Texas Tech Football: Will the Red Raiders shock the Big 12 in 2022?

Tim DeRuyter comes to town to turn the defense around

The addition of Tim DeRuyter should do nothing but help a defense that has spent more time than not ranked towards the bottom of the defensive rankings.

Tech showed signs of improvement on that side of the ball at the end of the last season. Tech gave up 33.5 points per game through the first 10 contests. Over the final three, which included both Big 12 Championship teams and a Mike Leach-lead SEC team, they only allowed 19 points per game.

Tech’s defense wasn’t just bad last season, it was a liability in many cases. On the season, only their rush defense (40th) was in the top half of the country. Scoring defense (95th) pass defense (119th), and total defense (86th) were among the worst in the nation.

Much of the defensive unit returns, but potentially more impactful than that is who’s not back: star linebacker Colin Schooler, who played two of his five seasons in Lubbock. Schooler is fifth in total tackles since 2005, including 106 last season.

The good news is stud defensive end Tyree Wilson and his 38 tackles and seven sacks return. Tony Bradford Jr. and Jaylon Hutchings are other names to watch along the defensive line. If the defense improves, those three names will be a big reason why.

Safeties Marquis Waters and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson are back in the secondary but must make huge strides from last season. Cornerback Rayshard Williams was a fourth-team All-Big 12 in 2021, but he can’t do everything himself. Reggie Pearson Jr. moves to defensive back as well, where his hard-hitting, physical style should inject a little more energy on that side.

An underrated loss for the Red Raiders is kicker Jonathan Garibay, who was nearly automatic (49 of 50 on extra points, 15-of-16 on field goals). There’s a reason #CollegeKickers trends weekly on Twitter during college football season. Kickers as good as Garibay are difficult to replace.