Texas Tech University Athletics
Big 12 Football Preseason Poll and Awards announced
July 02, 2024 | Football
IRVING, Texas — Texas Tech's Tahj Brooks and Drae McCray headlined the accolades collected by the Red Raiders from the Big 12 in its annual preseason awards, which was announced by the league on Tuesday. The duo was named to the 2024 Preseason All-Big 12 Football Team while the preseason poll revealed the Red Raiders were voted to finish ninth in the new-look 16-team league heading into this season.
Both outcomes were chosen by media representatives who cover the league.
Brooks, who opted in for his super-senior season after one of the best seasons by a Red Raider running back in school history in 2023, will chase the all-time school record for career rushing yards in 2024, needing 1,167 to match Byron Hanspard's record of 4,219 yards from 1994-96. Brooks was an All-Big 12 first-team selection by the conference coaches and Associated Press in 2023 after recording 1,538 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground — the fourth-most yards by an FBS player last year.
McCray was one of the most electric kick returners in the nation a year ago. He was third in the country for total kick return yards (717), trailing only Zylan Perry of Louisiana-Lafayette (862) and Jacob De Jesus of UNLV (822) and he ranked tied for third in the FBS for most kick returns at least 30 yards (7) and 40 yards (3). McCray shared the FBS-high with three kick returns of at least 50 yards on the season, which included a 100-yard touchdown return at home versus Houston on Sept. 30.
Meanwhile, the Red Raiders, who were voted to finish ninth in the league with 532 points trailed UCF by 19 points for eighth and West Virginia by 49 points for seventh in what will be a crowded league of contenders as the league embarks on its first-year with 16 teams. The Big 12 is set to welcome newcomers Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah to the league in 2024 - the Utes, in their debut season, were picked to win the league by the media.
Big 12 Football Media Days, will be conducted next Tuesday and Wednesday, July 9-10. Texas Tech will be one of eight schools to open the event on July 9 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. In addition to the Red Raiders, the Big 12 will have Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU as well as new members Utah and Arizona State on site for the first of two days in front of media from across the country.
The Red Raiders will be represented by its five captains as head coach Joey McGuire will be joined by Brooks, junior quarterback Behren Morton, senior linebacker Bryce Ramirez, junior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and senior offensive lineman Caleb Rogers. Coverage from both days will be provided on ESPNU and Big 12 Now on ESPN+. For additional information, visit Big12Sports.com.
2024 Preseason All-Big 12 Football Team
Offense
QB: Shedeur Sanders, Colorado (Sr.)
RB: Ollie Gordon II*, Oklahoma State (Jr.)
RB: Tahj Brooks, Texas Tech Sr.)
FB: Stevo Klotz, Iowa State (Sr.)
WR: Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona (Jr.)
WR: Kobe Hudson, UCF (Sr.)
WR: Jayden Higgins, Iowa State (Sr.)
WR: Brennan Presley, Oklahoma State (Sr.)
TE: Brant Kuithe, Utah (Sr.)
OL: Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona (Jr.)
OL: Luke Kandra, Cincinnati (Sr.)
OL: Dalton Cooper, Oklahoma State (Sr.)
OL: Joe Michalski, Oklahoma State (Sr.)
OL: Wyatt Milum, West Virginia (Sr.)
PK: Tyler Loop, Arizona (Sr.)
KR/PR: Drae McCray, Texas Tech (Sr.)
Defense
DL: Tyler Batty, BYU (Sr.)
DL: Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati (Jr.)
DL: BJ Green II, Colorado (Sr.)
DL: Lee Hunter, UCF (Jr.)
DL: Junior Tafuna, Utah (Sr.)
LB: Jacob Manu, Arizona (Jr.)
LB: Nick Martin, Oklahoma State (Jr.)
LB: Collin Oliver, Oklahoma State (Sr.)
DB: Tacario Davis, Arizona (Jr.)
DB: Travis Hunter, Colorado (Jr.)
DB: Jeremiah Cooper, Iowa State (Jr.)
DB: Cobee Bryant, Kansas (Sr.)
DB: Mello Dotson, Kansas (Sr.)
P: Jack Bouwmeester, Utah (Jr.)
* Unanimous Preseason Team selection.
^ A tie resulted in an extra WR.
Offensive Player of the Year: Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State, RB (Jr.)
Defensive Player of the Year: Travis Hunter, Colorado, DB (Jr.)
Newcomer of the Year: KJ Jefferson, UCF, QB (Sr.)
2024 Big 12 Football Media Preseason Poll
- Utah (20) — 906
- Kansas State (19) — 889
- Oklahoma State (14) — 829
- Kansas (5) — 772
- Arizona (3) — 762
- Iowa State — 661
- West Virginia — 581
- UCF — 551
- Texas Tech — 532
- TCU — 436
- Colorado — 400
- Baylor — 268
- BYU — 215
- Cincinnati — 196
- Houston — 157
- Arizona State — 141
First-place votes in parenthesis.
- TECH -
