The first week of play of the 2024 Texas Tech football season is here, and one sure sign that the season is underway is that we have an official roster from Joey McGuire. This look at the Red Raiders’ roster, shared on social media Sunday night, shows us who won some key camp battles.

While this roster is not set in stone, but rather a living document that changes from week to week, it is our first look at the Red Raiders’ roster since we received an unofficial roster from McGuire following the conclusion of spring training sessions.

So let’s look at some key takeaways and little surprises from the lineup leading up to this weekend’s game against Abilene Christian. And we’ll start with a look at an offensive line that isn’t yet set.

All season long, we’ve tried to speculate what the rebuilt offensive line would look like. Now, even with a new roster in hand, we still don’t know the answer to that question.

The sticking point is what to do with super-senior OL Caleb Rogers. He is listed on the rankings as a possible starter at both right guard and right tackle. Remember, McGuire named Rogers as his starting right guard at Big 12 Media Days this summer. And that’s also the position he was ranked at after the spring.

However, Rogers is now a candidate to return to the right tackle position, a position he previously held with the Red Raiders. Is that an indictment of right tackle Ty Buchanan, who seemed to be the man at the position since the spring? After all, the plan all offseason was to move Rogers to an interior position.

If Rogers starts at tackle, Memphis transfer OL Davion Carter will be the man on the right side. The good news is that he has started at right guard 23 times in his FBS career (he was a JUCO player for two years before going to Memphis), but the downside is that he is only 6’1″ and 295 pounds, making him undersized for a Big 12 offensive lineman.

It’s a little concerning that there are still questions about the offensive line. Formulating that group was the program’s top offseason priority, so the fact that it’s still in flux isn’t exactly ideal. It looks like the experimentation with that position group will continue into the season, and that’s not necessarily what anyone wants. The good news, at least, is that the opening game is against Abilene Christian and not an FBS program, so the coaching staff has some wiggle room to finally set up the O-line.

It’s not particularly smart to lock in wide receiver positions, as these players move around the formation more than any other group. Still, it’s surprising to see Caleb Douglas as a starter at the “Y” position, which is an inside receiver spot.

The Florida native is 6’4″ and weighs 200 pounds, which is the typical size for an outside receiver, and that’s the position he’s played for most of his career.

In the post-spring roster, Douglas was listed as the “Z” outside receiver. However, Josh Kelly, who transferred from Washington State and was listed as a slot receiver in May, is now the starter at “Z.”

So Douglas and Kelly have essentially swapped positions. Again, don’t get too hung up on the wide receiver positions, as these players will move all over the offensive formation depending on the play call and the opposition. Still, it’s interesting to see the tall and athletic Douglas start at one of the slot receiver positions.

One of the biggest winners of fall camp was sophomore outside LB Harvey Dyson III. Somewhat surprisingly, he beat out junior Isaac Smith in the battle for the starting spot at the position. Of course, both will play quite a bit, but Smith was talked about a lot more than Dyson during the offseason.

Smith, a junior from Oklahoma, returns after an injury sidelined him all of last season, but he showed real potential as a redshirt freshman in late 2022, wowing fans and coaches alike.

Dyson, on the other hand, was a backup last year, managing just four tackles and one sack. However, McGuire raved about Dyson in a media interview last week, so perhaps this development should come as no surprise.

At the other outside linebacker position, Amier Washington is getting the nod over Joseph Adedire. Both players will see plenty of playing time again this fall, but it’s interesting to see Washington, a redshirt freshman, beat out the junior Adedire.

After all, Washington has only played in two games as a college player. Admittedly, his second appearance was quite remarkable, as he recorded four tackles for loss and two sacks while forcing a fumble against Cal in the Independence Bowl.

Adedire started eight games last season and has 44 tackles in his two seasons at Tech.

Tech needs at least one of these players to emerge as a big-time pass rusher this year. Ideally, both will show improvement in that area and be able to consistently impact opposing quarterbacks.

Still, it’s interesting to see Washington get this starting spot despite being the far less experienced player, perhaps a sign of how much potential he has.

It’s not unusual for a true freshman to be relegated to a backup role early in his first season. But Micah Hudson is no ordinary freshman. After all, the five-star freshman is the highest-ranked player to ever sign with Tech out of high school.

That’s why some fans might be surprised to see Hudson listed as the No. 2 “Y” receiver behind Douglas. That’s what happens when McGuire constantly calls Hudson a generational talent; people develop expectations.

Of course, Douglas being ranked first could just be an example of the program throwing a veteran player a bone. Or maybe it’s a tactic to keep the young freshman hungry and humble (not that Hudson has any problems in those areas at all).

Whatever the reason, it may seem a little odd that Hudson is ranked No. 2. But that doesn’t mean he won’t get plenty of opportunities to shine this fall.