Texas Tech Football: Red Raiders land Oregon QB transfer Tyler Shough

The Texas Tech football program has picked up a big-time transfer in former Oregon QB Tyler Shough.

The departure of Alan Bowman left the Texas Tech quarterback room without a great deal of experience, but that is about to change. Matt Wells and Co. have landed a big-time transfer in former Oregon QB Tyler Shough, who announced on Monday that he will be continuing his football career in Lubbock.

Shough was a four-star recruit out of Chandler, AZ in 2018 who initially committed to North Carolina but then flipped to Oregon. He also received offers from the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Florida State, and Michigan. After playing sparingly in 2019, he started all seven games for the Ducks in 2020, completing 63.5 percent of his passes for 1,559 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran for 271 yards and two touchdowns.

Rivals.com ranked him as the sixth-best pro-style quarterback in the 2018 class and notes that he throws a good deep ball and displays an ability to throw on the run and move around the pocket. He evidently has work to do with regard to accuracy and consistency, but the talent is undeniable. He is immediately eligible this fall and has three years of eligibility remaining.

https://twitter.com/tylershough2/status/1363970979458781186?s=21

Despite talking to other programs such as Penn State, Auburn, and Nebraska, Shough has chosen Texas Tech as his landing spot. He graduates from Oregon in March, so it’s not yet clear when he will arrive in Lubbock. That could impact his ability to compete for the starting job, but his experience and pedigree will no doubt give him a good shot anyway.

The New-Look QB Room

Prior to this development, the assumption had been that incoming freshman Behren Morton would battle with holdovers Henry Colombi, Donovan Smith, and Maverick McIvor for the starting QB job this year. Shough’s arrival, however, changes things dramatically, as he comes in fresh off winning a Pac-12 championship.

If Shough is able to arrive in time for at least some of spring practice, he should be the favorite to win the starting job. Even if he misses the spring, he still might be the favorite. Colombi didn’t exactly set the world on fire in his time on the field in 2020, and the other three candidates haven’t played a down of football at this level.

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Shough spent the entire 2020 season as the starting quarterback of a Power Five team, which is something no one else on the roster can say. There are improvements he needs to make, of course, but the same can be said for all of them. He likely wouldn’t have chosen Texas Tech unless he believed he had a good chance to start.

Unless Shough disappoints in practice or Morton looks like Mr. Heisman, I would expect Morton to redshirt this year. It also wouldn’t surprise me to see Colombi, Smith, or McIvor transfer away. Colombi has a good chance to be the second-string QB this year, but Smith and McIvor could stay buried. With Shough and Morton on the team, they could look for a better opportunity elsewhere.

So, Texas Tech fans, we may have our new starting quarterback. If offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie can work with him to improve upon his performance in 2020, Shough could prove to be the most important incoming transfer the Red Raiders have had in some time. We’ll find out more over the spring and summer, but this is a big win for Wells and his staff.