Texas Tech football misses out on transfer who could have been foundational piece

Not even Texas Tech with its deep pockets is going to land every recruit it pursues. Red Raider fans were reminded of that again on Tuesday when coveted offensive line transfer Tyrell Green spurned head coach Joey McGuire and his program and committed to Purdue after taking a recent visit to Lubbock.

Green is coming to the FBS ranks after earning Freshman All-American honors at the FCS level for Eastern Kentucky in 2024. Though he played at the lower level of the sport, he was highly sought after in large part because of his 6-foot-6, 355-pound frame,

Given his size and the fact that he has three years left to play, Green was viewed as a potential building block for the Red Raiders. However, the Toledo, Ohio, native has decided to return to the Midwest and play close to home with the Boilermakers.

Now, Texas Tech is likely still in the market for depth along the offensive line, especially at the guard positions, which is what Green plays. The good news is that next season's starting offensive line is in great shape.

Sheridan Wilson returns for his junior season at center after starting all 13 games there in 2024. He will be flanked by senior Vinny Sciury, who was thought to be Tech's best offensive lineman last season before he was lost for the year after only two games at left guard, and either returning starter Davion Carter or possibly Miami (OH) transfer Will Jados.

At tackle, Tech is going to count on massive 6-foot-8, 325-pound North Carolina transfer Howard Sampson on the left side and either Jados or Illinois State transfer Hunter Zambrano on the right side.

Texas Tech has to feel better about its top six or seven offensive linemen this offseason than it has about any group it has taken into the past few seasons. However, almost every year, the depth of a team's offensive line is tested, given that injuries to the big men up front are a certainty.

That's why the program was interested in Green. He could have not only been a nice fall-back option in case of an injury (if he had not won a starting job), but he would have also been a candidate to slide into a starting role down the road.

Now, Tech must find more ready-to-play depth along the interior of the line, especially given recent defections from the program. This offseason, the program has seen five offensive linemen enter the transfer portal. That includes recent entrants Dylan Shaw and Nick Fattig, two backups who were viewed as potential starters down the line.

The good news is that there are a handful of young linemen that the program is confident in. Players like Jacob Ponton, Ellis Davis, Connor Carty, and Holton Hendrix all seem to have promising futures in Lubbock.

However, the Red Raiders are trying to win right away, and to do that, they can't wait for all of those underclassmen to develop into Big 12 linemen. That's why McGuire and his staff have hit the portal with a vengeance to add linemen who can help immediately.

Green was thought to be a player who could have brought more competition and depth to the offensive line, but now he's off the board. That means Tech's search for help up front will continue because that is a position group that can't be taken for granted.