DT Colby Whitlock
In the 3-3-5 defense, there is extra responsibility placed on the nose tackle and fortunately, the Red Raiders have a fantastic starter in senior Broderick Washington who had 41 tackles last year. But behind him, there is a huge concern about who will help him anchor the middle of the defensive line.
Junior Nick McCann looks like the logical backup but the 310-pounder has just 29 career tackles in two seasons. Redshirt freshman Jayon Hutchings has seen action in only three games making two stops. But the 295-pounder might see more action this year being as he is the only other natural nose tackle on the roster.
Unfortunately, the Red Raiders lost a quality defensive tackle this offseason when Joe Wallace entered the transfer portal. As a sophomore, the 315-pounder registered 39 tackles making seven starts and he would have been a great rotation piece to help spell Washington.
If we were to bring back a former Red Raider to pair with Washington at nose tackle, Colby Whitlock would be a fantastic fit. With 125 career tackles, the Oklahoma native proved to be one of the most undervalued but indispensable members of the late 2000s Mike Leach teams.
The former high school wrestler earned honorable-mention All-Big 12 honors in his first three seasons (2007-09) before being named second-team all-conference as a senior in 2010. And of course, he is most remembered for his first-quarter safety against No. 1 Texas in the classic 2008 game.
Wells has discussed bringing toughness to his program and no player in the modern era of the program has been tougher in the trenches than Colby Whitlock. If we could pair him with Washington, Tech would have arguably the best defensive tackle situation in the Big 12.