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Bowie visiting Oklahoma State
It
hasn't been the easiest task in the world to try to keep track of Sand Springs,
Oklahoma offensive tackle Michael Bowie. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound lineman had
originally committed to Kansas State over the summer. Because of the coaching
change mid-year, the Charles Page High School senior quickly switched his
commitment in favor of the Red Raiders, after taking a visit to Lubbock last
month.
"I felt like I was home the whole time I was there," Bowie told us the day he
verbaled. "I like the coaching staff and it was a place that I could see myself
growing as a person."
In the same interview, Bowie had mentioned that he still might visit the Sooners
when Tech played them in late November. He ended up not going to that game but
it still appears that Bowie is going to take an official trip to the state of
Oklahoma.
"I'm going to go an official visit to Oklahoma State this weekend," Bowie told
us on Thursday night. "I just want to check out their place and see what it's
like."
When asked if he felt like he could possibly be changing his commitment for a
third time, Bowie declined.
"No, I don't think so."
We'll keep an eye on this developing story.
The Clark connection
As reported earlier in the week, Texas
Tech has extended an offer to 2010 defensive tackle Taylor Bible. It was obvious
from the beginning of this conversation that Bible had a thing for a specific
conference.
“When I got the Tech offer, I just thought, ‘Another Big 12 offer!’”, said
Bible. “I really feel like I’m going to end up in the Big 12.”
Of course, it also might help the fact that Denton Guyer will already have one
alumnus in Lubbock as current ’09 offensive lineman Kyle Clark is current
teammates with Bible.
“That would be something I’d be interested in and comfortable with doing,
knowing that I have a friend that’s already there. He could tell me what’s
really going on, how they treat him, and all that good stuff.”
With four offers already in hand, Bible admits that he hasn’t spent as much time
looking into colleges that he would have liked to by now.
“I need to brush up on a lot of college stuff with these offers coming in and
what I think about the colleges. I don’t really know.”
At least Bible has a valid excuse as his team is still in the playoff picture
and competes in the semifinals this weekend. He does have a rough idea of where
he could be looking at for junior days this upcoming spring.
“Texas A&M sent me something in the mail talking about their junior day. LSU is
having a junior day. So far those are the only two junior days that I know
about. I’ll probably find out more about them real quick.”
Look for the Red Raiders to get in that junior day mix with Bible real soon as
well. It will be a big help in Bible’s recruitment to have Clark on their team
as well.
Karam was "scared" about Leach situation
The upcoming state semifinal game for Friendswood is enough to get everyone in
the area amped up about this football team. Perhaps no one else is looking
forward to it more than their quarterback, Texas Tech commit Jacob Karam.
“Everyone at Friendswood is really excited,” explained Karam. “The last time we
won Region 3, our head coach was playing for Friendswood. It’s been really
exciting this year.”
The game will be played at Kyle Field, a place that Karam has been to recently.
“I was actually at the A&M and Texas Tech game. I used to go there all the time
when I was younger to watch them play. I hadn’t been there since my freshman
game. To watch A&M play my future team and for Tech to beat them was
incredible.”
We’re playing Lake Travis and Texas commit Garrett Gilbert this weekend. All of
the offensive coaches at Texas Tech are coming to the game. So I couldn’t get be
more excited. I’m really pumped up for it.”
We asked Karam about his relationship with Gilbert.
“We met at a UT camp together. I haven’t talked to him a long time though. We
met, but we don’t’ talk a lot.”
Karam has spent much time with the coaching staff lately.
“Coach Littrell came to eat at my house last Wednesday and so we got to visit.
He was telling me about how coach Leach was going to stay. He told me that if we
won in the regional finals that all the coaches would come watch me play. So
they’re all going to be there.”
It was a good time at the Karam household the night that Littrell stopped by.
“It was cool. We chilled and my whole family was asking him questions. We talked
about football but also the university. He’s going to be here on Wednesday to
come to this award ceremony for the Houston Touchdown Club. I think some other
coaches are going to be there too.”
