5 Texas Tech Red Raiders That Oklahoma State Fans Need to Know for 2026 Matchup
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The Texas Tech Red Raiders want nothing less than a repeat of the Big 12 championship they won last year.
The Red Raiders look like one of the best teams in the conference again this season with a healthy mix of transfers, along with holdovers from last year’s title team. They’ve also turned the page on the Brendan Sorsby imbroglio and handed the keys to a new quarterback.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys get their shot at the Red Raiders on Nov. 14 in Stillwater. Here are five Texas Tech players for Oklahoma State fans to remember before the matchup.
QB Will Hammond
He will be the starter in Lubbock. Now he must show he’s up to the full-time job. He completed 63.3 percent of his passes (69-of-109) for 680 yards and seven touchdowns to only three interceptions before he suffered a torn ACL that ended his season. Before the injury he was named the Big 12 freshman and offensive player of the week after he completed 13-of-16 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing eight times for a career-high 61 yards, as a backup in a victory over Utah.
RB Cameron Dickey
The Red Raiders are going to use both Dickey and J’Kobi Williams, but Dickey was the team’s leading rusher last season and he’ll set the tone again. He became the ninth Red Raider in program history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season after totaling 1,124 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on 209 carries. He was a Doak Walker award semifinalist, and he should be among the top backs in the country — unless Williams overtakes him this season.
WR Coy Eakin
Eakin has been one of the Red Raiders’ most consistent offensive performers each of the past two seasons. He caught 48 passes for 637 yards for six touchdowns on the season, which was his second straight season with at least 600 receiving yards. He worked out of the slot last year and he’s likely to do so again, making him a dangerous matchup. While he was an all-Big 12 honorable mention selection, he was the Big 12 Championship Offensive Player of the Game.
DE Trey White
White is listed as an outside linebacker, but the reality is the Red Raiders are counting on him to be this year’s David Bailey, though that may be a bit unfair as Bailey had a huge year in 2025 and was the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft. White is talented and has a track record at San Diego State. With the Aztecs he had 129 tackles (76 solo) over three seasons, including 31 for a loss and 19.5 sacks, with the bulk of that total coming over his final two years as an Aztec. If anyone in this defense can pick up where Bailey left off, it’s White.
LB Ben Roberts
For those that watched the Big 12 Championship game last year, Roberts needs no introduction. He was the game’s Most Outstanding Player after he had five tackles and two interceptions against BYU. In his fifth season with Texas Tech and one of the few Matt Wells recruits who committed to head coach Joey McGuire, he’s been quietly productive. He’s one of only two FBS players the past three seasons to combine for at least 250 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles and five interceptions. The other was his All-American teammate last season, Jacob Rodriguez. Now, Roberts takes center stage.
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Matthew Postins is the publisher of Oklahoma State on SI. He is an award-winning sports journalist who was formerly the editor of the College Football America Yearbook and covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.
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