Texas Tech football: Five players that will be wildcards this season

DE Devin Drew

Matt Wells is apparently a firm believer in going to the JUCO ranks to try to find quick fixes for his roster.  That’s a strategy many Red Raider fans are not necessarily sold on given the hit-or-miss nature of JUCO transfers.

One such gamble Wells has taken this year is defensive end Devin Drew, who had a stellar career at Iowa Western Community College.  There he racked up 14.5 sacks in two years (9.5 in 2019) and earned NJCAA All-American honors as a sophomore.

But will that translate to the Big 12 level in 2020?  The evidence to the negative is strong.

Tech has seen tons of JUCO defensive linemen come through the program in recent years and almost none have made appreciable immediate impacts.  Perhaps the best debut of a JUCO pass rusher in the last decade was Tony Jones‘ 4-sack season in 2017.

If Tech gets that type of productivity from Drew in 2020, everyone will be thrilled.  But is that likely?

JUCO players almost never make immediate impacts because the jump to the Big 12 level is beyond massive.  But might Drew be good enough to buck that trend?

At 6-foot-2, 280-pounds, he certainly already has the size to compete.  What’s more, he’s not going to be asked to be this team’s savior as there are plenty of options at the position including Howard, Tony Bradford Jr., and Nelson Mbanasor.

But beyond Howard, no current Red Raider DE has more than 1.5 career sacks.  So there are no guarantees behind the San Angelo native.

Drew might be the one to break the JUCO mold.  His productivity at that level was impressive and he has the look of an impact player.  If he does, he could help take this defense to a top-75 ranking this year and that would be cause for rejoicing on the South Plains.