Karam has not spoken with head coach Mike Leach lately but says that the media
has been doing enough to get him a little nervous.
“Listening to TV and radio is easy and a little scary for me and all my friends,
asking me if he was going to stay. It was a little scary but I kind of felt that
he was going to stay. I just had a good feeling that Texas Tech is his place. I
really wasn’t that scared. It was a little worrisome, I have to admit.
“Talking to coach Littrell and the conversation he had with my parents and
myself, it alleviated all the worries I had with coach Leach leaving. Now that
he’s staying, I’m just excited to get up there. I’m staying in contact with
these recruits and everyone is excited to get up there.”
The top ranked quarterback has also been keeping up with his future classmates
and says he’s been trying to talk to the following on a regular basis: Emory
Blake, E.J. Celestie, Eric Stephens, Joel Grays, Aaron Fisher and D.J. Johnson.
Since Stephens will be one of Karam’s future weapons in the backfield, we asked
him to evaluate Stephens skills.
“He’s an unbelievable field vision. He has a great burst of speed. When he’s in
space, it’s a done deal. We’re real excited to have him. To get to play with him
in a couple of years is going to be a lot of fun. That goes for every one of
these guys right now. It’s exciting the recruiting class we’re bringing in.”
Clark waiting for Leach to sign
The past two seasons, Denton Guyer posted up a record of 1-19. Now, in Kyle
Clark’s senior year the program is 12-2 and headed to the state semifinal this
weekend. The Texas Tech offensive commitment says that it’s an easy explanation
as to how the team has been able to manage the quick turnaround.
“We have a full senior class finally,” said Clark. “I started as a freshman and
we didn’t have a varsity then. We’ve all worked four years. We’re finally mature
enough with the speed and strength that we need. We’re just ready to get after
it.”
For anyone in the Dallas area, Clark told us to invite all Red Raider fans out
to Texas Stadium at 8:00pm as they’ll battle against Longview.
“We’ll have a little nerves I think. But I believe that we really got a lot of
them out. Try to play in front of the whole tech coaching staff like I did last
Saturday and that’ll get your nerves out pretty quick. I thought I did pretty
well and after that, it all seemed like a breeze and I’m ready to get after it
this Saturday.”
Clark immediately recognized the fact that the Tech coaches were spending their
off time at his game.
“I definitely thought it was great to watch and spend their off Saturday to
watch the game. I know that it was real great and I’m pretty sure I gave them a
pretty good performance. I enjoyed it a lot and couldn’t believe that they all
came.”
That was the most contact that Clark has had with the staff for quite some time
as he has not had his in-home visit yet. For that matter, they don’t have it
scheduled yet either.
“They said they didn’t want to come by the house till after the season so we
didn’t have to change up our routine. Coach Moore, Mainord, and Riley all came
by my school on Monday morning though. I hung out with them a little bit.”
The whole Mike Leach contract definitely came up in conversation. Clark even
admitted that he was nervous when he first heard the news that Leach was
interviewing for the Washington job.
“For a little bit there, I was kind of worried. I heard that Auburn was offering
six million a year and I thought for sure he was gone. A couple of coaches and
kids were asking me about it. I had a couple of reporters call me again. If he
stays, I’m definitely 100% again and I don’t want to go to any other place in
the country.”
While Clark won’t be completely convinced that Leach is staying until the
contract dispute is all done, he still remains strongly committed to Tech.
“You don’t’ want to give in 100% and then find out he’s leaving and then you
really have to play it by ear. Right now, I’m about 98 to 99% sure that he’s
staying. If Coach Leach and Coach Moore are there, I’m down and ready to be
there. I think Tech is a great fit for me and I can’t see myself anywhere else.”
Recruiting has slowed down immensely for the man with atleast seven offers as
well. He’s spoken with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State on the phone over the last
month but there haven’t been any big developments there.
Clark simply wants to win the title and then head to Lubbock this summer.
What's on Bullitt's mind?
