Meet the Big 12’s next breakout edge rusher

Of the many standout moments from Steve Linton during Texas Tech spring practice, the play that most left the Red Raiders staff speechless actually came during one of the rare one-on-one reps that Linton didn’t come out victorious.

A slip as he tried to work around one of Texas Tech’s offensive tackles led to Linton falling onto his back. In that situation, most people would then go through the standard process of rolling over and using their hands to get back to their feet. Not Linton.

Within a second of falling, Linton — at 235 pounds and in full pads — went from being flat on his back to propelling himself into the air and onto his feet.

It was a ninja-like maneuver like something straight out of a martial arts movie sequence.

“He did that and I was like, ‘Holy hell,'” Red Raiders second-year head coach Joey McGuire said.

Last year, a different Texas Tech EDGE, Tyree Wilson, went from being a solid contributor to being selected as a first-team All-American and the No. 7 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft after one season under figures such as McGuire and defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter.

Linton, who transferred to the Red Raiders in January following four unremarkable years at Syracuse, is now set to be Texas Tech’s next breakthrough star and the Big 12’s next breakout edge rusher.

In four seasons at Syracuse, the Georgia native made only two total starts and accumulated just 45 total tackles and 4.5 sacks. Expect the production for the Red Raiders to be significantly higher.

“He really was trapped in a box at Syracuse playing in a 4i (lined up over the inside of an offensive tackle),” Texas Tech director of player personnel James Blanchard said. “Nothing against anybody that runs that scheme, and you’ve got some great players that play in that scheme, but for this kid, it really was like a prison for his skill set. He was 6-5, 220 at the time playing at Syracuse and that did not fit what he was supposed to do. And it’s like, man, when we unleashed him into this 3-4 defense, into Tim DeRuyter and Coach McGuire’s defense … I would not be shocked if you hear Steve Linton’s name by the end of the first round next year.”

Texas Tech director of scouting Brian Nance was the original Red Raiders staffer to discover Linton shortly after he entered the NCAA transfer portal in December.

After watching some tape of Linton, Nance called Blanchard into his office and told him, “There’s this kid from Syracuse that I like. Can you watch him?”

It didn’t take long for Blanchard to see intriguing traits and potential, too. The process of recruiting Linton then started from there.

“When I got to the NFL, the former GM over there, Marty Hurney, told me on one of my first days there, ‘You’ve got to look at things through multiple lenses,’” said Blanchard, who worked in the NFL as a scout with the Carolina Panthers. “In college, they look at it like, ah, is this guy out of position and should he be playing another position? But he said, ‘Here, you’ve got to look at it sometimes through the lens of: Is this guy playing out of scheme? Is he in a bad scheme for his skill set and would his skill set fit in your scheme?’ That applied to Steve Linton.”

Upon Linton’s arrival in Lubbock, McGuire began getting comments from his strength and conditioning staff that Linton was “different” and “really twitchy” based on what he was doing during workouts.

McGuire, who led the Red Raiders to an 8-5 record last year in his first season as head coach, then began to see it himself during Texas Tech’s Fourth Quarter workout program and eventually spring practice.

Linton finished the spring with a sack in the Red Raiders’ spring game.

“He’s going to have a big time year,” McGuire said. “I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t.”

Linton will be part of a Texas Tech defense that, to McGuire, may include the best front four in the Big 12, combining Linton with fellow EDGE Myles Cole and honorable mention All-Big 12 defensive linemen Jaylon Hutchings and Tony Bradford.

“They’re different than probably Georgia’s guys, Alabama, but in the Big 12, you’re going to have a hard time finding a Myles Cole, Jaylon Hutchings, Tony Bradford and Steve Linton,” McGuire said. “When you put those four guys together, you’ve got crazy athletic potential on the edges and then you’ve got two old dudes in the middle that were extremely productive last year and that should continue.”

With Wilson, Texas Tech ranked first in the Big 12 last year in sacks and third in the conference in tackles for loss.

With the addition of Linton, his skill set and the capability to pull off some of those ninja-like maneuvers, it’s not a stretch to say that there may not be much of a drop-off.

That’s how impressive he’s been since his arrival in Lubbock.

“He’s the best athlete at defensive end I’ve been around since I left Carolina with seeing (two-time Pro Bowl selection) Brian Burns every day,” Blanchard said. “My personal college comp for him is (former Iowa State All-Big 12 EDGE and 2023 New York Jets first-round pick) Will McDonald. That’s who I think he is, Will McDonald. Steve Linton has that type of skill set. 

“Their measurables are almost identical. Both of them are 6-4. Both of them have 34-inch arms. Steve’s 235. Will’s about 238. And, man, this kid right here is just special. He has NFL starting ability as a pass rusher.”