A closer look: Reviewing Tech's Red Raiders after first preseason scrimmage

LUBBOCK ‚ Two weeks from today, the Texas Tech football team will be in game-week preparation mode for the Sept. 4 season opener against Houston.

The Red Raiders have gone through multiple August workouts and Saturday was their first full-pads scrimmage, the first of only two such scrimmages the NCAA now permits during the preseason.

There's still time for players to make moves on the depth chart, but training camp is far enough along for Matt Wells and his staff to have formed some opinions. Wells touched on several position groups after Monday's practice.

Houston, here they come: Texas Tech opener no ordinary game for Adrian Frye

No group seems to have pleased him more than the inside receivers. With McLane Mannix, Dalton Rigdon and Myles Price in particular, that unit has some players with track records.

But Mannix was limited to three games last season, mainly on account of back problems. Rigdon missed time last season with a concussion, his fifth. He got married in the off-season and, with a law-enforcement career in mind, pondered giving up football.

Now not only are the top guys doing well so far in camp, but former New Deal and Lubbock-Cooper standout Nehemiah Martinez is gaining some traction.

"I'm probably impressed by that room as much as any on offense by the level of play," Wells said. "McLane Mannix looks very fast. No setbacks from his back.

"Myles plays really, really hard and well, and Rigdon looks pretty fresh.

"The surprise of the group and a guy that's come along and he'll get more reps to see if he can do it against better guys is Nehemiah Martinez. He's had a good camp, and we're looking to get him on some special teams."

Martinez was Lone Star Varsity offensive player of the year in 2019, when he amassed 1,820 all-purpose yards - including 977 rushing and 499 receiving - for Cooper's 13-2 state-semifinal team. He transferred back home from Air Force.

"Hardly any drops. Playing fast," Wells said.

"Knowing and learning our system and being able to play fast. Physical in the run game."

Running back: Xavier White, Tahj Brooks and Chadarius Townsend are the knowns. Two pertinent questions: When will two-time team rushing leader SaRodorick Thompson be cleared to play? And can state top-100 signee Cam'Ron Valdez disrupt the pecking order in a room with four experienced options?

Wells said the next X-ray and evaluation on Thompson's surgically repaired shoulder will be next week, so about another 10 days before a new status update. Thompson is doing a lot, both on the field and in the weight room, but on a non-contact basis.

Wells said Valdez broke a big run in Saturday's scrimmage with third-team units squaring off. The scrimmage was closed to fans and media.

"Those top three guys played well," Wells said of White, Brooks and Townsend. "No balls on the ground, caught the ball well and Valdez will get more reps Wednesday night (in practice) and Saturday, too."

Saturday is the team's second scrimmage, at 2 p.m. at Jones AT&T Stadium and open to the public.

Quarterback: It will be a shock if Tyler Shough isn't named the starter at some point before Sept. 4. Wells hasn't accorded the transfer from Oregon that status yet.

In the meantime, think about this: Having a quarterback room with Shough, seasoned part-time starter Henry Colombi and high-ceiling freshmen Donovan Smith and Behren Morton might be the most promising pipeline the Red Raiders have had at that position in a few years.

They did nothing to change that view in the first scrimmage.

"All four of them really played well," Wells said. "So that race continues. It'll evolve in different ways, but they all had good moments Saturday."

Offensive line: Camp began with the expectation that the Red Raiders will roll out a first five featuring T.J. Storment and Caleb Rogers at tackle, Josh Burger and Weston Wright at guard and Dawson Deaton at center. That hasn't changed.

The key developments early on are Ethan Carde looking like the best bet to be the swing tackle who can play either side and Landon Peterson doing the same as the likely swing guard.

Wide receiver: Newcomer Kaylon Geiger, based on his experience and production in two years at Navarro College and two years at Troy, should be a favorite to start at the outside spot opposite first-team All-Big 12 receiver Erik Ezukanma.

A cluster of underclassmen comprise the next four: sophomores Trey Cleveland and Loic Fouonji, redshirt freshman J.J. Sparkman and true freshman Jerand Bradley.

Keep an eye on Sparkman. The Longview Pine Tree graduate underwent surgery in the fall for a shoulder injury that dated to high school and missed the 2020 season. But he's imposing at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds and he's catching up.

"I would point out J.J. Sparkman's had a really good, really good camp," Wells said, "and he had a good day Saturday."

Tight end: Fifth-year senior Travis Koontz still figures to be the starter, but true freshman Mason Tharp continues to be an interesting study. Tech's staff measured Tharp again Monday, and Wells said the freshman from Klein was a fraction of an inch taller than 6-9 and weighs a little more than 255.

Tight ends coach Luke Wells said last week Tharp has good flexibility for his size - he can sink his hips and bend - and Matt Wells thinks he can be an asset blocking for the run.

"He's grown since he came in January," the head coach said. "He's going to continue to get stronger. But when you're that big and you can cover a (defensive) guy up and almost tie in the run game, and to be 18 years old, that's saying something."

Wells reiterated he plans to play Tharp from game one on.

Defensive line: During the spring, the defensive staff decided to switch Tony Bradford from defensive tackle to nose tackle, giving the Red Raiders an experienced one-two at the nose with Bradford and Jaylon Hutchings, both returning starters.

During early segments of August workouts open to media, Tyree Wilson and Nelson Mbanasor have been the two flanking them as first-teamers in the three-man front. Devin Drew and Philip Blidi are big-bodied defensive tackles with the inside track for rotation spots. Young end L.B. Moore also is competing for a role.

Cooper grad Troy Te'o, a solid fill-in when others went down last season, is next at nose behind Bradford and Hutchings.

"Right now," Wells said, "it's Jaylon Hutchings, Tony Bradford, Devin Drew, Tyree Wilson, Nelson Mbanasor, Philip, L.B. kind of. That's your seven right there."

Cornerback: Wells says he feels good about six: DaMarcus Fields, Adrian Frye, power-five transfers Rayshad Williams and Malik Dunlap and redshirt freshmen Kobee Minor and Nate Floyd.

Fields and Frye have 38 and 16 career starts, respectively, with the Red Raiders. Dunlap started 10 games at North Carolina State, Williams eight at UCLA. So there's a lot of experience in front of Minor and Floyd, both of whom played in one game last season but stayed in the four-game redshirt window.

"The thing about Nate that we've probably hindered his progress a little bit is the fact that we've moved him between cover safety and corner," Wells said. "But Kobee's had a really good camp. I'm proud of him."

Kicker: Jonathan Garibay made 4 of 5 field goals during Saturday's scrimmage, Wells said, with a long of 53 yards. Trey Wolff stood out on kickoffs.

Wolff, after going from 20-of-22 on field goals in 2019 to 1-for-5 last year, is revamping his technique.

"His approach to the ball is significantly different," special-teams coordinator Mark Tommerdahl said last week. "It was a major enough change, it would look even different from 2019. It's new as of last spring.

"It's obviously both of ours' idea, because he had to get better. He couldn't just keep doing the same old, same old."

There's no urgency midway through camp to name one the starter, even if Garibay did perform well in the first scrimmage.

"Don't read into that," Wells said. "I'm just saying he went 4 out of 5 and caught my eye. I'd say he's probably ahead right now, but we've got two more weeks, three more weeks before that decision is made."