Brice Pollock, Howard Sampson Announce Returns for 2026 Season

As important as additions can be through the transfer portal, retention of in-house talent is equally critical to sustained success. The Texas Tech Red Raiders were set to lose several starters due to graduation and the NFL Draft, but some key athletes had decisions to make regarding their future.

Tight end Terrance Carter Jr. announced his return for 2026, a boon for the Red Raiders' offense. He was later followed by offensive tackle Howard Sampson and cornerback Brice Pollock, maintaining cornerstones on both sides of the football.

One Last Ride ❤️ @JoeyMcGuireTTU @CoachMcBath @TexasTechFB pic.twitter.com/Knu26W88kJ
— Brice Pollock (@PollockBrice) January 5, 2026

Pollock had been reportedly mulling over his options as Texas Tech entered the postseason; after an Orange Bowl loss to Oregon, he is returning as the Red Raiders look to get back to the College Football Playoff.

"RUN IT BACK," read the image attached to his post on X, which included the caption, "One Last Ride."

This was the same message included in the image on Sampson's post on X, which included a similar sentiment in his caption. "Job’s not done let’s run it back Lubbock #WreckEm," he said.

Texas Tech offensive tackle Howard Sampson announces his return to the Red Raiders for the 2026 season. | howardddd1 on X

Sampson is an experienced presence on Tech's offensive line; he played 788 snaps in 2025 and 824 in 2024 for the North Carolina Tar Heels. He spent his first two seasons at North Texas, and despite limited opportunity (87 snaps in two seasons), has developed into a standout tackle at the Power Four level.

Entering his redshirt senior year, Sampson will be a crucial piece on offense for Texas Tech, tasked as the blindside blocker for the program's high-profile addition. Quarterback Brendan Sorsby will lead the Red Raiders' offense in 2025, and while he is adept at avoiding sacks, Sampson should only help even more. He conceded just one sack and six pressures all season.

Additionally, Sampson recorded career-high marks in PFF offensive grade (72.7) and pass-blocking grade (83.8), demonstrating his improvement in down-to-down consistency.

However, one area that will need refinement is his pre-snap discipline. It was a plague on Tech's offensive line all season, and Sampson was no exception, with 13 penalties. He also had 10 in 2024 with UNC, making this a regular issue for the 6'8", 340-pound left tackle.

Ballhawk 😤

📺 @ESPN | https://t.co/XJTiDdhldB https://t.co/zSY4UkJLhM pic.twitter.com/eff84B3rjd
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) November 29, 2025

Meanwhile, the Red Raiders are returning a playmaker on defense who led the Big 12 in interceptions with five. In his previous two seasons with the Mississippi State Bulldogs, he had just one.

His ability to make plays on the ball also resulted in eight passes defensed, nearly matching his career-best mark of nine in 2024. He was 20th in the country in passing-down snaps, given how often the Red Raiders played with a lead, and he performed admirably with an 81.8 PFF coverage grade.

Among cornerbacks with at least 100 passing-down snaps, he was fifth in the country and second in the Big 12 in NFL passer rating allowed, conceding a grade of just 27.9. He was also a willing and hard-nosed run defender, recording a PFF run-defense grade of 78.9 with 11 run stops. In three collegiate seasons, he has never recorded a run-defense grade below 77.3.

With Sampson and Pollock back, the Red Raiders return two more starters and maintain some continuity with the team that won the Big 12 and earned a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. Alongside the new additions from the transfer portal, the expectation remains the same in 2026.

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