USA Today’s preseason Big 12 outlook is giving Texas Tech plenty of respect heading into 2026, and the Red Raiders show up everywhere on the publication’s lists.
USA Today is predicting Texas Tech will win the Big 12 this season. On offense, tight end Terrance Carter Jr. and offensive lineman Howard Sampson made the 2026 Preseason All-Big 12 team, with Carter Jr. earning unanimous selection status.
The Red Raiders were even more heavily represented on defense and among specialists. USA Today placed six Texas Tech players on its 11-man preseason all-defensive team: defensive linemen Adam Trick, Mateen Ibirogba, and AJ Holmes; linebackers Ben Roberts and Austin Romaine; and cornerback Brice Pollock. Holmes was a unanimous selection, and Texas Tech accounted for two of the three linebacker spots.
Texas Tech also claimed two of the three specialist selections, with kicker Stone Harrington and punt and kick returner J'Koby Williams both making the list. On the honorable mention team, USA Today included wide receivers Coy Eakin and Malcolm Simmons, running back Cameron Dickey, offensive lineman Sheridan Wilson, defensive back Brenden Jordan, and defensive lineman Trey White. Roberts was also named Big 12 football preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Texas Tech’s national preseason standing is a little less uniform, though the Red Raiders still land in the upper tier in several rankings. ESPN dropped Texas Tech out of its top 10 after Brendan Sorsby is no longer playing for the Red Raiders this upcoming season, but said the team has enough playmakers on both sides of the ball to get back to the CFP in 2026.
The NYTimes/The Athletic placed Texas Tech at No. 10, while noting that quarterback Will Hammond’s health is imperative to the Red Raiders’ success this season. CBS Sports has Texas Tech at No. 9.
Athlon Sports has the Red Raiders as Big 12 favorites again, but ranked outside the top 10 because of the offseason departures of Sorsby, David Bailey and Jacob Rodriguez to the NFL draft. Fox Sports went even lower, slotting Texas Tech outside the top 12 and pointing to the same losses along with uncertainty at quarterback. The Sporting News was the most skeptical of the bunch, ranking Texas Tech No. 20 because of that quarterback uncertainty.
In Other News...
A.J. Holmes Jr. Now Carries Texas Techs Biggest Defensive Burden
A.J. Holmes Jr. arrived at Texas Tech with some familiarity built in, having transferred from Houston in December 2024 after playing under defensive coordinator Shiel Wood. By the end of the 2025 season, the defensive tackle had moved into the starting lineup and turned himself into one of the Red Raiders most dependable front-line pieces, piling up production that brought both national attention and a clear sense that his role in Lubbock had grown far beyond a simple transfer addition.
That is why CFB HQ placing Holmes at No. 23 on its list of the top 25 most important players for the 2026 college football season feels less like a surprise than a reflection of what Texas Tech already knows. The Red Raiders are now counting on him to anchor a defense that cant afford many weak spots, and with the recognition he earned from the Associated Press and Pro Football Focus, the expectations around him are only getting heavier as fall approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Defense Just Earned The Big 12 Respect Fans Wanted
Texas Techs defense is starting to get the kind of preseason attention that usually comes only after a unit has already forced its way into the conversation. Seven Red Raiders landed on the 2026 Preseason All-Big 12 Team, a haul that says plenty about how the league views the roster heading into the fall. The group includes familiar names like senior linebacker Ben Roberts and senior cornerback Brice Pollock, while newcomers Austin Romaine and Adam Trick are already drawing notice before taking a snap in Lubbock.
The honors also spread beyond the defensive side, with senior tight end Terrance Carter Jr earning a spot on the preseason offense team and kicker Stone Harrington recognized on special teams. For a program trying to turn respect into something more tangible, the bigger takeaway is the balance of the list: proven veterans, fresh additions and a defense that now has the leagues attention long before the first kickoff. [Read more 🡒]