Which Transfers Could Have an Immediate Impact for Texas Tech This Season?
With the calendar flipping from July to August, it is officially time to say that college football is back this month. After an offseason filled with transfer portal drama and another round of conference realignment, teams will be ready to get on the field and play ball.
For the Texas Tech Red Raiders, this is especially true, as they are set to kick off the Joey McGuire era in Lubbock. McGuire comes into a situation where he will look to bring the Red Raiders back to Big 12 contention status, especially the new Big 12 that will be without the Texas Longhorns or Oklahoma Sooners.
As McGuire prepares for his first season at the helm for Texas Tech, there is an air of slight uncertainty surrounding the Red Raiders. McGuire is viewed almost universally as the right hire, but not many people expect Texas Tech to take the step to be Big 12 contenders straight away.
However, even if the Red Raiders don't compete for a Big 12 championship in McGuire's first year, his ability to hit the transfer portal this offseason showed that it might be sooner than one would think that Texas Tech will be players in the Big 12 championship scene.
A busy offseason for McGuire and his staff saw multiple impact additions via the transfer portal. As the season nears closer, let's look at the transfers that could have the biggest impact for the Red Raiders in 2022.
Wide Receiver Brady Boyd
After spending his freshman year as a Minnesota Golden Gopher, receiver Brady Boyd entered the transfer portal. While his stats don't jump off the page as overly impressive, only recording two catches for 18 yards, he can be an impact player for the Red Raiders.
Boyd's senior season at Southlake Carroll High School (TX) will show anyone that he can contribute for this Texas Tech team. He would bring in 71 receptions for 1,159 yards and 18 touchdowns, averaging 16.3 yards per catch and 115.9 receiving yards per game. If Boyd can bring that production to Lubbock then he will be a versatile weapon in the Red Raider offense.
Linebacker Dimitri Moore
Defensively, the Red Raiders were far from where they would have liked 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 hope to make positive strides defensively in 2022.
Moore comes to the Red Raiders after three productive seasons as a Vanderbilt Commodore. He made the All-Freshman SEC team in his Redshirt Freshman season in 2018. In his three seasons as a Commodore Moore racked up 219 total tackles, 111 of which were solo tackles. For a Red Raider defense seeking big improvements in 2022, adding Moore to help the 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 towards the Red Raiders becoming Big 12 contenders. Enter offensive lineman Cade Briggs. Briggs, who transferred to Texas Tech from New Mexico, brings much-needed experience to the trenches for the Red Raiders.
In the last three seasons for New Mexico Briggs 25 games along the offensive line. Of those 25 starts, 19 came from the left tackle position. His experience, along with two remaining years of eligibility, offers McGuire and the Red Raiders a building block on the offensive lines as they attempt to fortify the trenches moving forward.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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