK Gino Garcia, Jr.; P Austin McNamara, Sr.; DS Jackson Knotts, Jr.; KR Jordan Brown, Jr.; PR Myles Price, Sr.; DS
The reserves: PK Reese Burkhardt, Jr.; P Brook Honore', Fr.; DS Jacob Mauch, Jr.; KR Drae McCray, Jr.; KR Cam'Ron Valdez, So.; PR Jordan Brown, Jr.; PR Coy Eakin, Fr.
In a nutshell: The Red Raiders need Garcia to pick up where he left off two years ago at the school then known as Houston Baptist. He was first-team all-Southland Conference in 2021, when he made 9 of 10 field goals and increased his career numbers at that point to 32 for 46. Garcia's made six career field goals longer than 47 yards, but in his first season at Tech, he yielded the spotlight to Trey Wolff, who made 21 of 25 and then turned pro. Elsewhere on special teams, there are a lot of knowns, led by McNamara, who's in position to finish with Tech single-season and career records for punting average.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: What will Texas Tech football depth chart look like for the season opener? Our projection
