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Texas Tech football: The top Red Raider from each season of the Big 12 era

By Matthew Conner

ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 25: Patrick Mahomes II #5 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders warming up before the game against the Baylor Bears on November 25, 2016 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Baylor 54-35. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 25: Patrick Mahomes II #5 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders warming up before the game against the Baylor Bears on November 25, 2016 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Baylor 54-35. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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A general view of Jones AT&T Stadium on September 18, 2010 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
A general view of Jones AT&T Stadium on September 18, 2010 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

2010: Colby Whitlock

We stay on the defensive line for our 2010 honoree as the best Red Raider on the roster.  In the first year of the Tommy Tuberville debacle, defensive tackle Colby Whitlock was his team’s leader both on and off the field.

A four-year starter with 49 career starts, he finished his career with a career-best 57 tackles, including two sacks and 8.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage.  Those are impressive numbers for a defensive tackle.

That season’s 8-5 record was a bit misleading.  Tech managed just one win over a ranked team, a 24-17 upset of No. 14 Missouri in Lubbock, and won just three conference games to finish second-to-last in the Big 12 South.

Still, Whitlock, a second-team All-Big 12 honoree, was part of a senior class that went to four straight bowl games.  He also played a key role throughout his Red Raider career.

His most memorable play came in 2008 when, as a sophomore, the Oklahoma native recorded a safety against Texas on the Longhorns’ first series.  But though he didn’t have many more singular moments such as that, throughout his career he was a rock in the middle of the Red Raider defensive line, and in 2010, he was the best player on the team.

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