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Big Visitor This Weekend
Aledo (Texas) running back
Johnathan Gray will be unofficially visiting Texas
Tech this weekend. The 2012 standout confirmed that he'll be heading up to the
South Plains this afternoon during a brief text message exchange; we are
scheduled to interview Gray early this afternoon.
Gray's visit means that the Red Raider staff will have hosted the top in-state
prospects for the 2012 class at quarterback (Matt Davis), running back (Gray)
and linebacker (Derek David) over a three week span. Pretty impressive stuff.
Quiet Summer For Edwards
(Texas) wide receiver
Derek Edwards gave his commitment to Texas Tech almost
three months ago and, not surprisingly, has continued to be pursued by several
programs around the region.
"Arkansas and Texas A&M are still coming at me pretty hard. Kansas State has
also started talking to me," he said. "Oklahoma State has backed off some, and
of course, I still talk pretty often with the coaches at Tech.
"I talked to Coach [Neal] Brown a couple of days ago. It had been a little while
so I had to give him a call and check up on him."
Edwards has also remained in frequent contact with a few of his fellow 2011
commits, continuing to build a base for the relationship that will come to
fruition just a little less than a year from now.
"As far as recruits go I'm still talking to them a lot," he said. "I'm actually
texting
Michael Brewer right now and I just got done talking to
Tony [Morales].
I talk to those guys pretty often."
The 6-foot-1, 163-pound speedster has had a busy summer on the football field
and off, and is soon to begin preparations for another sport in which he excels:
track and field.
"So far I've just been doing a lot of working out, playing 7-on-7," Edwards
said. "I had summer school this year, which was a little different, but I
knocked that out quick so now I'm getting back to normal. I'm about to start
summer track practice as well."
Edwards will have one more addition to his summer schedule as he has been chosen
to be one of a few select prospects to be profiled by NextLevelAthlete.com.
"I just learned that I'm supposed to be the No. 2 receiver in the state or
something like that," he said. "So they're going to come to Brenham and feature
me and what I do everyday. More of a personal look, I guess you could say."
If all goes according to plan, Edwards hopes to visit the South Plains before
the summer ends.
"I'm hoping to try and take a visit to Tech sometime soon just because I haven't
been up there in a while," he said. "I'd like to just get up there and chill
with the players, be around the program. That will be about it for me this
summer as far as visits go."
Despite the continued attention from programs like Arkansas, Texas A&M and the
like, Edwards is not wavering in his pledge to the Red Raiders.
"I'm definitely still 100 percent Tech, in my mind," he said. "I'm always told
by my coaches, family and friends to keep an open mind about everything but,
like I've said, I'm a Red Raider at heart and that's still where I'm at right
now."
David Making The Rounds
Rockdale (Texas) linebacker
Derek David continues to make the in-state rounds.
After a visit to Texas Tech two weeks ago, the 2012 standout paid a visit to
Austin to check out Texas.
"Coach [Will] Muschamp wanted me to come watch him operate at the camp and kind
of get to know him in that environment," he said. "He's an intense guy. Seems
like a tough dude."
David is recovering from ankle surgery and unable to participate in any camps,
but that hasn't kept him from taking taking a couple of unofficial visits. A
trip to Texas A&M is up next for David, and he still has hopes of taking a trip
to see a few college football heavyweights outside of the Lone Star State.
"It's tough to get around to the two I have left that I want to go see in
Alabama and Ohio State. I still want to make it happen before the fall, but I
haven't been able to make any plans yet," he said. "I'll go to Texas A&M next
Wednesday and that will be the last trip I have planned so far."
Since leaving the South Plains, David has stayed in frequent contact with the
Red Raider staff.
"I talk to Coach [James] Willis a lot," he said. "He's a really cool guy. He
feels like a 'dad' type of guy. I know he'd put me in the position that is best
for me.
"He talks a lot about the future of defense at Texas Tech. He's confident in the
guys he's got coming in and it sounds like I could be one of the pieces that
could complete what he's got in mind. He makes me feel like I'm there already
when I talk to him. Like I'm already a part of the family."
David hopes to make a decision "maybe around December," but certainly before his
senior campaign.
