The 3 Best Players Texas Tech Red Raiders Will Face in 2026
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LUBBOCK, Texas — Less than a month after their premature end to the College Football Playoff, and the Texas Tech Red Raiders now know what to expect for the 2026 season.
Wednesday afternoon, the schedules for the Big 12 football season during the 2026 season were released and provided some tests to see just how strong the Texas Tech team would be in their fifth season under head coach Joey McGuire.
The midseason conference slate includes matchups against a young, up-and-coming Colorado Buffaloes team, an Arizona State squad that will look to upset the Red Raiders for a second straight year, and a Cincinnati Bearcats squad that provided the team with their 2026 quarterback Brendan Sorsby and will look to shock him and Tech during his return home in October.
With the overall skill of the teams, there is also individual talent that the Red Raiders need to pay close attention to, and here are three players in the 2026 season that McGuire and the rest of the coaching staff need to highlight as they form their gameplan on the gridiron.
Amare Thomas, Wide Receiver, Houston Cougars
Thomas' first season with Willie Fritz and the Houston Cougars was truly a thing of beauty, and resulted in him recording 67 catches for 966 yards and 12 touchdowns, including eight in the last five games.
Thomas had very nil production against the Red Raiders when the team traveled to Houston in October last year, only two catches, but resulted in 70 yards and a touchdown.
The Cougars finished 10-3 with a 38-35 win in the Texas Bowl over the LSU Tigers, during which Thomas caught eight passes for 60 yards and two touchdowns, showing his effectiveness in big-game scenarios.
With Conner Weigman returning at quarterback for Houston and five-star recruit Keisean Henderson right behind him on the depth chart, Thomas' production shouldn't falter in the slightest come 2026, and the Red Raiders definitely need to keep him under wraps like they did for the most part last year.
Drew Mestemaker, Quarterback, Oklahoma State
Trading in his green and white North Texas colors for the orange and black of Oklahoma State, Mestemaker is ready to make just as much of an impact for the Cowboys as he did the Mean Green, especially with he and running back Caleb Hawkins following head coach Eric Morris up to Stillwater.
The Mean Green were right on the edge of the College Football Playoffs in the 2025 season, with Mestemaker leading them to a 12-2 record with his 4,379 yards and 34 touchdowns throughout the campaign.
Oklahoma State nearly went winless in the 2025 season, but with the abundance of CFP-worthy talent that they're bringing in, the November 14th matchup between the two teams is not one that Tech should take lightly in the slightest.
DJ Lagway, Quarterback, Baylor Bears
In one of the biggest transfers of the offseason thus far, Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway hopped in the transfer portal and went from the SEC to the Big 12 with the Baylor Bears, returning to his home state of Texas and taking Sawyer Robertson's place.
The transfer gives Lagway a fresh start after an iffy two years with the Gators that saw him throw for 28 touchdowns and 23 interceptions, splitting reps with Graham Mertz during his freshman tenure with the team.
With the youth and talent that Baylor has brought in with the transfer portal, and the incredible offensive showing that the team put on despite a 5-7 record in 2025, Lagway should fit in perfectly and could establish the Bears as a dark horse team in 2026.
Texas Tech starts their 2026 campaign looking to repeat as Big 12 champions when they host Abilene Christian in Lubbock on September 5.
Texas Tech’s 2026 Schedule:
Sept. 5 – Abilene Christian
Sept. 12 – at Oregon State
Sept. 19 - Houston
Sept. 26 - Sam Houston State
Oct. 3 - Colorado
Oct. 10 -Arizona State
Oct. 24 - at Cincinnati
Oct. 31 - Arizona
Nov. 7 - West Virginia
Nov. 14 - at Oklahoma State
Nov. 21 - at Baylor
Nov. 28 - TCU
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Aaron Raley is a writer covering the Texas Tech On SI. Born and raised in Northeast Texas, Aaron earned a degree from Texas A&M University in journalism, with minors in history and sports management. Aaron’s writing abilities are driven by his love and passion for various sports, both at the collegiate and professional levels, as well as his experience in playing sports, especially baseball and football.
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