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Texas Tech football: Ranking our confidence in each offensive position group

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 16: Quarterback Jett Duffey #7 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders hands the ball to running back Ta'Zhawn Henry #26 during the first half of the college football game against the TCU Horned Frogs on November 16, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 16: Quarterback Jett Duffey #7 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders hands the ball to running back Ta'Zhawn Henry #26 during the first half of the college football game against the TCU Horned Frogs on November 16, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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Left guard Weston Wright #70 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Left guard Weston Wright #70 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

The offensive line has some beef in the middle

It might be counterintuitive to list a position group that lost three starters from last year as the one I am most confident in but I really like the way the 2020 offensive line is shaping up.  That comes despite the fact that Tech has to replace both tackles from last year.

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But though the Travis Bruffy and Terence Steele are gone along with guard Madison Akamnonu, Tech brings back three players with starting experience.  And all three will form the interior of the line.

Tech has one of the best linemen in school history, Jack Andreson, coming back from an injury that cost him all but three games in 2019.  Should he return to form and play like a future NFL draft pick, he will lock down the right guard spot once again and be one of the best OL in the nation.

His high school teammate, Dawson Deaton, will start at center for the second-straight year.  Last fall, Deaton was the most steady presence on the line after taking over for Paul Stawarz and he too could eventually play on Sundays.

At the other guard will be Weston Wright, one of last season’s biggest surprises.  Filling in for Jack Anderson as a redshirt freshman, he proved to be more than capable of holding down a starting spot and he has the look of a possible All-Big 12 performer.

But at both tackles, someone has to step up.  Fortunately, Tech has some nice options.  From the group of Casey Verhulst, Zach Adams, Josh Burger, Ethan Carde, Landon Peterson, and Trevor Roberson, two starters will be found.

Right now, I’d put my money on Verhulst at left tackle because he made three of starts at right tackle last fall when injuries caused an early-season shuffle and he equipped himself well.  Peterson is my darkhorse pick to win the right tackle job given the glowing way that Wells has spoken about his development in recent interviews.  But also, don’t count out the JUCO transfer Carde or the Wofford transfer Berger who has been a multi-year starter at the college level.

Related Story. The all-decade offensive line. light

The good news is that there are plenty of options for OL coach Steve Farmer to pick from so I give the line a score of 8 out of 10 on my confidence scale.  And when each new starter, whoever that may be, is put next to the three stalwarts in the middle, it makes me believe that the OL will be Tech’s best position group on offense this year.

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