If there’s one message that’s been
obvious through the stories we’ve written this week on current commitments, it’s
the fact that the Texas Tech coaching staff is really paying attention to their
2009 class this year. Making sure that the current commitments are continuing to
feel the love is evidently a main concentration right now for the Red Raiders.
Garland defensive back Terrance Bullitt has seen the staff two weeks in a row
now.
“Coach Ruff and Coach riley came by the school today,” he said on Tuesday
evening. “We talked for like two hours. We just talked about a lot of stuff. It
was never a dull moment. We were talking about some real important stuff.”
Defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill had just had his in-home visit with Bullitt
the week before. So what could they have possibly had to still talk about?
“We talked about defensive coverages and my jersey number. I told them I wanted
to wear #1 and they said they already marked it down.”
The jersey number has a lot to do with Bullitt’s older brother, Melvin, who
currently plays for the Indianapolis Colts.
“I just like that. I don’t want to be #19. I’ve always been in my brother’s
shadows and worn his number. I don’t want to tear 33 in college either. So I
just want to make a name for myself. That number is going to be open and I like
number one.”
The jersey number wasn’t the only major topic that was discussed.
“We talked about workouts this summer and what we’re going to do and all that.
I’m going to go to their practice at the Cotton Bowl.”
Heading out to nearby Dallas for the Cotton Bowl will be bittersweet for
Bullitt.
“That’s cool. I was hoping for a BCS bowl but we didn’t get that. That’s crazy.
I think any other year it would’ve happened.”
Then it was time to bring up the possibilities of Bullitt seeing the field in
2009.
“We talked about the depth chart and I told them that if I wasn’t starting then
I wouldn’t want to use a year on special teams.”
Right now, Bullitt is feeling that if he’s not going to be at the top of the
rotation in the fall, then he’d rather sit the bench for a year. What were the
aggressive-minded McNeill’s thoughts on that statement?
“He was glad to hear that. He was glad that I told him that. They were waiting
on me to tell him that. It went real well. He said that I had a chance to start.
He said that he wouldn’t put me out there if I wasn’t ready and didn’t have a
chance to compete for playing time. I’m moving out there like June 7th or June
8th.”
Bullitt was glad that wide receivers coach Lincoln Riley came along for the ride
as well as the Metroplex commitment said that Riley contributed to the
conversation as well, especially when they started talking about Bullitt’s
upcoming official visit.
“Coach Ruff talked the majority of the time but Coach Riley told us some routes
that they do at practice and different plays called. He was drawing it up for
us. I talked to Coach Riley about the recruit type stuff. A few other guys and
myself are taking our visit from Jan 16 ? 18. We talked about whose left in the
class and who he thinks we’re getting.”
Since committing to the Red Raiders last fall, Bullitt has been following this
recruiting class very closely. It’s been evidently from the beginning that it’s
very important to him that he’s surrounded with much talent around him. We asked
Bullitt how he would rate this class.
“Coaches told us that this is going to be our best class ever. I think it’s real
good. I’m hoping we can get a few more guys like the Louisiana defensive lineman
Jonathan Stewart and Rex Burkhead from Plano and maybe a couple more offensive
linemen.
I think we’re pretty set though. Joel Gray should be ranked a lot higher than he
is. Some guys don’t get the respect. I don’t know why.”
Does Bullitt get the respect?
“As far as ranking goes, I think I should be ranked a little higher but it’s not
a big deal to me. Melvin was underrated his whole life. He wasn’t drafted or
anything and he still succeeded and he’s the only guy in his graduating class
from Texas A&M that’s still playing in the NFL.”
Speaking of recruiting, there’s a special wide receiver on Bullitt’s Naaman
Forest team for the 2010 recruiting year named John Harris. He holds an offer
from Tech and we asked what Bullitt’s thoughts were on both Harris’ skills and
future.
“He’s the real deal. He just has to keep working hard. The thing about him is
that he still has to play for our high school team. He can’t think about college
and get too far ahead of himself. He still has a year left.
