Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire highlights standouts from second fall scrimmage

One of the most important mile markers of any college football team's fall camp is the second fall scrimmage. That is typically when players begin to separate themselves from the teammates they are competing with for playing time and when the two-deep comes into focus. Though Texas Tech held its second fall scrimmage on Saturday, head coach Joey McGuire did not provide an in-depth report on what transpired until Tuesday.

That's when he began his remarks to the local media by highlighting six players who stood out, three on each side of the football.

Starting with the defense, McGuire said edge rusher Joseph Adedire, defensive tackle De'Braylon Carroll, and inside linebacker Jacob Rodriguez had excellent scrimmages. While it is no surprise to hear that the junior, Rodriguez stood out given how good we know he is, it is nice to find out that Adedire and Carroll are making noise.

That's because the Red Raiders are completely remaking their defensive line this season after losing all four starters from a season ago. Thus, questions abound about whether that position group is going to be a strength or a liability this fall.

Adedire has long been expected to make a splash in Lubbock. The Mansfield, Texas product signed with Tech in the class of 2022 as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com.

However, growing pains and minor injuries have prevented him from being a breakout star up to this point. He's registered only 44 tackles and 2.0 sacks in his two years in the program. This year, though, he has an opportunity to dwarf those numbers as he will get the most playing time he's ever received now that the program is desperate to find new pass rushers.

Carroll took a different path to Texas Tech. The transfer from Rice is a super-senior who has been out of high school for five seasons.

During his time in Houston, he appeared in 42 games making 20 starts. Along the way, he racked up 101 tackles and 7.0 sacks.

This year, Carroll will be part of a deep defensive tackle rotation that could see as many as seven Red Raiders play meaningful snaps. Trying to replace long-time starters Jaylon Hutchings and Tony Bradford Jr., the Red Raiders will use a strength-in-numbers approach at the two interior defensive line spots and Carroll will have a role in that system.

On offense, McGuire said that new left guard Vinny Sciury, transfer wide receiver Josh Kelly, and transfer tight end Johncarlos Miller all stood out. That's a reminder of how heavily the Red Raiders have remodeled the offense this year thanks to the transfer portal.

There could be as many as seven new transfers playing key roles in the Red Raiders' two-deep rotation this fall on that side of the ball. Sciury is one of three along the offensive line alone and he appears to have locked down the starting left guard job. Now, it remains to be seen if the Toldeo transfer will be an upgrade when games start to count.

As for Kelly, he's repeatedly been mentioned as a standout since the moment he arrived from Washington State this spring. Last year, he had over 900 receiving yards for the Cougars and this year, as a super-senior, he's expected to be the Red Raiders' most polished and well-rounded pass catcher.

Miller didn't arrive with the same fanfare as Kelly because he played at FCS program Elon last season. However, the athletic tight end has made a name for himself by continually making eye-opening plays as a receiver thanks to his size and athleticism.

This year, Tech will deploy three primary tight ends with long-time Red Raider Mason Tharp and Arizona State transfer Jalin Conyers also set to play key roles at the position. It will be fascinating to see how that trio is utilized as a group and individually to maximize their strengths.

Two other players McGuire mentioned in his opening remarks were kickers Gino Garcia and Reese Burkhardt. McGuire reported that Garcia made a 55-yard FG early in practice and that Burkhardt made a 45-yard kick later in the evening. That's good news considering that there had been recent reports by the coaching staff of some inconsistencies and struggles from that duo in fall camp.

McGuire seemed pleased with the scrimmage, especially the fact that the team came out of it healthy, which is always the first concern. Now, with scrimmage two in the books, the team has turned the corner and has started to prepare for both Abilene Christian (the week-one opponent) and Washington State (the week-two opponent). It's a sign that the season is quickly approaching and that's music to everyone's ears.