With the 2020 schedule now set and the opening game vs Houston Baptist less than a month away, we wanted to break down the depth chart as it stands today.
There are still four weeks of training camp and players will still get shuffled around, so this isn't the official final depth chart, though it is based on things we’ve heard in media interviews and have gathered through different sources.
QB: Alan Bowman | Maverick McIvor OR Henry Colombi
RB: SaRodorick Thompson | Chadarius Townsend OR Tahj Brooks OR Xavier White
X: Erik Ezukanma | Seth Collins | Caden Leggett OR Ja’Lynn Polk
H: McLane Mannix OR Dalton Rigdon OR KeSean Carter | Myles Price
Z: T.J. Vasher | Trey Cleveland OR Loic Fouonji OR J.J. Sparkman
TE: Travis Koontz | Jason Lloyd OR Connor Killian OR Simon Gonzalez OR John Holcomb
LT: Zach Adams OR Josh Burger | Ethan Carde
LG: Jack Anderson
C: Dawson Deaton | Will Farrar
RG: Weston Wright | Clayton Franks
RT: Casey Verhulst | Landon Peterson | Caleb Rogers
Thoughts: If the season started tomorrow Alan Bowman would be the starting quarterback and I don’t see that changing, even though the competition for that spot is a lot better than it has been in recent years. I think Bowman is the most accurate quarterback on campus, McIvor has the best arm talent on the team while Colombi is the most experienced in this David Yost system. McIvor and Colombi will battle it out for the backup job, which lets you redshirt Donovan Smith.
At running back SaRodorick Thompson is the workhorse, and there are three new faces behind him at running back. Alabama transfer Chadarius Townsend might be the fastest player on the team and has acclimated nicely to the position. Tahj Brooks was a highly rated recruit and Xavier White moves from slot receiver to the backfield after impressing in 2019.
Tech is absolutely loaded at outside receiver. The Red Raiders return both starting receivers in Erik Ezukanma and senior T.J. Vasher. Ezukanma led the team in receiving last year, while Vasher had a great offseason by all accounts. Experienced depth at the position comes from senior Seth Collins and redshirt sophomore Caden Leggett, while Trey Cleveland redshirted last season. New to the room are former 4-star prospects Ja’Lynn Polk and Loic Fouonji, along with J.J. Sparkman who could also figure in. Most of these players can play X and Z.
As good as Tech is on the outside, they might be better at slot receiver. Offensive coordinator David Yost plans to take advantage of this too, as he’s already come out and said that he plans on playing some 10 personnel (four receivers, one running back) this season. Dalton Rigdon had a solid season in 2019, becoming a dependable target for the Red Raiders with good hands and speed. KeSean Carter played a lot on the outside but was moved inside towards the end of the year, and he put up 150 yards against Texas while playing the slot. He can also play on the outside. Tech fans had high hopes for McLane Mannix after transferring in from Nevada, but he had an up-and-down 2019. Still, he will factor in here as part of the three-headed rotation and might be the starter. Another guy who has impressed early in camp is freshman Myles Price. Expect to see Price factor in on special teams, too.
At tight end Tech returns senior Travis Koontz after catching 10 passes for 152 yards in a backup role last season. There are high expectations for the 6-foot-5, 255 pound tight end as by far the most experienced player in that room. Behind Koontz are junior college signee Jason Lloyd, senior Connor Killian, redshirt freshman Simon Gonzalez and true freshman John Holcomb. Tech needs one of these four to step up and be able to play well in backup snaps.
Offensive line can be split into two sections. We’ll start with the tackles where Tech replaces both starters from 2019 in Terence Steele and Travis Bruffy. Early in camp reports are that senior Zach Adams and senior grad transfer Josh Burger are the two leading candidates to play left tackle. Expect one of them to win the job, while the other provides veteran depth. Junior college signee Ethan Carde is also competing for that left tackle job.
At right tackle returning junior Casey Verhulst seems to be leading the competition. Verhulst was able to play in 200 snaps last season, filling in while others were injured. That experience should pay off in 2020. Behind Verhulst are a couple of young guys in redshirt freshman Landon Peterson and true freshman Caleb Rogers.
At guard things are mostly set. Jack Anderson was only able to play in three games in 2019 before suffering a season-ending injury. On the bright side, he was able to maintain his eligibility and is still just a junior. One new thing for Jack is he’s currently practicing at left guard after playing right guard his first couple seasons as a Red Raider. Dawson Deaton was one of the best centers in the conference in 2019, expect him to start at the position again. Following Anderson’s injury, Weston Wright filled in for the rest of the season and did a solid job. Look for him to win the right guard job out of camp.
Depth on the interior comes from junior Will Farrar, who is probably the backup at all three interior positions, and sophomore Clayton Franks. Other scholarship guys on the roster who aren’t listed on the depth chart include Demarcus Marshall, Troy Bradshaw and true freshman Larry Moore.
