Elite defensive additions Mateen Ibirogba and Austin Romaine land high on the Big 12's impact list, positioning Texas Tech to maintain its physically intimidating defensive dominance this season.
Few teams have been able to navigate the transfer portal as successfully as Texas Tech, with the Red Raiders completely reinventing their identity with the help of several key additions.
This latest batch of transfers are set to fill the gaps left by one of, if not, the best squads to ever set foot on the field for Texas Tech.
While the loss of some of these standouts, such as David Bailey and Jacob Rodriguez, will undoubtedly be difficult to manage, there is optimism around members of this newest class and their ability to keep the Red Raiders at the forefront of the sport.
On3's Brett McMurphy selected two Red Raiders on his list of the top 10 most impactful transfers hitting the Big 12 this upcoming year.
According to McMurphy, former Wake Forest defensive lineman Mateen Ibirogba is second, while linebacker Austin Romaine previously of K-State slots in at fourth.
With the departure of Lee Hunter, there is an opening up front for the Red Raiders and Ibirogba has already shown his abilities to be one of the best forces in the trenches with the Demon Deacons.
He will have the chance to line up alongside Big 12 Preseason Defensive Player of the Year A.J. Holmes Jr. and potentially give Texas Tech one of the most physically intimidating defensive fronts in the conference and the nation once again.
There is arguably no position that the Red Raiders were more skilled at than linebacker last season and the addition of Austin Romaine continues that newfound tradition.
Of course the aforementioned Rodriguez was an absolute unit for Texas Tech, serving as the de-facto face of the team that took the college football world by storm and was honored with numerous accolades, including serious consideration to be a Heisman Trophy finalist.
Outside of Rodriguez, Ben Roberts had a solid year of his own highlighted by a stellar performance in the Big 12 Championship that resulted in him being named MVP of the matchup.
Roberts is returning and is joined by John Curry, who will both look to welcome Romaine in and pick up right where they left off as one of the most devastating linebacker corps.
Although only two Red Raiders made it into the top 10, there are one of two programs to see multiple picks inside the top five, joined by Oklahoma State.
There are many other transfers and returners for Texas Tech that will step into new roles and look to build upon the foundation set by the extraordinary group of Red Raiders last year.
