Texas Tech Position Breakdown: Quarterback

There is no doubt that Graham Harrell is the starting quarterback for the Texas Tech Red Raiders in 2008.

Harrell was the most highly touted quarterback out of high school since Mike Leach has been the head pirate on the South Plains, and after this season, he will arguably go down as the greatest quarterback in Texas Tech football history.

Since getting the starting job in 2006, Harrell has continued to progress and shown signs of improvement under center.

As a sophomore, Graham Harrell threw 617 passes, completing 412 for a completion percentage of 67 percent, 38 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

As a junior, he was even better. In 2007, he threw 713 passes, completing 512 of them for a completion percentage of 72 percent, and 14 interceptions.

Though it will be hard to continue the pace he has set and better his previous two seasons, there is no doubt that Graham Harrell is talented enough and capable of doing so.

One aspect of his game he will need to improve on is after a loss being able to bounce back the next week. In 2006 Texas Tech lost to Missouri at home and a very bad Colorado team on the road. In 2007 the Red Raiders lost at Missouri, an understandable defeat, but then loss to Colorado at home in a game which Graham Harrell had several interceptions. Given the 2008 schedule I don't foresee a stretch of games where that could happen, but you never know...

However, should Graham Harrell get injured, the backup is red-shirt sophomore Taylor Potts. There shouldn’t be great cause for concern should Potts be needed to take some reps, due to what we have seen in the past with quarterbacks under the tutelage of Mike Leach, but he did struggle in the spring, and many question his progress at this time.

And in case you are wondering in 2009, as of now it is Taylor Potts' job to lose, and there should be quite a competition in the spring and summer of 2009 between him and current red-shirt freshman Seth Doege.