RB Demarcus Felton To Transfer from Texas Tech

Texas Tech running back Demarcus Felton has announced his intentions to transfer after seeing his playing time diminish significantly in 2017.

The Texas Tech running back position continues to make news this week.  One day after the Red Raiders lost out on coveted grad transfer RB Tre Watson, Demarcus Felton, a senior-to-be, revealed his intentions to leave the program.

Felton’s decision was not a surprise to most who saw the writing on the wall after his carries dropped from 66 in 2016 to just 22 in 2017.  Furthermore, Texas Tech’s heavy pursuit of Watson was a signal that the team did not consider Felton a viable candidate to play a significant role next season.

As a sophomore, Felton had his best season running for 354 yards and three touchdowns before an injury ended his season with two games to play.  As the team’s second-leading rusher in 2016, Felton was in prime position for a big 2017, especially with DaLeon Ward redshirting but that did not materialize.  He was surpassed on the depth chart by two JUCO transfers, Tre King and Desmond Nisby and along with the re-emergence of Justin Stockton, Felton was a non-factor.

Felton’s biggest hurdle is his small stature.  At just 5-foot-7, 195-pounds, Felton is more prone to injury than bigger running backs.  Plus, he does not have the blazing speed that many smaller backs utilize to survive at the collegiate level.

Coming out of Houston, Texas in 2015, Felton was rated a 3-star player.  He was ranked as the No. 21 all-purpose back in the nation and the No. 117 prospect in Texas and chose Texas Tech over the University of Houston.

But last season, Felton found himself at the end of the Texas Tech running back depth chart and as a senior, there was little time for him to re-establish himself in the eyes of the coaching staff.  This departure leaves Texas Tech with three experienced running backs on the roster in Ward, King and Nisby who should provide the Red Raiders with the bulk of their rushing offense.  Furthermore, Texas Tech signed two high school running backs, SaRodorick Thompson and Ta’Zhawn Henry.

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Though the Red Raiders are likely to run the ball more in 2018 than ever before in the Kingsbury era due to inexperienced quarterbacks and the influence of new offensive coordinator Kevin Johns, there simply was no longer a place for Demarcus Felton in the Red Raider’s plans.