ESPN has released its annual list of the top 100 players in college football and, not surprisingly, no Texas Tech football player made the list. But that doesn’t mean that ESPN’s list is irrelevant for Red Raider fans.
Instead, it is a reminder of just how tough Tech’s schedule is this season as the Red Raiders will face eleven members of the top 100. Here’s a look at who Tech will have to contend with in 2022.
The highest-ranked Red Raider foe on the list is No. 5 Bijan Robinson, Texas’ dynamic running back. Coming off of a 1,127-yard season in 2021, he’s the consensus top running back in the nation.
Last year, Robinson averaged 5.8 yards per rush but that pales in comparison to what he did to the Red Raiders. In Texas’ 70-35 drubbing of Tech in Austin, Robinson ran for 137 yards on just 18 carries. That’s an average of 7.6 yards per rush, Robinson’s second-highest average per carry in a game last season.
But Robinson isn’t the only Big 12 RB to rank high on ESPN’s list. Checking in at No. 12 is Kansas State pint-sized dynamo Deuce Vaughn. Tech fans are all too familiar with Vaughn who has been a thorn in the Red Raider’s side since his freshman season.
Last year, he amassed 1,877 yards from scrimmage and 22 total touchdowns. Against Tech he had 120 total yards and three TDs as KSU came back to stun the Red Raiders.
One player that Tech fans may not be so familiar with is NC State quarterback Devin Leary, who checks in at No. 19 on ESPN’s list. Some are considering Leary a darkhorse Heisman Trophy candidate after he put up 3,433 yards and 35 touchdowns while completing 65.7% of his passes in 2022.
Another player who might not be a household name around West Texas is Will McDonald IV, the senior defensive lineman from Iowa State who checks in at No. 50. With 22 total sacks in the past two years combined, he’s topped the 10-sack mark in two-straight seasons.
Right after McDonald on the list is Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy. The No. 51 player on the list, he put up 981 yards and 12 TDs on 62 receptions last year as a true freshman. Against Tech, he had five receptions for 100 yards and three scores.
Another sophomore coming off of a tremendous 2021 season is OK State defensive end Collin Oliver. The No. 57 player on ESPN’s list, he had 10.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss in his first collegiate season.
Interestingly, the first Oklahoma player on the list doesn’t arrive until No. 64. That’s where you will find wide receiver, Marvin Mims. Averaging 22 yards per reception in 2021, he had five TDs and 705 yards as a sophomore.
The player throwing passes to Mims this year, Dillon Gabriel, checks in at No. 70. A transfer from UCF, he saw his 2021 season cut to three games due to injury. But in each of the two previous seasons, he passed for at least 3,500 yards and 29 TDs.
Yet another wide receiver is at No. 77 on the countdown. Iowa State’s Xavier Hutchinson had 987 yards and five TDs a season ago including eight catches for 112 yards against the Red Raiders.
NC State expects to have one of the best linebacking corps in the nation and the leader of that group, Drake Thomas, is at No. 82. Coming off of a season that saw him rack up 99 tackles and six sacks, he’s a first-team All-ACC preseason selection.
Finally, Spencer Sanders, Oklahoma State’s wildly erratic QB, comes in at No. 91. However, his inclusion on this list seems a bit strange.
Last year, he threw for only 2,839 yards and 20 TDs while being picked off 12 times. He’s never surpassed the 3,000-yard mark through the air and he’s just a 62.4% passer for his career.
This list is a great snapshot of the talent that the Red Raiders will face in 2022, a season that sees Tech scheduled to face six teams ranked in one of the two preseason polls. But hopefully, the end of the year list of the game’s best players will include at least a couple of Red Raiders.