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Texas Tech football: 2019 report card for Matt Wells

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 19: Head coach Matt Wells of the Texas Tech Red Raiders exits the team bus in front of the stadium before the college football game against the Iowa State Cyclones on October 19, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 19: Head coach Matt Wells of the Texas Tech Red Raiders exits the team bus in front of the stadium before the college football game against the Iowa State Cyclones on October 19, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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SaRodorick Thompson #28 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
SaRodorick Thompson #28 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

Player Development: B-

Another area where Wells and his coaching staff impressed was in terms of player development.  That’s because a number of key players showed tremendous improvement this fall.

The biggest jump any player made from 2018 to 2019 was Jordyn Brooks.  With 108 tackles, he surpassed his 2018 total by 24 and his previous career-high by 19.  Some of that was due to his move to middle LB after playing at outside LB in his first three years but we must also credit Wells and his staff for helping put their best defensive player in the proper position to maximize his potential.

Speaking of defensive players that took a huge step forward, how about the senior season of Douglas Coleman?  In addition to making a career-high 63 tackles (more than double his previous career-high), he picked off eight passes to lead the Big 12.  Moving from corner to safety, he too was a player that benefitted from a change of position.

Some young offensive players also made significant strides in 2019.  Of course, QB Jett Duffey was lightyears better than anyone expected him to be as evidenced by his 18:5 TD: INT ratio.  Last year, he threw only eight touchdowns while being picked off six times.

Meanwhile, SaRodorick Thompson led this team in rushing as a redshirt freshman.  He was the second-leading freshman rusher in the Big 12 and 9th overall regardless of classification with 63.8 yards per game and 765 for the year.

Another redshirt freshman that got better as the season progressed was receiver Erik Ezukanma.  The second-leading freshman receiver in the conference and 10th overall, he led Tech with 55.3 yards per game in his first year as a starter after playing in only two games in 2018.

Other players such as guard Weston Wright, center Dawson Deaton, tight end Donta Thompson, and inside receiver Dalton Rigdon were all noticeably improved this year.  But because such players as safety Adrian Frye and receiver T.J. Vasher were noticeably worse, we can’t give Wells more than a B- when it comes to player development.

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