Texas Tech head coach Matt Wells announced the signing of Virginia Tech transfer Robert Wooten, who will have four seasons of eligibility remaining with the Red Raiders.

"Robert is a talented defensive lineman who will only add to our depth in the trenches," Wells said. "He was a transfer we immediately had interest in from prior connections, and we couldn't be more excited to welcome him to the Red Raider family."

Wooten played in all 11 games for Virginia Tech this past season where he totaled three tackles and a quarterback hurry along the defensive line. His three tackles came late in the season against Boston College, Liberty and Pittsburgh.

Prior to enrolling in Blacksburg, Wooten was among the top defensive line prospects out of the state of Texas after recording 73 tackles, including 6.0 that went for sacks, as a senior at Stafford High School in the Houston area. He totaled 155 tackles during his high school career as he was tabbed the District 12-4A Defensive MVP in 2019 and was a first team All-District honoree as a junior in 2018.

Wooten was a consensus three-star prospect by both Rivals and 247Sports as part of Virginia Tech's 2020 signing class. He ranked as high as 25th among weak-side defensive ends nationally that year by Rivals, which also listed Wooten as the No. 51 player from the state of Texas. Wooten was, similarly, ranked among the top-35 defensive ends nationally and the top-75 players from Texas by 247Sports.

Wooten will have to sit out the 2021 season due to NCAA transfer rules unless he is granted a waiver in the coming weeks. If he is not granted a waiver, the 2021 season would serve as a redshirt year, leaving him with four years of eligibility still remaining.