Texas Tech should pursue this defensive lineman with ties to new DC Shiel Wood
With the Texas Tech football program having hired two new coordinators this offseason, it is almost a guarantee that both OC Mack Leftwich and DC Shiel Wood will bring with them players that they have coached before. That will help them implement their new schemes by having veteran players who have already played in their systems.
One area that Wood must improve is the Texas Tech defensive line. More specifically, he must find more players who can get after the quarterback off the edge.
That’s why pursuing Anthony Homes Jr. who played for Houston the past three years and who is now in the transfer portal, would make perfect sense.
In 2022, Holmes was a true freshman who redshirted after appearing in five games (including Houston’s bowl game). Then, over the past two seasons, he played in 24 games for the Cougars, 12 in each season.
For his career, Holmes has 67 total tackles and 4.5 sacks. This year, he was credited with 40 tackles and 2.0 sacks.
Now, 2.0 sacks aren’t worthy of national headlines. However, consider that Holmes is just a sophomore and it isn’t hard to project that his best football is ahead of him.
What’s more, only two Texas Tech defensive linemen, Harvey Dyson III and Jayden Cofield, had as many as 2.0 sacks in 2024. Thus, bringing in another option to rush the passer, one with significant upside who still has multiple years of eligibility remaining might be a wise move.
Holmes would likely slot in as a defensive end. Though at 6-foot-2 and 295 pounds, he has the size to play multiple spots on the defensive line.
This year, the Red Raiders are losing several key defensive linemen to graduation such as Quincy Ledet Jr., DeBraylon Carroll, and James Hansen all of whom started games in 2024. Thus, we can expect the coaching staff to try to find ready-to-play replacements and Holmes would fit that description. That’s why Texas Tech football fans should keep an eye on Holmes over the next few days and weeks as his ties to Shiel Wood make him a logical target in the transfer portal.
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