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If you're in the Lubbock area and looking to get into shape, but don't know where to start, check out the website for Cardinal's Fitness. You can sign up for individual classes -- no contract or membership required -- that are good for people at any fitness level.
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Tech had several unofficial visitors in town last weekend, including Fayette (Ala.) Fayette County athlete and Texas Tech commit Tevin Madison. Madison, who had never been to Lubbock before, said that he had a great time in the Hub City.
"Oh man, it was great," he said. "I heard from everybody that down there in Lubbock there wasn't anything really and a bunch of weird people out there. But, I got there and got to see it for myself and I loved it all, everything about it. The coaches, players, everyone. It was a nice environment."
The biggest thing that stuck out to the diverse Alabama playmaker was the coaching staff. He loved the way they ran their practices and how they coached their players up.
"How they ran their practices, how the players reacted to them, and it was just great," he said. "That was the biggest thing was the Tech coaches. I watched practice, watched the scrimmages, got to watch how the coaches coached and they really did a good job. Each coach has his own small group, so there's a lot of one-on-one stuff and they do a really good job of teaching the little things, correcting small things and they did a great job of coaching. They got what they wanted and did a great job."
He also loved the way that the defensive backs coaches, Kevin Curtis and Trey Haverty, went about teaching their players.
"Coach Curtis has been recruiting me a while," he said. "He's a really chill, laid back guy, and I like the way he coaches. Coach Haverty, he's excited, jumping, and up in everybody's face, but he's coaching. They both do a really good job of coaching and they get the job done."
Madison's visit couldn't have gone better. He loved the town, the campus, the coaches, and the facilities and said he just feels good in Lubbock.
"It was very comfortable. You feel at home, and you feel like that's where you need to be. You feel you get more out of yourself, you feel wanted, and they want you. That's what I want," he said. "The campus is beautiful. I didn't expect it to be anything like it was. There were some nice, nice facilities, top facilities. Going up there, I expected it to be a lot worse, but it was great."
With a visit now off his checklist, Madison feels much more secure with the Red Raiders. He's going to shut things down on the recruiting trail for a while and focus on his senior season.
"Now, I feel a lot more comfortable with my commitment, so, as of now, I'm going to shut it down for the season," Madison said. "For now, Texas Tech is way ahead of everybody else. I'm comfortable with Texas Tech right now."
- McKay
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Another player I got a chance to speak with this week was Hamilton (Ga.) Lovejoy defensive end Randy Anyanwu. You may remember that Anyanwu was planning a trip to Lubbock in the middle of July, but things didn't ever materialize over the next few weeks.
He's definitely planning on making it out to Lubbock to catch a game this fall on an official visit.
"I'm not sure when I'll get out there yet," he said. "I've got to match it up with my high school schedule. I'm definitely going to try to catch a big game. I'm very excited. It'll be my first time in Texas and it'll be one of my first big visits. I've really been waiting on it. I had an opportunity to this summer, but I didn't have the resources to make it out there. Now I can make it out there for a game on an official visit. I'm just ready to go. I've been waiting on it for a while."
In the meantime, things have been going very well between the Georgia defender and the Red Raiders. He's ready to get out on a visit.
"Last time I talked to them, things were going really good," he said. "I'm really liking Texas Tech. I'm just waiting to get down there, see Lubbock, meet the coaches, talk to the players, see the campus and the town and all that. I want to see if it's what I'm looking for."
He hasn't spoken to Tech defensive line coach John Scott Jr. in a few weeks now, mainly because of fall camp schedules, but the two have built up a very solid relationship. In fact, Scott may just be his favorite coach.
"He keeps it real," Anyanwu said. "I think a lot of coaches will tell you what they think you want to hear. From the beginning, I think he's been telling me the truth 100 percent about what what's going on. I really like that."
Also, it looks like the Tech staff likes Anyanwu as an outside linebacker prospect. They want him to play the bandit position, which means he would rush off the edge and attack the quarterback quite often.
