The Texas Tech Red Raiders aren’t exactly known for developing some of the best defensive linemen in the country. In recent years, that’s especially true. Texas Tech hasn’t had a ton of defensive success in the past couple of decades. Lee Hunter represents a rather significant push for that to change sooner rather than later.
The former UCF Knight and Auburn Tiger (he didn’t spend much time with Auburn) is someone to keep an eye on this season. I think so. The folks behind the 2025 Outland Trophy also think so. Right now, it looks like he’s got what it takes to be one of the most impressive defensive linemen in the country.
And for the Outland Trophy, it’s worth noting that they’re trying to keep up with the best interior linemen in the country (from both offensive and defensive lines). And so, yeah, it’s definitely worth seeing what Hunter is capable of accomplishing this season.
Texas Tech transfer defensive lineman Lee Hunter makes a splash for the Red Raiders as he lands on the Outland Trophy preseason watch list
During his three seasons with the UCF Knights, Hunter managed to play in 38 games, playing a rather significant role in anchoring their defensive front seven. He didn’t do much in his first season in Orlando, recording just 17 combined tackles and one sack, but things took off for him in 2023 and 2024.
In 2023, which just so happened to be the first season in the Big 12 for Hunter and UCF. During that time, he wasn’t afraid of tackling folks. He managed to rack up a combined 69 tackles as well as 11 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks in 2023.
During 2024, Hunter had 45 combined tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 1.0 sack. Now he’s in Lubbock and will be playing for a defense that should be much improved all over the place. That should help him get better matchups and potentially better stats. All of that should translate into opportunities for more recognition from awards folks.