Roundtable: The positives and negatives from preseason camp

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Chris Level: The most positive development has been the emergence of quarterback Nic Shimonek. I think he's grabbed onto that backup role behind Mahomes and turned himself into a team leader of sorts. You've heard Kliff Kingsbury praise his high completion percentage but I'm not sure folks grasp how athletic Shimonek is. He's not Pat Mahomes, but he can make plenty of plays with his legs and remain accurate with his throws.

Shimonek's emergence as the backup will also allow Jett Duffey to redshirt this season which an added benefit. While I'm not suggesting this race is over, it is pretty close from what I gather. If Shimonek is called on to play meaningful game action this season, I wouldn't be nearly as nervous as most would be.

The most disappointing development so far in camp has been how little impact the freshmen defensive linemen have apparently made. I think I was hoping for more than just Joe Wallace to be mentioned consistently. Right now, it appears that Wallace is the only lock to play this season of that freshmen group. You've heard talk of Houston Miller and Noah Jones but I think both are on the fence right now with a few weeks still to go before the opener.

Aaron Dickens: I view the continued emergence of Terence Steele and Madison Akamnonu as the most positive development of the Red Raiders' preseason camp to this point. They have done enough in camp to make Lee Hays comfortable with manning both of his offensive tackle spots with the redshirt freshmen, which gives Hays more options across the line. Baylen Brown can slide to guard and, if necessary, even center. Steele and Akamnonu starting at tackle could also free up a spot on the inside for Paul Stawarz or Jack Reichel.

Like Level and Will, I have also been surprised at how little we have heard about the Red Raiders' freshmen defensive linemen up to this point in camp. The expectation all offseason was that the vast majority of that group would get thrown into the fire right away and, at this point, that does not look like it will happen. Maybe that's a good thing? Maybe that's a sign that some of the more unheralded veterans - Zach Barnes and Kris Williams, for example - have elevated their performance over the last nine months. The opposite could be true, as well. Maybe too much was placed on a group of largely lightly-recruited true freshmen.

Will McKay: The biggest positive to me has been the apparent jump nose tackle Ondre Pipkens has made over the last month or so. He's lost a considerable amount of weight - reportedly down to 305 pounds - and has made some real strides forward as an explosive, physical presence next to Breiden Fehoko.

Having two quality players on the interior of the defensive line could really help Texas Tech's efforts in taking a step forward in run defense. Pipkens was a five-star prospect out of high school for a reason and could have considerable influence on the unit if his reported improvement holds true.

As for a negative, I'd say the seeming lack of true freshmen defensive linemen that have put their hat into the ring as a real option in the rotation. The Red Raiders need as much depth as they can get, and while things appear to be in good shape on the interior, we haven't heard anything from the ends of note. Sure, Joe Wallace has made a lot of noise, which is great, and Noah Jones sounds to be making waves of late. But that's it really.

We simply haven't heard much about the true freshman defensive ends. Does that mean the likes of Zach Barnes and Kris Williams have taken a step forward and pushed them out of the limelight, or does it just mean none of these freshmen have shown out?

We'll find out in short order.

Matt Clare: The most positive development from fall camp has to be the daily comments we continue to hear about Rusty Whitt. Not even from a physical, how-do-the-players-look standpoint, but more so the accountability when it comes to eating properly and working as one unit, instead of individuals. For example, Drew covered practice last week and the entire group of running backs was doing board pushes because Da'Leon Ward missed a weigh-in.

Simple things, but these are things that should help add some much needed discipline and accountability to a team with a mostly young core of players.

On the negative side, most fans are excited to see new names and added bodies along the depth chart, but these are largely all unproven commodities. Although David Gibbs is back for a second season, many fans remain very skeptical about the depth on defense at nearly every position group. The unproven commodity label does not stop with defense either, several players on the offensive line are expected to play huge roles and who fills the production left after Jakeem Grant and DeAndre Washington graduated?

The good news is that we all find out in 11 days.

Drew Kohnle: The emergence of the true freshmen linebackers as legit backups, if not starting material down the line, has been one of the more positive developments so far this camp.

When Dakota Allen was dismissed from the team back in the spring, a rather large void was created at the inside linebacker position and Tech took a major hit to an already weak linebacker unit. You had returning starters D’Vonta Hinton and Malik Jenkins at their MIKE and SAM linebacker positions and then you had transfer Luke Stice at WILL. Behind those three? Seemingly not much.

Texas Tech had signed three linebackers in their 2016 class, but it is always a toss up on if they will be ready to play right away or not. The good news? All three have cemented their status as guys who are without a doubt in the rotation. Is it out of necessity that they are going to be called upon early? Maybe, but I would take it as a very positive development that Jordyn Brooks, John Picone and Brayden Stringer have already found their way into taking first or second team snaps in fall practice.

I wouldn’t say that a weakness became a strength, but it is a very good sign that the three freshmen linebackers have shown that they are more than capable of bearing the burden and will be ready to help shore up the shaky linebacker depth this fall.

On the flip side, I think the constant reshuffling on the offensive line may be a cause for concern. On the day before fall camp kicked off, Kliff Kingsbury said he was confident that he had four guys who had nailed down starting roles and was looking forward to the competition for the fifth spot during camp. A couple weeks into practice and not only has Kingsbury’s “main four” guys already switched up, but their positions have been readjusted a few times as well.

Texas Tech has plenty of guys who are more than capable, but I think it is important for them to find their groove at their respective positions and it is important to know which other four guys you are getting ready to grow with on the offensive line. Whatever the reasoning, Kingsbury and the offensive staff need to settle on the five guys and the five positions real soon.