Texas Tech football: Positions that might take a step back in 2019

Receiver

We have come to take for granted that Texas Tech will always have star receivers.  And that could very well be the case again this year but the passing catching corps suffered some significant losses this offseason.

With Antione Wesley and Ja’Deion High no longer on the roster, the Red Raiders lost their two leading receivers from last season.  That duo combined for 2,214 yards and 13 touchdowns last fall and replacing that production will be a tough task.

Fortunately, there are some talented options in the mix.  Tech needs junior Antoine Wesley to finally realize his full potential and be the lead receiver that most have predicted he would become since arriving on campus as a 4-star recruit.  Last year, he had 687 yards and seven touchdowns and he needs to be a 1,000-yard receiver in 2019.

Opposite him will be either senior Seth Collins, who had 32 receptions for 317 yards and two touchdowns in 2018 or redshirt freshman Erik Ezukanma, a former 4-star recruit who impressed this spring.  Collins is making the move outside, where he played at Oregon State, after playing in the slot last year while Ezukanma appeared in only two games last season.

Replacing High in the slot will be key as well.  Nevada transfer McLane Mannix and sophomore speedster KeSean Carter figure to be the most likely candidates to fill the lone inside receiver spot in the new offense of David Yost, who will have a tight end on the field next year instead of a second transitional slot receiver.

But whomever the Red Raiders put on the field in Wesley and High’s positions, it is unlikely that they will have the type of seasons that Tech’s two top receivers did last year.  But given that Yost figures to run the ball more next year, the Red Raiders many not necessarily need as much for their receiving corps as they have in recent seasons.