2025 Football Roster
Roster
Hunter, Lee

Jersey Number 2
Lee Hunter
- Position:
- Defensive Line
- Height:
- 6-4
- Weight:
- 330
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Mobile, Ala.
- High School:
- Blount
Bio
CAREER AWARDS & HONORS
2025 (SENIOR)
PRIOR TO TEXAS TECH
HIGH SCHOOL
PERSONAL
- All-Big 12 Preseason Team (2025, Sr.)
- All-Big 12 Second Team (2024, Jr.)
- All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (2023, So.)
2025 (SENIOR)
- Joined the Red Raiders prior to the spring of 2025 ... will have one season of eligibility at Texas Tech ... rated by ESPN as the No. 2-ranked defensive tackle from the transfer portal and No. 20 portal prospect overall … named the top returning interior defensive lineman in the Big 12 Conference by Pro Football Focus and ranked fifth nationally … ranks second among returning Power Four conference interior defensive linemen with 49 total pressures the past two seasons combined.
PRIOR TO TEXAS TECH
- Arrived at Texas Tech after originally beginning his collegiate career at Auburn (2021) before playing the last three seasons at UCF (2022-24) … developed into one of the top interior defensive linemen during his career as a Knight … two-time All-Big 12 honoree, earning second team accolades as a junior in 2024 as well as an honorable mention selection as a sophomore in 2023.
- Played in 38 career games for the Knights, accumulating 131 tackles (66 solo), 21.5 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks over three seasons ... made 23 starts over that span, all of which came over his final two seasons … added a pass breakup at the line of scrimmage.
- Led all FBS interior defenders in run-defense stops (58) and tackles for loss or no gain over his final two seasons at UCF, per Pro Football Focus … combined to play in 1,311 defensive snaps over his career by PFF, grading out at 74.0 overall in 2023 and then 72.1 in 2024 … recorded 55 total pressures over his UCF tenure, including 49 over his final two seasons, which ranks second among returning Power Four conference interior defensive linemen entering the 2025 campaign.
- 2024 SEASON (JUNIOR at UCF): tabbed to the All-Big 12 second team after playing in all 12 games with 10 starts ... finished season leading all UCF interior linemen with 45 tackles, including 19 solo stops ... ranked seventh overall on the team for total tackles … was tied for the team lead with 9.5 tackles for loss, which included one solo sack … frequently in the backfield with six quarterback hurries as well.Â
- Credited by Pro Football Focus with 27 total pressures (of the pass of any kind), which ranked second among interior linemen in the Big 12 ... marked the most total pressures thus far in his career … appeared in 522 defensive snaps, according to PFF, grading out at 72.1 overall by the publication.
- Recorded multiple stops in 10 of 12 games overall and had at least a share of a tackle for loss in nine different contests, including each of the final seven games of the season … combined for 40 of his 45 tackles on the season over the final nine games after starting with five the first three weeks with one stop against both New Hampshire (8/29) and at TCU (9/14) with three sandwiched in between versus Sam Houston (9/7).
- Tallied five tackles with half-a-tackle for loss against Colorado (9/28) before recording a season-high six tackles in a non-conference bout at Florida (10/5) ... posted three tackles and half-a-tackle for loss versus Cincinnati (10/12) ... received his highest PFF grade (80.4) of the season at Iowa State (10/19) after recording four tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss and one sack … posted four tackles versus BYU (10/26), including one solo stop for a loss.Â
- Performance at Iowa State kicked off four-consecutive games with four tackles after matching that total against BYU (10/26), Arizona (11/2) and at Arizona State (11/9) … had one tackle for loss versus the Cougars and shared one tackle behind the line of scrimmage against both Arizona schools … recorded five tackles in each of the final two games of the season at West Virginia (11/23) and against Utah (11/29) … had one solo tackle for loss against the Mountaineers before posting a season-high 2.5 versus the Utes.
- Named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team in July ... tabbed to preseason national award watch lists for the Outland Trophy, Bednarik Award, Lombardi Trophy and Bronko Nagurski Trophy as well as to the watch list for the 2025 Reese's Senior Bowl All-Star game.
- 2023 SEASON (SOPHOMORE at UCF): an honorable mention defensive line pick on the All-Big 12 teams chosen by league coaches ... appeared and started in each of the Knights’ 13 games his sophomore season ... notched 69 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks in 2023, which marked the most tackles in the country by a defensive tackle, according to Pro Football Focus ... was the third-leading tackler for the Knights overall.
