Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech announces signing of Cole Spencer
March 07, 2022 | Football
Former Western Kentucky offensive lineman was a first team All-Conference USA selection this past season
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire announced Monday the signing of first team All-Conference USA offensive lineman Cole Spencer to an athletic scholarship agreement to join the Red Raiders for the 2022 season.
Spencer will immediately bolster the Red Raider offensive line as he made 44 starts during his Western Kentucky career. He will arrive in Lubbock this June for his final season of eligibility, which will reunite him with his former position coach in Texas Tech offensive line coach Stephen Hamby and his former coordinator in Zach Kittley.
"Our staff was fired up to receive Cole's commitment this weekend to join our Red Raider family," McGuire said. "Cole's experience will provide us with another veteran presence for our offensive line and our entire team as we continue to build our culture of being a tough-minded team. We can't wait until he is able to arrive on campus later this summer."
Western Kentucky boasted one of the nation's most explosive offenses in the country this past season as Kittley's unit ranked second nationally in total offense per game (535.3 yards) and scoring offense, averaging an impressive 44.2 points per game. The bulk of that yardage came through the air as the Hilltoppers led the country with 433.7 passing yards per game.
Most impressively, though, Western Kentucky allowed only 1.2 sacks per game behind an offensive line that featured Spencer at left tackle for all 12 regular-season games and then the Hilltoppers' appearance in the Conference USA championship game. Western Kentucky led CUSA in fewest sacks allowed per game and ranked 12th nationally in the category despite 697 passing attempts, the second-highest total among schools nationally.
Western Kentucky's success in protecting the quarterback earned Spencer a list of accolades over his career, including All-CUSA first team honors this season by the conference coaches and Pro Football Focus. Spencer, alone, graded out at 90.7, per Pro Football Focus, this past season en route to garnering first team All-CUSA accolades by the website for a third-consecutive season. He was also an honorable mention All-CUSA pick by the conference coaches following the 2020 campaign.
Spencer, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, signed with the Hilltoppers out of Trinity High School where he helped lead the Shamrocks to a KHSAA 6A state title his senior season. He was a second team All-State honoree by the Louisville Courier-Journal to conclude his prep career where he was a three-year letterwinner.
Spencer is the third offensive lineman to join the Red Raiders from the transfer portal in recent months as former UT-Martin standout Michael Shanahan and New Mexico offensive lineman Cade Briggs arrived weeks ago in time for spring practices. His signing adds to an already-successful first recruiting class for the Red Raiders under McGuire, who inked 16 high school signees and three transfers back in December.
The Red Raiders officially kick off their first set of spring practices under McGuire in just over two weeks with the first workout scheduled for March 22. Spring practices will run for five-straight weeks, leading up to the annual Texas Tech Spring Game on April 23 inside Jones AT&T Stadium.
