3 More Red Raiders Join Preseason Watch Lists
Texas Tech football isn't thought of very highly in the Big 12 media landscape, being picked ninth in the conference last week in a preseason poll conducted by the conference.
That said, several players are being honored on various preseason watch lists, so that does count for something.
The latest watch lists additions for Texas Tech players are: Jack Anderson and the Outland watch list; Trey Wolff on the Lou Groza watch list; and Austin McNamara on the Ray Guy watch list.
Obviously, Anderson gets named on the watch list for best offensive lineman. He's been named to numerous preseason All-Big 12 teams, and has been the Red Raiders' best offensive lineman since his true freshman season.
Only slightly less obvious addition is sophomore punter Austin McNamara, who's widely regarded as one of the best punters in the nation and the best punter in the Big 12.
That's a good enough reason to be on the Ray Guy watch list, and might make McNamara the most likely recipient of an actual award out of all the Red Raiders on watch lists this offseason. He's got an actual cannon for a leg. McNamara is one of just 19 punters on the list.
Another special teamer was named to a special watch list along with McNamara. Trey Wolff, the place kicker, was named to the Lou Groza watch list, the award for the nation's top kicker.
Wolff was among the most accurate kickers in college football as a redshirt freshman after finding the uprights on 20 of 22 field goal attempts, and 40 of 41 PAT tries. He's one of just 30 kickers on the list.
Texas Tech was one of only seven schools nationally and the only school in the Big 12 Conference to place both its punter and place kicker on the two watch lists, joining Arizona State, LSU, N.C. State, Ohio State, Virginia Tech and Washington State. None of those seven schools, however, featured a sophomore at both specialist positions.