Texas Tech football will have new starters at eight positions on defense, possibly nine. Here's what to know about each one.
The Texas Tech football team wasn't bad to begin with, given the Red Raiders had a lot of players returning from an 8-5 team in 2024. That didn't stop Joey McGuire's staff from mining the transfer portal early and often during the off-season.
When the Red Raiders' depth chart came out this week, it showed new starters at six positions on offense, as many as nine on defense and four at the main special-teams positions. Too many new faces to sum up in one story. We've previously covered the new starters on offense and special teams.
Here's a closer look at first-team players on defense who were not on the team or at least not regulars last year.
Defense
DE/OLB David Bailey, Sr.
Taking over for: Charles Esters III
Esters remains in the two-deep after he started the last nine games last season. He's been bumped to backup duty by Bailey, in most quarters the most highly regarded of the Red Raiders' 22 new transfers. The 6-foot-3, 252-pound edge player posted career highs of 7 sacks, 8 quarterback hurries and 5 forced fumbles last year for Stanford. Tech's counting on him to juice up a pass rush that managed 21 sacks in 2024.
NG Lee Hunter, Sr.
Taking over for: Quincy Ledet
The Red Raiders took the jolly giant from UCF, a Big 12 rival. Hunter, 6-4 and 330 pounds, was credited last season with 45 tackles, most among Knights interior defensive linemen, and 9 1/2 tackles for loss. Pro Football Focus ranks him as the top returning interior defensive lineman in the Big 12 and fifth-best in the country. Media who cover the conference voted him, Bailey and Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez preseason all-Big 12.
DT Skyler Gill-Howard, Sr.
Taking over for: Dooda Banks and De'Braylon Carroll
Banks started six of the first seven games last year before he suffered a season-ending knee injury and missed spring practice. He'll be in the rotation. During Banks' downtime, in came Gill-Howard, who made 52 tackles with 5 sacks last season with Northern Illinois. He's a squat, stout type at 6-1 and 290 pounds.
DE/OLB Romello Height, Sr.
Taking over for: Isaac Smith and Harvey Dyson
Smith and Dyson, who started six games apiece last season at the boundary edge, transferred to Michigan State and Tulane, respectively. Height has only 6 1/2 career sacks in 36 games at Auburn, Southern Cal and Georgia Tech with 4 1/2 of those coming last year. Film watchers think the 6-3, 240-pound sixth-year senior has the talent to finish more often when he pierces the pocket, so it's up to Red Raiders coaches to bring it out of him.
OLB/S John Curry, So.
Taking over for: A.J. McCarty
Curry used a strong August to secure starting honors for the season opener while McCarty and Mike Dingle were missing time with injuries. There's a good chance all three will have roles, considering McCarty started 11 games last season, Dingle was a situational pass rusher and Curry's one of the team's up-and-comers. The sophomore from Coronado made 35 tackles, seventh on the team, last year.
CB Brice Pollock, Jr.
Taking over for: Bralyn Lux
Tech signed five defensive backs out of the transfer portal to address a pass defense that was next to last in the FBS in yards allowed last season. While Mississippi State went 2-10 and winless in the SEC, Pollock had 10 pass breakups and an interception as a sophomore full-time starter.
S Brenden Jordan, Jr.
Taking over for: Chapman Lewis
With Lewis redshirting this season after knee surgery, Tech needed a center-field type safety to patrol the wide side of the field. Jordan's a perfect candidate, having set a foundation by playing in every game in his first two seasons and starting seven. How much trust has Jordan built up? He'll have the green dot on his helmet, relaying coach communication from the sideline.
S Cole Wisniewski, Sr.
Taking over for: C.J. Baskerville
One of Tech's most high-profile transfer additions, Wisniewski was a first-team all-American two years ago for FCS power North Dakota State after recording 92 tackles and 8 interceptions. The 6-4, 220-pound sixth-year senior will man the boundary safety position. He's coming back from foot surgery that sidelined him last season.
CB Amier Boyd, Jr.
Taking over for: Maurion Horn
Boyd's trying to take over for Horn, who started all 13 games a year ago. They're listed as co-first-team on the depth chart. Boyd's resume at Texas-El Paso is less notable than the Red Raiders' other new defensive backs, but being 6-2 and 190 pounds, he fits the length profile Tech's personnel department and coaches crave in a DB. He started in four of the nine games he played last season and got credit for 16 tackles, 3 pass breakups, 2 interceptions and a fumble recovery.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Meet Texas Tech football's new starters on defense
Category: General Sports
