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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. 3: RB SaRodorick Thompson

When was the last time we went into a season believing that the unquestioned bell cow of the Texas Tech offense was going to be a running back?  Even when Tech had DeAndre Washington rushing for 1,000 yards in both 2014 and 2015, Tech had guys like Davis Webb and Pat Mahomes at QB to be the pillars upon which the offense would stand.

But this fall, redshirt sophomore running back SaRodorick Thompson will be the most trusted and proven commodity Tech has returning on offense (at least from a skill position standpoint).  That’s because the 2019 campaign was a fantastic full-season debut for the Irving native.

Ranked by some recruiting services as merely a two-star player when he signed in 2018, Thompson saw action in just four games as a true freshman before redshirting.  Last year, he established himself as the best running back on the roster and when grad transfer Armand Shyne was lost for the year after the Kansas game, Thompson had to shoulder an ever-increasing portion of the load.

Despite playing on a significantly sprained ankle in November, the 6-foot, 210-pounder ran for 765 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 4.8 yards per carry.  That’s significant given how pedestrian Tech’s passing game proved to be as the Red Raiders had to start three different quarterbacks for the second-straight year.

His rushing total was the second-best Tech has received from a running back since Washington went for 1,492 in 2015.  In 2017, Justin Stockton ran for 797.

This year, Thompson will enter the season knowing that he is the lead back in the offense with junior Ta’Zhawn Henry and true freshman Tahj Brooks set to back him up.  Also, Tech will certainly look to add another running back via the transfer portal to ensure that last year’s scarcity of healthy bodies at the position does not repeat itself.

It’s strange to feel like Tech would be wise to feature its running back this fall as much, if not more, than the passing game.  But with QB Alan Bowman yet to prove capable of making it through a full season healthy and no star receiver on the roster, that’s where we appear to be.  That’s not to suggest that the forward pass is going to be put on the shelf but it is fair to wonder if Thompson will be the man that OC David Yost leans on as the primary weapon in his arsenal.

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