Texas Tech 2014 Spring Football Wrap Up

Strengths & question marks coming out of spring

The offense feels like it is pretty much a done deal.  Davis Webb looks supremely confident and the receivers are  playing at a really high level.  The one dimension that I think they add is that this next year’s group of receivers are going to have more speed than previous years. 

The offensive line is still a question mark on some level because there are some JUCO linemen that are going to arrive in the fall that could potentially impact how that is eventually worked out, but the line was good in that it very much protected Webb for the better part of the spring. 

The defense is still a bit of a work in progress as there are three additional JUCO linemen that are set to arrive in the fall and there could be some real movement after the summer.

Name a few breakout players to keep an eye on in 2014

Offensively, the best break-out performers are probably Reginald Davis at wide receiver.   He’s going to be really good, as is D.J. Polite-Bray.  Both are superior athletes and are going to put some stress on opposing defenses. 

Also, RB DeAndre Washington is going to be the starter at running back because Kenny Williams volunteered to play defense.  Washington has the ability to break-away and is more of a traditional Air-Raid sort of back.

Defensively, Branden Jackson, Pete Robertson, Sam Eguavoen, Justis Nelson and J.J. Gaines (maybe Keenon Ward and Rika Levi) should be the stars of the defense. 

Jackson is adding some weight to play a more traditional defensive end and he should provide the pass rush that this team has needed from a line standpoint, while Robertson will hopefully add some speed off the edge at outside linebacker. 

Eguavoen was really good last year and he’s getting better as he should be a full-time player this year. 

Nelson started at the field cornerback spot late in the year and he should be that much better after being thrown into the fire as a true freshman. 

Gaines was injured late in the year, but the coaching staff was very much impressed with how Gaines played and if healthy, he should provide a substantial impact. 

I put Levi and Ward in parentheses because he is a JUCO guy, and if he is as good as advertised, he could have an immediate impact, while Ward is still battling for a safety spot, but the coaches said he had the best spring.

Grade each position group

QB – A:  Webb is the unquestioned leader of the offense right now and he’s added weight and he looks really refined from last year.  

RB – B:  DeAndre Washington is the starter and should receive quite a few more carries than last year.  Quinton White is a bowling ball of a running back that should be a nice change of pace.  The problem I think is the line opening holes more than their ability. 

Rec – A:  Bradley Marquez and Jakeem Grant are going to be really tough covers inside, while Davis and Polite-Bray should add to a handful of options on the outside, including Devin Lauderdale, Derreck Edwards and Shawn Corker.   Even after the loss of Jace Amaro and Eric Ward, this is a talented group.  

OL – C:  I’m nervous about this group. C Jared Kaster was out all spring and they just haven’t done a good job run-blocking, although reinforcements are on the way. 

DL – C:  It’s a bit patch-work until the three additional JUCO guys show up, especially at nose tackle.  When they arrive, they should provide some depth that I don’t think the defense has had in a handful of years. 

LB – B:  Love the starters, although the back-ups are young.  There’s a lot of athleticism there and they can all run.  I like this group quite a bit overall, but I don’t think there’s a star. 

DB – B:  Having most of the secondary see significant time last year helps as 3/4 of the secondary played quite a bit and they were young last year. Addition of JUCO safety Josh Keys is going to add some depth. 

ST – C to Incomplete:  Kingsbury hired a special teams coach, Darrin Chiaverini (the former Cleveland Brown receiver has been a special teams coach at a JUCO in California).  So there’s a lot we don’t know right now.  Tough to tell from the spring game how it will play out. The returners are R. Davis and Grant with Jordan Davis returning punts (solid, but not spectacular).  The kickers are all okay, but nothing special from what I can tell. 

What can we expect from Texas Tech in 2014?

If Webb is as good as I think he is, then this is a 9 win team.  The offense really struggled at times last year and won 8 games with very little consistency at times offensively.  Having solid quarterback play should solve a lot of issues. 

Defensively, I think they are still a few years away, but the coaches are starting to assemble a 2-deep and 3-deep that’s pretty good. Just don’t think there was that depth last year.

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Seth of Viva The Matadors provided the information for our Texas Tech Football 2014 Spring Wrap Up. For more Texas Tech football information, commentary and analysis, you can follow Seth on Twitter @vivathematador.

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