Texas Tech spent plenty of the offseason buzz on its quarterbacks, and that makes sense. But the Red Raiders may have something even more dangerous sitting behind that conversation: a running back room built to drive the offense.
Cameron Dickey and J'Koby Williams give Texas Tech a true one-two punch, and both are coming off big seasons. Dickey, a 5-foot-10, 215-pound junior, ran for 1,154 yards at 5.4 yards per carry and scored 14 rushing touchdowns. He also added 25 catches for 224 yards and two more scores, production that helped him earn first-team All-Big 12 honors from the Associated Press.
Williams was just as important in a different way. The 5-10, 180-pound junior led Texas Tech with 1,525 all-purpose yards last season and showed off the kind of versatility that makes defenses miserable. He rushed for 868 yards at 5.6 yards per carry and six touchdowns, caught 35 passes for 388 yards and two scores, and even flipped field position on special teams with six kickoff returns for 243 yards, including a 99-yard touchdown.
The labels fit on paper - Dickey as the power back, Williams as the space player - but Texas Tech gets more than that. Williams has shown he can run through contact, and Dickey is more than just a bruiser; he’s also a reliable receiver whose improved vision and feel for the game last season created several explosive plays.
"Our o-line and running back room need to be who we think they are," said Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire during Big 12 Media Days. "It takes the pressure off the quarterback early."
That room gets even deeper with the return of Quinten Joyner. The 5-foot-11, 220-pound junior missed all of last season after tearing his ACL in fall camp, but McGuire said he should be available when Texas Tech opens the season at home against Abilene Christian on Sept. 5.
Joyner came to Lubbock from USC as a four-star prospect and was expected to be the starter last season before the injury. In two seasons with the Trojans, he posted 81 carries for 603 yards and four touchdowns, along with 13 receptions for 96 yards and one score.
"Week 1. I expect him to be ready right off the bat, ready to go," McGuire said.
"He's had a really good summer. There in our football school, he's done all the individual.
He's getting closer. We have not let him do any of the player-led 7-on-7, probably one reason is because it's player-led, so we want to make sure, even though our trainers are out there, we want to make sure that he doesn't get in any bad habits.
He's in a good spot."
And then there’s Ashton Rowden, the true freshman who made noise in spring ball. The 5-11, 205-pound former three-star recruit piled up more than 2,500 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns over the past two seasons at New Boston (TX) High School, and McGuire sounded eager to keep him in the mix.
"That's a really deep room, because another guy you're gonna see from that room is Ashton Rowden," McGuire said. ""Ace" had a really good spring, and he's a big back and compliments that whole room. I'm really excited."
Texas Tech’s offensive line is built to match that backfield. Three starters are back, including both tackles - Howard Sampson at left tackle and Jacob Ponton on the other side - plus multi-year starting center Sheridan Wilson. The Red Raiders also added Jordan Church, a 6-4, 310-pound four-star transfer, to take over at right guard, while Hunter Zambrano is set at left guard after missing all of last season with injury.
Church has been described as one of the top run-blocking interior offensive linemen in the country, and Zambrano was viewed as one of the top portal additions in what was considered arguably the top transfer class in the nation heading into the 2025 season.
Texas Tech will still throw the ball and spread things out at times, but the direction of the offense is clear. McGuire has built this team to be more physical, and now the Red Raiders have the personnel to lean into it.
"When you have the backs we have and you have a good offensive line you got a really good chance," McGuire said. "If you can play defense and run the football, you can win a lot of football games."
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