The Texas Tech Red Raiders lost star defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard to a lower leg injury in the second half of their win against the Kansas Jayhawks in Week 7 action. Ahead of Texas Tech's Week 8 clash against the Arizona State Sun Devils in Week 8, Gill-Howard had surgery on his leg and will be out for the rest of the season.On Friday, On3 reporter Pete Nakos revealed on X that the Red Raiders were optimistic of getting their star defensive tackle back should the team make a deep run into the college football playoffs in December and January. "Texas Tech DT Skyler Gill-Howard underwent surgery on Thursday in Dallas, sources tell @On3sports. NIU transfer is sidelined for the foreseeable future. Timetable for a return is unclear. Sources have told @On3sports there is some hope for a return for the CFP."With Skyler Gill-Howard on the field, coach Joey McGuire's team is the top-ranked defense in the Big 12. He has tallied 2.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, one interception and 13 tackles for the Red Raiders this season.Skyler Gill-Howard has been a key cog for the Red RaidersSkyler Gill-Howard joined the Texas Tech Red Raiders via the transfer portal from the Northern Illinois Huskies and immediately became a key cog in coach Joey McGuire's defense. According to Pro Football Focus, Gill-Howard is statistically the fourth-best defensive tackle in the country. The Red Raiders have the No. 1 run defense in the FBS (62.5 rushing yards per game) and the No. 6 scoring defense (12.2 points per game) this season.In an interview with "Red Raider Sports" before the season began, Gill-Howard detailed how he turned around his form and became a leader. “I went through a lot of troubled times last summer that I won’t get into, but that’s ultimately when I decided to make the change,” Gill-Howard said. “I stepped over as a vocal leader, started doing things the right way. It was the last day of fall camp, and I had put in my notes, literally, like two months before, I was like, I will be the captain of this team.“That day I was awarded captain, I didn’t cry for my teammates, but I cried when I got home. It was just something I always worked for. And I sent coach Hammock that text, and I was like, ‘coach, look at the date. There’s something that I manifested.’"Defensive tackle A.J. Holmes Jr., who transferred from the Houston Cougars, will replace Skyler Gill-Howard in the Texas Tech Red Raiders' defense for the rest of the season.