Texas Tech football: Keith Patterson on why 2020 defense will be better

Patterson compares Brandon Randle to Jordyn Brooks

There’s no question that Jordyn Brooks is the best defensive player Texas Tech has produced int he last decade, if not the entirety of the “Air Raid” era.  So naturally, the first-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks is now a measuring stick for this year’s Red Raiders.  And interestingly, Patterson said that grad transfer Brandon Bouyer-Randle reminds him of Brooks.

"“You know obviously…when you look out there and you see a 6-foot-3 240-pound linebacker who moves like Joryn Brooks that’s pretty exciting,” he said.   “He’s very gifted athletically.  We knew that when we were recruiting him come here. “He’s adapting to a new system and so far he’s progressing really really nicely.  You know I can’t wait to see him get the pads on.  I do know this,  he’s gonna be a guy that’s going to be able to impact the quarterback and he’s extremely talented from a movement standpoint and he has athleticism that’s very impressive to watch.  I’ve very excited [about] where he is at this point.”"

There’s no question that Randle’s ability to rush the passer is going to be a huge factor in how the Tech defense performs.  For his career, he’s racked up 4.5 sacks, 3.5 of which came in 2019, the only season of his three at Michigan State in which he played a full campaign.

This will be the first time in his career that he’s going to be asked to be a starter.  He was a pass-rushing specialist for the Spartans but now, he’s likely to be an every-down player and if he can prove to be a disruptive force, he could be a reason that the 2020 defense could be surprising.