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Texas Tech football: The five best players on Red Raiders’ roster

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TX - NOVEMBER 03: Texas Tech Red Raider mascot "Raider Red" fires his pistols during ceremonies before the game against the Oklahoma Sooners on November 3, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. Oklahoma defeated Texas Tech 51-46. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - NOVEMBER 03: Texas Tech Red Raider mascot "Raider Red" fires his pistols during ceremonies before the game against the Oklahoma Sooners on November 3, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. Oklahoma defeated Texas Tech 51-46. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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No. 4: DE Eli Howard

The leader of the Red Raider defensive line is now senior Eli Howard who assumes that mantle from Broderick Washington.  While Howard has never been a player that garners as much attention by those outside of the program and fan base, Red Raider fans know that he is amazingly dependable.

In 2019, he led the Red Raiders with five sacks to earn second-team All-Big 12 honors.  It was his best season in terms of sacks after he had just 2.5 in 2018 and 4.5 the year prior.

This fall, Howard will be even more important than he’s been in his three years as a starter along the defensive front.  That’s because he will be the only returning player on the d-line that had more than 1.5 sacks last year.

The only factor that has limited Howard’s effectiveness has been health.  He missed two games in 2019 and has played a full 12-game season just once in his career.

It hasn’t been the devastating injury that has befallen the San Angelo native.  Rather, it always seems like he has to find a way to play through a variety of injuries that go beyond the typical bumps and bruises that every player has to put up with during the course of a season.

For instance, last year he was so banged up that he essentially did not practice during the week for the second half of the season.  Thus, it was a wonder that he was able to give Tech as much as he did (21 tackles with six for loss).

Howard is a player who relies heavily on his relentless motor to make plays.  Thus, he has a tendency to wear down as games and seasons progress.

But if Tech can find more depth behind him along the line this fall, he could be even more productive if his snaps a reduced by 10-20% over the course of the year.  Should that happen, he could have an even greater impact in his senior year that he has at any point during his Red Raider career.

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