Head coach Joey McGuire non-transcript.

Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now

Buy Me a Coffee Strava’s Staking The Plains Running Club PLEASE NOTE: Words that are in italics are quotes from a story or link.

• Had a good Saturday. Had the coaches clinic, about 200 coaches. Had a ton of families come in to see their sons, an Easter service and Easter egg hunt. Don’t think there are many programs that do that, hats off to Antonio Huffman and Quinten Jordan and the support staff.
• Saturday was good. Live short-yardage goal line, had 7 on 7 and ended with red zone lockout, offense ended up winning, the defense did well and tackled well on Saturday. Feel good about where we are at. About 4 to 6 practices remaining. New guys are really fitting in.
• Thought 3rd rep for Brendan Sorsby, threw a mesh and nearly drilled a hole through Kenny Johnson’s chest. He did it with a tight pocket. Kirk is learning the offense. Really proud of Chubb, he feels healthy, done a good job of knowing when to pull the ball down. He can really run. Stephen and Holden are doing a good job of learning the offense. Will is bouncing around and recovering some surgery.
• Difference in recruiting, when you start negatively recruit Texas Tech it blows up in your face because they see for themselves. This building and facilities, the number of guys getting drafted and playing their best football at Texas Tech, speaks volumes to these young guys.
• Mixture of where Greene wants to put BJ, if BJ is boundary then Peyton Morgan gets 1st team reps. Oliver sprained his ankle, he’ll be back tomorrow. If BJ is to the field then Maliq Esquerra gets teh reps. It is their turn and their time. With Morgan, he had 9 interceptions, he is a ballhawk. Had a big interception on Saturday and can cover a lot f ground. Maliq physically looks really good, is 212 and 215, he has to come down in the box and be a run fit. Proud of both of those guys. Oliver will be back tomorrow and been proud of MHP, he’s been playing both. The freshmen have shown up too, Webb, Bradshaw and Maddox.
• Probably going to do situational football for the spring game. Will be on a Friday night. Going to be able to show some things to the fans and it is another practice at getting great at situational football.
• Football wise, we are right where we want to be, maybe a little ahead, because it is a veteran group. Have 2 tailbacks back, they operate at a high level. Have 3 starters in the offensive line. As a team, I feel great about where we are culturally, will go through camp figuring out where we are. Going to have to defend a lot of personnel groupings, will be crazy not to have the 3 running backs involved, and the tight ends and the receivers who can play all 3 spots. Defensively, we are deep, but we are different. Austin Romaine and Corey Platt are natural pass rushers at the linebacker position and haven’t hadthat, so how do we use those guys when we lose Bailey and Romello. Adam and Trey are better at the run game, setting the edges.
• Jacob Ponton at right tackle, Jordan Church at right guard, Sheridan Wilson center, Hunter Zambrano at left guard, and Howard Sampson at left tackle. Upshaw gets work with the 1’s and 2’s. Still competition there, but those 5 are starting to establish they can lead the offense. They have girth and how big their thighs are. Cash Cleveland has more center reps this spring, Upshaw at left guard. Holton Hendrix has done a good job at right guard.
• Understand both perspectives, the disappointing thing is that we know it is great for ratings. Great for our brand on Friday night, but we are forgetting that our fans and how much money are we losing on Friday night and will be at the Frenship games and the Lubbock games and any of alumni. Pretty sure that Ratliff stadium sells uot every Friday night. I would much rather be playing on a Saturday and do think that we are missing a great opportunity, Game Day should be at Ole Miss and LSU, but we will have a top 25 match-up and won’t be a better game that should be on Big Noon and missing that opportunity.
• Felix Ojo is a dude. We have 8 mid-year freshmen, those guys are at a whole other level, getting work at the 2’s and 3’s, as well as Elias. He is 291 and 295. Close grip benched 365, for a freshman that’s really good. JJ Mays did more than that. That group has come in with a good foundation. Felix has a big IQ, when you are in the underwear olympics the camps that allow bull rush, we don’t even allow our guys to do that, even in helmets and spiders. When you put on pads, you see another player. When people come on campus people know who he is and he loves Texas Tech, everyone knows who he is, he’s done a great job of recruiting for us.
• I told AJ Holmes I’m going to make sure everyone knows we have an all-American coming back, he shows up. He is weight training and can do what Lee Hunter did. That is a deep group, Trick and White have been pros and have done a phenomenal job, Jamond Mathis is showing up, is getting more comfortable. Defensive tackle room, Bryce Butler, Julian, Jojo had his best week last week. Mateen and AJ in the game at the same time, that will be a good 3rd down package and can rush the passer. Keyshawn has had a good spring. Aubrey and Smith have been phenomenal. Trey made a point about how how much detail Coach Smith has. Charles Anderson is having a really good spring and it’s time, he’s going to be a redshirt sophomore, he’s 6-5/270 and time for him to show up.

This is the full episode of Bussin’ With The Boys with Taylor Lewan and Will Compton.

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Don Wiliams on the new offensive line roles (also detailed above):

On Monday, April 6, McGuire said, without equivocation, that Louisville transfer Jordan Church is the right guard and Hunter Zambrano is the left guard. They join tackles Howard Sampson and Jacob Ponton and center Sheridan Wilson, who are returning starters from the Red Raiders’ first Big 12 championship team.

“There’s still competition there,” McGuire said, “but those five are really starting to establish that they could lead this offense. From my first year to now, it looks a lot different when you’re watching the end zone (video) copy of practice, just their girth and how big their thighs and butt and mass is as a whole with that offensive line.”

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Don Williams on the role of new tight end Jett Carpenter and here’s his position coach Josh Cochran on what he brings:

“Great addition,” Tech tight ends coach Josh Cochran said this week. “As far as on the field, extremely physical blocker, one of the best I’ve had in the run game. But don’t let him fool you. He’s a really good pass catcher as well. Detailed route runner. And then off the field, he’s as fun to be around as anyone you’ll ever meet. Great positivity every day, brings great energy, just a really good addition to the room.”

Red Raider Sports’ Lane Selph also breaks down the Cochran presser and the tight ends.

Red Raider Sports’ Lane Selph on the running backs and I’ve pulled a bit on freshman Ashton Rowden:

“Man, we hit on Ashton Rowden, we did,” McGuire said. “He is everything we thought of from a recruitment standpoint and more, he is tough, physical and competitive. He is unbelievably coachable and he is going to be a really good player here.”

ESPN’s Bill Connelly breaks down his favorite transfer classes and Oklahoma State takes the top spot with Texas Tech in the 4 to 6 range and old friend Colorado at the No. 3 spot. Here’s the bit about Texas Tech:

Favorite transfers (Texas Tech): QB Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati (2,800 passing yards, 27 TDs); OLB Adam Trick, Miami-Ohio (69 tackles, 14.5 TFLs, 8.5 sacks); WR Jalen Jones, Alabama State (1,392 receiving yards, 19.3 per catch)

Tech’s need for a big-time quarterback was laid bare in the Red Raiders’ CFP loss to Oregon, and grabbing maybe the most highly sought QB in the portal was a pretty good way of addressing that. Trick is almost a surefire star, too, as is edge rusher Trey White (San Diego State). Receivers Kenny Johnson (Pitt), Donte Lee Jr. (Liberty), Malcolm Simmons (Auburn) and Jones all offer big-play potential, too.

I’d also add that Kansas State is at No. 8, West Virginia at No. 9, and Houston at No. 11. There’s a handful of Big 12 schools who are getting better.