The big uglies! I don’t know if I’m allowed to call them that, but it is time to take a look at the offensive line and for whatever reason, I’m strangely comfortable with how this group is. I like that there’s a good mix of upperclassmen and young guys, but it is overall a young group, with 5 of the 13 being juniors and the rest being underclassmen.
Previous Position Previews: Secondary | Defensive Line | Linebackers
Guards
| # | FULL NAME | POS. | HT. / WT. | YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56 | Anderson, Jack | Guard | 6-5/320 | Jr. |
| 59 | Marshall, Demarcus | Guard | 6-3/320 | So. |
| 64 | Franks, Clayton | Guard | 6-4/295 | So. |
| 66 | White, Hakeem | Guard | 6-3/285 | So. |
| 70 | Wright, Weston | Guard | 6-6/310 | So. |
| 74 | Farrar, Will | Guard | 6-5/310 | Jr. |
| 73 | Deaton, Dawson | Center | 6-6/305 | Jr. |
I think that Deaton and Farrar are the centers, with Deaton running first team and Farrar basically going back and forth between center and guard (cross-training I think is what they call it) and then Jack Anderson is starting at the other guard with Wright being the other guard. It’s a crowded room and I actually like how this staff and the prior staff recruited. I’m anxious to see White and Marshall at guard as I loved their video in high school, but they’ll have to wait for now.
Tackles
| # | FULL NAME | POS. | HT. / WT. | YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | Adams, Zach | Tackle | 6-6/320 | Sr. |
| 68 | Verhulst, Casey | Tackle | 6-6/290 | Jr. |
| 72 | Peterson, Landon | Tackle | 6-6/285 | R-Fr. |
| 53 | Roberson, Trevor | Tackle | 6-11/345 | R-Fr. |
| 67 | Bradshaw, Troy | Tackle | 6-6/280 | So. |
| 77 | Carde, Ethan | Tackle | 6-8/320 | So. |
I think that Adams and Verhulst are your starters for now, but apparently Peterson is pushing quite a bit. As you recall, Peterson was the late add from Midland last year and I recall head coach Matt Wells saying that Peterson is coming on strong. Of all things, I happen to know Peterson’s brother (small world) and he lives in the same town where we stay. From what I can tell, Carde is the late JUCO add from this year and if I had to guess, his strength is something that needs work.
Walk-On’s
| # | FULL NAME | POS. | HT. / WT. | YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | Morrow, Ty | Line | 6-4/275 | Jr. |
| 60 | Zotz, CJ | Line | 6-3/275 | R-Fr. |
| 63 | Castro, Aaron | Line | 6-3/285 | R-Fr. |
| 69 | Stewart, John | Line | 6-4/250 | R-Fr. |
| 71 | Azam, Reece | Line | 6-3/295 | R-Fr. |
| 79 | Garritty, Wyatt | Line | 6-4/275 | Fr. |
This is the most enjoyable and time-consuming part of this process.
Morrow served 6 years in the U.S. Navy, after his time in service, he enrolled to play at Midwestern, but was shipped off in one of his two deployments, Bahrain, and I think he came back to Texas Tech and started then . . . Zotz redshirted last year and was a member of the scout team . . . Castro is from the same high school as Chux Nwabuko, and he has an older brother, Manuel, who attends Texas Tech . . . I couldn’t find out a lot about Stewart, but Harper is a small community right outside of Fredericksburg . . . Azam originally committed to Air Force and I’m not sure if he played a year, but let’s suppose that he did. I did like Azam’s video and he’s really a quite capable center from what I can tell . . . Garrity is the preferred walk-on from Minnesota of all things, via Jireh Prep in North Carolina . . .
Freshmen
| # | FULL NAME | POS. | HT. / WT. | YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | Rogers, Caleb | Line | 6-4/271 | Fr. |
| – | Moore, Larry | Line | 6-6/265 | Fr. |
Only two linemen and I think they are both projects in a way. I remember linking both of them, Moore maybe slightly more than Robers, but I think you’ve got one inside and one outside guy and for the future.