Crafty WR Josh Kelly is earning his keep at Texas Tech
Growing up, the West Coast is all that Josh Kelly knew. He was born in it, molded by it and developed into one of the country’s premier wide receivers on the West Coast. After five seasons of college football on that side of the country, Kelly went looking for a change of scenery, and he found what he was looking for at Texas Tech.
“Obviously when I came here on my visit, it was a lot of love here,” Kelly told the media Thursday evening. “Everybody told me about Texas football so why not come check it out? And not to mention my grandma, my grandmother stays out here so that’s a little bit of a bonus, as well.”
Kelly’s grandmother resides in Crowley, where Tech head coach Joey McGuire graduated from Crowley High School and is only a four-and-a-half hour drive from Lubbock.
Kelly’s journey brings another reunion with cornerback Bralyn Lux– the two played four seasons together at Fresno State. Kelly cites that connection as playing a major part in bringing him over.
“He played a huge role,” Kelly said of his fellow California native. “Me and Lux came into Fresno State together, both young kids and soon as I entered the portal, he heard Texas Tech was trying to tap in with me and he instantly called me like ‘Come, come.’ We made it happen. I took my visit out here, kicked it with him a little bit and it just felt right. It just felt right being here, having conversations with him on the future of this next upcoming season and it sounded like something I wanted to be a part of.”
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It has been quite the adjustment for Kelly, who is now playing at his heaviest, 197 pounds, compared to the 190 he played at last season. Yet, the same thing is said about Kelly across multiple sources, ranging from McGuire, to his position coach “Juice” Johnson, even linebacker Ben Roberts.
“He’s extremely elusive, he makes amazing catches,” Roberts said Thursday, singling out Kelly as the offensive player standing out the most in spring ball. “Once he makes a catch you better hope other people are running to the ball after him and not just you.”
The praises continue to be sung for Kelly despite not having taken a snap in the red and black yet. Some might say it is fitting considering the season he put up in 2023 at Washington State.
Kelly posted career highs of 61 receptions and eight touchdowns, while nearly eclipsing 1,000 yards with 923 on the year. Kelly’s one season in Pullman was enough to show him how good of a receiver he really was after an injury-riddled 2022 at Fresno.
“It boosted my confidence up tremendously,” Kelly said of his most recent campaign. “I know the talents that I have in myself. For me to leave Fresno State and go to Washington State, it was scary for me just because I’ve never been in that process. Just doing that I felt like it took my game to the next level, took my mindset to the next level. Whereas now going through the same transition and everything, yeah I had a good year but I wanna stack a better year on top of that to where I don’t want people thinking that it was a one lucky year. I want everybody to know that. I’m still me, I’m still the same Josh Kelly. Going into a bigger conference, just show everybody I still got that fire.”
Kelly’s second game as a Red Raider will be in Pullman, with a scheduling change slotting Tech to square off with the Cougars in the team’s first road game next season.
Kelly, who grew up a UCLA fan and always dreamed of playing in the Pac-12, got his wish but quickly saw that shatter with the conference’s heavy hitters going their separate ways.
“It did (play a factor), I’m not gonna sit here and lie and say it didn’t, because it did,” Kelly said of the conference’s fate and how it affected his decision to leave WSU. “I went to the Pac-12 to play in the Pac-12, once I heard they were going down to a lower level, that’s the league I came from, the Mountain West, and I didn’t wanna go back to the Mountain West. I see myself as a better player. Just trying to find a bigger stage, I feel like the Big 12 was here. Especially now with everything opening up, I feel like it’s a great chance for us to contend for that championship spot and I obviously want to be a part of that.”
Those expecting to see Kelly in the No. 3 jersey that he wore at Washington State should be aware of his current designation, the No. 18 shirt. With the kind of sentiment the No. 3 holds within the program, McGuire made it clear that Kelly will have to earn it if he wants to don it again.
Kelly wears it still, just now on a gold chain, and he’s hopeful that when the fall comes, the number will be synonymous with the attitude of his work and play.
“Last year was the first year I ever wore three, three has a special place in my heart because I called it my bounce back season,” Kelly said. “Three was just something that I felt fit me coming into that year. Now I wanna wear it here and me and McGuire have plenty of conversations of me just earning that three here. I told him I don’t want it given to me, I know that The Brand is something that’s molded here at Texas Tech. I don’t wanna be treated special or any other kind of way. Make me earn it and I’ve just been practicing hard everyday.”