Texas Tech football: David Yost faces first major test in replacing Antoine Wesley

By Will Leverett

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Texas Tech wide receiver Antoine Wesley will forego his senior season of eligibility and enter the 2019 NFL Draft.

Wesley was one of the biggest breakout players in the sport this season. After posting just 10 receptions in his first two seasons in Lubbock, Wesley emerged as one of the top receivers in college football as a 6-foot-5 junior.

The Cibolo Steele product ranked No. 2 nationally with 117.5 receiving yards per game, and also posted 88 receptions and nine touchdowns. He led Texas Tech – by far – in all three categories. For his efforts, Wesley was named an All-American by the FWAA.

Wesley posted more receiving yards in 2018 than he did in his entire career at Steele.

While Wesley’s jump to the NFL is well-deserved, it leaves the Red Raiders with major inexperience at receiver, especially considering that second-leading receiver Ja’Deion High is also graduating.

Wesley was responsible for a third of Texas Tech’s passing offense in 2018. Add High to the mix and 52 percent of the Red Raiders’ receiving production is gone. Out of six wide receivers with at least 100 receiving yards, three are gone. Only one caught a pass at Texas Tech before 2018: Standout wide receiver T.J. Vasher.

There’s a feeling around Lubbock – well deserved, mind you – that Texas Tech can find wide receivers at will. It’s hard to argue based on recent success.

Texas Tech has produced a 1,000-yard receiver in four straight seasons. The only schools with more wide receivers in the NFL than Texas Tech are LSU and Clemson. A season ago, we asked these same questions after Tech lost Dylan Cantrell, Cameron Batson and Keke Coutee to the NFL. Wesley led what ended up being a dominant unit.

However, the air raid is gone, and with it the guarantee of prolific wide receiver play. New offensive coordinator David Yost is bringing in more of a traditional spread, and likes to move the ball around. Nine receivers caught at least 10 passes at Utah State this season. Three went over 30 catches.

The Red Raiders have two receivers with more than 30 receptions coming back: Vasher (54 catches for 687 yards, 7 TDs) and converted quarterback Seth Collins (32 catches for 317 yards, 2 TDs). Freshman Kesean Carter showed flashes of strong play too.

Vasher has legitimate No. 1 potential that he flashed throughout the 2018 season. Collins and Carter should slot into bigger roles. The Red Raiders will also get a boost from former four-star wide receiver Erik Ezukanma in his second season. One member of the class of 2019, La’vontae Shenault, could factor into the equation. His brother, Laviska, ranked as one of the nation’s best receivers at Colorado.

In 2019, Texas Tech won’t have two gigantic, dynamic wide receivers that can dominate any defensive back on any given play. Quarterback Alan Bowman’s job is going to be more difficult heading forward.

Yost was wide receivers coach under Mike Leach at Washington State; he knows what productive wide receivers look like. The former Mizzou assistant also was named a semifinalist for the Broyles Award, given to the best assistant coach in college football. 

Finding creative ways to replace Wesley’s production will be a vital first test of Yost's offensive mind. 

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