Texas Tech football: Jack Anderson declares for the NFL Draft

Shortly after the Texas Tech football team’s season finale came to an end, right guard Jack Anderson announced that he will be leaving school for the NFL.

It didn’t take long for the dominos to start falling.  Just a short time after the Texas Tech football team wrapped up an unimpressive 16-13 victory over winless Kansas to conclude the 2020 season, one of the best players on the roster decided to make known his intention to leave the program for greener pastures.

Right guard Jack Anderson, a starter from the moment he stepped on campus, has announced that he will be entering the 2021 NFL Draft.  While that decision comes as no surprise, the timing does.

Coming around the same time as receiver Erik Ezukanma was openly criticizing his coaches to the Lubbock media, Anderson’s quick announcement made it appear as if he were throwing gasoline on a fire of discontent among a significant group of players in the Red Raider locker room.

Whether or not that was the Frisco, Texas native’s intention, the news is significant.  That’s because it leaves a massive hole in what was an area of weakness for the Red Raiders this season; the offensive line.

A veteran who started all 38 games that he appeared in as a Red Raider, Anderson will go down as one of the best offensive linemen in the recent history of the program.  In 2017, he earned freshman All-American honors and in 2018, he was named a second-team All-Big 12 selection.  Last season, Anderson was a member of the preseason All-Big 12 team before an injury cut his season to just three games played.

"“I have been blessed to spend the past four years in Lubbock surrounded by the best fans in the county, coaches who are family, and teammates who are lifelong friends,” Anderson wrote in a Twitter statement.  “Texas Tech University is my home and the support from Red Raider nation has been unbelievable.  For that, I am forever grateful.“After many conversations with my family, I have decided to forego my remaining eligibility and declare for the 2020 NFL Draft.  I will always bleed red and black.  Guns Up!”"

Anderson was one of the highest-ranked high school players to ever sign with the Red Raiders when he arrived in 2017.  In fact, only 2015 signee, defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko, was ranked higher as a Texas Tech signee.

Fortunately for Tech, Anderson made more of an impact in Lubbock than Fehoko did.  (Fehoko transferred to LSU after his second season as a Red Raider.)

Now, Texas Tech heads into the offseason with major questions at three of the five starting offensive line positions.  In addition to trying to replace Anderson, Tech has to figure out how to upgrade the play at both starting tackles after those two spots were insufficiently manned this season.

We will keep an eye on where NFL pundits and so-called draft experts have Anderson ranked among interior offensive linemen when NFL Draft season rolls around, presumably next spring (though who knows given the COVID-19 pandemic).  But for now, we simply thank Jack Anderson for his excellent play and for being a great representative of Texas Tech University.