"He was telling me that he liked the way that I played with a lot of physicality," Anyanwu said. "He likes how I can rush the passer, play outside linebacker and drop into passing zones. They told me I'd play outside linebacker in their bandit spot and rush the passer from the edge and stuff."
Anyanwu currently holds offers from Texas Tech, Middle Tennessee State, Marshall and West Virginia among others.
- McKay
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Humble (Texas) Summer Creek inside linebacker Dakota Allen will be making his decision tonight.
He will be choosing between Texas Tech and TCU. So, I thought I'd share a few thoughts about who the linebacker is going to choose.
First, it should be known that Allen made a decision earlier this week and has been waiting to reveal his choice until today. So, when I spoke with him on Wednesday, he already had his mind made.
As far as where he ends up, I do believe that he will be a Red Raider before the day is over with. Each time that I spoke with him, he kept emphasizing how much he loved the entire Tech coaching staff and felt very at home with them, each and every one of them. He feels extremely comfortable in Lubbock. He also has said multiple times that he really only felt that he connected with two or so of the coaches on TCU's staff.
Also, he visited Lubbock after taking his trip to Ft. Worth. I spoke with him the week after his trip to Tech and he told me then that his trip out to West Texas was better than his one to Ft. Worth. He also told me that, at that point, Tech and TCU were his co-leaders, but there were days when he definitely felt that Tech was alone at the top.
Unless something has changed over the last week and a half or so, I do believe that he will pick Tech.
- McKay
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Virginia Beach (Va.) Ocean Lakes 2015 athlete Jaason Lewis had a tweet that caught the eye of many Red Raider fans earlier this week.
"@JaasonLewis: Like if Texas tech offered me I would be to hype. But they prolly don't even look in Va."
Given the location of his hometown, it seemed odd this would be a player with the Red Raiders on his radar. Nevertheless, the likely wide receiver prospect does have a solid interest in the new regime at Texas Tech.
"There's interest in Tech," Lewis texted. "They seem like they have a lot to offer as me being the player I am. I wouldn't mind getting down to Tech and checking them out. They seem like an amazing program."
What is the most attractive part about the Red Raiders?
"Their offense," Lewis responded. "High powered and fast paced. I love that spread offense since my high school team runs it."
It may be a bit premature to identify Lewis as a serious potential prospect considering his location and the fact Tech's coaching staff hasn't been in contact with him just yet.
However, if the coaching staff decides the Virginia athlete's film does warrant an offer, the Red Raiders would be in excellent position with Lewis.
"They would be in my top five," he wrote about getting an offer from Tech.
The rising junior already holds 17 offers including ones from Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State, Tennessee, Miami and several other BCS conference programs.
- Rosen
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Yuma (Ariz.) Western Community College defensive end Anthony Olobia has been a tough one to get the past few weeks.
He's keeping his cards close to his chest with offers from Tech, Kansas and Utah, but he did give a little more insight into his relationship with the Red Raiders.
"When it comes to recruiting right now, I'm just kind of enjoying the attention," Olobia said. "I really appreciate what everyone is telling me when it comes to what they want me to do. When it comes to Tech, I went on a visit there a couple of weeks ago and really liked it. It seems like a good school to go to.
"Their facilities are nice and I liked the fact the biggest, most beautiful buildings had something to do with my majors which are education and business. I've been enjoying the ride and enjoying the process with all the schools that have contacted me.
The 6-foot-5, 230 pound four-star recruit has a strong relationship with Sonny Cumbie forged in part over the NBA Finals.
"My best relationship at Tech is with Coach Cumbie," he said. "We can talk about pretty much anything. How football is going, how school is going plus he's interested in my schedule and who else is talking to me. We talk like friends do. Even during the NBA championship we had a little dialogue going."
Don't expect Olobia to commit any time soon, but know the Red Raiders are in the mix.
"I'm just riding it out," he said. "I want to focus more on the football season that I have right now before I start making any decisions about D-I schools I want to go to. Once again, I'm really just enjoying the attention and appreciate the attention I'm getting."
