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Texas Tech football: Juniors that could be ready to step up in 2020

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 23: Defensive back Adam Beck #24 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders runs across the field during the first half of the college football game against the Kansas State Wildcats on November 23, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 23: Defensive back Adam Beck #24 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders runs across the field during the first half of the college football game against the Kansas State Wildcats on November 23, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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Texas Tech Red Raiders cheerleaders stands on the field during the alma mater after the college football game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on October 05, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Texas Tech Red Raiders cheerleaders stands on the field during the alma mater after the college football game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on October 05, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

These juniors could be ready to step up for the Texas Tech football program in the upcoming 2020 season.

The backbone of most good college football teams is the upperclassmen on the roster.  That includes the juniors who have been in the program for three and, in some cases, four years.

But when we look at the classes of 2017 and 2018, which give us this year’s juniors, it’s obvious that not enough of those signees have yet proven to be difference-makers.

In the 2017 class, which was rated just the No. 49 class in the nation, there were 19 Red Raider enrollees.  Of that group, the only members set to be redshirt juniors this year who have already proven to be key contributors thus far are center Dawson Deaton, guard Jack Anderson, and corner Adrian Frye.

Meanwhile, even less can be said of the class of 2018.  In fact, no member of that class has proven to be a pillar of the program to this point.

We talked recently about how KeSean Carter is set for a breakout season as a junior in 2020 after moving from wide receiver to inside receiver.  Likewise, QB Alan Bowman is going to be the key for the Red Raiders this year but after two injury-plagued seasons, he enters the fall as a redshirt sophomore.

Unfortunately, the problem is that these two classes have produced a number of misses.  And while every class is going to have players that don’t work out, the reality is that several high-profile signees from these two recruiting hauls have been busts, especially in the class of 2018.

That year, Tech landed Demarcus Marshall, a massive offensive lineman from Grand Prairie, Texas.  But despite being a 4-star signee according to some scouting services and the No. 31 guard in the nation, he has yet to figure out a way to break into the Red Raiders two-deep and it seems unlikely that he ever will at this point given the talent that has already surpassed him.

While Marshall was Tech’s third-highest-ranked player in that class, the No. 2 player was Myller Royals, who was ranked the No. 98 player in Texas.  But unfortunately, off-field issues resulted in his departure from the program this offseason ending his Red Raider career before he ever made even the slightest of impacts.

Corey Fulcher, the No. 175 player in Texas that year also had off-field issues that prevented him from ever being a contributor.  In fact, he never stepped foot on the field for the Red Raiders before entering the transfer portal after being suspended from the team by Matt Wells in March of 2019.

But the good news for the classes of 2017 and 2018 is that a number of those individuals may be primed for a breakout in 2020 and that could change the way we view those two classes.  We discussed Carter in-depth on Friday so let’s take a look at some other juniors that might be ready to finally make their mark on the program this fall.

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