Texas Tech football: Loss to KU brings concerns about program’s future
Is there hope for an infusion of talent?
Sometimes you can look at a bad team and see hope for the future. If the key contributors such as the QB are freshmen, there’s a reason to think that better days are on the horizon.
In Texas Tech’s case, it is hard to see the talent on the roster increasing or improving greatly for the foreseeable future. That’s certainly a reason for concern.
At QB, Alan Bowman should be back again next year but will he be able to stay healthy for a full season? And though Jett Duffey will return next year, his ideal role is as a backup QB who is a great fill-in starter for a game or two but not for the majority of a season as it looks like he will be this year, thus meaning he’s not really worth being excited over.
Additionally, Tech has been playing a number of juniors and seniors all over the field this year, which is what teams point to as the type of season when they expect to be at their most competitive. Still, this team is just 3-5.
With three senior starters on the offensive line, that position group will be in for a major overhaul next year, especially if junior guard Jack Anderson leaves early for the NFL, which is possible. In addition, the receiving corp is manned by almost all-upperclassmen with only Erik Ezukanma, Dalton Rigdon, and Kesean Carter having multiple years of eligibility remaining after this season. That trio has combined for just 62 catches for 718 yards and five touchdowns.
On defense, Tech will lose its three best players, Jordyn Brooks, Broderick Washington, and Douglas Coleman and there appear to be no clear answers as to where their replacements might be found. That’s not good news for a defense that is just 116th in the country in total defense.
If that’s not troubling enough, ask yourself to name the most impactful freshman we’ve seen this year outside of RB SaRodorick Thompson, who leads the team with 549 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns. It’s tough to name one, isn’t it?
Ezukanma has been an up-and-down performer in his redshirt freshman season and could still realize his tantalizing potential but he’s not yet ready to be a building block. Guard Weston Wright is a redshirt freshman who has filled in admirably at guard in Jack Anderson’s absence but he too not a player that’s going to pull this program out of its doldrums.
On defense, freshmen like Tony Bradford Jr., Xavier Benson, Tyrique Matthews, Alex Hogan, and Dadrion Taylor have all appeared in multiple games but have yet to provide enough for us to count them as foundational pieces of the future. Couple that with the fact that the 2020 recruiting class ranks just 7th in the Big 12 and it’s tough to find players we can look to as reasons for hope that next year’s roster is going to be significantly improved.