The 4-star TCU commit edge rusher visited Texas Tech this past weekend

There is no doubt that the Texas Tech football program needs to improve its pass rush. While reinforcements in that regard won’t help this season, the coaching staff needs to improve its recruiting efforts to avoid another year like 2024, a season in which Tech recorded just six sacks in seven total games at the position.

That’s why it was excellent news that one of Texas’ top-rated edge rushers, Chad Woodfork, was in Lubbock for an official visit with the Red Raiders this past weekend. He posted photos from his visit on Instagram and that gives Red Raider fans hope that Tech can pry him away from TCU, the school he has committed to since May.

Woodfork is a four-star recruit according to 247Sports.com. The Humble, Texas native is a 6-foot-1, 220-pound prospect who is ranked No. 72 overall in the country and No. 16 in Texas according to 247Sports.com’s composite rankings for the 2025 class.

In addition to Tech and TCU, he holds offers from programs such as Florida State, Georgia, Baylor, Arkansas, Kansas State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Texas, Southern California and a host of other programs.

This year, the Red Raiders have been hit hard by injuries at the edge rusher position. In fall camp, Tech lost presumed starters Dylan Spencer and Joseph Adedire for the season.

Additionally, players like Harvey Dyson, Isaac Smith and Amier Washington have all missed games this fall. This made it nearly impossible for the Red Raiders to start a pass rush.

In fact, Tech was so desperate for a pass rush in Saturday’s loss to Baylor that tight end Johncarols Miller was even used as an edge rusher on some defensive snaps. This is the sign that a team is really looking for someone on the roster who can target the opposing quarterback.

The Red Raiders need to start winning recruiting battles like this, especially against in-state conference rivals. This is the best way to fix this program’s pass rush problem, although Tech will likely look to provide immediate help in the transfer portal this offseason as well.

Still, keep an eye on Woodfork and his recruitment. Although he’s in TCU camp for now, he’s clearly still evaluating his options, and that’s good news for the Red Raiders as they look to address one of their program’s biggest weaknesses.