"If I can't come to a decision by Christmas, I'll probably make it happen before
my senior year," he said. "I'd like to know where I'm going before I begin my
last season of high school football."
David consistently lists a top five of (in alphabetical order) Alabama, Ohio
State, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.
Offer Surprised Robertson
Grand Prairie (Texas) South Grand Prairie defensive end
Roy Robertson is one of
the latest defenders to pick up an offer from Texas Tech.
time in Lubbock was real good," Robertson said. "The coaches were real good. It
was an atmosphere that I could work with if I went there, if I played in Lubbock
for Tech. But it was a good experience. I stayed in the dorms for the whole
thing and it was a good experience."
Robertson said he has a real good relationship with the coaching staff, in
particular defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson.
"Coach Robinson, the coach that recruits me for Tech, he's just a real down to
earth guy," Robertson said. "He has a good sense of humor, he's just real cool,
but when it comes to coaching he can be real serious when he needs to be. Then
Coach Willis, the defensive coordinator, he's just a coach that I can be around
just being a defensive player. But Coach Robinson is just a real cool dude, I
like being around him, and he's a good friend.
"Coach [Tommy] Tuberville seems like a good head coach, but he's not one of the
coaches I have seen before, so I would have to get used to him. Watch him coach
on TV, like I would Coach [Mike] Price or Coach [Mike] Leach, like I have the
past few years. But all the coaches up there were real cool."
Even though Robertson knew that the Red Raiders were interested in him, he was
surprised when he learned of the offer.
"Well, it was surprising. " the 6-foot-5, 240 pounder said, "I really didn't
know they were going to offer me, but Coach Robinson had told me they were real
interested, but I just didn't know that they were that interested to where they
would offer me. Once I got offered, I was just real happy, I was happy to find
out that Texas Tech was interested in offering me and wanted me to play for
them. I was real excited; I was real happy about it."
Robertson lists Texas Tech and UTEP as his two leaders; he hopes to make a
decision before New Years.
"I'm thinking like November or December," Robertson said, "that is when me and
my dad are really trying to decide on how early or late I should commit. He
doesn't want me to commit too early, he wants me to keep my options open. So, me
and my dad are really thinking between November and December is when I should
fully commit to a school."
Premium Q&A: Toby Jackson
We caught up with Corsicana (Texas) Navarro J.C. defensive lineman
Toby Jackson to get more thoughts on his recent visit to Texas Tech.
On the visit:
TJ: "It was good, I enjoyed myself."
On the Texas Tech campus and Lubbock:
TJ: "It was a pretty nice campus. It is a nice college
town, it is kind of out by itself away from everything else in Texas, it is nice
it is just far away from everything."
On the Red Raider staff:
TJ: "I talk to Coach [Robert] Prunty the most, I have
known him for awhile from when he coached me at Hargrave. So we have a really
good relationship."
On Tuberville:
TJ: "He is a really great guy. I met him once before when he
was recruiting me for Auburn out of high school. "
On what else stood out:
TJ: "I wouldn't say anything necessarily stood out, I have been
to a lot of schools and seen a lot of things. It was impressed by them and like
them a lot. I got good feedback from the coaches and the campus is nice. They
told me how they are going to use me and it got me excited. I was looking at the
depth chart and how quick I could come in and make an impact fast. I am very
interested but do not have any top schools yet. I like them, I like them a lot."
Quick Hits
* Corsicana (Texas) Navarro J.C. defensive lineman, and former Auburn player,
Cameron Henderson on meeting Texas Tech head coach Tommy Tuberville again:
"Meeting Coach Tuberville again was awesome. He's a great guy and a good coach."
* Rockdale (Texas) linebacker
Derek David on the recent commitment of teammate
Le'Raven Clark: "I already knew he was going to do it. He was talking about
it the entire way up there and the whole way back, so I was ready for it. He's
really excited about Tech."
* Tampa (Fla.) Jefferson wide receiver
Andre Davis lists a top six of Arkansas, Florida State, Kansas, Miami, Texas
Tech and USF.
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This post was edited on 6/18 8:03 AM by A. Dickens
