A major focus for Texas Tech this off-season was loading up in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Games are won and lost up front, and with so much on the line in 2025, the Red Raiders couldn't afford to be passive and not give it their best shot.

Northern Illinois defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard entered the transfer portal and immediately picked up a ton of interest and offers from some major programs such as LSU, Florida State, Wisconsin and several more. Texas Tech was able to get Gill-Howard down to Lubbock for a visit, and he didn't leave campus before he was committed.

Now the 6-foot-1, 290 pound defensive lineman more than halfway through spring football with the Red Raiders, and he says he feels like he's adjusting well to his new home.

"It's been an adjustment, you know, coming in here, playing in a new defense. It's been very fun to get to know the team, to learn the defense, and just to be in Lubbock in general in these crazy facilities. Like, obviously, not what I'm used to, but it's been a good adjustment. So I'm having fun here."

UCF nose tackle transfer Lee Hunter was another huge addition for Texas Tech, which allows Gill-Howard be more versatile and should help him get more one-on-one opportunities.

"I'm playing head up in front of the tackle, but we also have some three tech looks, which I'm used to in my old defense. But I'm playing right head up in front tackle on the four tech.

"That guy is huge," continues Gill-Howard, on his defensive line teammate Lee Hunter. "But it's really great when you play with a guy like Lee, like the O-Line has to pick, like, who they want to double team at each time. So like, either he's going to get a one-on-one or I'm going to get a one-on-one, and then we just go from there, whether we're running games or something. Like, it's always going to be a problem and hectic with us to win there, but playing with a guy like Lee has been amazing."

Gill-Howard has come a long way in his playing career, from starting as a linebacker at Division II Upper Iowa University to gaining a bunch of weight and moving to defensive line, transferring to Northern Illinois, and then finally to Texas Tech where he will try his shot at the Power 4 level.

"So I started my career I played DII at Upper Iowa University. I don't even remember the city name, but it was a town of like 800 people which was mostly the school. But from there I walked on at NIU, entered the portal, and been at NIU since, until I came here.

Just betting on myself. Not a lot of people know this, but when I was playing DII I played linebacker, so when I entered the portal NIU offered me as a D-Lineman. So I'm like, okay, I'm weighing my other options. It was the best offer. So I took it on myself to put on 55 more pounds just to play D-Tackle. Then from there it became a grind and I just never let my foot off the gas, and just took a chance on myself and betting on myself. To make it out to a Power 4 is just looking at all the work that I put in from there to get to here."

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