There are still four weeks of training camp and players will still get shuffled around, so this isn't the official final depth chart, though it is based on things we’ve heard in media interviews and have gathered through different sources.
QB: Alan Bowman | Maverick McIvor OR Henry Colombi
RB: SaRodorick Thompson | Chadarius Townsend OR Tahj Brooks OR Xavier White
X: Erik Ezukanma | Seth Collins | Caden Leggett OR Ja’Lynn Polk
H: McLane Mannix OR Dalton Rigdon OR KeSean Carter | Myles Price
Z: T.J. Vasher | Trey Cleveland OR Loic Fouonji OR J.J. Sparkman
TE: Travis Koontz | Jason Lloyd OR Connor Killian OR Simon Gonzalez OR John Holcomb
LT: Zach Adams OR Josh Burger | Ethan Carde
LG: Jack Anderson
C: Dawson Deaton | Will Farrar
RG: Weston Wright | Clayton Franks
RT: Casey Verhulst | Landon Peterson | Caleb Rogers
Thoughts: If the season started tomorrow Alan Bowman would be the starting quarterback and I don’t see that changing, even though the competition for that spot is a lot better than it has been in recent years. I think Bowman is the most accurate quarterback on campus, McIvor has the best arm talent on the team while Colombi is the most experienced in this David Yost system. McIvor and Colombi will battle it out for the backup job, which lets you redshirt Donovan Smith.
At running back SaRodorick Thompson is the workhorse, and there are three new faces behind him at running back. Alabama transfer Chadarius Townsend might be the fastest player on the team and has acclimated nicely to the position. Tahj Brooks was a highly rated recruit and Xavier White moves from slot receiver to the backfield after impressing in 2019.
Tech is absolutely loaded at outside receiver. The Red Raiders return both starting receivers in Erik Ezukanma and senior T.J. Vasher. Ezukanma led the team in receiving last year, while Vasher had a great offseason by all accounts. Experienced depth at the position comes from senior Seth Collins and redshirt sophomore Caden Leggett, while Trey Cleveland redshirted last season. New to the room are former 4-star prospects Ja’Lynn Polk and Loic Fouonji, along with J.J. Sparkman who could also figure in. Most of these players can play X and Z.
As good as Tech is on the outside, they might be better at slot receiver. Offensive coordinator David Yost plans to take advantage of this too, as he’s already come out and said that he plans on playing some 10 personnel (four receivers, one running back) this season. Dalton Rigdon had a solid season in 2019, becoming a dependable target for the Red Raiders with good hands and speed. KeSean Carter played a lot on the outside but was moved inside towards the end of the year, and he put up 150 yards against Texas while playing the slot. He can also play on the outside. Tech fans had high hopes for McLane Mannix after transferring in from Nevada, but he had an up-and-down 2019. Still, he will factor in here as part of the three-headed rotation and might be the starter. Another guy who has impressed early in camp is freshman Myles Price. Expect to see Price factor in on special teams, too.
At tight end Tech returns senior Travis Koontz after catching 10 passes for 152 yards in a backup role last season. There are high expectations for the 6-foot-5, 255 pound tight end as by far the most experienced player in that room. Behind Koontz are junior college signee Jason Lloyd, senior Connor Killian, redshirt freshman Simon Gonzalez and true freshman John Holcomb. Tech needs one of these four to step up and be able to play well in backup snaps.
Offensive line can be split into two sections. We’ll start with the tackles where Tech replaces both starters from 2019 in Terence Steele and Travis Bruffy. Early in camp reports are that senior Zach Adams and senior grad transfer Josh Burger are the two leading candidates to play left tackle. Expect one of them to win the job, while the other provides veteran depth. Junior college signee Ethan Carde is also competing for that left tackle job.
At right tackle returning junior Casey Verhulst seems to be leading the competition. Verhulst was able to play in 200 snaps last season, filling in while others were injured. That experience should pay off in 2020. Behind Verhulst are a couple of young guys in redshirt freshman Landon Peterson and true freshman Caleb Rogers.
At guard things are mostly set. Jack Anderson was only able to play in three games in 2019 before suffering a season-ending injury. On the bright side, he was able to maintain his eligibility and is still just a junior. One new thing for Jack is he’s currently practicing at left guard after playing right guard his first couple seasons as a Red Raider. Dawson Deaton was one of the best centers in the conference in 2019, expect him to start at the position again. Following Anderson’s injury, Weston Wright filled in for the rest of the season and did a solid job. Look for him to win the right guard job out of camp.
Depth on the interior comes from junior Will Farrar, who is probably the backup at all three interior positions, and sophomore Clayton Franks. Other scholarship guys on the roster who aren’t listed on the depth chart include Demarcus Marshall, Troy Bradshaw and true freshman Larry Moore.
