Spring Notebook: Red Raiders wrap first practice week

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech officially closed its first week of spring practices Saturday afternoon with a two-hour workout at the Football Training Facility. It was the third of 15 allocated practices for the Red Raiders this spring.

Below is a practice notebook from Saturday:

FAMILIAR FACE BACK OUT AT PRACTICE
The Red Raiders had a special guest back at practice Saturday as All-American offensive lineman Brandon Carter was in attendance and spoke to the team following practice. Carter remains one of the top offensive linemen in school history after earning All-America accolades twice during his career from 2006-09. In fact, Carter remains Texas Tech's most-recent consensus All-American as he earned the honor in 2008 as part of an 11-2 campaign by the Red Raiders.

His tenure coincided with one of Texas Tech's most-successful stretches in program history as the Red Raiders won 37 games during his tenure. Carter played to the right of Texas Tech offensive line coach Stephen Hamby during his career with Hamby setting the offense at center with Carter next to him at right guard.

His message to the Red Raiders was one from his own career, emphasizing to "compete every day" and to not be afraid to "take someone's job." The timing of his speech was fitting as spring practices are often the time when younger players make the jump from the scout team to potentially a spot in the fall two-deep.

Letterwinners are regulars at Texas Tech practices under McGuire, who has an open-door policy for those who once wore the scarlet and black.

GOOD WAY TO END THE DAY
Saturday's practice marked the Red Raiders first day in shoulder pads after only wearing helmets for two non-contact workouts earlier in the week. Unlike preseason camp in August, temperatures were only in the 60s Saturday, giving the Red Raiders near-perfect conditions.

That wasn't the only positive as the Red Raiders enjoyed a full spread of steak, chicken and baked potatoes following practice. The meal was cooked and donated by the team at the West Texas Land Guys, a local development agency and Texas Tech corporate sponsor.

WELCOME TO LUBBOCK, COACH "JUICE"
Justin Johnson, known as Coach Juice around the Football Training Facility, joins the Red Raiders as the new assistant head coach, passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach. After three years at Baylor, Johnson is back on a practice field again with head coach Joey McGuire after the two worked together at Baylor.

"I've known Coach McGuire for a while now, so I knew the expectation, the standard and the brand coming in," Johnson said. "It's been great, just came right in and got right to work."

During his time at Baylor, Johnson coached alongside McGuire during the 2020-221 seasons. Johnson was Baylor's running backs coach for three seasons in total before accepting his new position with the Red Raiders.

Known for his high energy when it comes to coaching; Johnson has been bringing the "juice" long before he was hired on Jan. 11. His high-energy coaching style is already noticeable in just three practices.

Looking forward to his first season as a Red Raider, Johnson is already excited to set the ball down and play. In his short time here in Lubbock, Johnson has felt the welcoming environment of the Red Raiders.

"Red Raider through and through," said Johnson. "The people have been great here, everybody's been so welcoming. I'm super fired up to be here."

FOUR DOWNS WITH DREA MCRAY
Q: What was it that set Tech apart and made you choose Tech?
"The combination of culture, quarterback situation, and the relationships I already had. I had people here that I could trust, that were telling me the truth. Coach McGuire had done a great job since he's been here building the culture and being all about The Brand, which is something that stuck out to me."

Q: What are your initial thoughts on Coach Juice?
"I like Coach Juice a lot. He's a great dude. He always brings the energy. He keeps it real with you, which is want you want as a player but most importantly I think he really cares about his players."

Q: What have you learned from Myles Price so far?
"Myles has been great since I got here. We were watching film together with Tyler (Shough) when I first got here, so that's great. He's been a great guy, along with the other guys.

Q: What do you feel some of your individual strengths are?
"I'll say one of them is speed. Another one is making people miss in the open field. Being smart enough to know that me and the quarterback are on the same page (and) me and the other receivers are on the same page."

Gallery: (3-25-2023) Texas Tech Spring Practice No. 3

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Spring Notebook: Red Raiders wrap first practice week

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