Texas Tech offensive line remains jumbled as season approaches

Entering fall camp, the biggest question the Texas Tech football program had to answer was what its starting offensive line would be. Now, just over a week before the season kicks off, it doesn't appear that the coaching staff has come to any definitive conclusions.

"We're kinda still messing with where everybody is," McGuire admitted on Tuesday. "There were times that Caleb [Rogers] was at left tackle, right guard, right tackle. I definitely feel that Caleb feels...better on the right side."

It seems that finding a home for Rogers is what is holding up this entire process. Widely regarded as the most versatile lineman on the roster, the senior has played both tackle spots in his Red Raider career. However, for most of the offseason, he's worked along the interior of the line, mostly at right guard.

Still, unforeseen factors have forced the coaches to have to plug Rogers in at different spots. Namely, an early camp injury to Middle Tennessee transfer Sterling Porcher has made it necessary to put Rogers back at left tackle for some stretches of fall camp.

"Sterling [Porcher] missed the first part of camp so he's playing himself back into shape," McGuire said. "He had a pulled hamstring and so you see him getting in better and better shape. So there was a mixture of like Sterling at left tackle, Vinny [Sciury] at left guard, [Sheridan Wilson] at center, [Davion] Carter at right guard, and Caleb at right tackle. You had Ty Buchanan at right tackle whenever Caleb was at left tackle."

On one hand, it is great to have a player of Rogers' experience and ability who is able to play as many as four spots along the line, especially in case of an injury. However, Tech is now reaching the point where it must find a home for Rogers and allow him to become comfortable there. Speaking of comfort, McGuire does seem comfortable about the depth along his offensive line.

"We feel really good about our top six, seven, and then, maybe eight right now and nine could get us out of a game. But we feel really good about that there's six guys that you can throw Caleb kinda anywhere and those other guys really fit in well."

McGuire was then asked who the eighth and ninth offensive linemen were. His answer contained a couple of names that had not been mentioned all that much during fall camp.

"Danny Sill," McGuire said. "We've actually bumped, with, Jaxson Hughes is one of them, with Jaxson Hughes being a tackle, we've been able to bump Danny Sills into being a guard. Which probably is going to end up being his more natural position. So he's trending in a really good direction.

"Dylan Shaw, for a young guy, had a good camp. And you know, I don't expect him to play but a guy like Holton Hendirx, you really can see something with a guy like him.

"So Jaxson Hughes, Danny Sills, those are like eight and nine. Dalton Merryman would be seven, you know. And then the six guys are the guys who've played a whole lot of football, minus of course Sheridan, but he's had a really good camp."

It is interesting that Merryman is specifically mentioned as the No. 7 offensive lineman by McGuire. That would indicate that he's no longer in the running to start at left tackle where, earlier in fall camp, he was pushing Porcher (and potentially Rogers) for the starting job according to McGuire.

Regardless of what the combination is, Tech needs to settle on a starting five in the next few days. In fact, that the starting unit hasn't yet developed naturally is a bit of a concern because it might mean that no one has really stepped forward and claimed some of the starting jobs.

It would seem that Sciury and Wilson are locked into the left guard and center spots. However, the other three starting roles are yet to be settled and that is less than ideal with only nine days until kickoff against Abilene Christian.