Wreck'Em Red
Fansided

Texas Tech football: All-time Houston area Red Raider team

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TX -NOVEMBER 22: Quarterback B.J. Symons #2 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders throws a pass during the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Jones SBC Stadium on November 22, 2003 in Lubbock, Texas. The Sooners won 56-25. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX -NOVEMBER 22: Quarterback B.J. Symons #2 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders throws a pass during the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Jones SBC Stadium on November 22, 2003 in Lubbock, Texas. The Sooners won 56-25. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 9
Next
(Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
(Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /

Defensive line: RaJon Henley (DT), Richard Jones (DT), Lonzell Gilmore,

When researching this article, I was stunned to see how few defensive linemen Tech has pulled out of Houston.  In fact, if the all-time Houston team would have a weakness, it would be on the defensive front.

There have been some serviceable defensive tackles from Houston to play for the Red Raiders but none that were all-time greats for the program.  Maybe the best of that group would be RaJon Henley, a Galveston native.  From 2006-09, the 6-foot-3, 244-pounder recorded 100 career tackles with his best season being 2007 when he had 45 tackles (7.5 for loss).

Playing next to him at defensive tackle would be 6-foot-1, 280-pound Richard Jones from LaMarque.  From 2006-09, he came up with 92 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

At defensive end, the all-Houston team would have to rely on current Red Raider Lonzel Gillmore.  This year, Tech is hoping that the senior from Spring finally stays healthy so that his production can match his tremendous athletic ability.  But thus far, he’s registered just 1.5 career sacks.

That’s about it for the true defensive linemen from Houston.  There are two promising true freshmen, Gilbert Ibeneme and Tony Bradford Jr., set to join the Red Raiders this fall and hopefully, in four years, they will be obvious additions to this group.

But right now, the Houston defense would have to go to a 3-4 defensive front to put another pass rusher on the field in the form of an outside LB/DE hybrid.  The best candidates to fill that role might be Cqulin Hubert, who had 69 career tackles in 2010-11 or current Red Raider outside linebacker Brayden Stringer, who may fill that role this year.

Needless to say, this position group is not nearly as strong as the rest of the all-Houston roster.  Maybe that’s because the elite defensive line talent in the Bayou City is so heavily targeted by programs around the nation or maybe because of Tech’s reputation for being an offense-first school, but there’s no doubt that the Red Raiders have struggled to find defensive linemen in Houston.

Home/All-Time Football Lists