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Texas Tech football: Second-leading receiver KeSean Carter to transfer

By Matthew Conner

Nov 29, 2019; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders wide receiver KeSean Carter (82) signals to the crowd after catching a touchdown pass against the Texas Longhorns in the first half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 29, 2019; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders wide receiver KeSean Carter (82) signals to the crowd after catching a touchdown pass against the Texas Longhorns in the first half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports /
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Monday, the Texas Tech football team’s second-leading receiver in 2020, KeSean Carter, announced his intention to leave the program.

Monday, just as news was beginning to break that the Texas Tech football program was going to retain head coach Matt Wells, the program got more bad news.  That’s because inside receiver KeSean Carter announced his intention to enter the transfer portal.

"“TTU has taught me so much and helped mold me into the man I am today,” he wrote on Twitter, “but after talking to my family, we believe that it’s best to put my name in the transfer portal.”"

This is a significant loss to the Red Raiders.  Despite appearing in just six games this year, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound junior was second on the team with 30 receptions and third with 290 receiving yards.  He had four touchdowns and averaged 9.7 yards per reception.

Carter, who also ran track for the Red Raiders, was expected to be a breakout player for Tech this year after moving from outside receiver to the slot where he played in the 2019 season finale when he had a career-high 150 receiving yards.  But nagging injuries and a COVID-19 positive kept him from ever truly making the type of impact that his talent suggested he could have.

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Still, his departure will have implications for the 2021 season.  That’s because Tech will almost certainly run more sets with two inside receivers on the field next year given that 2020 offensive coordinator David Yost, who has a religious devotion to having a tight end on the field, is no longer employed by the program.

Thus, Carter and 2020 true freshman Miles Price could have been a rather lethal duo next year.  The latter was second on the team in receiving yards this fall with 305 yards.

Now, Tech will likely have to find another impact inside receiver.  Right now, the program does not have a slot receiver committed in the 2021 class so we could be looking at the addition of yet another transfer or JUCO signee to fill the void.

Carter was a 3-star signee and the No. 119 player in Texas when he signed with Tech in 2018.  But despite not being very tall, he saw time primarily at outside receiver in his first two seasons.  However, this year, he moved inside where it is easier for smaller receivers to get separation at the line of scrimmage and the hope was that his electric speed would cause matchup problems for opposing defenses.

But he never went off in 2020 the way he did in the 2019 season finale against the Longhorns.  In fact, his season-high in yards was just 86, which came in the week-one victory over Houston Baptist.   He followed that up with 77 yards against Texas and 52 against Kansas State.

It will be interesting to see how active the transfer portal will be this year for the Red Raiders given the mess the administration made over the last week when handling the job status of Matt Wells as well as rumors that have circulated about a number of players being upset with the direction of the program under the current staff.  But what we can almost be certain of is the fact that KeSean Carter isn’t going to be the last player of significance that leaves Texas Tech this offseason.

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