McGuire Offers High Praise to New Look Position Group Ahead of Spring Ball
In this story:
LUBBOCK, Texas — Spring football is officially here with kickoff to the 2026 college football season just 176 days away. Fresh off its first appearance in the College Football Playoff, Texas Tech is gearing up to defend its Big 12 championship crown this fall. With the 2025 season as successful as it was for the Red Raiders, it also meant a lot of adjusting when it ended.
The Texas Tech defense was one of the key cogs for the Red Raiders' success last season. The unit led the country and Big 12 in multiple categories last fall with top-notch players such as senior linebacker David Bailey, senior defensive tackle Lee Hunter, senior edge rusher Romello Height, among a plethora of others who will be on an NFL field next fall.
Their departures leave behind high-value openings for the Texas Tech staff to fill during the offseason.
Highest Graded Transfer Edge Rushers this Offseason 🔁 pic.twitter.com/JfGGrjXyqL
— PFF College (@PFF_College) February 12, 2026
The recipe for success hasn't changed all too much for Texas Tech Head Coach Joey McGuire and his staff this offseason. Tech brought in 21 players via the portal with a high priority on the defensive line as the Red Raiders amassed yet another talented transfer class this offseason.
McGuire had high praise for some of the new faces along the defensive line in his first press conference at the opening of spring practice Thursday.
“One of the biggest things we tried to do is where we lost NFL players, we replaced them with NFL players,” McGuire said . “We were very deliberate in that when you lose somebody of that caliber, that we have to replace them with somebody of that caliber if you're going to do it via the transfer portal or you feel that you already have somebody like that on your team.”
Tech brought in eight defensive linemen and two linebackers via the portal to bolster defensive coordinator Shiel Woods' unit. Senior outside linebackers Adam Trick,Trey White, and senior defensive linemen Mateen Ibirogba headline this defensive transfer for class for Tech.
He had the third-most QB pressures in college football last season.
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) February 16, 2026
I Am: Adam Trick 🎬@adamtrick8 | @PlainsCapital pic.twitter.com/WWzvWxPNwO
Trick and White terrorized defenses in both the MAC and Mountain West, respectively. Trick developed into a full-time starter at Miami of Ohio, leading the nation in pressures with 73. He totaled 8.5 sacks, and was named first-team All MAC.
White was dominant during his time at San Diego State. The 6-foot-2 pass rusher earned first-team All-Mountain West honors while racking up 19.5 sacks and 29 tackles for loss. Both Trick and White received high praise from McGuire Thursday.
“We lose David Bailey and Romello Height. You guys are going to fall in love with Adam Trick and Trey White,” McGuire said. “Just two elite humans that love football. They are extremely happy here.”
While Ibirogba was one of the highly touted defensive linemen in the portal, he brings an explosive ability to stop the run, with the ability to play across the trenches.
Ibirgoba began his college career at the FCS level with Georgetown before transferring to Wake Forest where he redshirted during the 2024 season. He came up big this season, recording 7.5 sacks and two forced fumbles with the Demon Deacons before entering the portal.
Going into spring ball, Ibirgoba expressed how seeing the success of the Tech defense last season heavily influenced his decision to come to Lubbock.
“For me, I believe it was very easy in the aspect of seeing myself being able to help out the team,” Ibirogba said during the press conference on Thursday. “Using my abilities to see how I could improve at Texas Tech, and become a better player.”
It's too early to tell the total amount of damage the likes of Ibirogba, Trick, White and others will cause for opposing offenses this fall. In the grand scheme, the Tech staff has reloaded and continues to build a valuable unit along the defensive front to help the Red Raiders defend their Big 12 title next season.
Check out the full press conference from Texas Tech Joey McGuire below
More From Texas Tech On SI
