Tight end was among the Texas Tech football position groups to undergo a makeover during the offseason.
Baylor Kupp and Henry Teeter left at the end of last season, and Jaden York went to Houston. The new arrivals include three transfers: Jalin Conyers from Arizona State, Jason Llewellyn from Oklahoma State and John Carlos Miller from Elon. Also included is Trey Jackson, an early enrollee from Dallas-South Oak Cliff.
They will be joined by main holdover Mason Tharp.
“Our tight end room is going to be really special,” Tech coach Joey McGuire said.
Tech Spring football opened Tuesday without Conyers, who broke his foot during winter training. But it was a shocking beginning for Miller, a 6-foot-5, 245-pound junior from Greensboro (N.C.) Dudley.
“He did a great job,” McGuire said. “At the end of the team's last red zone, he made a big catch in the end zone. He put one foot down and fell out of bounds. It was just a big catch.”
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Conyers, a 6-4, 265-pound senior from Gruber College, was riding his scooter Tuesday with his left foot in an orthopedic boot. The Red Raiders aren't worried. He is expected to return in June and has a proven track record. Conyers has played college football for four years, and in his last two years at Arizona State, he caught 38 passes for 422 yards and five touchdowns in 2022 and 30 catches in 2023. He caught passes for 362 yards.
“He's an explosive athlete,” McGuire said, adding that he could have played as an outside receiver the past two years with the Red Raiders, and maybe even started for us at outside receiver. He could have played tight end. he is very excited. Jarin. ”
Conyers has a long-standing connection to Behren Morton. The Tech quarterback said the two have known each other since childhood and attended the same football camps from third grade through high school. While Morton spent his entire college career at Tech, Conyers signed with Oklahoma out of high school and spent one year with the Sooners before joining Arizona State.
They kept in touch, so when Conyers entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal in December, Morton reached out again.
“I texted him, 'Okay, brother. It's time to go home,'” Morton said. “And he ultimately decided this was the right fit for him. We're excited to have him and hopefully he'll get healthy and get back on the field.”
