Two more Texas Tech football players have names in NCAA transfer portal

The NCAA transfer portal reopened Tuesday for a 15-day period, and a couple of Texas Tech football players have their names entered.

Running backs Bryson Donnell and Anquan Willis have their names in the portal, a Tech athletics spokesman said.

Neither appeared likely to get much playing time for the Red Raiders in 2024. Tech returns Tahj Brooks, the FBS's fourth-leading rusher last season with 1,538 yards, and top backup Cam'Ron Valdez, who has 471 yards rushing over his first three seasons.

Tech coach Joey McGuire also has spoken highly of Cameron Dickey, a freshman from Austin Crockett who enrolled in January and has gone through spring practice.

Donnell will be a third-year sophomore in 2024. He's played in 16 games the past two years, mostly as a regular on special teams last year, and carried 20 times for 87 yards.

Willis will be a redshirt freshman in 2024. He signed in December 2022 out of Wichita Falls Rider, joined the program in January 2023 and didn't get into a game last season.

Related: 'Something different': Tech freshman running back garners lofty comparison

Related: Joey McGuire discusses Texas Tech football portal plans

Donnell and Willis came out of spring practice last year as co-third team behind Brooks and Valdez. At the time, McGuire raved about Willis, saying Willis's style reminded him of former Baylor running back Abram Smith, the Doak Walker Award semifinalist who ran for 1,601 yards on the Bears' 12-2 team of 2021.

"The thing with Abram, he ran behind his pads, he was a one-cut, get-vertical (back). You see that with Anquan," McGuire said last May. "That's a big comparison, because Anquan's a mid-year freshman, but there were runs early in the spring that you were like, 'Man, he's got something different.' "

This is the last week of spring practice for Tech, which plays its spring game Saturday. The portal is open through April 30.

Undergraduate players wanting to transfer with immediate eligibility elsewhere for next season must have their names entered during the 15-day period. Graduates may transfer with immediate eligibility at any time.

Tech defensive back Cameron Watts announced last week his intent to have his name entered as a graduate transfer.

McGuire said Saturday he hopes to be "not active at all" in the transfer portal this spring because he likes his team's depth and is tight on scholarships. McGuire also said if he had an open scholarship, he would look first to the current roster and possibly put a deserving walk-on on scholarship.

Related: Who are Texas Tech football's most improved players? Zach Kittley, Tim DeRuyter weigh in

Related: The transfer portal opens Tuesday, and Texas Tech football has a player set to enter

Texas Tech's Bryson Donnell runs with the ball during practice, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022, at the Sports Performance Center.
Texas Tech's Bryson Donnell runs with the ball during practice, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022, at the Sports Performance Center.
Texas Tech's Anquan Willis works out during football practice, Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023, at the Sports Performance Center.
Texas Tech's Anquan Willis works out during football practice, Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023, at the Sports Performance Center.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Two more Texas Tech football players have names in NCAA transfer portal

Advertisement