Saturday, the Texas Tech football plan included some big-play capacity to the roster by once yet again fishing in the transfer portal. This time, the prize that head coach Matt Wells and his staff have added by the faculty football variation of totally free company is huge receiver Kaylon Geiger from Troy.
The Fort Value native is a 5-foot-10, 170-pound pass-catcher who played two seasons for the Trojans. Throughout that time, he amassed 141 catches for 1,625 yards and 8 TDs. That full provided 64 receptions for 742 yards and 3 scores in 11 game titles in 2020.
But it was in 2019 when Geiger broke onto the scene to generate All-Sunlight Belt Conference honors. That calendar year, his first at the FBS stage soon after playing two many years of JUCO soccer, Geiger caught 77 balls for 873 yards and 5 TDs.
What will make this this sort of an intriguing addition for the Purple Raiders is that Geiger has averaged about 11 yards per catch in both of his FBS seasons proving that he is a risk each time he touches the ball. He also could assist the Pink Raiders in the kicking match as a kickoff returner. For his Troy career, he averaged 23.7 yards for every return. By contrast, previous fall no Pink Raider kickoff returner averaged around 20 yards for each return.
It will be interesting to see how Tech utilizes Geiger. That is mainly because he operated largely out of the slot at Troy, which is a placement at which the Pink Raiders appear to be rather good with Myles Rate, McLane Mannix, and Dalton Rigdon all established to return.
Nonetheless, there is a need to have for the Red Raiders to incorporate some assistance at outside the house receiver where by the method misplaced both equally T.J. Vasher and Ja’Lynn Polk this offseason. But that does not genuinely appear to be Geiger’s normal position.
On the other hand, Tech could set Geiger on the outside the house and test to employ his pace to just take the leading off of defenses. Soon after all, we have found in latest years players of related stature have success as exterior receivers.
For instance, there was Reginald Davis who caught 97 passes for 1,301 yards and 18 TDs from 2013-16. Then there was Devin Lauderdale who hauled in 105 balls for 1,535 yards and 13 TDs from 2014-16. Equally of these players were smaller in stature than the standard outside receiver but used velocity to be powerful at a situation that commonly values dimension.
Of program, the 2020 Heisman Trophy winner Da’Vonta Smith from Alabama was not a massive receiver. In point, he dominated the sport inspite of becoming just 6-toes and 170 pounds.
Now, no one is expecting Geiger to set up 1,856 yards and 23 TDs the way Smith did final 12 months but Smith is proof that the game of soccer is switching in how receivers are currently being employed. With receivers becoming place in motion far more frequently and offensive schemes remaining far more creative than at any time, outside the house receivers never always have to be 6-foot-4 and 215 lbs to have achievement anymore.
But while we really do not know what purpose Geiger will be asked to perform, it is often good to insert a participant with his velocity and earlier accomplishments to the roster. Right after all, in the modern day planet of college football, no team can have also many weapons in the passing sport. Saturday, Texas Tech included a further.
