Former Texas Tech DT Skyler Gill-Howard has Detroit Lions fans raving

Though it might be tough to imagine the 2025 Texas Tech defense being much better than it was, Red Raider fans will always wonder what it would have looked like with Skyler Gill-Howard in the mix for the entire season. That's especially true now that the rookie defensive tackle is making waves for the Detroit Lions.

Gill-Howard played in only six games as a Red Raider last fall before a nasty leg injury ended his college career. It was his only season in Lubbock after he transferred in from Northern Illinois.

Therefore, Texas Tech fans didn't get to fully appreciate how good a player he was at the college level. Now, though, Detroit fans are starting to realize that Gill-Howard could be a special NFL talent as well.

This preseason, he's racked up three tackles (all solo) and a sack in three games played. However, that doesn't tell the full story of how effective he's been.

In fact, after the Lions' second preseason game, Colton Pouncy of The Athletic said that Gill-Howard was Detroit's best player from that contest. Against Washington (and their offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury), he had a QB pressure that led to a sack by a teammate and then a tackle for loss on a run play.

What has helped Gill-Howard has been his athleticism. Because he's just 6-foot and 280 pounds, he must be quick off the line to create havoc in the NFL. So far, that's exactly what he's done, and Detroit fans have taken notice.

Despite his shortened senior season, Gill-Howard was taken in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. So far, though, he has played more like a first-round pick.

Texas Tech fans were robbed of the chance to get to know Skyler Gill-Howard

It is a shame that Gill-Howard was only on the field for six games at Tech. If he had been healthy the entire season, he might have become a fan favorite due not only to his play on the field but also to his infectious personality.

As a Red Raider, he was credited with 13 total tackles (9 solo), 2.5 tackles for loss, and a half-sack. He also amassed six QB pressures. Keep in mind, though, that in most of his six games played, he was taken off the field early because Tech was blowing out the other team.

His most memorable moment at Tech came against Kent State when he picked a deflected ball out of the air and returned it for a touchdown. On that play, he showed off the type of athleticism and explosiveness that make him a special player.

Fortunately, after Howard was lost for the year with a serious ankle injury in the Kansas game, Tech's defense didn't miss a beat. Backup defensive tackle A.J. Holmes Jr. stepped into Gill-Howard's starting role and became a star in his own right. In fact, he played so well that he earned All-Big 12 recognition, and this fall, he was named the 2026 Big 12 Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

Had Gill-Howard remained on the field for the entire season, it might not have made the Tech defense much better given how good Tech was in his absence. Still, it is a shame that Red Raider fans got only a brief glimpse of what he was as a collegiate.

Now, though, it appears that we will get to see plenty of Gill-Howard in the NFL. In fact, the fans in Detroit might get the full experience that Tech fans were robbed of.

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