Wreck'Em Red
Fansided

Texas Tech football: Former Red Raiders that would be perfect fit on 2020 team

By Matthew Conner

DALLAS - JANUARY 02: Brandon Carter #76 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders before play against the Mississippi Rebels during the AT&T Cotton Bowl on January 2, 2009 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS - JANUARY 02: Brandon Carter #76 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders before play against the Mississippi Rebels during the AT&T Cotton Bowl on January 2, 2009 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
Darcel McBath #7 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders returns an interception (Photo by Ken Levine/Getty Images)
Darcel McBath #7 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders returns an interception (Photo by Ken Levine/Getty Images) /

Safety Darcel McBath Is the type of player that would solidify the 2020 secondary

With the graduation of 2019 All-Big 12 safety Douglas Coleman and the move of last year’s other starting safety, Adrian Frye, back to his natural spot at corner after a disastrous season last fall, this year’s team has no clear-cut answer at the back of the defense.  That’s a terrifying thought given that Tech was No. 128 out of 130 teams nationally against the pass in 2019.

That’s why former safety Darcel McBath would be a perfect addition to the current roster.  He was the leader of the 2008 secondary as part of the Red Raider team that went 11-2 and finished in a three-way tie with OU and Texas for first place in the Big 12 South and he’s the type of leader that we would love to have as the last line of defense on this year’s team.

The 6-foot-1, 198-pound native of Gainesville, Texas finished his career with 224 total tackles and 12 interceptions.  That included 75 tackles and seven picks in his senior year.

When most people think of safeties in the Leach era of Tech football, they think of 2005 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Dwayne Slay but the reality is that in the modern age of football where helmet-to-helmet contact is a personal foul and the passing game is the preferred method of moving the ball for nearly every team, the hard-hitting Slay would be out of place and his effectiveness would be limited by today’s trends towards player safety.  The same is not true of McBath.

Registering at least 73 tackles in each of his final three seasons as a Red Raider, McBath was as savvy of a safety as the program has seen and he would be ideal as the leader of this year’s secondary.  The second-round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2009 is now the cornerbacks coach at Mississippi State under his Red Raider head coach Mike Leach but we wish there was a way to add this former Texas Tech great to the 2020 Texas Tech roster because he is the type of safety that Matt Wells and his staff are looking for this offseason.

Home/All-Time Football Lists