Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Football Training Camp Central
August 07, 2023 | Football
TexasTech.com will provide non-stop content throughout preseason camp leading up to the Sept. 2 opener at Wyoming
17Â PRACTICES DOWN, THREE LEFT
It was a packed Wednesday afternoon for the Red Raiders that started with the annual Red Raider Club Kickoff Luncheon and ended with Tech trying out the new turf inside Jones AT&T Stadium for the first time this summer.
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AUG. 22
16 PRACTICES DOWN, FOUR LEFT
Texas Tech is officially in its final week of preseason camp with the conclusion of practice No. 16 Tuesday morning. The Red Raiders will have their final evening practice tomorrow.
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AUG. 19
14 PRACTICES DOWN, SIX LEFT
The final scrimmage went in the books Saturday night as the next time the Red Raiders take the field ready to hit, it'll be Wyoming on the other side.
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AUG. 17
12Â PRACTICES DOWN, EIGHTÂ LEFT
It was a shorts and tee shirt kind of day as the Red Raiders begin to settle into more of an in-season routine with "Fast Friday" tomorrow. Joey McGuire spoke to the media afterwards.
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AUG. 16
11Â PRACTICES DOWN, NINEÂ LEFT
Yesterday it was the debut of the black helmets, today the red helmets came out to play. The Red Raiders are officially in the single digits when it comes to practices left as they prepare for scrimmage No. 2 this Saturday - their final one.
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AUG. 15
10 PRACTICES DOWN, 10 MORE TO GO
The Goin' Band from Raiderland made an appearance and the watermelon slices helped the Red Raiders end practice on a very sweet note. This practice saw Tech wear its slick black helmets for the first time, putting the bow on top of another 10 out of 10 day.
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AUG. 12
SCRIMMAGE #1 IN THE BOOKS
The Red Raiders got after it Saturday morning completing their first scrimmage of the preseason camp and it marked the second time this camp that saw Tech in its full pads. The Red Raiders will have their first evening practice Sunday, following a routine that McGuire installed on Sundays during the 2022 regular season.Â
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AUG. 11
SEVEN PRACTICES DOWN, SCRIMMAGE #1 TOMORROW
After their first off day Thursday, the Red Raiders returned back to the field refreshed, looking ahead to Saturday's first scrimmage of the preseason. Saturday's matinee will be one of two scrimmages this month, with the next one coming on Aug. 19.Â
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AUG. 9
SIX PRACTICES DOWN, FIRST WITH FULL PADSÂ
The acclimatation period was over on a hot Wednesday afternoon as the Red Raiders broke out the full pads for the first time this preseason camp. Following six-straight practices, and its first one taking place in the afternoon, Tech will enjoy its first off day Thursday. The Red Raiders hit the ground running once again on Friday as they look ahead to their first scrimmage this Saturday.
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FOUR DOWNS WITH TAHJ BROOKS
Throughout preseason camp, TexasTech.com will run Q&As with various Red Raiders with the latest being senior running back Tahj Brroks. Brooks, who has been Texas Tech's leading rusher each of the last two seasons, enters 2023 with the possibility of becoming the first Red Raider since Baron Batch in 2010 to lead the team in rushing over three-consecutive seasons.
FIRST –
Q:Â How does it feel to be named to the Doak Walker Award?
A:Â "It's a blessing and a humbling experience," said Tahj Brooks. "It's motivation for me to do good this season and help my team win games."
SECOND –
Q:Â What makes you and Cam'Ron Valdez a great duo coming into the season?
A:Â "That's going to be the one-two punch," said Brooks. "Cam (Valdez) is a great guy, he's a great back, he has vision, he has speed and he can catch out of the backfield. He's going to do a lot of great things this season and I can't wait to see it."
THIRD –
Q:Â What kind of leadership role are you taking with the departure of SaRodrick Thompson Jr.?Â
A:Â "I started off in the summer being more vocal and learning how to be more vocal with my teammates," said Brooks. "Just being that guy that my teammates can come to talk about life; things on the field and things off the field. So just being positive and being more open-minded."
FOURTH –
Q:Â How was practice today considering it was the first practice in the afternoon as well as in full pads?Â
A:Â "This was just a cakewalk compared to summer workouts," said Brooks. "The guys felt like we were hot, but we weren't hot. We were just playing football and ignoring the heat."
