Breaking Down Texas Tech Red Raiders’ Strengths, Weaknesses, & 1 Thing That Could Beat Oklahoma State
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The Texas Tech Red Raiders are looking to repeat as Big 12 champions in 2026. The Oklahoma State Cowboys would love to throw them off track.
The Red Raiders enter the 2026 season considered one of the best teams in the country and their ability to leverage the transfer portal to go along with holdover talent is second to none. The Cowboys have a new head coach Eric Morris and nearly 90 new portal additions. It’s a new day in Stillwater.
As the Oklahoma State Cowboys prepare for their Nov. 14 showdown with the Red Raiders, here are Texas Tech’s strengths, weaknesses and the one thing that could beat the Cowboys.
Strengths
Skill Positions
The Red Raiders have plenty of talent around whoever runs the offense. Running back Cameron Dickey is back after he rushed for 1,124 yards and 14 scores last season. Wide receiver Coy Eakin is also back after he caught 48 passes for 637 yards and six touchdowns. Micah Hudson returns after an 8-catch season, and Tech hopes this is the season he emerges as the five-star recruit that had every school on him just a few years ago.
Tight end Terrance Carter Jr is back as well. He may be one of the best in the country after he caught 55 passes for 624 yards and five touchdowns. Whether it’s Will Brennan or someone else at quarterback, they won’t have to do the job alone.
Pass Rush
The Red Raiders had one of the best pass rushes in the country last year, led by portal addition David Bailey. Texas Tech went the portal route again this year and if you can pull that kind of talent then the Red Raiders can make quarterbacks miserable again.
The new portal additions are Trey White from San Diego State and Adam Trick from Miami (OH). White had 19.5 sacks in the last two seasons while Trick 12.5 tackles for loss a year ago. Texas Tech has several holdovers from a year ago that will be rotational ends to give them much-needed depth.
Weaknesses
Safety
Cornerback is the more talented position on the back end of the defense. It’s not that TTU doesn’t have ability there. Brenden Jordan is back for another season after he had 59 tackles and an interception last season. He had a great game against Oregon in the College Football Playoff, which is a good springboard.
The rest of the position is in flux. Peyton Morgan, a sophomore, might get the chance to start alongside Jordan. Morgan only had 11 tackles last year. Two other sophomores, Malik Esquerra and Oliver Miles III, are also sophomores. There is talent and depth, but not a lot of experience. That could be an issue if those players don’t grow.
Quarterback
It isn’t that Will Hammond isn’t a good quarterback. It’s that he just not as proven was Behren Morton was a year ago. At least he doesn’t come with the baggage that Brendan Sorsby would have had he played this season.
He threw for 680 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions in limited duty before he tore his ACL. Odds are good he’ll be ready for the season opener and be the Red Raiders’ QB1 all season. The question is whether Hammond grows into the job the way Texas Tech hopes. If he doesn’t, the position becomes a clear weakness.
The One Thing That Could Beat Oklahoma State
Austin Romaine
Landing Romaine out of the transfer portal from Kansas State is a prime example of what Texas Tech can do with its NIL budget to address a program need. Romaine was outstanding with the Wildcats last season, as he was named a second-team All-Big 12 defensive performer after he had 66 tackles and seven tackles for loss.
He joins a position group that returns Ben Roberts, who was named the Big 12 championship game’s most outstanding player. With these two, the Red Raiders’ 4-2-5 scheme could be as dominant as it was a year ago. And Romaine could make life hard on OSU.
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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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