Texas Tech seniors returning next season
Several top Texas Tech seniors have already announced they will be returning next season
One of the oddities of the 2020 college football season is the fact every player was participating with “house money” in terms of eligibility. The NCAA granted a blanket waiver before the season, stating in essence that no matter if an athlete played zero snaps or everyone for his team, he would not lose a season of eligibility.
Since Texas Tech’s season is over, several seniors on the team are having to make some tough decisions right now about their futures. While veterans such as T.J. Vasher and Eli Howard have already decided to move on to the next stage of their lives, many others have chosen to return for next season. The following are lists of seniors who have either announced they are coming back or are still deciding what they want to do. Inside, the Red Raiders will update these lists as more players announce whether they will be returning or not.
These players have officially announced they are returning
OL Josh Burger: Burger started all 10 games at left tackle last season after transferring in from Wofford.
Seth Collins: The oft-injured Collins is returning for a sixth season. Playing at the power five level, he has played safety most recently, inside receiver, outside receiver, and quarterback.
CB Damarcus Fields: Fields is one of the best players on the team and one of the starters at the corner. After missing time early in the season, the defense improved as he got his legs under him. Fields tallied 31 tackles, one stop for loss, 11 pass defenses, one forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in 2020.
LB Riko Jeffers: Jeffers is one of the emotional leaders on the team who was playing at an All-Big 12 level before injuries cut short his season. He finished with 58 tackles, including a team-high 8.5 tackles for loss in 2020.
TE Travis Koontz: Started most of the season, finishing with 14 catches for 189 yards. He produced one of the top plays of the season on a 75-yard catch-and-run touchdown against Oklahoma.
IR McLane Mannix: Mannix missed most of this past season recovering from injury after catching 26 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns in 2019.
S Eric Monroe: It was an up-and-down season for Monroe, but he played his best ball late, was an improvement overall at the position, and finished third on the team with 60 tackles, to go with five stops for loss, two pass defenses, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.
LB Jacob Morgenstern: Morgenstern was better than expected last season on defense, finishing with 32 tackles, 4.5 stops for loss, three quarterback hurries, one pass breakup, one forced fumble, and one punt block.
