Texas Tech Football: 10 Players from Spring Practice That Fans Should Know About
The Red Raiders wrapped up spring practice this past Saturday with their annual Red/Black game at Jones AT&T Stadium.
Almost 13,000 fans were on hand to witness an early glimpse of the 2011 edition of Texas Tech football which played its spring game well ahead of the rest of the Big 12 Conference.
Heading into the summer and fall we know that Tech has a clear front runner in the quarterback race, the 4-2 defense has been installed but needs lots of improvement, the running back corps is solid and we know the Red Raiders will likely be running the ball more.
The following slideshow identifies 10 specific players that the Red Raider faithful should know about going into this fall.
Some names Tech enthusiasts will immediately recognize while others are fairly new; all 10 will likely have an impact on the 2011 Red Raider football campaign.
Seth Doege, QB
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Doege is a 6’1”, 200 pound incoming junior from Wolfforth, Texas. He redshirted in 2008, has one career start (vs. Kansas in 2009) and played in two games in 2010.
Career stats are 41 for 65 for 444 yards, two touchdowns and zero picks.
Seth Doege has become the clear leader in the Texas Tech quarterback race and sits atop the depth chart going into the summer and fall.
Doege went 20 for 35 for 317 yards and four touchdowns in the spring game; he also threw one pick and was sacked three times.
Tommy Tuberville and OC Neal Brown both confirmed that Doege is the No. 1 quarterback going into the fall but both also stated that the race is not over.
Brown had this to say about Doege and the competition at quarterback, “(Doege) is making better decisions and leading the offense better at this point. Not to where he’s the bona fide starter, but there’s a difference.”
Tuberville stated, “The thing about Seth is he’s got all the ability...he’s just got to make the right decisions.”
Jacob Karam (Sophomore, Friendswood, Texas) and Scotty Young (RS Freshman, Denton, Texas) will, according to Tuberville, “duke it out” for the No. 2 spot.
Early enrollee Michael Brewer from Lake Travis, Texas is expected to redshirt for the 2011 season.
A final decision on who starts at QB in 2011 will be made, according to Tuberville, at the mid-point of fall two-a-days.
Tramain Swindall, WR
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Swindall is a 6’3”, 184 pound incoming senior from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Swindall has played inside receiver up until the last part of spring practice and his career stats are as follows:
2007 Redshirted
2008 46 catches, 561 yards, two touchdowns
2009 55 catches, 694 yards, five touchdowns
2010 33 catches, 271 yards, one touchdown
According to OC Neal Brown, Swindall was moved from inside receiver to the outside (flanker) for the last five spring workouts; this is expected to be a permanent change.
Swindall is currently listed as the co-first-team flanker with Darrin Moore.
During the spring game Swindall caught one 55-yard pass for a touchdown.
Eric Ward, WR
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Ward is a 6’0”, 202 pound incoming sophomore from Wichita Falls Texas.
His career stats thus far are as follows:
2009 Redshirted
2010 6 catches, 63 yards, zero touchdowns
Eric Ward is expected to start at outside receiver (split end) on the other side of the field from Swindall. Ward saw limited action in the spring game.
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Ronnie Daniels, RB
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Daniels is a 6’1”, 195 pound early enrollee (January 2011) from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Daniels was a three-star recruit that ranked No. 51 nationally among athletes and No. 4 overall in the state of New Mexico.
Daniels received high praise during spring practice. “He will be hard to keep out of the line-up” were among the good words coach Tuberville has had for the true freshman.
Daniels gained 43 yards on 11 carries and also caught a pass for a 20-yard score during the spring game; he is expected to see playing time opposite Eric Stephens this fall.
Derek Edwards, WR
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Edwards is a 6’1”, 163 pound early enrollee (January 2011) from Brenham, Texas.
Edwards was a three-star recruit, ranking No. 33 among receivers nationally and No. 39 overall in the state of Texas.
Edwards has also received early praise and is expected to compete with fellow early enrollee Marcus Kennard for the backup split end spot behind Eric Ward.
Derek Edwards caught two passes for 72 yards during the spring game.
Blake Dees, LB
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Dees is a 6’1”, 234 pound early enrollee (January of 2011) from Spanish Fort, Alabama.
A three-star recruit Dees has received early praise from Tech coaches including Tuberville who has stated that Dees “understands defense and is going to be a very good player.”
Dees has spent time at middle linebacker (a key position in the new 4-2-5 defense) behind senior Sam Fehoko this spring and looks to make an immediate impact on the Red Raider defense this fall.
Blake Dees recorded seven tackles (two solo) and half a tackle for a loss during the spring game.
Sam Fehoko, MLB/DE
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Fehoko is a 6’0”, 233 pound incoming senior from Honolulu, Hawaii.
He redshirted in 2007, played in three games in 2008, played as a backup in 2009 and played in all 13 games (seven starts) in 2010.
In 2010 Fehoko (as a linebacker) racked up 40 tackles (28 solo), 3.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in 2010.
Fehoko, as one of the few starting seniors on defense, will be looked to for leadership in 2011. According to DC Chad Glasgow, Fehoko will split his time between middle linebacker and defensive end.
Marcus Kennard, WR
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Kennard is a 6'4", 185 pound junior transfer from Butler County C.C. in El Dorado, Kansas.
Kennard was a four-star recruit and Rivals.com Top 50 junior college player who enrolled at Texas Tech in January of 2011.
As of now, Kennard is expected to compete with fellow early enrollee Derek Edwards for the backup split end job.
Kennard played well during spring ball and caught one pass for 29 yards in the spring game.
Kerry Hyder, DT
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Hyder is a 6’2”, 265 pound incoming sophomore from Austin, Texas (LBJ HS).
He redshirted in 2009 and played in 11 games (three starts) in 2010, recording 13 tackles (six solo), 3.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks and two forced fumbles.
When asked who had played most consistently during the spring DC Chad Glasgow immediately mentioned Hyder, who he said “had a great spring.” “Kerry’s come out and played hard every day,” Glasgow continued.
Hyder registered four tackles (two solo) and a half of tackle for a loss during the spring game.
Donald Langley, DT/NG
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Langley is a 6’2”, 274 pound incoming senior from Germantown, Maryland.
Langley transferred to Tech from Copiah-Lincoln Community College for the 2010 season. He made six starts and participated in 13 games in 2010 recording 14 tackles (nine solo) and recovered one fumble.
DC Chad Glasgow also mentioned Langley as being noticeably consistent during the spring workouts. According to Glasgow, Langley was originally placed on the depth chart behind Hyder at defensive tackle but has recently moved to nose guard.
Langley registered four tackles and one half of a tackle for a loss during the spring game.
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