Texas Tech football: Players that have not met expectations through three games

TE Travis Koontz

Another player that might have had too great of expectations placed on him by the fans is JUCO TE Travis Koontz.  The No. 2 JUCO prospect in the nation at his position was the first recruit to commit to Matt Wells and was expected to be a unique weapon in the Texas Tech passing game.

We have not seen a traditional tight end in the modern era of the program.  Jace Amaro was the closest but though he certainly had the size to play the position, he was utilized like a typical slot receiver.

Perhaps that’s why many of us were rather fascinated by the thought of how Koontz might change the face of the offensive attack.  But thus far, he’s really been hard to notice.

In fall camp, he was never mentioned as a player that stood out to the coaches and he ultimately lost the starting job to senior Donta Thompson, a converted wide receiver who had three career receptions prior to this year.  Thompson has been solid but with seven receptions for 60 yards, he too has not been a revelation in the passing game.

It is likely that we all overestimated how important the position would be to OC David Yost’s passing attack.  After all, his prized All-Mountain West Conference tight end last year at Utah State, Dax Raymond, caught just 27 passes for 347 yards and two scores.   That is roughly the same pace Thompson is on.

We also must keep in mind that JUCO players usually do not make a huge splash in their first year of FBS football.  We have seen that to be the case with a number of players such as former safety Dwayne Slay (2004-05), linebacker Will Smith (2012-13), and DT Mych Thomas (2016-17) among others.

As the year progresses and the offense begins to further encompass the full scope of what Yost wants, we may see the tight ends more involved in the passing game, especially with backup QBs having to guide the ship for the foreseeable future with Alan Bowman out.

Also, it would not be surprising to see Koonts find his place on this team and carve a nice niche for himself in the offense as his transition to the FBS level eases.  But it looks unlikely that he will meet the rather lofty expectations many had for him when he signed back in December.