Spring practice for the Texas Tech football team starts Monday. The Red Raiders go three days a week, culminating with the annual spring game on April 19, pausing from March 15-23 for the university’s spring break.
Weeks ago, we put out a highly speculative depth-chart projection, one we can refine considerably after Joey McGuire’s press conference Thursday. Now we have a much clearer version of who’s lining up where, at least for the first week of spring. There’ll be some changes, of course, over the next month.
We’ve put an “x” next to players who are out for spring, recovering from surgeries.
Offensive backfield
QB: x-Behren Morton, Sr.; Will Hammond, Fr-RS; Mitch Griffis, Sr.; Holden Phillips-Fr.; x-Lloyd Jones III, Fr.
What to know: Morton, coming off an elective shoulder surgery in December, has regained range of motion and is expected to be cleared for full throwing in May. In the meantime, Hammond will take the first-team snaps. McGuire paints Griffis, who spent 2020-23 at Wake Forest, as a perfect addition: Seasoned and capable if pressed into service, but not disruptive about not being the starter.
RB: J’Koby Williams, So.; Quinten Joyner, So.; Cameron Dickey, So.; x-Cam’Ron Valdez, Sr.; Jaden Morris, Jr.
What to know: One of the Red Raiders’ most interesting questions for 2025: Does competition among four players with relatively equal resumes yield a No. 1 running back, or does this group settle into a run-game by committee?
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Receivers
WR-X: Reggie Virgil, Sr.; Tyson Turner, Fr-RS; Leyton Stone, Fr.
Inside receiver: Coy Eakin, Jr.; Kelby Valsin, So.; L.J. Johnson, Fr-RS; Price Morgan, Jr.
WR-Z: Caleb Douglas, Sr.; T.J. West, So.; Michael Dever, Fr.; Hayden Wigington, Sr.
What to know: Douglas, Eakin and incoming transfer Virgil are the team’s most productive receivers by far. To get them all onto the field, Eakin moves into the slot after starting at X outside receiver the past two years.
TE: Johncarlos Miller, Sr.; Terrance Carter, Jr.; Jason Llewellyn, Jr.; Trey Jackson, Fr-RS.
What to know: Last year, Tech hit on transfer-portal tight ends Jalin Conyers from Arizona State and Miller from Elon. This year, they expect similar impact from Carter, who caught 48 passes for 689 yards last year for Louisiana-Lafayette.
Offensive line
RT: Nick Jados, Sr.; Jacob Ponton, Fr-RS; Daniel Sill, So.; Ellis Davis, Fr-RS.
RG: Davion Carter, Sr.; Hunter Zambrano, Sr.; Nick Fattig, So.; Holton Hendrix, Fr-RS.
C: Sheridan Wilson, Jr.; Davion Carter, Sr.; Caleb Rodkey, Sr.
LG: x-Vinny Sciury, Sr.; Nick Fattig, So.; Dylan Shaw, So.
LT: Howard Sampson, Jr.; Jacob Ponton, Fr-RS; Daniel Sill, So.
What to know: Tech thought it had five veteran starters in holdovers Wilson and Sciury and portal signees Sampson, Jados and Zambrano. That turned into six — welcome back, Carter — when the NCAA gave an extra year to 2024 seniors who began their careers at non-NCAA programs.
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Defensive line
Field Edge: Charles Esters, Sr.; Braylon Rigsby, So.; Ansel Nedore, So.; Eddy Smith, Fr-RS; Charles Anderson, Fr-RS.
DT: Lee Hunter, Sr.; x-Dooda Banks, Sr.; Jayden Cofield, So.
DT: Skyler Gill-Howard, Sr.; Anthony Holmes, Jr.; Amier Washington, So.
Boundary Edge: Romello Height, Sr.; Isaac Smith, Jr.; Joseph Adedire, Jr.; Terrell Tilmon, Jr.; x-Dylan Spencer, So.; Isaiah Crawford, So.; Cheta Ofili, Fr-RS.
What to know: Whether the Red Raiders’ heralded portal class was worth the spend will be determined to a large extent here. Tech’s counting on Hunter, Gill-Howard, Holmes and Height to sharply upgrade its No. 126 ranking in total defense.
Linebackers
MLB:Â Ben Roberts, Jr.; John Curry, So.; Trent Low, Sr.
WLB:Â Jacob Rodriguez, Sr.; x-Bryce Ramirez, Sr.; x-Justin Horne, So.; Wesley Smith, Jr.
What to know: The most significant change is the position coach; defensive coordinator Shiel Wood takes over for original McGuire staffer Josh Bookbinder, now at TCU. Not much suspense with the depth chart. Combined Over the past two years, Rodriguez and Roberts have combined for 42 starts and 325 tackles. The top backups return.
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Defensive backs
CB: Brice Pollock, Jr.; Dontae Balfour, Sr.; Macho Stevenson, So.; Tarrion Grant, So.
Star/nickel: A.J. McCarty, Sr.; Brenden Jordan, Jr.; Mike Dingle, So.; Chief Collins, Sr.; Marcus Ramon-Edwards, So.
Free (boundary) safety: Cole Wisniewski, Sr.; Malik Esquerra, Fr-RS; Luke Dillingham, Sr.; Mykel Harrison-Pilot, So.
Strong (high) safety: Â x-Chapman Lewis, Jr.; Brenden Jordan, Jr.; x-Devynn Cromwell, Sr.; Oliver Miles, Fr-RS; Peyton Morgan, Fr-RS; Sammy Morris, Sr.
CB:Â Maurion Horn, Jr.; Amier Boyd, Jr.; Jordan Sanford, Jr.; Ashton Hampton, Fr-RS; Isaiah Collins, Fr-RS.
What to know: This portion of the depth chart could shake out countless ways by September. There’s competition everywhere among six two-deep returnees from a 132nd-ranked pass defense, five transfer-portal arrivals and some promising signees from the 2024 high-school class.
Specialists
K:Â Upton Bellenfant, Jr.; Stone Harrington, Jr.
P:Â Jack Burgess, Sr.
What to know: Pressure’s on Bellenfant to add to four consecutive strong seasons from Jonathan Garibay, Trey Wolff and Gino Garcia.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech football depth chart projection 2.0 as spring practice begins
