Ranking Texas Tech football's 10 best transfer portal additions to 2025 roster
Does that make the Red Raiders a favorite to win the Big 12 championship? That's still up for debate. What isn't debatable is that Texas Tech's prospects this season, and the stress level of head coach Joey McGuire, largely hinge on the transfer portal haul producing at a high level during the 2025 season.
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Texas Tech added 16 players in the winter portal and brought in another five in the spring. Which of these are the best of the best? Here's our ranking:
Lee Hunter wraps up Quinten Joyner for a tackle during the Texas Tech football team's spring game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, at Jones AT&T Stadium.
10. Micah Hudson, WR, Texas Tech
This one is a bit tricky, considering Micah Hudson was only away from the team for about five months, but he is an addition, so we'll count it here. Hudson's freshman year at Texas Tech didn't get much traction, so he opted to transfer to Texas A&M before coming back to Tech in the spring portal. He still has to show he was a highly-touted prospect out of high school for a reason, and he and the Red Raiders are giving it another shot.
9. Cole Wisniewski, S, North Dakota State
Coming from FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, Cole Wisniewski has played in plenty of big games. But the 6-foot-4, 220 safety missed all of last season with a foot injury. He showed a nose for the ball during the spring and coaches raved about his leadership ability in the secondary.
8. Romello Height, EDGE, Georgia Tech
Looking at Romello Height's biceps can be intimidating enough, but the well-traveled edge rusher is being asked to take on a big role in a revamped defense that lacked pressure on the quarterback and failed to generate much chaos in the opponents' backfield.
7. Skyler Gill-Howard, DT, Northern Illinois
Starting his career at Upper Iowa and walking on at Northern Illinois, Skyler Gill-Howard has bet on himself throughout his career. Even switching from linebacker to defensive tackle has paid off for the Milwaukee native.
6. Howard Sampson, OT, North Carolina
With two years of eligibility left, the Red Raiders may have found their new cornerstone on the offensive line — that is, if the NFL doesn't scoop him up after this year. Howard Sampson is an imposing 6-foot-8 and 325 pounds and is one of the few linemen who will probably occupy the same position all season.
Terrance Carter Jr. celebrates his touchdown during the Texas Tech football team's spring game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, at Jones AT&T Stadium.
5. Terrance Carter, TE, Louisiana
Terrance Carter burst onto the scene last season with 48 catches for 689 yards and four touchdowns. Calling himself a "one of a kind" athlete at the tight end position, Carter will pair with returner Johncarlos Miller II in the passing and run-blocking game.
4. Reggie Virgil, WR, Miami (Ohio)
A downfield threat who totaled 816 yards and nine touchdowns a season ago, Reggie Virgil missed most of the spring with a broken toe, but easily placed himself as the other starting outside receiver along with Caleb Douglas before that.
3. Quinten Joyner, RB, USC
While Tech's new offensive coaches see the replacement of Tahj Brooks being a by-committee approach, it's Quinten Joyner who has a case to be the bell cow. The former Top 100 recruit had 478 yards and three scores on the ground last season playing for Lincoln Riley and could exceed that in a hurry in a Red Raider uniform.
2. Lee Hunter, DT, UCF
The Fridge, as Lee Hunter is affectionately known, has made a big impression on the Red Raiders already. A second-team all-Big 12 selection spent time trying to disrupt the Texas Tech offense while at UCF and will do the same in Jones AT&T Stadium in favor of the Red Raiders this season.
1. David Bailey, EDGE, Stanford
The addition few saw coming and perhaps the most impactful of them all, David Bailey adds an immediate upgrade to the EDGE position and provides depth to a defense in desperate need of it. Had Stanford not fired its head coach earlier this year, Bailey is probably still with the Cardinal. Instead, Tech's potential success on defense rests on Bailey's ability to create chaos.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Which transfer portal additions are best for Texas Tech football in 2025?
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