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Jackson Discusses Upcoming Visit
Miami (Fla.) Central defensive end Dwight Jackson is another
name that has been added to the lengthy list of recruits visiting the South
Plains this weekend.
The 6-foot-1, 218-pound prospect said he is looking forward to see what the
visit entails and wants to see what Lubbock and Tech have to offer.
"I'm looking forward to having a good time," Jackson said. "I want them to show
me a good time and see what all the have to offer."
Jackson said he likes the direction in which the Red Raiders are heading and
thinks that he could be a part of something special.
"I think they are a developing program," Jackson said. "They probably could do
some things and I think I could do some things to help the program succeed."
There are a list of things that Jackson is looking for in his college choice and
he said that is what he wants to find on his visit to Tech.
"Just the surroundings, the people, the graduation rate," Jackson said. "For me,
I'm trying to be a pro. I want to see how my life is going to be for the next
four years and see if that's the place for me."
- Fleming
.
Morales Talks U.S. Army Game, Simmons
Arlington (Texas) offensive lineman and Texas Tech commit Tony Morales
participated in the U.S. Army All-American Game last weekend. While the
Rivals250 standout's practice time was cut short due to an injury, he still
enjoyed his time in the Alamo City.
"It went pretty good, we practiced Monday, Tuesday and Thursday of that week. I
feel like I did really well Monday morning and then that same day I hurt my
shoulder. For the rest of that day I was out of contact and Tuesday I didn't
really do much contact at all," he said. "During the game I started at left
guard and I think on the fifth offensive series around 30 seconds before
halftime I hurt my shoulder again and didn't play at all in the second half."
Although his time on the field was cut short, Morales faced some of the toughest
competition that he has seen on the high school level so far.
"I think when I was able to go full contact I think I did pretty good against
some of the best linemen I have ever played against and during the game I played
against guys who were the same strength as me which is something I have not see
yet," he said. "I think I did well, but there is room for improvement with my
technique. There will be times when you play a stronger player than you are, so
you have to be better at technique than they are, that is what I am going to
work on this year."
The 6-foot-4, 300-pound prospect is taking his official visit to the South
Plains January 21st with many other current Red Raider commits. Morales is still
staying in touch with most commits on Facebook and over the phone; including one
of Tech's newest commit.
"I talk to Jace (Amaro) and Derek (Edwards)
the most but I am still talking to all of them. I talk to J.J. Gaines
now after he committed, he is a really cool guy and we can't wait to
get closer to him and we all hope to make this one of the best classes Texas
Tech has ever seen."
Committed players are not the only people Tony Morales has been talking to. Last
week Tony started to talk to another player who Texas Tech is actively
recruiting.
"I was talking to Delvon Simmons down in San Antonio and we
hung out a lot while we were down there. I didn't know him before this past week
but he was talking to me how is going to take an official to Florida and then he
would decide shortly after his visit," Morales said. "He told me that Texas Tech
is definitely in the running for him and that the coaches made a good impression
on him."
Morales committed to Texas Tech in March over offers from Baylor, Kansas State,
Louisiana Tech, Missouri, Oklahoma and SMU.
- Hair
.
Williams Keeping An Eye On Tech
We spooke with 2012 Spring Dekaney (Texas) running back prospect Trey
Williams about his brother, Tyson Williams,
transferring from West Texas A&M to Tech.
"I actually am very happy for him. This will be a good change for him. The
difference is competition. I know my brother is really competitive so I am not
really worried about him adjusting. I think this will be good for him, and good
for Texas Tech," he said. "They are getting a player who does not like to lose
football games."
The 5-foot-8, 175-pound standout said that he "definitely" has interest in the
Red Raiders.
"It is a little early to be calling favorites but, yeah, it would be a good
combination (him and his brother). It wouldn't really be fair for any other
teams we faced. There is definitely some interest in Texas Tech."
Williams already holds offers from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor,
LSU, Miami, Texas A&M.
- Hair
.
2011 Schedule Tidbits
* Tech has four non-conference games scheduled for this upcoming season --
Nevada, New Mexico, TCU and Texas State. As a result of the Big 12's move to a
nin-game conference schedule, one of those non-conference games will have to be
removed from the scheduled or postponed to a later date.
* We have learned that Nevada -- this is the return game of the home-and-home
arrangement that had the Red Raiders play at Reno in 2008 -- would prefer to
move their 2011 game with Tech to a later date.
* We also know that the TCU game is a situation worth monitoring because their
stadium won't be able to handle a big crowd next year due to ongoing
renovations, so that could get altered as well.
Stay tuned.
- Level
?
Misc. Tidbits
* Tech won't be pursuing Wesson (Miss.) Copiah-Lincoln C.C. defensive end
Terrance Coleman.
* Not much is known about Hialeah (Fla.) Hialeah-Miami Lakes athlete
DeAndre Martin except that he reportedly has offers from Tech and Wake
Forest. Rivals.com Florida Recruiting Analyst Chris Nee spoke with a source at
HMLHS, who had this to say about Martin:
"Yes, he is a great player. He has great size, good speed, and has a big motor.
Best player on that team and he can play different positions too."
* Our colleagues at SicEmSports.com spoke with Rockdale head coach Jeff
Miller yesterday, and Miller had this to say about Tech commit
Le'Raven Clark.
"He told me, 'Coach, I think I'm just firm with (Texas) Tech."
* Michael Brewer made some last minute phone calls to a couple of prospects
before officially becoming a Tech student on Wednesday.
"I got to talk to Kenny (Williams) earlier this week, and
there's really nothing that's changed from the last time we talked. I still feel
good about where we stand with him, and I don't see any surprises coming our
way. I'm still planning on him being with us, and he's going to be a big part of
what we've got going on.
"I've also talked some with Arrius Holleman and he's still with
SMU, but I feel like he's getting closer to maybe making a change. I think he's
waiting to get through his visit, but we stand pretty well with him right now.
He would be a great addition."
- Cowan, Level, Dickens
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This post was edited on 1/18 10:58 PM by A. Dickens
