Texas Tech Red Raiders 2024 Preview: New Faces, Same Goal

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The Texas Tech Red Raiders enter the 2024 season coming off a rather disappointing 2023 campaign.

Picked to finish as one of the top teams in the Big 12 Conference, the Red Raiders finished with a 7-6 record,

going 5-4 in Big 12 play.

Injuries suffered by starting quarterback Tyler Shough and a few other key players doomed any chances of their projected Top Five finish. With Shough gone to the Louisville Cardinals and a few other key players departing, questions certainly arose around Texas Tech's direction.

However, with the talent that shined through due to the injuries and rotating roster, there’s plenty of

promise this season. There's hope that the Red Raiders can be competitive and make a run at the Big 12 title game. This year’s conference will be extremely competitive. If the Red Raiders can be bowl-eligible and

maintain a winning conference record after everything that happened last year, then they have the resolve and leadership to be competitive.

Texas Tech Offense

Texas Tech returns standout junior quarterback Behren Morton, who came on in place of Shough at the

very start last season. Morton wasn’t perfect. But for a sophomore, his efforts were respectable. He threw for 1,754 yards, rushed for 46 yards and scored 19 total touchdowns.

While Morton’s efforts were solid, it Texas Tech’s run game was their bread and butter. Running back Tahj Brooks was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award in 2023 and is on this year’s Preseason Watch List for both the Walker and the Maxwell Awards. Brooks carried the ball 290 times for a whopping 1,541 yards (5.3 yards/carry) and 10 touchdowns.

This being said, Texas Tech’s offensive line will look a lot different. It returns just one starter, interior offensive lineman Caleb Rogers. They also picked up two top transfers in the Transfer Portal for the offensive line, nabbing Toledo Rockets transfer Vinny Sciury and Memphis Tigers transfer Davion Carter.

New offensive line coach Clay McGuire is at the helm this season. He's returning to the Red Raiders after a few years at other programs. He will help that offensive line find chemistry and mesh together. However, they have experience and depth to be successful.

Finally, the Texas Tech receiving corps will also look a bit different. Multiple former starters have

departed from this unit.

However, Red Raider fans have every right to be excited about them. For one, five-star freshman Micah Hudson will make his debut already looking like a college-ready player. He will be paired with Washington State Cougars transfer Josh Kelly, who caught 61 passes for 923 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2023.

At the tight ends, the Red Raiders also bring in Arizona State Sun Devils transfer Jalin Conyers, a big-bodied athlete set to have a breakout season.

The offense has a lot of new faces. With that, there could be some concerns regarding cohesion and

overall chemistry. Should this offense mesh, though, the Red Raiders could have major potential this

season.

Texas Tech Defense

The Texas Tech defense struggled last season, losing their top linebacker Jacob Rodriguez to injury and

suffering from depth issues in general. While their defensive line continued their success from 2022 to

2023, the unit goes through a major turnover this season, losing many to the NFL and Transfer Portal.

The portal has taken from the Red Raiders, yes, but it's also given back. Rice Owls transfer De’Braylon Carroll comes to the Red Raiders. Carroll recorded 46 tackles and 3.5 sacks last season while also recovering a fumbl. On top of Carroll, this defensive line is full of transfers and young talent chomping at the bit to continue the legacy of successful Red Raider defensive lines.

Behind the defensive line, standout senior linebacker Rodriguez will return. So will will sophomore Ben Roberts. He took the reins as the main linebacker last season and held his own up front. Roberts earned Freshman All-American honors and recorded 105 tackles, 2 forced fumbles and an interception. Linebacker will likely be the strongest position for the Texas Tech defense. Given that it’s normally seen as the leading position on defense, that could mean a lot.

In the secondary, the Red Raiders lose a lot of starters from 2023. CJ Baskerville will be the

likely leader of this group, full of young players looking to make their mark. Baskerville recorded

77 tackles and 1 interception. With the strengths of opposing quarterbacks this season, this will be a

position of some concern for the Red Raiders. They will need to step up should this defense be

worth their salt this season.

In Conclusion

The fact of the matter is that this Texas Tech team has a ton of new faces. Roster turnover took a major toll,

but they have rebuilt well with the Transfer Portal and young talent. They have the top high school recruiting class in the Big 12 for 2024. It's a class that will need to adjust quickly to college ball while also having a trial by fire.

It's worth watching to see if these young players succeed in their first year. Also, will veteran players turn into the leaders and players they have the potential to be? If so, then this Red Raider squad should be right up there with the best. Head coach Joey McGuire is in his first season with just guys he recruited. This should help immensely around both cohesion and unity.

Texas Tech’s schedule is very backloaded with their toughest matchups in the later weeks. Should they build momentum and stay healthy entering that tough stretch, they will be competitive for the rest of it. There are lots of questions for this squad, but the expectations remain the same. A Top Five finish is it, but will Texas Tech get there? Time will tell. For now, the Red Raiders will be sitting near the middle of the pack.

Record: 8-4 (5-4 Big 12)