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Texas Tech football: Sophomores that are primed to make a big jump in 2020

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 19: Defensive coordinator Keith Patterson of the Texas Tech Red Raiders oversees warmups as linebackers Tyrique Matthews #32 and Xavier Benson #37 warm up 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: Defensive coordinator Keith Patterson of the Texas Tech Red Raiders oversees warmups as linebackers Tyrique Matthews #32 and Xavier Benson #37 warm up 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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LUBBOCK, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 23: Linebacker Xavier Benson #37 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 23: Linebacker Xavier Benson #37 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

LB Xavier Benson

It’s a bit surprising to see that the Red Raiders’ fourth-leading tackler last fall was redshirt freshman Xavier Benson.  Though he isn’t getting much love this offseason when we talk about the Red Raider defense, he could wind up be a huge part of what defensive coordinator Keith Patterson wants to do this year after racking up 57 tackles and a sack in his first year on the field.

After surpassing the five-tackle mark just once in the first eight games of 2019, Benson had no fewer than six tackles in each of the year’s final four contests.  In fact, he averaged 8.3 per game in the last three.

At 6-foot-3, 220-pounds, Benson is a prototypical “Raider” (hybrid DE/LB) for Patterson’s 3-3-5 defense.  This year, look to see if he is more a part of the pass rush, which seems to be a natural job for him given his athleticism.

I don’t know why we aren’t talking as much about Xavier Benson as we should be.  He started 10 games last year and played extremely well.

His freshman tackle total is better than Riko Jeffers (who had 22), though Jeffers played as a true freshman, and he was one of just two freshmen to be a full-time starter on defense (the other we will discuss in just a moment).  So don’t be surprised to see Benson take yet another step forward this season after emerging as a nice player last fall, even if most of us didn’t fully realize how well he played in his first season in the Scarlet and Black.

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