What the Texas Tech 2-deep depth chart might look like ahead of spring football
In less than a week, the Texas Tech football program will begin its annual round of spring practices. And this could be the most important spring of Joey McGuire’s tenure as head coach.
First of all, McGuire will be working with two new coordinators. On defense, he has brought in Shiel Wood from Houston to fix what was the team’s Achilles’ heel in 2024.
Offensively, Mack Leftwich has been tasked with replacing Zach Kittley as coordinator after Kittley took the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic. Thus, this will be a spring all about installing new systems and schemes on both sides of the ball.
Second, McGuire’s program is also welcoming 17 transfers to the mix, almost all of whom are expected to be in the mix for heavy playing time this fall. That’s why team building and instilling culture will be some of the most important tasks that McGuire faces this offseason.
Of course, by bringing in one of the nation’s top transfer classes and adding it to a program coming off of an eight-win season, expectations have risen in West Texas. McGuire and his staff are not shying away from talking about their goal of appearing in the Big 12 Championship Game in December, and nothing short of that will be considered a success.
However, to play for a championship in December, teams have to do the work in March, and that is what the Red Raiders are doing at this point in the year with offseason workouts leading into spring practices.
“I love spring football,” McGuire said this week to 365 Sports. “You know, I think it’s the purest form of football. You know, you’re not getting ready for anybody. You’re teaching your fundamentals. I think it’s also far enough away [from the fall] to where you can be really physical.”
McGuire went on to say that, unlike many programs around the country, Texas Tech will still hold a spring game. However, the program will not televise it as has been the norm in years past. That is because, in the age of the transfer portal, the Red Raiders don’t want other programs to have the ability to scout their roster for potential targets.
So, with spring practices on the horizon, let’s take a look at how the revamped Red Raider roster might shape up as we head into the workouts.
What the Texas Tech offensive depth chart might look like
Here’s a look at what the Texas Tech football team’s two-deep depth chart might look like on offense.
| Position | First Team | Second Team |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Will Hammond – RS FR | *Mich Griffis – RS SR |
| Running Back | J’Koby Williams – SO | *Quentin Joyner – SO |
| Wide Receiver – X | Coy Eakin – JR | T.J. West – RS SO |
| Wide Receiver – Z | Caleb Douglas – SR | Tyson Turner – RS FR |
| Slot Receiver | *Reggie Virgil – SR | Kelby Valsin – RS SO |
| Left Tackle | *Howard Sampson – JR | * Will Jados – RS SR |
| Left Guard | Vinny Sciury – RS SR | Nick Fattig – RS SO |
| Center | Sheridan Wilson – RS JR | Caleb Rodkey – RS SR |
| Right Guard | Davion Carter – RS SR | Dylan Shaw – RS SO |
| Right Tackle | *Hunter Zambrano – RS SR | Jacob Ponton – RS FR |
| Tight End | Johncarlos Miller – RS SR | *Terrance Carter JR – RS JR |
* Indicates player who transferred to Texas Tech after 2024 season.
It is important to remember that the Red Raiders will be without starting quarterback Behren Morton this spring as he works his way back from offseason shoulder surgery. Thus, he isn’t on the spring football depth chart. In his place, Will Hammond will get invaluable first-team reps, an opportunity that could pay huge dividends for him down the line.
Overall, there are seven players on the offensive two-deep who are new to the program via transfer. That includes both first-team tackles on the offensive line. However, that is less than the number of new faces that make the defensive two-deep.
What the Texas Tech defensive depth chart might look like
Here is what a potential spring football two-deep for the Texas Tech defensive might look like.
| Position | First Team | Second Team |
|---|---|---|
| Defensive End | Joseph Adedire – RS JR | Charles Esters Jr. – RS SR |
| Nose Tackle | *Lee Hunter – RS SR | E’Maurion Banks – RS SR |
| Defensive Tackle | *Skyler Gill-Howard – RS SR | *Anthony Holmes – RS JR |
| Defensive End / Edge | *Romello Height – RS SR | Isaac Smith – RS SR |
| Middle Linebacker | Jacob Rodriguez – RS SR | John Curry – RS SO |
| Weakside Linebacker | Ben Roberts – RS JR | Bryce Ramirez – RS SR |
| Cornerback | *Brice Pollack – JR | *Grant Tarrion – SO |
| Strong Safety | *Cole Wisniewski – RS SR | Jordan Sanford – JR |
| Free Safety | Chapman Lewis – JR | Devynn Cromwell – RS SR |
| Cornerback | Maurion Horn – RS JR | *Dontae Balfour – RS SR |
| Nickel | A.J. McCarty – RS SR | Brenden Jordan – JR |
* Indicates player who transferred to Texas Tech after 2024 season.
Texas Tech has invested heavily into the defensive side of the football. In this projected two-deep, there are eight new transfers, and overall, of the 17 players the team added via the portal this offseason, nine call the defense home.
That makes sense, given that the Red Raiders had arguably the worst defense in the Big 12 in 2024. What’s interesting is that the defensive line and the secondary will be populated with a ton of new faces, showing exactly what the program thought of the performance of those two position groups last season.
Of course, these two-deeps are only projections, and there will be players moving to new positions and players playing their way into or out of playing time as the spring progresses. Thus, it will be worth paying attention to any developments that come out of the program in the upcoming weeks, and Wreck ’em Red will be here to cover them all.
