As the calendar flips from July to August, it’s time to say college football is back this month. After a season filled with transfer portal drama and another round of conference realignment, teams will be ready to hit the field and play ball.
For the Texas Tech Red Raiders, this is especially true, as they prepare to begin the Joey McGuire era in Lubbock. McGuire brings the Red Raiders into Big 12 contention, especially in a situation where the new Big 12 is outside of the Texas Longhorns or Oklahoma Sooners.
As McGuire gets drafted for the first time at the helm of Texas Tech, there is a bit of an air of uncertainty surrounding the Red Raiders. McGuire is universally viewed as the right hire, but not many people expect Texas Tech to make the move to become a Big 12 contender.
However, even the red robbers Don’t do it Competing for a Big 12 championship in McGuire’s first year, his ability to hit the transfer portal this season has shown that Texas Tech may be a contender in the Big 12 championship scene sooner than one might think.
A busy offseason for McGuire and his staff has seen a number of increases in influence via the transfer portal. As the offseason approaches, let’s take a look at some of the most impactful transfers for the Red Raiders in 2022.
Wide receiver Brady Boyd
After spending his freshman year with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, receiver Brady Boyd entered the transfer portal. Although his stats don’t jump off the page as impressive, recording just two catches for 18 yards, he could be an impact player for the Red Raiders.
Boyd’s senior season at Southlake Carroll High School (TX) showed anyone he can contribute to this Texas Tech team. He has 71 receptions for 1,159 yards and 18 touchdowns, an average of 16.3 yards per catch and 115.9 receiving yards per game. If Boyd can bring that production to Lubbock, he will be a versatile weapon in the Red Raider offense.
Linebacker Dimitri Moore
Defensively, the Red Raiders were far from where they wanted to be in 2021. They allowed opponents to score 30.2 points per game, while averaging 404.8 yards of total offense, both of which were in the bottom half of the Big 12. With the addition of linebacker Dimitri Moore, the Red Raiders will hope to make positive strides on defense in 2022.
Moore comes to the Red Raiders after three productive seasons as a Vanderbilt Commodore. In the year He made the All-Freshman SEC Team in 2018 during his redshirt freshman season. In three seasons at Commodore, Moore amassed 219 total tackles, 111 of which were solo tackles. For a Red Raider defense in need of a major upgrade in 2022, adding Moore to anchor defense is a big step in the right direction.
Offensive Lineman Cade Briggs
Games can be won or lost in the trenches, and a dominant offensive line will go a long way toward making the Red Raiders a Big 12 contender. Enter offensive lineman Cade Briggs. Briggs, who transferred to Texas Tech from New Mexico, brings much-needed experience to the Red Raiders.
Briggs has 25 offensive line games over the last three seasons for New Mexico. 19 of those 25 starts came from the left tackle position. His experience, along with two years of eligibility remaining, provides McGuire and the Red Raiders with a building block on the offensive line as they try to bolster their offense going forward.
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