Texas Tech defensive back Malik Esquerra during an NCAA football game against Houston on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke).
Michael Wyke/AP
LUBBOCK — Texas Tech lost two-time FCS national champion safety Cole Wisniewski to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL draft this offseason, and a three-way position battle between in-house talent is ongoing to replace him.
Juniors Peyton Morgan, Oliver Miles III and Malik Esquerra were all high school signees of the Red Raiders and now have the opportunity to earn a starting spot on a defense that was top-3-ranked in the nation last season. While senior Brenden Jordan retains his starting position as a multi-position safety, his counterpart in the secondary has yet to be named.
Tech safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator Rob Greene said each player has shown unique strengths throughout training camp. However, he said he’s primarily looking for the most polished play-style that follows Tech’s defensive identity.
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“I think the separator for all those guys is who’s making the most plays and who’s making the least mistakes,” Greene said Friday after practice. “We kind of try to chart the guys who are making plays every day. We hadn’t really gone live, so hadn’t had to do some of the tackles, but who’s creating takeaways?”
Texas Tech running back Oliver Miles III (28) is defended by West Virginia cornerback Keyshawn Robinson (20) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in Morgantown, W.Va. (AP Photo/Kathleen Batten)
Kathleen Batten/AP
With Greene’s emphasis on takeaways in mind, Morgan has been consistently described as a ballhawk by the Red Raider coaching staff through spring camp and now training camp. The Round Rock native has recorded several interceptions in camp.
Morgan said his range on the field is what separates him from other Tech safeties and that he first realized he had a knack for finding the ball in the air in middle school, attributing his natural ability to a “gift from God.”
“I’m all over the ball, all over the place,” Morgan said. “What I’m working on, for sure my man coverage, that’s what I’m working on the most and what I got better at [in the offseason].”
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Esquerra, at 6-3, 210 pounds, is the biggest of the three and has utilized his ability to fill gaps on the line of scrimmage. Rather than pointing to a physical aspect of his game, the Killeen native said his thought process is what makes him unique at his position.
“I would just say my mentality,” Esquerra said. “I feel like since high school, I’ve always had a good football IQ. I loved watching NFL and college football growing up. And obviously my size, I’m probably the biggest safety, probably in this room, and maybe even in the Big 12.”
Miles split reps between both sides of the ball last season with time at running back and safety. He finished the season with 11 carries for 60 yards on offense and five tackles on defense.
Now fully converted to safety, Miles said his offensive experience gave him the confidence that the program fully trusts his athletic ability, which has given him a stronger motivation to compete for the starting safety position.
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“At the end of the day, we’re all here to compete,” Miles said. “Obviously, I still have that knowledge of that side of the defense where I can take it back and put it in place to help me not get the upper hand, but to come out here and compete. We’re all here at the end of the day to get that spot. We’re all brothers to make each other better.”
An official depth chart is expected to be released closer to Tech’s season opener in Lubbock against Abilene Christian at 6 p.m. Sept. 5 at Galaxy Stadium.