One storyline that football fans follow closely in fall camp is the health of their team. Fortunately for Texas Tech fans, it has been a rather quiet fall on that front. However, head coach Joey McGuire shared on Monday that starting edge rusher Trey White will miss the season opener against Abilene Christian.
"Trey White got banged up," McGuire said. "You know, he's going to be a week-to-week deal with his knee. But nothing major. So we feel really good about that."
For Texas Tech fans, this is disappointing news. That's because White was one of the key offseason portal additions for the Red Raiders, and many were looking forward to seeing him in action.
Tasked with replacing both starting edge rushers from 2025, Tech brought in White from San Diego State and Adam Trick from Miami (OH) to bolster the pass rush. That duo is expected to be one of the top pairs of pressure players in the Big 12 this season.
White is a fifth-year senior with 19.5 career sacks to his credit. At San Diego State, he was a two-time All-Mountain West Conference first-team selection.
He's racked up 129 career tackles, with 31 of those for loss. What's more, he's appeared in 40 games with 26 starts.
The good news is that White appears to have dodged a bullet. His injury isn't season-ending, meaning Tech will head into the opener as healthy as McGuire said he's ever had a team after fall camp.
That is a stark difference from last season, when transfer running back Quinten Joyner was lost for the season in a fall camp practice due to a knee injury. The former USC Trojan was expected to be the Red Raiders' lead running back in 2025 until he went down in August.
In 2026, the Red Raiders have avoided such a catastrophe before the season opens. What's more, there are some talented players behind White who will now get the chance to shine while he is sidelined.
Texas Tech has intriguing options behind White
On the official Texas Tech week-one depth chart, an intriguing name sits behind White at outside linebacker. True freshman LaDamion Guyton appears to be in line to get the start in his first college game.
Keep in mind that the Georgia native and five-star 2026 signee is just 17 years old. He graduated from high school early and has only been with the Red Raiders for a few weeks after finishing up his high school degree requirements.
However, he's impressed tremendously in fall camp. In fact, just about every coach on McGuire's staff has raved about the physical specimen Guyton is. Now, in week one, it appears that Tech fans will see a bigger helping of the highest-ranked high school recruit to ever ink with Texas Tech.
Third on the depth chart behind White is Jamond Mathis, a senior transfer from Kent State. Last year, he earned All-MAC honors while racking up eight tackles for loss and six sacks.
Regardless of who steps into White's starting spot, Tech shouldn't need a huge performance from White's understudy to beat Abilene Christian. In fact, this could be a blessing in disguise, as it will give players like Guyton and Mathis an opportunity to get more experience while playing against an opponent that shouldn't threaten the Red Raiders.
So while Texas Tech fans will have to wait at least another week to see White in action, this is as good an injury update as we could have hoped for heading into the first game week of the season.
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