The Texas Tech Red Raiders already have their work cut out for them for the 2017 season. That is, of course, the nature of the beast when attempting to replace a first-round NFL quarterback in Patrick Mahomes, but there is some optimism in Lubbock that Kliff Kingsbury will be able to to reload rather than rebuilding.
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With that said, the coaching staff now has a (much) tougher job, as established wide receiver and 2016 Biletnikoff semifinalist Jonathan Giles announced that he will be transferring out of the program.
Giles, who stands at 5'11 and 185 pounds, caught 69 passes for more than 1,100 yards and touchdowns as a sophomore in 2016 and that is an impressive profile. It should be noted that Texas Tech's pass-first offensive system almost certainly inflates those statistics to some degree, but Giles immediately becomes the biggest name on the market at the wide receiver position, especially at this (very) late juncture in the process.
As for Texas Tech, the Red Raiders do have impressive targets on the outside in Keke Coutee and Cameron Batson, but Giles' production may not be incredibly easy to replicate. Kingsbury and company will have a few months to plan for his absence but this is a bit of a stunner in late April.
