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Texas Tech football: Erik Ezukanma a full-go for fall camp

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 24: Receiver Erik Ezukanma #13 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders signals during the first half of the college football game against the West Virginia Mountaineers on October 24, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 24: Receiver Erik Ezukanma #13 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders signals during the first half of the college football game against the West Virginia Mountaineers on October 24, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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For most teams, the primary goal of spring football is to avoid catastrophic injuries.  But in April, the Texas Tech football program flirted with that disastrous scenario when star wide receiver Erik Ezukanma sustained a gruesome broken arm that required almost immediate surgery.  Fortunately, we learned this week that Tech’s top pass-catching target is fully recovered from that injury and is a full-go for fall camp.

The initial prognosis for Ezukanma’s rehab put his availability for the start of the season in doubt.  That would have been a major blow for the Red Raiders.  But in his opening press conference of fall camp, head coach Matt Wells reported that the junior WR is fully recovered and at 100% physically through his reps will be monitored and limited early in camp.

That information is great news for Texas Tech football fans.  That’s because Ezukanma could be this program’s most important non-quarterback.

Last season, with a career-high 748 yards in only ten games, Ezukanma led the Red Raiders in receiving for the second-straight season.  He was also third in the Big 12 in receiving yards and second in yards per game.

Now, the preseason all-Big 12 honoree is back to lead a receiving corps that, outside of Ezukanma, is unproven and green.  In fact, last season, no other Red Raider had over 300 yards receiving and what’s more, the team saw its third-leading receiver from 2020, KeSean Carter, transfer to Houston.

Of course, the addition of Troy transfer, Kaylon Geiger, is supposed to help bolster the receiving corps.  With 1,625 career receiving yards, the former All-Sun Belt Conference selection is expected to man the other outside receiver spot opposite of Ezukanma.

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But there’s a bit of a catch…Geiger was primarily an inside receiver at Troy.  Therefore, it is fair to wonder whether or not the speedy 5-foot-10 receiver can thrive playing on the outside where it is often more difficult for receivers to get separation at the line of scrimmage.

Of course, it is interesting that Geiger is the opposite of the prototypical Texas Tech outside WR in the Matt Wells era.  Whereas players such as Ezukanma, Loic Fouonji, Trey Cleveland, and almost every other outside receiver that Tech has deployed in recent seasons has been at least 6-foot-2, Geiger is undersized for that position and that will leave some questions about his ability to do what the offense needs of him.

On the other hand, he could be the perfect complement to Ezukanma thanks to his elite speed.  Ezukanma is a physical wide receiver who is open even when he’s covered and his ability to make tough catches in traffic will help the Red Raiders move the chains.  And putting him across from a receiver who can take the top off of the defense the way Geiger can might only help to open up more room for Ezukanma to operate.

But all of that depends on Ezukanma’s health.  Fortunately, it appears that he will be ready to go when the Red Raiders face Houston on September 4.  That’s news that every Red Raider was hoping to get from Wells when camp opened and now we can feel much more confident about the state of the Red Raider receiving corps in 2021.

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