For most of the past two weeks, Texas Tech football fans have been focused on the additions the program has made via the transfer portal. But Friday, one of the Red Raiders more promising pass rushers from 2024 announced that he will be leaving the program.
Harvey Dyson III, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound sophomore from Cedar Hill, Texas posted on social media that he will be entering the transfer portal looking for a new place to play for his final two seasons of college football. This is a player that Tech likely didn't want to see walk out the door.
Yes, Dyson's numbers are modest at best. He has appeared in 18 games for Tech over the past three seasons and in that time, he's come up with just 2.5 sacks from his outside linebacker position.
However, Dyson has been able to show flashes of being an effective pass rusher. Despite being hampered by nagging injuries in 2024, he came up with 2.0 sacks which was tied for third on the team.
I want to start off by thanking God, without him none of this is possible. Thanks to Coach McGuire, the staff, my teammates, and all of Red Raider Nation for these last 3 years. I have officially entered my name in the Transfer Portal with 2 years of eligibility. pic.twitter.com/Cr4HKNTr5A
— 🚶🏽♂️ (@HarveyDysonIII) December 20, 2024
What's more, prior to the season, the coaching staff had been high on Dyson as a pass rusher. Thus, it is easy to believe that his best football is ahead of him.
The good news is that Tech has plenty of other talented players to man the outside linebacker/edge rusher spot moving forward. That includes new addition Romello Height, the senior Georgia Tech transfer who joined the program via the portal this week. However, no Red Raider edge rusher set to be with the team next season has yet to prove to be a dominant rusher at the collegiate level.
In large part, the Texas Tech players that have entered the portal thus far have been players that few fans are going to be sad to see leave. However, Dyson is one that it would have been nice to keep in the mix because he has a skill set that could be useful for just about any defense as pass rushers are one of the most valued commodities in the game.
Hopefully, the deep but unproven pool of rushers that Tech has amassed for 2025 can produce at least a couple of difference-makers next season. Some thought Dyson might be able to break out for the Red Raiders next fall but that isn't going to happen as he has decided to find a new place to play.