Who are Texas Tech football's top 5 returning offensive players?

We're a few short days away from the start of the Texas Tech football team's first practice ahead of the 2024 season.

Over the last few weeks, we've looked at the best games on the Red Raiders' schedule , newcomers to watch and the top returners on defense . It's now time to sneak a peak at the returning offensive players that will be relied upon the most in Joey McGuire's third year as head coach.

Tahj Brooks, Sr., Running Back

Spoiler: barring something drastic, Tahj Brooks will become Texas Tech's all-time leading rusher. Brooks spent Big 12 media days handing out poker chips with his face and a QR code on either side, the code leading visitors to a website set up by Tech to track Brooks' progress up the leader board. Though he said he doesn't expect to have another 290 carries this season, McGuire anticipates Brooks to have at least 1,168 yards, which would set the record. That's below his 2023 mark of 1,538 yards, but Tech coaches would also like to spread the ball around more this season.

Behren Morton, Jr., Quarterback

Sometimes the best ability is availability and the hope is that Behren Morton is available for the entire season. When he's been healthy and active, Morton's shown the gunslinger mentality he came to Texas Tech with from Eastland. A shoulder injury prevented him from being able to hit the whole field in 2023, though he still completed 62% of his passes for 1,757 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Mason Tharp, Sr., Tight End

Tharp had his moments of receiving prowess but, like most of the tight ends, spent a lot of time blocking in the run game for Brooks last season. He could see some more action down the field to utilize his 6-foot-9 frame. He also missed five games last season and will have plenty of competition at tight end with Jalin Conyers and Johncarlos Miller entering the fold. For his career, Tharp has 44 catches for 476 yards and seven touchdowns, four of those scores coming last season.

Coy Eakin, So., Receiver

There's a few receiving options for this list but the nod goes to Coy Eakin, who became Morton's favorite target down the stretch of the season. The Stephenville native finished third on the team in receiving despite missing the first three games with a broke collarbone suffered in the summer. He had eight catches for 78 yards against TCU, five for 102 against Kansas State and brought in seven balls for 106 yards in the Independence Bowl win over California.

Caleb Rogers, Sr., Lineman

The lone returning starting offensive lineman and one with longevity, Caleb Rogers could see himself playing just about every position up front this season. Spending his career at left tackle, Rogers will slide to an inside position in 2024. Whether it's center or one of the guards was still a bit of a question exiting spring ball. Guard is most likely where he'll wind up, which provides a big body who knows the offense well to help direct traffic in the trenches.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Who are Texas Tech football's top 5 returning offensive players?