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Texas Tech football: Five boom or bust players in 2020

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TX - SEPTEMBER 29: The Texas Tech Red Raiders take the field before the game against the Kansas Jayhawks on September 29, 2016 at AT&T Jones Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech won the game 55-19. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - SEPTEMBER 29: The Texas Tech Red Raiders take the field before the game against the Kansas Jayhawks on September 29, 2016 at AT&T Jones Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech won the game 55-19. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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The Texas Tech Masked Rider in action. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
The Texas Tech Masked Rider in action. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Krishon Merriweather

It’s a bit unfair to put a ton of pressure on JUCO signee Krishon Merriweather but that’s what Tech is doing in 2020 by asking him to fill the massive shoes of All-American Jordyn Brooks.  That’s quite a bit to expect of a player in his first year at the FBS level.

We’ve been shown time and again that JUCO players often take a year to get up to speed at the Big 12 level.  And if Merriweather takes that long, Tech may have to make some changes on the fly this year.

If Merriweather doesn’t become an impact player right away, the Red Raiders may have to move senior Riko Jeffers to middle LB which would then hurt the pass rush as the Farland native is poised to be used all over the field by DC Keith Patterson this season.   That would then force sophomores Xavier Benson and Tyrique Matthews to carry more of the load from a disruption standpoint.

But there’s also the chance that Merriweather could be a stud right off the bat.  Last year, he led the JUCO ranks with 153 tackles as he earned All-American recognition of his own.

"“Krishon Merriweather has hit the ground running, literally and figuratively,” Matt Wells told Inside the Red Raiders this spring. “The guy can flat run. You know the first two days, he took two steps forward, he took two steps back and he didn’t even move out of that spot and he still outran guys to the bal. He’s really cleared his cleats and you can tell he’s really taking coaching and he made a couple of really nice plays late in this practice today. Krishon is going to be a really, really good addition.”"

The simple fact is that Texas Tech needs Merriweather to be a reasonable replacement for Brooks in the middle of the defense so that Jeffers can continue to play outside LB where he was so effective at the end of last season.  If he can, he will be a huge boon to the Red Raiders in his first year on campus.

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