Texas Tech football: Red Raiders land three important transfers over the weekend

Over the weekend, the Texas Tech football program added three potentially impactful transfers to continue its impressive recruiting haul via the transfer portal. What's more, two of the three additions could be long-term building blocks.

Texas Tech adds size to the defensive line

The one super-senior that Joey McGuire picked up this weekend is James Hansen, a defensive tackle from Nevada. At 6-foot-2, 307 pounds, Hansen is going to get a shot at joining players such as Quincy Ledett and Dooda Banks in the interior line rotation. He helps offset last month's de-commitment from 355-pound JUCO DT Danny Saili who flipped from Texas Tech to BYU just before the signing period opened.

Hansen started out at the JUCO ranks himself before playing for Utah State and Nevada. Over the past two seasons, he's racked up a total of 37 tackles with 7.5 going for loss and two being sacks.

The Red Raiders are looking at the tall task of having to replace both Tony Bradford Jr. and Jaylon Hutchings at defensive tackle this offseason. That duo combined for 88 tackles in 2023 and 339 for their Red Raider careers. While no one expects Hansen to replicate that type of productivity, Tech is happy to have another 300-pound body to eat up space in front of the dynamic inside linebacker tandem of Ben Roberts and Jacob Rodriguez.

Former 4-star safety picks Texas Tech

In the secondary, Texas Tech is always active when it comes to adding talent. That's why it was no shock to see McGuire target and land Javeon Wilcox, a freshman safety transfer from TCU.

A redshirt in 2023 who did not amass any stats this fall, he does have quite the pedigree based on his recruiting profile. In the class of 2023, the Temple, Texas native was a 4-star recruit according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings.

As a recruit, he had offers from the likes of TCU, Baylor, Arkansas, and Texas Tech. Now, he joins the Red Raiders as a player who can develop over time and potentially join an exciting core of young defensive backs in Lubbock.

In 2024, Tech will be replacing safeties Dadrion Taylor-Demerson and Tyler Owens so there is an opportunity for Wilcox to earn some snaps. However, there is quite a bit of competition in the defensive backfield so this could be an addition that doesn't pay immediate dividends but rather is a building block for the future.

Texas Tech adds another talented tight end

Perhaps no position on the roster has been more revamped this offseason than the tight end spot. Already having added Arizona State transfer Jalin Conyers and Joncarlos Miller II from Elon as well as signing Trey Jackson from South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas, Tech decided to add another new face to that room this weekend in the form of OU transfer Jason Llewellyn.

An Aledo, Texas native who played in only three games in 2023, he was a former top-100 player in Texas who had offers from the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas, Michigan, TCU, Texas, and others as a high school prospect. He hasn't registered any stats thus far in his career but the 6-foot-5, 255-pounder could be a future centerpiece for the Tech offense.

Remember that Conyers will be in his last year of eligibility this fall and returning TE Mason Tharp will also be a senior in 2024. That means that an infusion of young talent was needed at the position and Llewellyn provides that.

With 11 commits, the Red Raiders now have the No. 15 transfer portal class in the nation according to 247Sports.com. What's more, their portal haul ranks second in the reconstructed Big 12 behind only Colorado, which has the No. 2 transfer class overall.

This offseason, McGuire and Co. have completely revamped their offensive line, wide receiver corps, and tight end room since the end of the regular season in November. However, the additions are likely not finished as the portal continues to change the face of the sport.