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Texas Tech Football Position Preview | The Running Backs and Quarterbacks

Perhaps the two most stable positions for Texas Tech, at least for now, are the running backs and quarterbacks. Let's look at the depth chart and eligibility remaining of these two positions.

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I thought I should combine the running backs and quarterbacks because it just made more sense. In terms of depth charts, these were actually pretty easy to predict. As always, these are guesses and meant to be fun.

Running Backs

Depth Chart & Eligibility Remaining
Depth Player Year Ht/Wt. 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Running Back
1st Team Kenny Williams SR 5-9/225
2nd Team DeAndre Washington JR 5-8/190
3rd Team Quinton White SO 5-7/200
4th Team Justin Stockton FR 5-9/190
5th Team Demarcus Felton FR 5-7/179
6th Team Armond Weh-weh SO 5-11/205
Fullback
1st Team Rodney Hall JR 5-10/245
2nd Team Mason Reed FR 6-2/205

Running Back

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Running Backs &
Quarterbacks

This is pretty easy and I don't know that there's much room for discussion here other than wanting to see how this sets up over the next few years. Williams will be the starter next year and most likely split time with Washington. I think we're all pining a bit for White to get some time and I think this will happen this next year, although it's tough to find where he's going to get the carries. This group sets up nicely over the course of the next few years and you can see the progression. The duo of Washington and White will be pretty special in a couple of years and after that, there's going to be more speed at running back that this team hasn't seen in quite some time.

Fullback

Rodney Hall is the only true fullback on the roster, but I thought this was a good spot for someone like Mason Reed from Cisco. Reed played running back, but he's supposed to have a preferred walk-on spot. The linebackers are pretty danged full right now and so this seems like a pretty good alternative for Reed if he can add a few pounds and learn how to block, which doesn't seem all that far fetched.

I thought about other guys for this spot that are purely special teams, like John White and Summit Hogue and I think they could fit a role here too. They're both team players and terrific special team players and could eventually see how this fits at some point, but I haven't seen any mention of that.

Quarterbacks

Depth Chart & Eligibility Remaining
Depth Player Year Ht/Wt. 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Quarterback
1st Team Davis Webb SO 6-4/195
2nd Team Patrick Mahomes FR 6-3/215
3rd Team Tanner Tausch JR 6-2/190
4th Team Mike Richardson FR 6-1/195
5th Team Payne Sullins FR 6-3/175
6th Team Mason McClendon FR 5-11/180

So it's Webb and then everyone else, right? Webb is the leader in the clubhouse and I do think that Mahomes comes in immediately and sits at that second spot. We'll see how it plays out, but if I had my preference, I'd let each quarterback redshirt, but maybe that's because that's how it has always been. Maybe we're about to have a staff that does play quarterbacks as true freshmen to start their clock and this keeps things moving. As you can see, Mahomes is already bigger than Webb and I do think Mahomes is legitimately that size.

As far as the rest of the players, your guess is as good as mine. I think Tausch gets the third team spot because he's actually played recently, but it could be any of the other players. Richardson intrigues me as you just can't find out a lot about him other than his huge game for Marble Falls and then he doesn't make it to JUCO. Sullins is from a private school in Waco and is skinny, but put up really good numbers. McClendon is from a private school in Midland, but as you can see, he's got a much different body type that the rest of the group.  Actually, of all of the film I've watched of the preferred walk-ons, I think I like Sullins the best.  He obviously has a long ways to go as he has to add some weight, but I think he's got the best tools of the group.