IR Keke Coutee
When looking for an all-time great inside receiver to hypothetically plug into the 2019 Texas Tech offense, there are plenty of options. You couldn’t go wrong with Wes Welker, Danny Amendola, or Jakeem Grant but for what Yost wants to do this year, Keke Coutee would be a perfect fit.
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That’s because more so than any inside receiver Tech has produced, Coutee was a lethal deep threat. For his career, he averaged 15.2 yards per reception thanks to his speed, which allowed him to challenge defenses by occupying safeties over 20 yards downfield.
In 2017, his 1,429 yards were good for second all-time at Tech. He also found the endzone 10 times that season to bring his career total to 17.
This season, Tech has some questions to answer in the slot after last year’s leading IR Ja’Deion High graduated. Fortunately, there are a couple of intriguing options on the roster.
Nevada transfer McLane Mannix is the leading candidate to earn the starting job. In two years in Reno, the Midland native caught 107 passes for 1,653 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Meanwhile, sophomore Kesean Carter returns after a 26-catch, 238-yard true freshman campaign. Also a sprinter for the track team, Carter could become a deep threat that does much of what Coutee did.
Yost and Wells want to challenge defenses vertically more than horizontally like typical “Air Raid” offenses are prone to. And to put as much pressure as possible on Big 12 secondaries, it would be fantastic to have Keke Coutee to threaten the deep middle of the field.