- Credited with 577 defensive snaps on the season by Pro Football Focus, the most in his career at UCF … publication awarded him with 22 pressures created with one sack, five quarterback hits and 16 additional hurries … received a 74.0 overall grade, which included a 76.9 grade in run defense … both grades were the highest of his UCF tenure.
- Registered first career start against Kent State (8/31) in the season opener and led the Knights with eight tackles (five solo), including a sack … combined for nine stops the next two non-conference games with four tackles at Boise State (9/9) and five versus Villanova (9/16) … started Big 12 play with six tackles and half-a-tackle for loss against Kansas State (9/23) to go along with a pass breakup at the line of scrimmage. Â
- Notched a career-high nine tackles versus Baylor (9/30), including one sack for 18 yards ... had two tackles at Kansas (10/7) ... posted five tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack for eight yards, versus Oklahoma (10/21) ... had three tackles versus West Virginia (10/28) ... posted seven tackles, including 1.5 that went for a loss versus Cincinnati (11/4). Â
- Secured a team-high eight tackles versus Oklahoma State (11/11), including two tackles for loss for five yards ... played key role in holding the nation’s leading rusher in Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon II to 25 yards on 12 carries ... held to a season-low one tackle in his only appearance against his future school in Texas Tech (11/18) … had six tackles,  including 2.0 tackles for loss for six yards, versus Houston (11/25) ... recorded five tackles with a half-a-tackle for loss in the Gasparilla Bowl against Georgia Tech (12/22), his second carer bowl appearance.
- 2022 SEASON (REDSHIRT FRESHMAN at UCF): appeared in 13 of 14 games during the Knights' final season in the American Athletic Conference ... missed only the season opener versus South Carolina State (9/2) before seeing action in the next 13 games, including the AAC Championship Game and Military Bowl ... finished the season with 17 tackles (nine solo), including one sack ... tallied a tackle against Louisville (9/9) in his first collegiate game ... made two tackles and recorded his first career sack the next week against Florida Atlantic (9/17) ... recorded four more performances with multiple stops the remainder of the season with three tackles at East Carolina (10/22) and against Navy (11/19) and two at Memphis (11/5) and against Duke (12/28) in the Military Bowl.
- 2021 SEASON (FRESHMAN at AUBURN): redshirt season … did not play in a game for the Tigers as a true freshman … transferred to UCF following the departure of former Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn, who later accepted same job with the Knights.
HIGH SCHOOL
- Attended Blount High School in Mobile, Ala. … one of the top high school prospects to come out of the state of Alabama for the 2021 class … two-way player during prep career for the Leopards.
- Recorded 54 tackles, 20.0 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks as a senior in 2020 for coach Lev Holly … also scored a rushing and receiving TD and had nine catches for 149 yards ... earned first team AHSAA All-State honors as a senior and was tabbed the Lineman of the Year for Class 6A by the Alabama Sports Writers Association (ASWA)  ... named to AL.com A-List of the top recruits for the 2021 class ... was an Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game selection ... made 77 tackles and 23.0 tackles for loss as a junior in 2019.
- Consensus four-star prospect by the likes of 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and On3 … rated a top five overall recruit from Alabama by ESPN, 247 Sports, Rivals and PrepStar ... nationally ranked No. 7 among defensive tackle prospects by ESPN and No. 11 by Rivals … ranked as high as No. 60 nationally by ESPN and was a consensus top-200 prospect in the country by all four publications.
- Chose to attend Auburn out of high school over offers from the likes of Alabama, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Texas A&M and Oregon, among others.
PERSONAL
- Lee Hunter ... born and raised in Mobile, Ala. ... son of Shirley Tucker ... has three siblings ... has a daughter, Kaylee, born summer of 2020 ... teammates call him "The Fridge."
- Earned a bachelor's degree from UCF in general studies ... enrolled in post-baccalaureate courses at Texas Tech.
Texas Tech Postgame Press Conference
Saturday, September 06
Highlights: Kent State
Saturday, September 06
Behind the Mic - Kent St. vs TTU
Saturday, September 06
Behren Morton Mic'd Up on TNT Pregame Show
Saturday, September 06