It has been 276 days since we last saw Texas Tech Football in action, but it has felt more like 276 years, as we’ve had to chew on a 4-8 record for nine months. But that electric energy in the air and the skip in your step signals that we’ve finally reached the first game week of 2015.
Texas Tech enters Kliff Kingsbury’s third season with something to prove and again they will rely on an unusual mix of seniors and lower classmen to try and restore the program to Big 12 relevance.
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On Sunday, the official Texas Tech depth chart for week 1 was released. While there are a few surprises on the list, the one question everyone has been asking remains unanswered.
As expected, the depth chart lists the starter at quarterback as Davis Webb or Pat Mahomes. This comes as no surprise as Kingsbury has treated any information about the quarterback competition as if it were a secret on par with the inner workings of the church of Scientology or the truth behind the JFK assassination.
However, there is quite a bit we can glean from the first depth chart.
The first moderate surprise comes via the offensive line. Many expected red shirt freshman Justin Murphy, a former 4-star recruit, to be the starting right tackle but that job has been won by 6-foot-4, 310-pound junior Baylen Brown from San Antonio.
In fact, Murphy is listed as the backup at right guard rather than right tackle. Speaking of guards, the feel-good story of the offense is starting right guard Tony Morales.
The 6-foot-3, 297-pound senior from Arlington, TX was one of the nation’s top offensive line recruits coming out of high school but he has not played for the Red Raiders since stepping on to campus due to various injuries. Now, he is a starting lineman for his final year, an honor he will share with his twin brother, Alfredo who will start at left guard for the second season in a row.
Moving on, there are two new starting receivers for the Air Raid offense. Junior Dylan Cantrell has supplanted Reginald Davis as the starter at the “Z” wide receiver position, and sophomore Ian Sadler is listed as the starter at the “Y” inside receiver position where Bradley Marquez started last season.
Furthermore, true freshman Tony Brown from La Miranda, CA is listed as the backup to Devin Lauderdale at the “X” wide receiver. The 2014 wide receivers were a disappointment and the Tech coaches seem to have made a statement by naming two new starters and putting a true freshman on the two-deep.
Much of the focus this offseason was on the front seven of the defense. The biggest surprise on the defense, and possibly the entire depth chart is that Demetrius Alston is listed as the starting defensive tackle. Many expected true freshman and high school All-American Breiden Fehoko to start from day one, especially with media reports that the Hawaiian has been taking most of the first team reps in practice.
In fact, just last week Kingsbury told the attendees at a luncheon that Fehoko would be the starter.
However, Tech defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator Mike Smith will use a heavy rotation along the defensive front in order to keep his starters fresh. This means that we can plan on seeing plenty of playing time for Fehoko and senior Keeland McElrath.
Like Tony Morales on the offensive line, Taylor Nunez is the feel good story of the defensive line. The former high school quarterback from Midland who walked on at Tech and was finally put on scholarship this summer is listed as the backup to All-Conference defensive end Branden Jackson.
Highly touted Ohio State transfer, Mike Mitchell, a former 5-star recruit from Plano, Texas is not on the two-deep depth chart. Originally expected to be a linebacker, Mitchell has been moved to the rush defensive end position where 2014 Big 12 sacks leader Pete Robertson is the starter and Zach Barnes the backup.
Junior Kris Williams, senior Micah Awe and Junior Malik Jenkins are the starters at the three linebacker spots. None were starters last season and only Awe has significant experience in the Big 12.
Finally, the defensive backfield two deep is a bit eye opening. After receiving rave reviews all summer from coaches, the media and his teammates, sophomore corner Nigel Bethell II is not listed as a starter, but as one of two options to backup starter Justis Nelson.
Tevin Madison, another sophomore, opens as the starting corner opposite of Nelson for the second year in a row. J.J. Gaines is listed as his backup but expect to see plenty of Gaines and Bethell when the opposition uses multiple receiver formations.
Another mild surprise is that red shirt freshman Ja’Shawn Johnson is listed as the starting free safety. He will be flanked by junior strong safety Keenon Ward who started 10 games in 2014.
In total, 17 underclassmen find themselves on the two-deep with 8 of those players being freshmen. Coincidentally, there are also 17 seniors listed on the depth chart.
What is important to keep in mind is that there are a number of players not on the depth chart that will see the field. Expect to see at least two more true freshman receivers (likely Donta Thompson and Keke Coutee) in action as well as a host of fresh bodies rotate through every position in the defensive front seven.
As we all know, the depth chart is subject to change at any time and is not written in stone. But what makes the first depth chart of the year so interesting is that it is the first time the 2015 team begins to take shape and it allows fans to picture what we might see in just six days… let me say that again…. just six days!