Texas Tech football: Surprises from the week-one depth chart

Donta Thompson beats out Travis Koontz at tight end

When Matt Wells arrived in Lubbock, the first player he recruited was JUCO tight end, Travis Koontz.  And given that the roster Wells inherited did not have a true tight end, which is a key component of offensive coordinator David Yost’s system, Koontz entered the offseason as the heavy favorite to win the starting job.

But he has been beaten out by senior Donta Thompson, who has converted from outside receiver to TE.  That has to be considered a bit of an upset.

In recent weeks, Thompson has generated some buzz for his play at TE after putting on as much as 30 pounds this offseason.  And it was evident tight ends coach Luke Wells was encouraged by the Ennis native’s progress early in camp.

"“We’ve asked him to do a lot of things that he’s really never done before,” Wells said to Carlos Silva Jr. on August 8th.  “And he’s been like a sponge.  He trains a lot.  Does a lot of extra things in the film room, works on his footwork off the field.  He’s come a long way.  The last three or four practices of spring ball, you could really see him coming along.  He’s put on 30 pounds, he’s got a lot of confidence, he’s been playing lights out so far in camp.  I’m really proud of him.”"

The fact that Thompson would beat out a player rated as the No. 2 JUCO TE in the nation by 247Sports after playing wide receiver his entire was not expected when fall camp began.  And given the fact that he’s had just three receptions in 29 career games, most Red Raider fans had given up on any hopes that he would ever play a significant role in the offense.

Much of that had to do with the fact that the Kingsbury staff just didn’t know what to do with him.  The 6-foot-5 target was too slow to be a full-time threat on the outside and could not block well enough to be a consistent option at the H-back position which was often used as a lead blocker on running plays.

Perhaps that’s why Thompson was not a target of the Red Raiders until late in the 2015 recruiting cycle.  He received his offer from Tech in November of 2014 and only after another WR target had decomitted.

Now, it is becoming apparent that the previous staff was ill-prepared to get the most out of Thompson because there was not a natural fit for him in Kingsbury’s scheme.  However, he seems to have found a new home in Yost’s offense and he’s made himself into a rather surprising starter in his last season as a Red Raider.

This does not mean that Koontz will be a non-factor this season.  We have seen that it takes time for JUCO players to adjust to the FBS game and many often do not become impact players until their second year on campus.

As the season progresses, it would not be shocking to see Koontz become a greater contributor to the offense.  But whether it is Tompson or Koontz on the field, the top priority for the Red Raider tight ends will likely be to help clear a path in the run game.  Given that Thompson has never had to focus on that part of his game, it’s impressive that the staff already trusts him in this critical role.