Fall Camp: Breakout Candidates & Major Storylines for 2023 Red Raiders
As the Texas Tech fall camp countdown continues and begins to wind down under 24 hours, the Red Raiders along with head coach Joey McGuire will speak to the media at Tech’s media day on Wednesday.
There is plenty of excitement for everyone involved with the Red Raider football program and everything hits the ground running.
As we head into the second fall under McGuire, there are many storylines and positions of interest that we went over briefly last week.
Today, it’s all about finding the stories and making some “bold” predictions at this point in time.
Top Storyline Heading Into Camp: Texas Tech’s Experience on Defense
Replacing Tyree Wilson, the seventh overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, is going to be a tall task but the Tech staff has seemingly put themselves in excellent shape to do so.
The Red Raiders are expecting super-senior Myles Cole and Syracuse transfer Steve Linton to be a force on the outside, both of whom have put on substantial size in the offseason.
https://twitter.com/JoeyMcGuireTTU/status/1684724720149651456?s=20
The Red Raiders are returning a ton of production on the defensive line with both interior linemen returning for their final season in Jaylon Hutchings and Tony Bradford Jr. and have beefed up the depth with the addition of Quincy Ledet, a transfer from ULM.
On top of the strength of the D-Line, the Red Raider secondary should be improved with both corners returning along with the return of Dadrion Taylor-Demerson and Tyler Owens, both of whom were expected to be key contributor’s last season.
Breakout Player: LB Jesiah Pierre
Pierre flashed a ton in 2022 at the OLB position, sometimes coming off the edge for the Red Raiders, but in 2023 he will be moving back to a position he played earlier in his collegiate career, inside linebacker.
He and Jacob Rodriguez have some major shoes to fill after the departure of Krishon Merriweather and Kosi Eldridge, the tandem that racked up 203 total tackles last season.
Pierre is the most athletic in the linebacking corps and will be in position to make a ton of plays for the Red Raider defense in 2023.
Biggest Impact Newcomer: EDGE Steve Linton
As mentioned earlier, it is expected that Linton is going to be a major contributor to this team and everyone around the facility is extremely high on his upside.
Outside of Linton, DB CJ Baskerville is going to have an opportunity to make a major impact as the STAR in Tim DeRuyter’s defense, the position that Marquis Waters stood out at in 2022.
Under the Radar Standout: WR Coy Eakin
Eakin is coming off an injury riddled true freshman campaign where things just never got off the boat for him in 2022. He is highly regarded by the staff and seems to be in position to make an impact in a high-volume passing offense like Tech’s.
There are others in this mix as R-So RB Cam’Ron Valdez is going to be given the opportunity to take a step with an expected increase in touches.
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