Texas Tech Red Raiders news: Micah Hudson to miss time, a scary baseball injury, Myles Cole shines at combine, more

Here is your news roundup for Texas Tech and the NCAA for Friday, March 1, 2024.

Texas Tech wide receiver Micah Hudson has knee surgery

True freshman wide receiver Micah Hudson was seen at Tuesday's Texas Tech basketball game on crutches. However, there is nothing for Red Raider fans to worry about.

Hudson did have minor knee surgery to clean up an issue that dated back to his high school career. It is expected that Hudson will miss all of Texas Tech's spring practices but that he will return to workouts this summer and be fully healthy by the time the 2024 season kicks off on August 31.

Of course, many fans are excited to see Hudson in action given that the five-star signee is the highest-ranked high school player to ever sign with the Texas Tech football program. Now, though, the wait to see him play will be a bit longer.

Texas Tech pitcher Brady Trombello recovering after medical emergency

Texas Tech baseball right-hander Brady Trombello is recovering after what the team is calling a "medical emergency" suffered at practice on Monday afternoon. The university did not provide specific details of Trombello's injuriy but did say that the freshman pitcher is in stable condition after surgery on Monday night.

Here is a statement from Tech Athletics released on Wednesday:

“Texas Tech can confirm a medical emergency took place Monday afternoon at Rip Griffin Park involving baseball student-athlete Brady Trombello. Texas Tech’s sports medicine and coaching staff provided immediate care and helped transport Trombello via ambulance to University Medical Center where he underwent surgery Monday night. As of Wednesday night, Trombello is recovering and in stable condition. Texas Tech Athletics will provide updates as available but asks the public to respect the privacy of the Trombello family as he continues his recovery.”

Former Red Raider Myles Cole puts on a show at the NFL Combine

Former Texas Tech defensive end Myles Cole shined as expected at the NFL Combine on Thursday. In fact, he almost scored as high as possible on his on-field tests.

Most notably, the 280-pounder ran a blistering 4.68 40-yard dash. He also had a 35-inch vertical jump. With numbers like he put up on Thursday, it is almost guaranteed that he will hear his name called in this spring's NFL Draft.

Lady Raiders close out the regular season

The Texas Tech Lady Raiders will close the regular season vs. Kansas State on Saturday at home. They hope to put an end to their current 8-game losing streak but that won't be easy. Kansas State sits in third place in the Big 12 standings at 12-5 in league play.

Texas Tech softball finally opens home schedule

After a 9-2 win over New Mexico on Wednesday, the Texas Tech softball team will finally host its home opener on Friday against Merrimack College. The Red Raiders will play five games this weekend as part of the Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic. In addition to Merrimack, Tech will play New Mexico State and UTEP this weekend.

Overall, the Red Raiders are 13-3 on the season. They have won their last six games as they open the home portion of their schedule.

Is the College Football Playoff about to expand again?

Even before the College Football Playoff expands to 12 teams for the next two seasons, further expansion is already being discussed at the highest levels. The College Football Playoff Management Committee met Wednesday and CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd reports that expansion was discussed.

According to CBS Sports, "The Big Ten and the SEC have been at the center of the discussions for college football's future since forming their joint advisory board, and multiple sources told Dodd the two conferences were expected to request multiple automatic bids to the new format. Other potential changes could include expanding the field to 14 or even 16 teams."

This is likely a power play by the SEC and the BIG Ten, two conferences angling to get more than just one automatic bid to the playoff. Recently, the 12-team format that was adopted for 2025 and 2026 was set as a 5+7 model with the five highest-ranked conference champions getting an automatic bid and the next seven highest-ranked teams earning an at-large bid. Now, before that model is even tested, the powers that be are already looking to make further changes all in the name of money.