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AUG. 8
FIVE PRACTICES DOWN, FULL PADS ON DECKÂ
It was a feel-good morning around the Football Training Facility on Tuesday as the Red Raiders completed their fifth practice of preseason camp and their final one until putting on full pads Wednesday. Texas Tech will have a lengthy practice in the afternoon Wednesday - its first one to not start at 9 a.m. thus far - before taking Thursday off ahead of the first scrimmage Saturday.Â
AUG. 7
FOUR PRACTICES NOW IN THE BOOKSÂ
The Red Raiders closed their fourth practice of preseason camp around the same time the world learned Texas Tech will enter the 2023 campaign ranked 24th in the USA Today AFCA coaches poll. Joey McGuire and his staff dismissed many of the upperclassmen on the roster midway through the two-hour workout, concentrating the back half of practice to many of their developmental roster while the veterans spent time in the weight room. Tech will have shorter workout Tuesday before putting on full pads for the first time Wednesday.Â
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AUG. 6
HAPPY 806 DAY
Aug. 6 is a celebration of all there is to love in West Texas. The date, which matches Texas Tech's 806 area code, is a perfect fit for the birthday of Joey McGuire, who once again celebrated another year on the football field. As part of its celebration of 806 Day, Texas Tech released a video to celebrate the occasion with the music by West Texas' own, Flatland Cavalry.Â
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AUG. 5
DAY TWO: WE'RE WORKING
If the theme of Texas Tech's first practice was "we're back," Saturday's come be described as "we're working." The Red Raiders underwent another two hour workout Saturday morning, their final one until tossing on the shoulder pads Sunday for the first time.Â
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AUG. 4Â
FOOTBALL IS BACK IN WEST TEXAS
The sound of football was back at the Football Training Facility on Friday.Â
The Red Raiders went through a roughly two-hour morning practice in only helmets, the first of two mandated acclamation workouts mandated by the NCAA. Still, the same competitive fire Joey McGuire's teams are known for was fully evident with him describing the workout as "clearly an improvement on a year ago."Â
Day 1?? recap straight from the man himself!
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) August 4, 2023
??? @JoeyMcGuireTTU pic.twitter.com/z0bu7vwTOu
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Throughout preseason camp, TexasTech.com will run Q&As with various Red Raiders with the first being senior offensive lineman Caleb Rogers. A three-year starter now on the offensive line, Rogers will help an experienced offensive line that ranks among the national leaders in collective career starts entering this season.Â
FIRST –
Q:Â How have you prepared yourself for Fall Camp?Â
A:Â "We have been preparing ourselves for the last six months. We've been waiting, I'm excited to be back and ready to attack whatever we're doing. I think we are already there mentally to start camp."Â
SECOND –
Q:Â How has the new edition to the Red Raiders Rusty Staats made an impact on the O-line?Â
A:Â "Rusty is a big guy and he is a great center. He's extremely vocal and one way that he gets the rest of us to work so hard is the way that he busts his butt to get to the ball. He's going to be the first guy on the ball because he takes pride in it. That type of work ethic really amps us up."Â
THIRD –
Q:Â Coach McGuire has said that you guys are bigger and faster this year how has that shown in your game?Â
A:Â "This is the best shape I've ever been in. Getting back adjusted to the game is the next step, but this is the best shape this room or this team has ever been in."Â
FOURTH –
Q:Â How does this team work on being the most competitive team in the nation on a day-to-day basis?Â
A:Â "We take that everywhere we go. It doesn't matter what game we're playing. I don't care if we're playing uno at the house, somebody will start to lose and get mad then claim themselves as the most competitive. We're truly living that competitive mindset; it allows you to get better at everything that you're doing even if it's something simple."Â
ÂAUG. 3Â
*CUE AWEXOME MIX VOL. 2*
Jackson Knotts has a special way to get anyone ready for camp. The two-year starter at long snapper wrote the entire script for Texas Tech's introduction into training camp, which exploded on social media Thursday evening. Knotts, a creative media major, wrote the script based on the intro to the movie Guardians of the Galaxy.Â
MCGUIRE PRESEASON PRESS CONFERENCE
Joey McGuire kicked off preseason camp by meeting with the media for roughly 30 minutes Thursday as the Red Raiders officially reported for camp. Texas Tech has 120 players on its roster entering its season season under McGuire, who was followed at the podium by defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter and offensive coordinator Zach Kittley.Â