- Graham
This post was edited on 8/16 8:25 AM by A. Dickens
If you're in the Lubbock area and looking to get into shape, but don't know where to start, check out the website for Cardinal's Fitness. You can sign up for individual classes -- no contract or membership required -- that are good for people at any fitness level.
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Tech had several unofficial visitors in town last weekend, including Fayette (Ala.) Fayette County athlete and Texas Tech commit Tevin Madison. Madison, who had never been to Lubbock before, said that he had a great time in the Hub City.
"Oh man, it was great," he said. "I heard from everybody that down there in Lubbock there wasn't anything really and a bunch of weird people out there. But, I got there and got to see it for myself and I loved it all, everything about it. The coaches, players, everyone. It was a nice environment."
The biggest thing that stuck out to the diverse Alabama playmaker was the coaching staff. He loved the way they ran their practices and how they coached their players up.
"How they ran their practices, how the players reacted to them, and it was just great," he said. "That was the biggest thing was the Tech coaches. I watched practice, watched the scrimmages, got to watch how the coaches coached and they really did a good job. Each coach has his own small group, so there's a lot of one-on-one stuff and they do a really good job of teaching the little things, correcting small things and they did a great job of coaching. They got what they wanted and did a great job."
He also loved the way that the defensive backs coaches, Kevin Curtis and Trey Haverty, went about teaching their players.
"Coach Curtis has been recruiting me a while," he said. "He's a really chill, laid back guy, and I like the way he coaches. Coach Haverty, he's excited, jumping, and up in everybody's face, but he's coaching. They both do a really good job of coaching and they get the job done."
Madison's visit couldn't have gone better. He loved the town, the campus, the coaches, and the facilities and said he just feels good in Lubbock.
"It was very comfortable. You feel at home, and you feel like that's where you need to be. You feel you get more out of yourself, you feel wanted, and they want you. That's what I want," he said. "The campus is beautiful. I didn't expect it to be anything like it was. There were some nice, nice facilities, top facilities. Going up there, I expected it to be a lot worse, but it was great."
With a visit now off his checklist, Madison feels much more secure with the Red Raiders. He's going to shut things down on the recruiting trail for a while and focus on his senior season.
"Now, I feel a lot more comfortable with my commitment, so, as of now, I'm going to shut it down for the season," Madison said. "For now, Texas Tech is way ahead of everybody else. I'm comfortable with Texas Tech right now."
- McKay
---
Another player I got a chance to speak with this week was Hamilton (Ga.) Lovejoy defensive end Randy Anyanwu. You may remember that Anyanwu was planning a trip to Lubbock in the middle of July, but things didn't ever materialize over the next few weeks.
He's definitely planning on making it out to Lubbock to catch a game this fall on an official visit.
"I'm not sure when I'll get out there yet," he said. "I've got to match it up with my high school schedule. I'm definitely going to try to catch a big game. I'm very excited. It'll be my first time in Texas and it'll be one of my first big visits. I've really been waiting on it. I had an opportunity to this summer, but I didn't have the resources to make it out there. Now I can make it out there for a game on an official visit. I'm just ready to go. I've been waiting on it for a while."
In the meantime, things have been going very well between the Georgia defender and the Red Raiders. He's ready to get out on a visit.
"Last time I talked to them, things were going really good," he said. "I'm really liking Texas Tech. I'm just waiting to get down there, see Lubbock, meet the coaches, talk to the players, see the campus and the town and all that. I want to see if it's what I'm looking for."
He hasn't spoken to Tech defensive line coach John Scott Jr. in a few weeks now, mainly because of fall camp schedules, but the two have built up a very solid relationship. In fact, Scott may just be his favorite coach.
"He keeps it real," Anyanwu said. "I think a lot of coaches will tell you what they think you want to hear. From the beginning, I think he's been telling me the truth 100 percent about what what's going on. I really like that."
Also, it looks like the Tech staff likes Anyanwu as an outside linebacker prospect. They want him to play the bandit position, which means he would rush off the edge and attack the quarterback quite often.
