- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,193,849
- Reaction score
- 59
The Texas Tech football staff tapped the NCAA transfer portal last offseason for a starting safety, and general manager James Blanchard, coach Joey McGuire and crew tried to do the same this offseason.
The Red Raiders got their man a year ago in Cole Wisniewski, who stepped in and finished third on the team in tackles and tied for first in pass breakups. That was his last season of eligibility.
This winter? Koi Perich, the most highly rated safety with his name in the portal after two acclaimed seasons at Minnesota, turned down Texas Tech and signed with Oregon.
Tech's Plan B of filling a spot with internal options is not a bad alternative. When the Red Raiders start spring practice on March 10, Oliver Miles III, Peyton Morgan and Malik Esquerra — all sophomores, all state top-100 recruits coming out of high school — will be fighting for one starting job.
John Curry and Brenden Jordan, the fourth- and fifth-leading tacklers on Tech's 12-2 Orange Bowl team, are back. Curry plays star, the hybrid safety/outside linebacker spot in the Tech defense. Jordan played star early in his career and field safety last year. Both deploy to the wide side of the field, star generally near the line of scrimmage, and field safety to a deep, center-field type spot.
"So the plan is John Curry, B.J. Jordan, two returners out of the three," McGuire said this month, "and then one of those young guys winning out the other safety spot."
Miles, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound El Campo graduate, and Morgan, a 6-foot, 180-pound Pflugerville Weiss product, profile as field safeties. Esquerra, a 6-3, 205-pound Killeen Shoemaker grad, fits as a boundary safety.
Jordan's positional versatility allows defensive coordinator Shiel Wood and safeties coach Rob Greene to incorporate the best-performing sophomore at the latter's natural position.
If Miles or Morgan emerges, Jordan could switch positions and replace Wisniewski at boundary safety, deployed to the short side of the field and usually nearer the line of scrimmage. If Esquerra is the choice, he'd replace Wisniewski with Jordan staying at the position he played last year.
Miles moved to offense midway through last season to provide needed depth at running back, though that move was temporary by design.
"Oliver's back at safety," McGuire said, "so Peyton and Oliver are trying to battle out for that field safety spot, knowing B.J. can play it. And then keeping him [Jordan] over there [at field safety] some, because we want Malik to be able to have a fighting chance to win a position, too. ... He's more of a boundary — the length, the size, and we roll that guy so much into the box."
Miles and Esquerra were track and field state champions in high school: Esquerra in the Class 5A 110-meter hurdles in 2024, Miles in the Class 4A triple jump in 2024.
None has much experience. Last year, Morgan had 11 tackles and 3 pass breakups, Esquerra 8 tackles and a pass breakup, and Miles 5 tackles and a blocked punt.
During the team's offseason football schools, McGuire said the depth at star behind Curry is Marcus Ramon-Edwards, a 6-3, 225-pound junior from Trinity Christian, and Donovan Webb, a 6-foot, 190-pound freshman from Frisco Panther Creek.
Webb was one of the Red Raiders' 21 signees in December and among the 18 who joined the team in January. McGuire brought up his name unsolicited in the discussion of safeties.
"The one other guy that's going to be interesting is Donovan Webb," McGuire said. "He's a safety out of the Frisco area. In fact, he had an interception today during our football school."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Three young safeties compete for Texas Tech football starting job
Continue reading...
The Red Raiders got their man a year ago in Cole Wisniewski, who stepped in and finished third on the team in tackles and tied for first in pass breakups. That was his last season of eligibility.
This winter? Koi Perich, the most highly rated safety with his name in the portal after two acclaimed seasons at Minnesota, turned down Texas Tech and signed with Oregon.
Tech's Plan B of filling a spot with internal options is not a bad alternative. When the Red Raiders start spring practice on March 10, Oliver Miles III, Peyton Morgan and Malik Esquerra — all sophomores, all state top-100 recruits coming out of high school — will be fighting for one starting job.
John Curry and Brenden Jordan, the fourth- and fifth-leading tacklers on Tech's 12-2 Orange Bowl team, are back. Curry plays star, the hybrid safety/outside linebacker spot in the Tech defense. Jordan played star early in his career and field safety last year. Both deploy to the wide side of the field, star generally near the line of scrimmage, and field safety to a deep, center-field type spot.
"So the plan is John Curry, B.J. Jordan, two returners out of the three," McGuire said this month, "and then one of those young guys winning out the other safety spot."
Miles, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound El Campo graduate, and Morgan, a 6-foot, 180-pound Pflugerville Weiss product, profile as field safeties. Esquerra, a 6-3, 205-pound Killeen Shoemaker grad, fits as a boundary safety.
Jordan's positional versatility allows defensive coordinator Shiel Wood and safeties coach Rob Greene to incorporate the best-performing sophomore at the latter's natural position.
If Miles or Morgan emerges, Jordan could switch positions and replace Wisniewski at boundary safety, deployed to the short side of the field and usually nearer the line of scrimmage. If Esquerra is the choice, he'd replace Wisniewski with Jordan staying at the position he played last year.
You must be registered for see images attach
Miles moved to offense midway through last season to provide needed depth at running back, though that move was temporary by design.
"Oliver's back at safety," McGuire said, "so Peyton and Oliver are trying to battle out for that field safety spot, knowing B.J. can play it. And then keeping him [Jordan] over there [at field safety] some, because we want Malik to be able to have a fighting chance to win a position, too. ... He's more of a boundary — the length, the size, and we roll that guy so much into the box."
Miles and Esquerra were track and field state champions in high school: Esquerra in the Class 5A 110-meter hurdles in 2024, Miles in the Class 4A triple jump in 2024.
None has much experience. Last year, Morgan had 11 tackles and 3 pass breakups, Esquerra 8 tackles and a pass breakup, and Miles 5 tackles and a blocked punt.
You must be registered for see images attach
During the team's offseason football schools, McGuire said the depth at star behind Curry is Marcus Ramon-Edwards, a 6-3, 225-pound junior from Trinity Christian, and Donovan Webb, a 6-foot, 190-pound freshman from Frisco Panther Creek.
Webb was one of the Red Raiders' 21 signees in December and among the 18 who joined the team in January. McGuire brought up his name unsolicited in the discussion of safeties.
"The one other guy that's going to be interesting is Donovan Webb," McGuire said. "He's a safety out of the Frisco area. In fact, he had an interception today during our football school."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Three young safeties compete for Texas Tech football starting job
Continue reading...
