Texas Tech associate strength and positioning coach Derek Owings shared a tweet earlier this morning about the fastest players on the roster. The players were graded and ranked based on their top-end speed in mph. The following players ranked as the top three fastest players: WR McLane Mannix, DB John Davis, and WR Dalton Rigdon. Mannix ranked as the fastest player with a 22.0 mph top-end speed. The next three players were DB Demarcus Fields, LB Brandon Bouyer-Randle, and DB Dadrion Taylor.
The senior wideout graded as the fastest player on the team. Mannix, a native of Midland, signed with Nevada out of high school. Mannix was named a Freshman All-American after catching 57 passes for 778 yards and 6 touchdowns. Mannix followed that year with 50 catches for 875 yards and 7 touchdowns as a sophomore. Mannix transferred to Tech following the season and was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Mannix caught 26 passes for 248 yards and 3 TD's last season as a Red Raider. Mannix will be expected to see reps on the inside next season along with fellow speedster Dalton Rigdon.
Davis is entering his junior season at Tech where he has seen action on special teams as well as in the secondary. Davis ranked as the second fastest player on the team and is looking to turn that into more playing time this year. Davis is currently listed at 6'1 and 190 pounds on the Texas Tech roster. He seems to be a good fit to see reps as a slot corner this season, and I would expect the upperclassman to contribute on special teams moving forward.
Dalton Rigdon rounded out the top three in fastest graded players on the team, barely being edged out by Davis and Mannix. Rigdon made big strides as a Sophomore last season. The former walk-on from Perryton started 10 games and made 34 catches for 486 yards and 5 touchdowns. Rigdon will be called on early and often next year and will continue to see time in the slot with McLane Mannix. Rigdon will be a favorite target for whoever starts at Quarterback for the Red Raiders next season, and will look to improve in year 2 of David Yost's system.
Fields was barely edged out for the number three spot, clocking in at 21.6 mph. Fields has seen a lot of playing time over the course of his career for the Red Raiders. Fields has started 32 games for the Red Raiders, totaling 113 tackles and 4 interceptions. Fields is coming off of a career year in 2019 where he intercepted 3 passes and totaled 6 tackles for loss. Fields should be a starter this season at corner and will look to improve upon a career year last season.
Brandon Bouyer-Randle ranked as the fifth fastest player on the roster, coming in at 21.5 mph. Bouyer-Randle will be making his Red Raider debut this season as he comes over as a grad-transfer from Michigan State. Bouyer-Randle played in 26 career games for Sparty, where he totaled 26 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and 2 fumble recoveries. Bouyer-Randle is expected to see immediate playing time on defense this season.
Taylor is a converted running back out of Oklahoma who committed to Tech late in the recruiting cycle last year. Taylor saw immediate playing time in the secondary as a true freshman last year, as he played in 11 games, making 2 starts. Taylor finished the season with 16 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 fumble recovery. Taylor will be a contributor on the back-end of the secondary for the Red Raiders and is someone the coaches have put into key situations early in his Red Raider career. Taylor is someone who I think will make big strides this upcoming year and will look to claim a starting job at safety.
