Texas Tech football: What we think we know about Red Raiders after Spring football

Young players are going to make their mark

While the experience and age of this roster are two of its strengths, there will be a number of young players ready to make an impact, especially on defense.  That’s exciting for both this season and for the long-term future.

Along the defensive front, three outside LBs who will be asked to be disruptive forces, Joseph Adedire, Isaac Smith, and true freshman Dylan Spencer will all be in the two-deep rotation.  Adedire and Smith both missed the spring but after the former put up 19 tackles (3.5 for loss) and the latter amassed 14 tackles (3 for loss) in limited action a season ago, both have shown they have the ability to make a difference in the Big 12.

Spencer, on the other hand, is yet to see his first college action.  But he opened plenty of eyes in the spring.  A former 4-star recruit who flipped from Texas to the good guys late in the recruiting process, he’s already 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds so don’t be shocked to see him making plays from the jump this season as he will be part of the rotation off the edge.

In the secondary, the departure of reserve corner Kobee Minor, who himself was a youngster that the program was high on, and the graduation of Adrian Frye have opened up potential opportunities for one or two young corners to get onto the field.  Look for redshirt freshman Maurion Horn or true freshmen Chapman Lewis, Brenden Jordan, and Jordan Sanford to get plenty of looks during fall camp and even early in the season.  Don’t be surprised to see one or more of these players step forward after getting their first opportunities to crack the two-deep.

On offense, sophomore (redshirt) Cam’Ron Valdez will likely be Tech’s second running back with SaRodorick Thompson now out of eligibility.  Valez could bring more speed to the position than we’ve seen in recent years given his explosive running style.

The Rockdale native saw action in only four games last fall registering 169 yards on 18 carries.  Unfortunately, most Red Raider fans only remember him because of his gaffe late in the Texas Bowl when he had the ball punched out of his arms just prior to crossing the goal line as he slowed up instead of finishing off what should have been a game-clinching TD at full speed.

He likely won’t make that mistake again, and fortunately, that turnover didn’t come back to haunt his team.  This year, he’ll have plenty more opportunities to make a better impression on Texas Tech football fans, and don’t be shocked if he becomes a fan favorite given his potential big-play ability, something Tech needs at running back after going all of 2022 without a run of 40 yards or more.