One Last Time: Tech to Honor 26 Seniors Saturday

November 09, 2018 | Football

Texas Tech will honor its 26 seniors in a pregame ceremony Saturday prior to kickoff against No. 19 Texas

By: Matt Dowdy

LUBBOCK, Texas – Jah'Shawn Johnson knew the final 30 minutes prior to kickoff might be tough Saturday. The veteran defensive back will be one of 26 seniors honored pregame Saturday evening prior to Texas Tech's 6:30 p.m. kickoff against No. 19 Texas.

It's a once in a lifetime moment. His final home game, played against an in-state rival in front of many of his family and friends. How are you supposed to react?

"I actually had a conversation with Keenan Evans and just kind of joking with me if I was going to cry or not and when I was going to try if I did," said Johnson, who has started in a team-leading 42 games over his career. "It's going to be tough but it's going to be exciting."

Johnson is one name in a class full of meaningful memories spanning from Dakota Allen and his journey back to Texas Tech to Clayton Hatfield and his return as one of the most accurate kickers in college football. The class includes three six-year seniors as well as a handful of transfers who began their collegiate careers miles away.

"This class has meant so much to our program," Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury said. "We talk a lot inside our building on leaving a legacy. These guys have done that, and we hope to send them off the right way Saturday."

THE SIXTH-YEAR SENIORS
Possibly no group knows Kingsbury and his staff better than the trio of six-year seniors in Ja'Deion High, Zach Austin and Kyle Heffron. All three arrived as walk-ons around the same time as Kingsbury as he's the only head coach they've ever known. Over time, they've developed into key players both on and off the field.

High is in the midst of his best season as a Red Raider as he's caught 47 passes for 615 yards this season, ranking second on the team in both categories. He's been a reliable presence over the middle for a Red Raider offense that remains one of the nation's leaders despite utilizing three starting quarterbacks to this point.

Austin, meanwhile, hauled in his second-career touchdown last weekend to help the Red Raiders inch closer to a near upset of No. 7 Oklahoma. The touchdown was a feel-good moment for Austin and his family as the Austin, Texas native came back this season following season-ending injuries each of the past two years. He has 39 catches for 381 yards over his career, which spans the 2015 and 2018 seasons.

For Heffron, the greatest compliment to him is that many have not heard his name. That's because he's been flawless the past three years as Tech's deep snapper, making sure both Clayton Hatfield and Dominic Panazzolo can kick in rhythm. He has been Tech's primary deep snapper since the 2016 season.

THE REDEMPTION STORY
There possibly is no better feel-good story in college football this season than Dakota Allen. By now, many have heard of his departure from Texas Tech and then return, chronicled along the way by the Netflix documentary series "Last Chance U."

Allen's goal upon returning was to simply "finish what he started." He's done that and more as he led the Red Raiders with 102 tackles and added two interceptions, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and six pass breakups in 2017 for a defense that ranked sixth nationally in forced turnovers. He is currently the team leader this season with 69 tackles and two fumble recoveries, including one for a touchdown.

Tech's improvements defensively have resulted in part by the strong play of Allen, who was named a team captain in each of the last two seasons. He was an All-Big 12 second team selection by the conference coaches in 2017 and entered this season ranked among the top linebackers in the country.

Allen will likely get the opportunity to play at the highest level. If he's selected in next spring's NFL Draft, he will be the third Red Raider linebacker to be picked since 2005, joining Mike Smith (2005) and Will Smith (2014).

From kicked off the team to team captain.@TexasTechFB LB Dakota Allen's story is one of redemption. pic.twitter.com/f2Qxo0Mfcl
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 19, 2018

THE DO-IT-ALL GUYS
The decision to recruit Johnson and fellow senior Demarcus Felton has worked out well for Kingsbury and his staff as the duo has combined to play in over 90 games over their careers.

Felton could possibly finish with his best rushing numbers of his career this season as he has 49 carries for 255 yards and five touchdowns entering the primetime tilt with Texas. His five touchdowns are already a career high, and he needs 99 more yards to match his 2016 rushing total. The performance has come after Felton considered leaving the program this past summer, only to realize he wanted to end his career right where he started.

