Depth Charting // The Offensive Backfield

Offensive Backfield

Quarterback: Although there was some question about who would be the second team quarterback, this position has remained fairly static almost the entire spring and fall. Taylor Potts is your unquestioned quarterback and unless something devastating happens, he should be your guy. Everything that's been said about the guy is true. He's big, has a strong arm and may be a little stiff in the pocket. He could force some passes next year, but he'll also be able to make some passes that few quarterbacks have been able to make in Captain Leach's system. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't a tad bit nervous about Steven Sheffield being the second team. Not that Texas Tech fans should be afraid of walk-on's leading the league in passing. If there's one thing that Sheffield has going for him, it's that he's got a good head on his shoulders, he's efficient and he seems to keep his cool under pressure. Seth Doege is going to be good and it's just a matter of time before he gets the nod. If things go according to plan, Doege will be just like Potts in that he'll have the opportunity to start for two years, so long as he can keep Jacob Karam and Scotty Young on the sideline. Perhaps I trust Doege because he seems to have a better pedigree than Sheffield, or maybe it's the fact that Doege has been hyped as a Potts-competitor, but I like Doege and I like Texas Tech's future with Doege at the helm.

Running Back: I'm not too concerned about Baron Batch being ready by the Texas Longhorns game. I think we all know what we have in Batch and staying healthy and contributing on the field are his biggest concerns. Harrison Jeffers was the guy last year who took the team by storm by being an absolute best for the scout team. Despite Eric Stephens ink this fall, Jeffers will be the guy and he will turn some heads. Jeffers has break-away speed and can turn the corner like few running backs I've seen. Aaron Crawford should be the third back, and although he's had issues also staying healthy last year, there's no denying that when he plays he's been pretty good. We tend to forget how good he was as a true freshman and helped lead the team to a win over Oklahoma. I always feel that running back may be the most talented position since Mike Leach has arrived, and I can understand why in it's been somewhat over looked, in part because Batch was a relative unknown coming out of Midland, Jeffers was an Oklahoma recruit, and Crawford was another unknown from Tennessee. You've probably heard a time or two about how solid various Big 12 teams are at running back, but the truth of the matter is that Texas Tech is right there with the best of them. Obviously, Texas Tech isn't going to be breaking any rushing records, but the talent is there. I'm pretty sure of that.

Fullback and Tight End: I'm a bit anxious to see where and how Leach utilizes the two-tight end set. Last year, Leach used it quite a bit with Ryan Hale and H Inside Receiver Adam James. Hale returns for his senior campaign, but during the spring game, I didn't notice that the two-tight end set was utilized much at all. That's probably because both teams each had a blocking back, but that still doesn't solve the problem of figuring out which way Leach will lean. I did and still do like Omar Castillo moving to tight end. I have no idea if and where he'll really be able to play, but he should be able to lineup at tight end at some point during the season and block an opposing defensive end or linebacker. Castillo is listed at 257, but that's 257 pounds of ace-whipping material.