Texas Tech football: Myles Price reportedly to enter transfer portal

During transfer portal season, nothing should surprise fans.  Still, Tuesday’s news that senior receiver Myles Price is reportedly set to enter the transfer portal had to raise some eyebrows in Texas Tech circles.

Officially, Price has made no declaration of his intentions.  However, multiple outlets, including 247Sports (specifically Matt Zenitz) are reporting that Price is going to put his name in the portal.

That’s not great news for a Red Raider program that already had a need at receiver even when Price was in the mix.  In fact, Tech was already likely to try to add a pass catcher of their own via transfer this offseason.

Price is a useful piece that can be part of a winning program.  With 161 career catches for 1,751 yards and 10 TDs, he has been a consistent piece of the Texas Tech offense since stepping on campus in 2020.

However, he also has never been a breakout star the likes of which many thought he could become.  His best season thus far has been 2021 when he grabbed 38 passes for 523 yards and a pair of TDs.  That year, he averaged a career-best 13.8  yards per catch.

This season, he actually had more catches than that (43) but he had fewer yards (410).  However, he did set a career-high 5 TDs through the air in 2023.  Of course, this season’s numbers were held down by the fact that he missed the final two games of the season with a shoulder injury.

Price also has been a decent return man.  This year, he’s returned nine punts for an average of 21.8 yards, the best punt return numbers of his college career.

Coming out of high school, the native of The Colony, Texas was a 3-star prospect who picked Tech over Colorado, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, and Boise State among others.  He was rated the No. 42 athlete and 87 overall player in Texas by 247Sports.com.

To lose Price would be a significant blow for a Red Raider passing attack that sputtered in 2023 and which already lacked playmaking at wide receiver.  Despite being limited to only two games, he was still third on the team in receiving yards and tops in TD grabs.

His best game this season came in the victory over Baylor.  That night in Waco, he caught 10 passes for 90 yards.

Meanwhile, his biggest performance as a Red Raider came in the unforgettable 2021 win over Iowa State that ended with the 62-yard Jonathan Garibay last-second field goal.  Catching 9 passes that night for 175 yards and a TD, he was a favorite target for QB Donovan Smith as the Red Raiders won 41-38.

Recently, we discussed position groups that the Red Raiders were likely to fortify via the portal and wide receiver was one of them.  If Price does indeed transfer, that would mean that the program will likely look to add multiple pieces via that avenue and it will be fascinating to see how Joey McGuire brings more playmaking to Lubbock for 2024 and beyond.

Price was never a superstar at Tech but one has to wonder what he could have become had he not played at Tech during the era of QB chaos as every year of his Red Raider career he had to catch passes from multiple starting QBs.  As it is, he has been a serviceable but not electric offensive weapon.  Still, he could have helped next year as a super-senior and if he leaves, he will leave some productivity that will have to be filled.