Texas Tech football: Matt Wells discusses spring progress

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TE Simon Gonzalez suspended

The most disappointing news Wells shared was the fact that redshirt freshman tight end Simon Gonzalez has been “suspended indefinitely”. That’s less than ideal for a program that is already woefully thin at that position.

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"“There’s always a chance,” Wells said when asked if Gonzalez could return to the team."

He then went on to say that the incident (about which he did not elaborate) happened two weeks prior to the time of his remarks. That means the team will have just two scholarship TE on the roster until either Gonzalez returns or another player is added in the transfer market.

Gonzalez signed with the Red Raiders out of Magnolia, Texas in the class of 2019. He was rated a 3-star prospect and the No. 51 tight end in the country by 247Sports.com.

After years of not utilizing the position, he was an important pickup given that Tech was looking to bring the TE back into the offense under offensive coordinator David Yost. But he didn’t play last year as converted WR Donta Thompson and JUCO signee Travis Koontz manned the position.

But Thomspon was a senior leaving Koontz as the only scholarship TE on the current roster. Were the season to start with no new additions, FB Connor Killian likely would be Koontz’s backup.

That’s a frightening proposition considering that Killian has caught all of one pass in his career. And even before Gonzalez found his way into Wells’ dog house, Tech was looking to try to add talent at TE. In the weeks leading up to the February signing day, the Red Raiders were all-in on 4-star McKinney, Texas prospect Brandon Frazier but he ultimately signed with Auburn.

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Thus, it would seem a safe bet that Tech would be active in the TE grad transfer portal because it would be dangerous to enter the season with only Koontz, 2020 signee John Holcomb, and potentially Gonzalez on the roster at TE, especially given that Koontz is the only one of the three that has seen the field in a college game. Once football activities resume, keep an eye on whether Gonzalez returns to the team because though he hasn’t made an impact on the field yet, his presence (or lack thereof) on the roster is going to send waves through the football building as Tech continues to try to stock the TE position after years of operating without it.

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