K-State transfer Austin Romaine is making a good first impression at Texas Tech
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Romaine made 11 tackles against Kansas State with a broken hand.
- Romaine made 184 tackles during his three seasons with K-State.
- Teammates say Romaine arrived intent on learning and competing.
Texas Tech linebacker Ben Roberts doesn’t recall the exact play that prompted him to turn to his teammates and compliment Austin Romaine during a football game against Kansas State last season, but he does remember what he said on the sideline at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
“That guy,” he said, “is pretty good.”
Romaine made 11 tackles while playing with a massive bandage wrapped around a broken hand for K-State that day. It wasn’t enough to lift his team to a victory, as Texas Tech pulled away late and won 43-20. But it was enough for him to make a good impression on the opposing sideline.
Turns out, that helped him land at Texas Tech as a high-profile transfer during the offseason. It also gave him a head start with his new teammates as he began adjusting to a new defense with the Red Raiders.
“When he got here, I knew he was a ballplayer,” Roberts said. “He’s one of those guys that comes in and just fits the program the way he’s supposed to. He’s very intentional about the way that he goes about things. He’s competitive, and he wants to be great. I have nothing but good things to say about him.”
K-State fans weren’t happy to lose Romaine, especially to a conference rival. Romaine made 184 tackles during his three seasons with the Wildcats, but he chose to finish his college career elsewhere. That is becoming the new normal in college sports.
Dylan Edwards is now playing running back for Kansas. Tre Spivey is now a wide receiver at Arizona. And Romaine is now playing for the top defense in the Big 12 in Lubbock.
His new teammates expect him to make an impact.
“He is locked in,” Texas Tech defensive tackle AJ Holmes said. “During spring ball, his effort was amazing. Every time I turned around, I would see him playing like he was ready to take somebody’s head off.”
Roberts likes the way Romaine has challenged his fellow linebackers at Texas Tech.
“He asks a lot of questions, because he’s learning the defense, but it’s good because we get to pick his brain, too,” Roberts said. “He’s playing a different position than me, so I also have questions for him. He pushes me on and off the field.”
That approach helped Romaine become an all-conference linebacker at K-State. He is working for even more at Texas Tech.