“He’s a big Texas guy so it’s going to be hard to get him anywhere else. Texas
will make him commit on the spot if they offer too.”
Never afraid to speak his mind, the always honest Bullitt looks forward to his
official visit in January. On that weekend, there will be some high ranked
prospects with him and he looks forward to the opportunity of talking them into
being a Red Raider.
“We’ll definitely try to get them, don’t worry.”
Bullitt is still being pursued by a couple of schools, namely Oklahoma State.
“Yeah, Trooper Taylor from Oklahoma State came by and did an in-home visit,” he
said. “He just was mainly talking about the opportunity I would have to start
right away at Oklahoma State and play in those facilities. He said they’re
losing all their safeties and they need me to come in and start.”
Taylor also took every opportunity to point out Leach's situation to Bullitt.
“Oh, yeah, you know,” laughed Bullitt. “He wasn’t like saying he was going to
leave or anything, but he just told me to make sure and pay attention to the
situation in case he’s going to be leaving and that sort of thing. Nothing dirty
or anything like that, just making sure I was staying on top of it.”
Gray is paying attention
Whree-star offensive lineman Joel Gray is one of Tech’s top commits in the 2008
class, so when he took a sudden visit to UCLA last weekend, several eyebrows
were understandably raised. However, for now, it appears as though Gray’s travel
plans will remain static.
“I’m done as far as I can see, with the exception of my Tech visit on January
16th,” he said. “I think Kyle (Clark) and Terrance (Bullitt) and Rex Burkhead
and a bunch of guys are going to be there, so that’s great.”
However, Gray is a smart kid, and he’s slightly hesitant to give the sort of
gung-ho answers we’ve heard from recruits over the years, only to see their
promises broken. In our opinion, Gray would rather under-promise and
over-deliver than vice-versa.
“I mean, I guess you never say never, but for now, I don’t see myself taking any
other visits,” he commented. “If UCLA or any other school wants to continue
recruiting me, that’s fine, and if they want to come by the house, that’s fine,
my mom will cook for them, but they know going into it that I’m committed and
I’m not looking to cause any trouble. Tech does not have to worry about me
de-committing, that’s all I know.”
Fehoko seeing lots of attention
It’s been a while since we’ve checked in with 2010 linebacker V.J. Fehoko but
rest assured that colleges around the country have been still keeping contact
with him on a regular basis. You name the school, they’ve probably been sending
him letters or e-mails. To name a few: Notre Dame, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA,
Stanford Vanderbilt, Michigan State, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M.
“Alabama has been really high on lately with Coach Saban,” said Fehoko. “They’ve
been inviting me to their games but I can’t make those.”
It was a successful season for Fehoko in which he improved from 11 sacks his
sophomore year to 19 ½ sacks in his junior campaign.
“This is what I work for. There are no excuses when I get on the field. To me, I
think this was my best season that I ever played in my football career. I was
flying around the ball and executing my assignment while making plays. It’s been
pretty hectic. Individually, it’s been pretty crazy.”
Don’t worry Tech fans, you’re still at the top of Fehoko’s list. He kept a close
eye on the Red Raiders this year as well.
“I feel kind of discouraged that Texas Tech got robbed. I think they should’ve
gone to a BCS game. I’m really high on them. Not only because my brother is
playing for them but I feel like they beat Texas and they deserve a shot. I got
love for Tech. I never doubted them this season. I actually thought they were
going to go undefeated the whole way.
“I was really happy for them. It’s really neat to see Texas Tech, a real big
time program, and having coach Leach and coach Mitchell writing me hand-written
letters. The whole coaching staff for Tech wrote me a hand-written letter. Not
only are they a top notch program, but they’re in a top notch conference. I have
a lot of love for Tech. that’s how I feel about them.”
Fehoko’s mailbox is completely full every day and several top programs have
already set visit dates to come see him this spring.
To view previous installments of the Red Raider Confidential, you can visit the
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This post was edited on 12/12 10:35 AM by A. Dickens
