Texas Tech football: Position groups Red Raiders must supplement through the portal

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Texas Tech’s wide receiver Xavier White (14) runs with the ball against Texas in a Big 12 football game, Friday, Nov. 24, 2023, at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin. /

Texas Tech needs to add multiple offensive line starters

If there is one place where Tech has to improve across the board, it would be the offensive line. This year, despite being manned by four seniors and a redshirt junior for most of the year, that was a spot where the Red Raiders struggled, especially when it came to pass protection.

Until this program finds a way to field an elite O-line (or at least elite by Big 12 standards), this offense is going to continue to be stuck in neutral. The simple reality is that Tech did not have a top-end line this year and it showed when the Red Raiders faced excellent defensive fronts such as the ones featured by Oregon and Texas.

If we are willing to admit that the talent along the Red Raider offensive line was lacking in 2023, then we shouldn’t fear the fact that three starters will for sure be exhausting their eligibility after the upcoming bowl game. Sure, interior linemen Cole Spencer, Rusty Staats, and Dennis Wilburn were feasible options this fall but none will find their names on any All-Big 12 postseason lists and all three could be replaced by better players.

Now, the question is whether or not McGuire and offensive line coach Stephen Hamby can identify and land transfers that would be a step up from those three starters. O-linemen might be the most coveted players in the portal and almost every program in the nation will be looking to add at least one to its ranks. That will put McGuire’s recruiting chops to the test.

There aren’t any ready-to-play interior linemen on the roster unless Tech wants to rely on Jacoby Jackson to be a full-time starter at guard next season. He was merely pedestrian when replacing Spencer for a handful of games in 2023, though, and this program needs more than pedestrian play up front.

So keep an eye on the O-line entrants into the portal because Tech will be busy there. In fact, this offseason could see as many as three new faces along the line arrive via the portal.

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