No. 5: DB Vaughnte Dorsey 2017-18
Out of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in 2017, the Red Raiders picked up safety Vaughnte Dorsey. And almost immediately, he made a significant impact on his way to becoming a two-year starter.
In 2017, he started 12 of 13 games finishing fourth on the team with 59 tackles. He also had an interception while forcing and recovering a fumble.
His best game that season came against Baylor. In the Red Raider’s 38-24 win, Dorsey had eight tackles and an interception. He also had seven tackles against both Oklahoma State and South Florida en route to earning honorable mention All-Big 12 honors.
Last year, he was again named an honorable mention All-Big 12 performer after coming up with 55 tackles and four interceptions. He picked off OU QB and eventual Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray twice when the Sooners came to Lubbock while coming up win an interception against Lamar and Baylor. In that OU game, he also set a career-high with 11 tackles.
Not drafted this spring, Dorsey signed with the Washington Redskins. But after going through offseason workouts with the team, he was not invited to join the team for training camp.
Dorsey will be remembered as one of the better JUCO defensive backs to come to Texas Tech after finishing his career with 114 tackles and five interceptions. He teamed with Jah’Shawn Johnson to form one of the better safety tandems in recent program history. Now, it will be interesting to see who Tech puts at the strong safety position to help fill his shoes in 2019.