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Texas Tech football: Three obstacles Matt Wells must overcome in 2019

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TX - SEPTEMBER 08: Demarcus Felton #2 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts to scoring a touchdown during the first half of the game against the Lamar Cardinals on September 08, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - SEPTEMBER 08: Demarcus Felton #2 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts to scoring a touchdown during the first half of the game against the Lamar Cardinals on September 08, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
(Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /

The roster does not stack up with other Big 12 programs

Any way you cut it, the lack of overall talent on the Texas Tech roster is troubling.  So if Wells is going to surpass expectations, he and his assistants will have to do a tremendous job of coaching up their players.

Last year, Tech had only five players named to the All-Big 12 first or second teams and three of those (Dakota Allen, Clayton Hatfield and Antoine Wesley) are no longer on the team.  That leaves only corner Adrian Frye and guard Jack Anderson set to return as all-conference players.

Additionally, Tech has lost honorable mention All-Big 12 honorees Jah’Shawn Johnson, Vaughnte Dorsey, Joe Wallace, DeQuan Bowman and Dominic Panazzolo.  And unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a plethora of young players ready to break out.

Certainly, QB Alan Bowman, running backs Taz’Hawn Henry and Sarodorick Thompson and receiver Erik Ezukanma could all have big seasons in 2019.  But the program’s recent troubles on the recruiting trail may start to become evident on the field this season.

This should be the year that the class of 2016 is the backbone of the team but the class that Kingsbury signed three years ago (which ranked just No. 44 in the nation) has produced very few all-conference caliber players.  Of the 25 signees in that class, only Jordan Brooks, Travis Bruffy and T.J. Vasher have done enough to suggest they could be possible All-Big 12 selections this year.

Other 2016 signees Bailey Smith, Damarcus Fields and Douglas Coleman are expected to start or be in the two-deep rotation.  But the rest of that class has failed to become solid contributors and likely will not see much time on the field this year.

As for the 2017 class, only five players from that class are projected to be major factors or starters this season.  That’s not surprising of a class that was ranked just No. 49 overall.

The 2018 class was even worse at No. 72 in the nation and the group that Tech signed this year was No. 64 overall meaning the if the youngsters in those classes are going to break out this year, it will be rather surprising based on their recruiting rankings.  The biggest failings of the Kingsbury regime were on the recruiting trail and now, those missteps are going to make Matt Wells have to overcome a rather significant talent gap in his first season in Lubbock.

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