Does Bryce Ramirez have an on-field role to play for Texas Tech in 2024?

The Texas Tech football team recently participated in Big 12 Media Days in Las Vegas. One of the five players on hand for the Red Raiders was senior linebacker Bryce Ramirez.

Why that's noteworthy is because he was the only player Tech took to the event who isn't set to be a starter. That leaves us wondering exactly what his role will be in 2024. In fact, it is fair to ask if he can be more than just an emotional leader.

We all know how highly-regarded Ramirez is in the locker room. After all, he wears the No. 3 jersey for the team. That's a tradition started by head coach Joey McGuire The tradition "to honor the core tenants of "The Brand," which represents Texas Tech's daily quest to be the 'toughest, hardest-working, most-competitive team in the country.'"

Additionally, the No. 3 is worn to honor the late Luke Siegel (son of former Texas Tech tennis coach Tim Siegel) who passed away in August of 2021. Luke Siegel's favorite number was three and now Texas Tech honors him by giving that number to the most deserving player on the roster.

But can Ramirez be more than just a symbolic leader for this team? Is there a need for his services on the field?

In the post-spring depth chart, he is listed as the second-string boundary inside linebacker behind starter, Jacob Rodriguez, who also represented Tech in Vegas this week. Of course, last season, Rodriguez missed more than half of the year due to a foot/ankle injury suffered in the week-one loss to Wyoming.

Should he be out for an extended period of time again this year, something we hope never happens but which is always a possibility given the nature of the game, Ramirez would be called upon to play a critical role in the middle of the defense. That's because last year's fallback options, Tyrique Matthews and Jesiah Pierre, are no longer with the program.

In 2023, Ramirez was an inspiration simply because he was able to return to the field following a gruesome broken leg he suffered against NC State in 2022. He appeared in 11 games and made 21 tackles but he never found a home. Bouncing between inside and outside linebacker, he was deployed wherever needed but that didn't seem to serve his game best.

This year, Tech appears to have more depth along the front seven so perhaps Ramirez can simply focus on being an inside linebacker. That position seems to fit his skillset better because he isn't a natural pass rusher given that he has no sacks yet in his college career.

What Ramirez does do well is read the play and hustle to the ball. Those skills are useful at the middle linebacker position where Ramirez appears to be ready to back up Rodriguez.

Tech could have one of the best interior linebacking duos in the Big 12 with Rodriguez and Ben Roberts, the latter of whom racked up 107 tackles as a redshirt freshman last season. But should either suffer an injury, Ramirez could have to play meaningful snaps in 2024. In that case, Ramirez must be ready to be more than just an emotional figure to rally around. He needs to be ready to contribute significantly on the field as well.