LUBBOCK, Texas — Mel Kiper Jr. wrote Friday that he has a second-round grade on Texas Tech tight end Terrance Carter Jr. and that it would not be shocking for Carter to join three other tight ends in the first-round conversation. The note came in a 10-prediction ESPN column published Sept. 4, one day before the Red Raiders opened the season.
Kiper’s eighth prediction was that at least three tight ends will get first-round consideration. He wrote that Oregon’s Jamari Johnson, LSU’s Trey’Dez Green, and Iowa’s DJ Vonnahme all carry first-round grades. Johnson had 510 receiving yards at 15.9 yards per catch last season while sharing the position with Kenyon Sadiq, who went 16th to the New York Jets in April.
Kiper compared Green to Kyle Pitts Sr. and Vonnahme to T.J. Hockenson.
“And don’t sleep on Texas Tech’s Terrance Carter Jr.,” Kiper wrote. “He was phenomenal last season, displaying some good after-the-catch ability. I have Carter in Round 2 right now, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see him join these other three in the Day 1 conversation. This tight end class looks good.”
Terrance Carter Jr.’s First Season At Texas Tech
Carter caught 55 passes for 624 yards and 5 touchdowns in 13 games in 2025, his first season in Lubbock after three years at Louisiana. He finished second on the team in receptions and was a second-team All-Big 12 selection by the conference coaches. The 624 yards were the most by a Red Raiders tight end since Jace Amaro in 2013.
He had 10 catches for 98 yards in a 49-0 win at West Virginia on Nov. 29 and 9 catches for 72 yards in the 23-0 loss to Oregon in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Orange Bowl. Texas Tech won the Big 12 championship and had nine players selected in the 2026 NFL draft, including No. 2 overall pick David Bailey.
Carter is listed at 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds. He played at Harker Heights High School and is from Killeen. At Louisiana in 2024, he caught 48 passes for 689 yards and 4 touchdowns and was a first-team All-Sun Belt selection.
Texas Tech’s Opener And Next Two Games
No. 12 Texas Tech beat Abilene Christian 33-10 on Saturday in front of a sellout crowd of 60,229 at Galaxy Stadium. Will Hammond went 26-of-33 for a career-high 298 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception in his first start since the ACL injury he suffered against Oklahoma State on Oct. 25, 2025. Ten Red Raiders caught at least one pass, and Stone Harrington made 4 field goals, according to Texas Tech’s postgame notes.
The win was Texas Tech’s ninth straight at home. The Red Raiders play at Oregon State on Saturday, Sept. 12, then open Big 12 play against Houston on Friday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. CT on FOX.
