Spring practice started yesterday and there’s a lot of information. I was out late last night (Fits had a track meet last night) and it’s 3:49 a.m. as I write this and there’s only so much time to try to summarize and write about yesterday’s news. I’m doing my best to post everything that I see.

Joey McGuire and Robert Giovannetti previews the spring:

Media session with head coach Joey McGuire:

Player media session:

Lubbock Avalanche Journal’s Don Williams writes about quarterback Behren Morton being QB 1 this spring and Morton says that the offense should open up this spring:

“This offense is going to be very explosive,” he said. “Once a healthy shoulder comes back, we can open up the playbook and dive into some of the plays that we didn’t get to see last year.”

Asked to elaborate, he said, “More of the deeper plays, more play-action stuff, the true Air Raid Texas Tech. We had to rely on (running back) Tahj (Brooks last year). He did a great job. The guys up front, too, they did a great job.”

Next season, Morton continued, he expects “to open up the playbook and take the shots we need to take down field when it’s time to take the shots. We couldn’t take those last year. But with a healthy shoulder and some guys up front that are going to do a great job, we’re going to see more of that.”

I sort of harped about how the offense had to be better this spring (this wasn’t really an original thought, the stats played it out as well) and it’s interesting that this is a talking point this spring on the first day.

Inside The Red Raiders’ Jarrett Johnson has a good recap of the presser and would tell you just to go read it if you want to know what McGuire said.

Lubbock Avalanche Journal’s Don Williams writs about the new tight ends. A bit of news in that Jalin Conyers broke his foot in the offseason and is in a boot and will be out all spring. It was during an offseason workout, so it’s just football.

“He showed up big-time,” McGuire said. “Right at the end of our last team red zone, he made a big catch in the end zone. Put one foot down, falling out of bounds, just a big-time catch.”

Conyers, a 6-4, 265-pound senior from Gruver, was on a scooter on Tuesday, his left foot in an orthopedic boot. The Red Raiders aren’t worried. He’s expected back in June, and he has a track record. Conyers has played college football for four years and, in the past two at Arizona State, he caught 38 passes for 422 yards and five touchdowns in 2022 and 30 for 362 yards in 2023.

“He’s an explosive athlete,” McGuire said, adding that the past two years for the Red Raiders, “he could have played outside receiver and maybe even started for us at outside receiver, and he’s going to play tight end. So really excited about Jalin.”

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Don Williams has 7 players who can make a move in spring practice. I’ll pick one to highlight and you can go read the rest.

Defensive end Dylan Spencer, So.
Tech coaches decided Spencer was simply too talented and physically ready as a freshman to redshirt. The 6-5, 250-pound edge player from Houston King played in eight games, backing up field end Myles Cole, and was credited with only four tackles. Don’t be misled, though. He might have as high a ceiling as any player on this list.

The competition for starting jobs at Tech’s defensive edge positions promises to be intense with a half-dozen worthy candidates, but Spencer’s going to have a significant role either way.

Early last season, defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter said he envisioned Spencer becoming “a really strong force as an edge player for us, both in the run game and in the pass game.”