"He was telling me that he liked the way that I played with a lot of physicality," Anyanwu said. "He likes how I can rush the passer, play outside linebacker and drop into passing zones. They told me I'd play outside linebacker in their bandit spot and rush the passer from the edge and stuff."
Anyanwu currently holds offers from Texas Tech, Middle Tennessee State, Marshall and West Virginia among others.
- McKay
---
Humble (Texas) Summer Creek inside linebacker Dakota Allen will be making his decision tonight.
He will be choosing between Texas Tech and TCU. So, I thought I'd share a few thoughts about who the linebacker is going to choose.
First, it should be known that Allen made a decision earlier this week and has been waiting to reveal his choice until today. So, when I spoke with him on Wednesday, he already had his mind made.
As far as where he ends up, I do believe that he will be a Red Raider before the day is over with. Each time that I spoke with him, he kept emphasizing how much he loved the entire Tech coaching staff and felt very at home with them, each and every one of them. He feels extremely comfortable in Lubbock. He also has said multiple times that he really only felt that he connected with two or so of the coaches on TCU's staff.
Also, he visited Lubbock after taking his trip to Ft. Worth. I spoke with him the week after his trip to Tech and he told me then that his trip out to West Texas was better than his one to Ft. Worth. He also told me that, at that point, Tech and TCU were his co-leaders, but there were days when he definitely felt that Tech was alone at the top.
Unless something has changed over the last week and a half or so, I do believe that he will pick Tech.
- McKay
---
Virginia Beach (Va.) Ocean Lakes 2015 athlete Jaason Lewis had a tweet that caught the eye of many Red Raider fans earlier this week.
"@JaasonLewis: Like if Texas tech offered me I would be to hype. But they prolly don't even look in Va."
Given the location of his hometown, it seemed odd this would be a player with the Red Raiders on his radar. Nevertheless, the likely wide receiver prospect does have a solid interest in the new regime at Texas Tech.
"There's interest in Tech," Lewis texted. "They seem like they have a lot to offer as me being the player I am. I wouldn't mind getting down to Tech and checking them out. They seem like an amazing program."
What is the most attractive part about the Red Raiders?
"Their offense," Lewis responded. "High powered and fast paced. I love that spread offense since my high school team runs it."
It may be a bit premature to identify Lewis as a serious potential prospect considering his location and the fact Tech's coaching staff hasn't been in contact with him just yet.
However, if the coaching staff decides the Virginia athlete's film does warrant an offer, the Red Raiders would be in excellent position with Lewis.
"They would be in my top five," he wrote about getting an offer from Tech.
The rising junior already holds 17 offers including ones from Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State, Tennessee, Miami and several other BCS conference programs.
- Rosen
---
Yuma (Ariz.) Western Community College defensive end Anthony Olobia has been a tough one to get the past few weeks.
He's keeping his cards close to his chest with offers from Tech, Kansas and Utah, but he did give a little more insight into his relationship with the Red Raiders.
"When it comes to recruiting right now, I'm just kind of enjoying the attention," Olobia said. "I really appreciate what everyone is telling me when it comes to what they want me to do. When it comes to Tech, I went on a visit there a couple of weeks ago and really liked it. It seems like a good school to go to.
"Their facilities are nice and I liked the fact the biggest, most beautiful buildings had something to do with my majors which are education and business. I've been enjoying the ride and enjoying the process with all the schools that have contacted me.
The 6-foot-5, 230 pound four-star recruit has a strong relationship with Sonny Cumbie forged in part over the NBA Finals.
"My best relationship at Tech is with Coach Cumbie," he said. "We can talk about pretty much anything. How football is going, how school is going plus he's interested in my schedule and who else is talking to me. We talk like friends do. Even during the NBA championship we had a little dialogue going."
Don't expect Olobia to commit any time soon, but know the Red Raiders are in the mix.
"I'm just riding it out," he said. "I want to focus more on the football season that I have right now before I start making any decisions about D-I schools I want to go to. Once again, I'm really just enjoying the attention and appreciate the attention I'm getting."
- Graham
This post was edited on 8/16 8:25 AM by A. Dickens