There might not be a better example of how David Gibbs' turnover philosophy has impacted the Red Raiders more so than Johnson as he has picked off five passes while adding six forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries over his career. Johnson, a two-year team captain, will likely break the 300-career mark in tackles this weekend as he needs 31 over the final three regular-season game to place his name in the Tech career record book. The son of former Dallas Cowboy great Keith Davis, Johnson currently has 298 career tackles as Tech's most-experienced defensive back.

Michael Mays and Colin Yang, like Johnson, have spent multiple years on the Tech roster, contributing significantly to Tech's scout team efforts. Yang, who decided in August to end his career this season, has also been a backup to fellow senior Paul Stawarz at center.

THE SPECIALISTS
One bright spot to Texas Tech's success this season has been the play of both Hatfield and Panazzolo, who have combined to become one of the top kicker and punter duos in the country. Under first-year special teams coordinator Adam Scheier, Texas Tech ranks 18th nationally in net punting, 24th in punt return defense and 23rd in kickoff returns.

Hatfield will be remembered as one of the most accurate kickers in school history as he is 45-of-53 on field goal attempts entering this weekend. The Boerne, Texas native ranks third all-time in program history with his 45 career field goals and his 323 points, while his 188 successful PATs place him in second on the Tech career chart.

Hatfield is in the midst of possibly his best season as a Red Raider as he is 12-of-13 on field goal attempts and a perfect 48-of-48 on PATs. He leads the Big 12 and ranks third nationally with a .923 field goal percentage, just a year removed from a nagging injury that limited his participation in 2017. Hatfield boasts an .849 career average that ranks fourth nationally among active kickers with at least 30 attempts.

Panazzolo, likewise, is experiencing a successful senior campaign as the Australian has limited opponents to only four returns over his 45 punts, 20 of which that have been downed inside the 20. Panazzolo is averaging 42.6 yards per punt so far this year, just above his 41.4 clip from his debut in 2017. Opponents have combined for 19 yards on returns this season as Panazzolo has not had a punt returned longer than 12 yards during his career (105 career punts). He is currently a nominee for the Ray Guy Award, while Hatfield is a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award.

In addition, Tech will honor the likes of Kisean Allen, Michael Barden, Matthew Cluck and Mason Reed, all of which have significantly contributed to Tech's special teams efforts in recent years. Barden has connected on six field goals and booted 59 punts over his career, while Cluck has a field goal to his name to along with seven kickoffs from a year ago. Allen, who has started in nine career games at safety, has made 68 tackles the past three seasons. Reed has played plethora or roles for the Red Raiders, ranging from a fullback with eight career catches to a gunner on special teams with 10 tackles.

THE TRANSFERS
Not every senior on this year's roster began his career as a Red Raider. In fact, approximately half of Tech's list of seniors for Saturday started their careers at other universities before making their home in Lubbock.

The list includes John Bonney (University of Texas), De'Quan Bowman (Hutchinson C.C.), Vaughnte Dorsey (Gulf Coast C.C.), Preston Gordon (Rice), Jacob Hines (Long Beach City College), Kolin Hill (Notre Dame), Tony Jones (Butler C.C.), Tre King (Hutchinson C.C.), Jeremiah McCutcheon (Wayland Baptist), Panazzolo (Snow College), Jack Reichel (American River College), Paul Stawarz (College of DuPage) and Andre Woods (Texas Southern).

Each transfer had a different path to the South Plains ranging from top junior-college prospects in Jones and Dorsey to one-year graduate transfers in Bonney and Gordon. Hill started his career at Notre Dame before deciding it was time to return to Texas. The trip to Lubbock resulted in a bus ticket for King, while Stawarz went from a relatively unknown to a three-year starter at center.

Entering this weekend, the group of transfers has started in 100 games collectively, led by Stawarz with 29, Hill with 27 and Dorsey with 15. That number will likely increase over the final three weeks of the regular season as the Red Raiders will be looking to secure 39th all-time bowl appearance and their third in the past four years alone.

THE RETURNEES
While listed as seniors, both Octavious Morgan and Quentin Yontz will likely return to the Red Raiders next season. Yontz has played in four games this season, which will keep him under the threshold as part of the new NCAA redshirt rule. Morgan will apply for a medical redshirt to reinstate his year of eligibility he lost this season due to his season-ending injury during preseason practices.