Texas Tech WR Jonathan Giles announces he’s transferring to LSU
By Carly Regehr
Former Texas Tech WR Jonathan Giles says he wants to advance himself academically and athletically at Louisiana State University.
Kliff Kingsbury won’t be a happy man around the Texas Tech campus this fall. Not only did his dual-threat quarterback leave for the NFL Draft, but now his leading receiver from last season is moving on. According to his Twitter page, Jonathan Giles, who attended Tech for two years, broke the news of his transfer. While it may be good news for Giles, it’s certainly not going to resonate well with Red Raiders Nation.
Aside from the loss of Mahomes, the loss of Giles will be a gunshot wound to the Red Raiders offense. The partnership of Mahomes and Giles was one of the best in college football during the 2016 season.
Giles hauled in a team-best 69 receptions for 1,158 yards, making his loss one that will be difficult to compute for whoever succeeds Mahomes.
The news of Giles’ transfer is a breathe of fresh air for LSU. Though they still have RB Derrius Guice at their disposal, there are still holes to fill at receiver since Malachi Dupre entered the 2017 NFL Draft. Unlike Giles at Texas Tech, Dupre wasn’t so productive for LSU in 2016 (41 receptions, 593 yards, 3 TD). With that said, it’s fair to say that Giles and Guice will be the ones to relieve QB Danny Etling of a hemorrhage, despite an additional loss in Leonard Fournette.
As the 2017 season approaches, Texas Tech will have to rely on a new face at quarterback, likely Nic Shimonek. Shimonek logged a decent amount of repetitions last year, including a four-touchdown game against Kansas. Unfortunately, that was the last time Shimonek sawsnaps, despite going 15-for-21 passing during that Week 2 contest. Others who figure to need to step up for Tech include receivers Dylan Batson and Dylan Cantrell. Together, they recorded 1,319 yards and 16 touchdowns.
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Aall things considered, this is a win for LSU. After all, there are more familiar faces returning to campus, including Etling and Guice. Now with Giles on their side, that adds some more horsepower to their offense, which could have struggled otherwise. Meanwhile, Texas Tech will play witness to a rebuilding year in the Big 12. If they can pull off a successful season without Mahomes and Giles, then they have truly defied all odds.