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Texas Tech football lands commitment from a top FCS offensive lineman

The Texas Tech football program has added its first transfer of the portal season and he fills a position of need for the offense.

ByMatthew Conner|
Nov 30, 2024; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire before a game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images
Nov 30, 2024; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire before a game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

The Texas Tech football program's annual overhauling of the offensive line via the transfer portal has begun. Wednesday, the Red Raiders picked up a verbal commitment from one of the top FCS offensive linemen in the nation, Hunter Zambrano who has played at Illinois State since entering the college ranks in 2021.

The 6-foot-5, 300-pounder entered 2024 with massive expectations, even being considered a possible 2025 NFL Draft pick. However, he missed most of this season due to an injury. Now, he's heading to the South Plains for his final year of college football, and head coach Joey McGuire will likely count on him to be a starting component of the offensive line.

In 2023, the Florida native showed what he is capable of at the FCS level. Earning all-conference honors, he gave up only one sack in 397 pass-blocking snaps.

Pro Football Focus graded Zambrano as the No. 13 offensive tackle in the FCS in 2023. What's more, as a pass blocker, he ranked No. 5 nationally at his position. Coming into 2024, he had allowed only five sacks in over 860 career pass-protection snaps.

It is interesting to see the Red Raiders dip into the FCS waters to try to fix their offensive line issues. In recent years, the program has tried to address the offensive line by bringing in tackles from the Group of Five level without finding much success in regard to fielding above-average offensive lines.

So fans might be skeptical about the prospect of relying on an FCS-level player to be a difference-maker in the Big 12. However, Zambrano isn't a run-of-the-mill FCS lineman.

What's more, each year, FCS players are drafted by the NFL and that's something that Texas Tech can't say about any of their offensive linemen since Dawson Deaton went to the Cleveland Browns in the 7th round.

This is likely just the first of multiple offensive line additions that the program will make this year. And what's more, Zambrano is a highly sought-after transfer and Texas Tech fans should be pleased to have him in the fold.

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