Texas Tech football: How transfers that left performed in 2018

Quan Shorts: Receiver Northwestern State

In June, wide receiver Quan Shorts was kicked off the team after being arrested for marijuana possession.  The junior was set to compete for a starting role at receiver after a decent sophomore campaign that saw him catch 9 passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns.

Texas Tech was replacing four receivers this year so there was an opportunity for the Humble, Texas native who was the No. 174 player in Texas in the class of 2015.  But an off-field mistake cost him a shot to star in one of the best offenses in the Big 12.

As a result, he found refuge about as far away from a Power 5 football program as one can get.  Playing for Northwestern State in Natchitoches, Louisiana this year, Shorts caught 56 passes for 542 yards and two touchdowns this season.

He was expected to be a key part of the Texas Tech receiving corps when he signed with the Red Raiders.  He held offers from BYU, Kansas, Nebraska, Utah and Memphis as wells as Tech.

One must wonder if Shorts kept up with the season that Antoine Wesley put up in the spot that he left vacant.  Wesley finished the year as a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award and is being discussed as a potential NFL draft pick.

Now that we know how good Wesley is, it is fair to assume that he would have eventually pushed his way onto the field even if Shorts had remained a Red Raider.  But there was a way for Wesley and Shorts to be on the field together as Wesley played in the slot quite a bit during spring practice as Shorts got most of the reps on the outside.

But Shorts made a poor decision and it cost him an opportunity that most college receivers would cherish.  This is a talented player who could have made and impact in 2018, especially with the nagging injuries to T.J. Vasher.  Texas Tech and Quan Shorts both could have benefited if he would have been able to take care of business off the field.