Da’Leon Ward was the bell cow of Texas Tech’s running game the last month of the 2016 season. With a new season fast approaching on the horizon, it seems highly unlikely he’ll do the same in the early portion of 2017 -- if at all.
Ward has been a non-participant throughout the whole of Tech’s summer camp that kicked off earlier this month because of unspecified issues related to academics. Kliff Kingsbury addressed the running back’s situation Tuesday, with the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal writing that the head coach’s “update sounded ominous, considering Tech’s second session of summer school ended” late last week.
In fact, Kingsbury allowed that, when it comes to Ward, he’s “not sure he’ll be back for this season or not.”
Last season, the sophomore led the Red Raiders with 428 yards rushing. of that, 370 of the yards came in the last five games of the year.
Justin Stockton, whose 154 yards last season were fourth on the team, has been running with the first-team offense throughout camp. Last season’s second-leading rusher, Demarcus Felton (354), is back for the 2017 season as well.