Joseph Adedire's new jersey number for the Texas Tech football team has significance to him.

He first wore No. 14 as a sophomore at Mansfield Summit after an upperclassman switched his jersey. That left No. 14 for Adedire, resulting in what he described as his best season.

After wearing No. 43 his true freshman campaign with the Red Raiders, Adedire has his old number back, and he's feeling as good as he did sporting it as a Jaguar.

Should history repeat itself and Adedire have another breakout campaign in No. 14, it may help the 6-foot-3, 265-pound sophomore avoid being redshirted.

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Not that he's overly concerned with that.

"I really just leave that," Adedire said Tuesday. "I don't really be thinking about that. I just play, man."

Back in the spring, coach Joey McGuire said he was considering using redshirt years on two players, both of whom saw action in 12 games last season.

One was Adedire, who started six games and was a key piece to Tech's defense after Tyree Wilson's season-ending foot injury. He finished the year with 19 tackles, 3½ for a loss.

"I don't want to look up and these guys be playing their best football," McGuire said in May, "and they really should have another year (of eligibility). And they're gone, and we're not putting them in the best position for possibly the next level."

While redshirting remains a possibility, Adedire said he's focused on battling Tech's other edge rushers, all of whom are trying to fill Wilson's gaudy shoes.

Adedire said he learned a lot from the No. 7 overall pick in the NFL Draft. He's using that knowledge to benefit himself as he jockeys for position.

"I got his relentless effort," Adedire said. "When you sit, when you watch his film, you saw he's everywhere. He's diving for tackles, he got through blocks. He's fighting, and that's what I really got from him. There's certain traits and stuff you'll pick up as you go, but that relentless effort, that's what you really need. ... You can mess up, but you need that effort to really dominate."

Outside linebackers coach C.J. Ah You shot down talk about Adedire potentially redshirting on Tuesday, a decision that likely won't come until after the season starts anyway. Players can play up to four games in a season and still redshirt.

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Adedire said the Red Raiders' edge-rushing corps is "way, way, way better than last year." That makes the field-end position battle even more intriguing.

"The great thing about the room is the depth," Ah You said. "They're pushing each other. Everybody is uncomfortable in my room. That's exactly where I want it."

With multiple options at the field end, Adedire could see himself playing a game here or there, then preserving another year of eligibility. Though he said he trusts whatever decision is made, right now, Adedire is focused on trying to make the decision a lot harder on McGuire.

"At the end of the day, I'm a football player," Adedire said. "Being a football player, I want to be on the field. I want to be the best I can be. I want to play as hard as I can go. That's what I come out with the mindset every single day."

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech football's Joseph Adedire not worried about potential redshirt