Texas Tech football: 5 Red Raiders that might surprise in 2021

Chadarius Townsend

Anytime a player comes through the Alabama football pipeline, there will be massive expectations heaped upon him.  That was certainly the case with Chadarius Townsend last season after he transferred from the Crimson Tide to the Red Raiders.

What’s more, his former status as a 4-star high school recruit also caused the Red Raider fan base to dream of what the jack of all trades could become in Lubbock.  But as they say, being a jack of all trades means you are a master of none and that reality ultimately hurt Townsend in his first year at Tech.

After playing running back, receiver, and even some defensive back at Alabama, Townsend came to Lubbock and was put exclusively at the running back position.  However, he wasn’t physically or mentally ready to assume a heavy workload at that spot and it showed in the fact that he touched the football only 21 times for the entire season.

Now, it is fair to suggest that former offensive coordinator David Yost should have been more creative in finding ways to get Townsend the ball.  After all, he is likely the most explosive offensive weapon Tech has on the roster.

But as we all know, creativity was not Yost’s strong suit during his two years with the Red Raiders.  However, Sonny Cumbie is supposedly going to implement a more innovative offense this year as he returns to his alma mater as Yost’s replacement.  And that will likely mean that Townsend will be more involved in the offensive game plan.

Townsend has reportedly put on 25 pounds of muscle this offseason while retaining all of his electric speed.  Thus, he should be more physically prepared to handle the demands of playing the position, and that when combined with more opportunities from his new offensive coordinator is why the former Alabama transfer could be a huge breakout star of 2021.