For the Texas Tech football team to meet or even exceed expectations in 2024, some of its lesser-known players will need to start coming into their own. This is especially true on the defensive side of the ball, where many players will graduate or depart after the 2023 season, creating plenty of opportunities for up-and-coming players to shine. In fact, head coach Joey McGuire said this spring that this year's defense is “unknown.”
One player the Red Raiders are hoping to see improve his play is Joseph Adediah, who has been quite productive at the defensive end position but has yet to provide consistent force off the edge, and if he breaks out in 2024, the Red Raiders defense could be immeasurably more effective this fall.
Adediah joined the program as a four-star recruit in the Class of 2022 out of Mansfield, Texas. He was also a top 100 player in the state of Texas, so there are high expectations for him. However, he has yet to live up to the expectations of many.
As a true freshman, he was the only freshman player on the team to appear in more than four games, recording 19 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and one sack in 12 games played, plus starting in six games.
So going into last fall, some thought 2023 would be Adedia's big year, but his numbers only improved slightly: He recorded 25 tackles, 4.0 for loss and 1.0 sack.
It was interesting to note that following the departure of first-round NFL draft pick Tyree Wilson last offseason, the team decided to bring in Steve Linton from Syracuse University to handle the outside LB/edge rusher role rather than giving Adediyah that role full-time. Of course, Linton was a bit of a disappointment, recording just 3.0 sacks on the season.
This year, Linton transferred out of the program, so Adediyah will fill the role at defensive end.
Tech is in desperate need of someone to step up as a pass rusher this fall, and while there are plenty of players who could fill that role (fellow juniors Charles Esters III and Isaac Smith, sophomore Dylan Spencer and redshirt freshman A'miah Washington could all step up to the plate at outside linebacker), Addidiah might be the most likely candidate to break out.
At 6-foot-3 and 265 pounds, he has all the tools necessary to make an impact on the pass. He's explosive off the edge and strong enough to take on opposing offensive tackles.
If his athleticism translates to production on the field, the Red Raiders will have an answer to one of the biggest questions of the offseason: Who can get after the quarterback?
Last year, Tech averaged just 1.9 sacks per game, good for 78th in the NCAA.
Of concern is that the players responsible for 15 of the 25 sacks recorded by the Red Razors are no longer with the team, and no player on this year's Red Razors roster recorded more than three sacks last season and only three players recorded more than one sack.
Could Adediah be the next Red Raider who can make a difference by getting close to the quarterback? If so, Tech would have a foundational piece to build a defense around. Teams could also impact opposing offenses by limiting the quarterback's passing time.
Keep an eye on Adedia as fall camp opens and the season gets underway. He has the potential to be a disruptive force and this could finally be the season he performs at the level Tech hoped he would.
