Defensive Backs boast depth and talent as they look to have huge impact this season

Concluding the position previews on the defensive side of the football is the position that I believe is not only the best on the team but could be the best in the entire conference. This Texas Tech secondary isn’t just blessed with experience, but immense talent that will be playing on Sundays in the future.

Whether it’s at corner or safety, Tech has more than a few guys with experience that will have an impact on this season. Offenses in todays game are explosive and always looking for ways to attack defenses, but this Tech defense will give them fits that not many other defenses in college will be able to.

Starters/Rotational Guys

With the recent news that Marquis “Muddy” Waters has bulked up and is playing the Will Linebacker, that means that he’s going to be all over the field. That being said, the core group of guys in the secondary will be Adrian Frye, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Rayshad Williams and Reggie Pearson Jr..

Frye has played both corner and safety in his career, and could see more time at safety with Waters’ recent move. DTD and Pearson Jr. are two guys who played great last year, with DTD having more versatility and Pearson Jr. mostly staying in the back end. Rayshad Williams will strictly be on the outside at corner and provides a physical and experienced presence.

Other guys that figure to see time early and often will be Tyler Owens, Cameron Watts, Cam White, Kobee Minor and Malik Dunlap. Owens was given praise not too long ago from DTD as someone that they’re relying on to rotate in. The rest of the other guys are all returning guys who played some key minutes at times and will have opportunities to be on the field more often.

Another guy to keep an eye on is a June transfer from Wyoming in Keyon Blankenbaker. He became a stud in the slot and will figure to fill in that role at Tech.

Promising Young Guys/Newcomers

One of the key benefits of having veteran guys around is the ability to have young guys behind them that can learn from them. Tech is loaded with young guys that will be able to have a huge impact someday, guys like Maurion Horn, Jalon Peoples, Tavares Elston Jr., Landon Hullaby and Hut Graham.

Horn was the highest rated recruit from this previous class and has the versatility to play offense and defense. He’s a defensive back right now and will look to use his athleticism to become a leader once these older guys graduate. Peoples was one of the first commits when McGuire was hired and will soon enough become a shut-down corner.

Elston Jr. is making the transition from linebacker and will be a great strong safety. His highlight tape is insane and he’s going to be a hard-hitting safety that can also cover a lot of ground. Hullaby was a guy that we stole from Oregon and will contribute as well at the safety position.

Hut Graham is a guy that has can do it all. He played quarterback, cornerback, safety and returned kicks as well. He is special with the ball in his hands and was all over the field on defense in both the running and passing game.

Special Teamers/Scout Team

The rest of the guys at the position include Sammy Morris IV, Jon-Jon Davis, Chief Collins, Joseph Plunk, Alpha Mara and Jett Whitfield. Most of these guys will be contributors on special teams and could potentially play on defense in blowout situations. Collins, Morris IV and Plunk are all younger guys so they could at some point grow into a consistent defensive role, but for now there just seems to be too much talent ahead.