Will An Aging Texas Tech Football Roster Result In Success?

The Red Raiders have one of the older rosters in college football, but does experience equal wins?

Dec 27, 2024; Memphis, TN, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire looks on during warm ups prior to the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Everyone believes college football to be the perfect developmental sport for the NFL, but now, with all the eligibility players have, rather than developing, it has become a long-winded way for players to continue to live out their dream of playing college football.

The new-look Texas Tech Red Raiders have enriched their program with new additions. Fifty percent of their projected starters for the season are anticipated to come from new transfers. While the belief is that talent will equal success, it won't be without growing pains.

The Red Raiders lead the nation in the most players selected to the 'Senior Bowl 1,000' watchlist, so is the older age and experience going to be able to help the Red Raiders find their success on the football field, or is it a tale as old as time?

Age Equals Wisdom, But Does It Equal Wins?

With their nation leading 26 players named to the Senior Bowl 1,000, a list compiled of the top draft-eligible candidates for the 2026 NFL draft, the Red Raiders are hoping to find their new identity in the college football world, through new faces.

Of the 26 players named to the list, 15 are transfers into the program, and nine of the ten defensive transfers made the list. So will the influx of veteran presence, and expectations to perform correlate to on-field success?

One advantage for head coach Joey McGuire and his staff is that the days of having two or three transfers are long gone, and programs have become accustomed to the roster turnover that seems to happen at every college now. Programs that used to be praised for their ability to attract major talent are now expected to do that, and now the programs that are able to retain their roster and avoid turnover are the ones praised for their 'culture'.

A New Age Approach

Texas Tech took a grey area approach to the situation, though. Their quarterback is a retained three-year starter, the majority of their expected offensive line starters are retained talent, and one of the Big 12's best defensive players has been in Lubbock for three seasons.

The talent added is nearly split evenly: nine on offense and ten on defense. However, the majority of the offense is returning, making it easier for Behren Morton to know his timing with his receivers. For the defensive side of the ball, the D-line saw the biggest influx of faces; half of their defensive transfers are in that group. Luckily for them, timing isn't needed; just learning the playbook is.

Now, with 26 draft-eligible players named to the Senior Bowl 1,000, expectations continue to rise, equal to the talent level on the Lubbock roster. Yet, pre-season polls don't even have the Red Raiders as the top two ranked teams. Is it cautious optimism, or is it a hand tired of getting burned too many times after prayers of hopeful anticipation that they would turn a corner?

So while much of the country will watch eagerly to see what comes from the Red Raiders' "buying" their talent, their fans will watch as this season becomes a baseline for the next few years, avoiding the conversation of a price tag, because if everyone can do it, why can't they.