Texas Tech football: Candidates to fill void left by Antoine Wesley

Myllar Royals

Another 2018 signee that redshirted in 2018 is Abilene, Texas native Myllar Royals.  The 6-foot-5, 180-pounder saw action in three games this year but did not catch a pass.

In fact, the most news he made came off the field when he was arrested by Texas Tech police for driving with an invalid license and carrying a prohibited weapon (brass knuckles).   However, those charges were dropped when it was discovered that what the officer thought was a weapon was merely a survival tool designed to help people escape if trapped inside a car.

Still, he is held in high regard as a potential star for the Red Raiders.  In high school, he caught 177 career passes for 2,980 yards and 26 touchdowns.  As a three-star prospect and the No. 74 overall player in Texas, he had scholarship offers from Houston, Kansas, Louisiana-Lafayette, Nevada, UTSA, Tulsa and UTEP.

In 2018, Royals played the “Z” position behind T.J. Vasher which was opposite of the “X” position occupied by Wesley.  And like Vasher, Royals does not have the same type of speed that Wesley has so putting both he and Vasher on the field together might seem unwise as it would limit the overall speed of the receiving corps.

Still, Royals is one of the most highly-recruited young receivers currently on the roster.  Plus, he and Ezukanma are the only outside receivers over 6-foot-1 currently on campus.  The prevoius coaching staff placed a priority on putting big receivers on the outside to create mismatches against smaller defensive backs and it would make sense for the new staff to keep with that philosophy in how they use Royals.

But in the end, it would seem unlikely that Royals will be the next “X” receiver because his game is so similar to Vasher’s.  The new staff will need to see him put forth the type of ability that made him one of Texas’ best receivers as a high school prospect and if he does, he could find his way onto the field next year, perhaps as a replacement for Wesley.