It really is a shame that Texas Tech football fans didn’t get to spend more time enjoying Lee Hunter wreck opposing offensive lines while in Lubbock. Hunter was such a thrill to watch and the 320-pound defensive lineman became such a problem for opposing offenses.
But, after a really solid season of helping Texas Tech figure out how to field a really impressive defense, Hunter became the third defensive star from Texas Tech to get selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. David Bailey with the No. 2 overall pick, Jacob Rodriguez in the second round, and then Hunter to the Carolina Panthers.
In Hunter, the Panthers just drafted one of the most physical and disruptive interior defensive lineman available and he was such a thrill to watch in the Big 12 this past season.
The Carolina Panthers picked up Lee Hunter in the NFL Draft following his solid season with the Texas Tech Red Raiders
As he helped the Red Raiders win the Big 12 and make it to the College Football Playoff, Hunter racked up 41 combined tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. That’s a really nice job from an interior defensive lineman on a defense that was full of active defensive linemen and linebackers.
The Fridge is heading to Carolina!#WreckEm x #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/SloPhgL0i1
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) April 25, 2026
Hunter technically got his college football career started with the Auburn Tigers, but he really started seeing the field while playing for the UCF Knights. After one season of playing for UCF while it was in the AAC, Hunter had the chance to continue playing for the Knights when they moved to the Big 12.
And he really didn’t have any true issues adjusting at all.
In the three seasons of playing for the Knights, Hunter racked up 131 combined tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, and five sacks. For his career, he had 172 combined tackles, 32 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks.
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