How Did The Texas Tech Football QB Situation Become So Shaky?

5 of 5

Signing Xavier Martin As A QB Instead Of Receiver In 2017

In each recruiting class, landing the right quarterback is essential because programs usually only sign one or two players at that position unlike the other positions at which numerous players are signed. And when a QB signee is converted to receiver in his first semester on campus, a hole is left on the roster.

More from Wreck'Em Red

Such was the case with 2017 QB signee Xavier Martin. The Cibolo, Texas native was a top high school QB in 2016 ranked by some services as a 4-star prospect. He threw for 2,248 yards and 22 touchdowns while running for 739 yards and 10 more scores while leading his team to the state title game.

But once he arrived in Lubbock, the coaching staff decided the electric athlete would be better served as a inside receiver. That move left only McLane Carter as the 2017 QB signee and as we have already discussed, Carter is a marginal college QB at best.

While Martin may prove to be a fine receiver eventually (he redshirted last season), bringing him in as a QB rather than a receiver was a mistake. Kingsbury did not correctly evaluate Martin when recruiting him or else he would have seen that his skill set did not translate to playing QB at the collegiate level.

If Kingsbury would have brought in another high school prospect that could have projected to be a QB at the next level, he could have potentially found another option for this year’s QB race. What’s more, that prospect would have spent a year in the system learning how to run the offense and could conceivably be the front runner for the starting job this fall.

Next: Why Texas Tech Could Finally Close Strong In 2018

But instead, the only high school QB prospect in the 2017 class is buried on the receiver depth chart behind a group of unproven players suggesting he is far from ready to contribute. There’s no way to know but if Tech had brought in another QB in 2017, the current outlook at the position could be vastly different.

Home/Texas Tech Football