Pre-Spring Position Previews: Defensive Line

I personally needed some clarity on each positions, so I wanted to look at pre-spring position reviews (or post-portal but went with pre-spring). Let’s go!

Graduation

NT Lee Hunter
DT Skyler Gill-Howard
DT E’Maurion Banks
DE David Bailey
DE Romello Height
DE Charles Esters III
DE Terrell Tilmon

Transfers Out

DE Amier Washington – UCLA
DL Kason Long –
DE Braylon Rigsby – Oklahoma State
DE Cheta Ofili – TCU

Returning

Defensive Tackle:

DT A.J. Holmes (6-3/300) SR
NT Jayden Cofield (6-2/330) JR
DT Keyshawn Williams (6-3/325) RSO
DT Dylan Singleton (6-5/290) SO

Defensive Ends:

DE Ansel Nedore (6-3/270) JR
DE Charles Anderson Jr. (6-6/280) RSO

Transfers In

Defensive Tackles:

DT Mateen Ibirogba (6-3/296) SR – Wake Forest
DT Julien Laventure (6-1/270) SR – Akron
DT JoJo Johnson (6-2/280) JR – Oregon State

Defensive Ends:

DE Jamond Mathis (6-3/245) JR – Kent State
DE Trey White (6-2/245) SR – San Diego state
DE Bryce Butler (6-5/315) SR – Washington
DE Adam Trick (6-4/242) SR – Miami (Ohio)

Incoming Freshmen

DE LaDamion Guyton (6-3/250) – 97.45
DT Krush Johnson (6-2/285) – 86.80
DT Ayden Johnson (6-2/340) – 86.77
DE Demarcus Marks (6-4/205) – 86.73

What I think:

There is so much talent graduation. Hats off to those guys, they changed what Texas Tech is about.
The fact that 3 of the 4 transfers out are going to Power 4 institutions says something about those guys. They are talented and I wish they would have stuck around, but I’m never going to bemoan a player wanting to leave for what is probably guaranteed playing time is understandable. It’s a big room as you’ll see.
For the record, I’m classifying defensive ends and edge players or whatever you want to call the player that lines up on the line and rushes the passer as a defensive end. I know that they are technically outside linebackers, but I wanted those guys here because that’s how my brain works.
I would expect Holmes and Cofield along with Ibirogba and Laventure to see most of the playing time at tackle. That’s a pretty solid rotation of 4 and I think that’s what Shiel Wood wants. Actually, that’s more than solid, that’s pretty great because Holmes is one of the better players in the Big 12. I think he’s that good. Ibirogba is maybe right behind him in terms of talent.
Nedore and Anderson have not played a lot, but they need to step things up because competition is on the way. If I were to project, my thought might be that White and Trick are going to be your starters next year with Mathis and Butler looking for time along with Nedore and Anderson. I also maybe think that Butler might be a tackle and not an end. We’ll see.
And now there’s an all-star freshman on campus. Normally I think that a freshman isn’t going to see playing time, but all bets are off with Guyton. I don’t know what to expect, but most guys, like Marks, just haven’t developed yet, but Guyton steps in with size and strength and he’s on campus early.
We also learned yesterday that defensive line coach Zarnell Fitch did not have his contract renewed and that he would not be returning to Texas Tech. I heard Chris Level on his and Casey Cowan’s Locked on Texas Tech podcast that Fitch and his former coach and co-worker, Gary Patterson, who was just named as the defensive coordinator at USC, would be a likely destination. It would seem like there are two ways to think about this, that they knew this was going to happen everyone was on the same page or something more nefarious. I’m thinking the former, but that just may be my positive outlook on life. Because I think it is the former, my guess is that Joey McGuire will have someone lined up pretty quickly. In addition to Fitch, C.J. Ah You interviewed with the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers. There is the thought that he could leave now or eventually leave, but I’d also say again that McGuire will find a quality replacement. And this isn’t to say that I want either of them gone, quite the opposite, but change of personnel for a really successful football team is pretty normal and for this to be the only change is somewhat of a success.