Texas Tech defensive line ranked No. 3 in the nation by Pro Football Focus
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What a difference an offseason can make. After last season, Texas Tech finished the 2024 campaign ranked No. 126 in the nation in total defense, giving up a whopping 460.2 yards per game. The Red Raiders also finished near the bottom in all of college football in scoring defense, landing at No. 121 nationally and surrendering 34.8 points per game.
Even with a solid offense, you're not going to be very successful at any level when you're giving up nearly 500 yards and 35 points per game. Knowing that they needed to make some significant upgrades in Lubbock, Texas Tech hit the transfer portal hard, looking for elite defensive talent.
During the course of the offseason, the Red Raiders were able to secure commitments from several of the top defenders in the portal, including guys like David Bailey, Romello Height, Lee Hunter, and Skyler Gill-Howard. With all four of those guys projected to become starters this fall, people are viewing the Texas Tech defense in a much more positive light when compared to last season.
On Tuesday, PFF College released its top five defensive lines in all of college football, and the Red Raiders came in at No. 3, trailing only Alabama and Clemson.
Top 5 Defensive Lines in College Football💪 pic.twitter.com/LDvgswnPgk
— PFF College (@PFF_College) June 3, 2025
Given all of the investments into the roster during the offseason, it's no surprise that the expectations are sky-high for the Red Raiders in 2025. And if Texas Tech is going to reach the heights that many are expecting, the success of the defensive line is going to play a massive role in making it happen.
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Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. In January of 2025, he took over as Publisher for Maryland On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.
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