Three young Texas Tech football newcomers waste no time making their mark

Texas Tech Football: The Red Raiders play Spring Game at Lowrey Field Texas Tech plays Spring Game at Lowrey Field Texas Tech football defensive players could unwind after workouts this spring by eating dinner and watching video of that day's practice with the defensive staff. It's a philosophy Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire took from his time at Baylor with former Bears defensive coordinator Phil Snow. It wasn't uncommon this spring for 20 or so players to come in for the post-practice review, McGuire said, at times forcing them to move from a defensive staff room to the larger team room. From McGuire's experience, though, it is uncommon to see three first-semester freshmen show up every night. Not that the Red Raiders didn't already like defensive backs Brenden "B.J" Jordan, Chapman Lewis and Jordan Sanford for their physical skills, but coming in for post-practice study showed commitment. Texas Tech's Chapman Lewis does a drill during football practice, Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at Sports Performance Center. Texas Tech freshman safety Chapman Lewis helped Burleson Centennial go 12-2 last season, setting a school record for victories. Lewis goes into summer as co-second-team … Show more ANNIE RICE/AVALANCHE-JOURNAL "Man, just mature beyond their years," McGuire said recently. "We call them the triplets. I would challenge anybody in the country to find three DBs that love football the way they do. [After each of the] 14 workouts, those three guys were eating dinner with the defensive staff, watching the practice. "Now, there's a lot of other defensive guys [in attendance], but you don't find freshmen like that. They mentally are ready to go. Now physically, can their bodies hold up?" The Tech secondary has four starters and a backup entering their final seasons of eligibility in 2023 and only two juniors in the two-deep. Those true freshmen could well find themselves playing key roles in 2024. In the case of at least one, it might not take that long. "B.J. Jordan is one freshman that I can really feel confident in saying that we will not redshirt him," McGuire said. "I just don't see it. Physically, he's 210 pounds. He is a football junkie. He had a great spring for us." Home-state schools in precarious spot: Tech DC laments Pac-12 being in limbo All three freshmen are in the Red Raiders' depth chart going into the summer. Jordan, a 6-foot, 210-pound graduate of Mansfield, is the second-team Star behind Julian "C.J." Baskerville. That position is the hybrid safety-outside linebacker manned last season by Marquis Waters, who exhausted his eligibility. Lewis, a 6-1, 180-pound graduate of Burleson Centennial, is a co-second-team free safety behind returning starter Dadrion Taylor-Demerson. Sanford, a 6-foot, 195-pound graduate of Mansfield Timberview, came out of spring third on both sides at cornerback, though the Red Raiders have since signed transfer Bralyn Lux, who started 22 games over three seasons at Fresno State. Texas Tech's Jordan Sanford does a drill during football practice, Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at Sports Performance Center. Texas Tech's Jordan Sanford came out of spring as the third cornerback on both sides. He's one of three true freshman defensive backs lauded by … Show more ANNIE RICE/AVALANCHE-JOURNAL B.J. Jordan and Jordan Sanford both were consensus state top-100 prospects as judged by recruiting services. Lewis landed outside the assorted top 100s, but quickly endeared himself to the Tech staff. He's physical, but slender, which could give pause about his readiness for the Big 12 from day one. "Chapman is one of the better tacklers I've been around at this young an age," McGuire said, "and that's where you're like, 'Can his body get to a point where you feel really good about him playing?" Summer upgrades: Texas Tech signs off on new turf, LED lighting system at Jones AT&T Stadium Lewis is set to back up a fifth-year senior who faced similar questions at the start of his career. Taylor-Demerson was listed at 5-11 and 180 pounds in his true freshman season of 2019, but played in 11 games that first year and has been a key player in the secondary his entire career. Cameron Watts also is competing for the backup jobs at free and boundary safety. The fifth-year senior will be there if coaches are more comfortable with his experience or if Lewis needs more time in the weight room. "It's going to be how the summer goes with him," McGuire said. "I want to make sure he is physically ready, because mentally he is ready."