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Red Raiders have ground to make up with Gramling
We spoke with Denton (TX) Ryan offensive lineman Garrett
Gramling earlier this week and came away from the conversation
with the distinct impression that Texas Tech has a lot of ground to make up with
the talented prospect.
“I like the school alright but I wasn’t too sold on living out in Lubbock,” said
Gamling. “It’s still a possibility but they’re not at the top of my list right
now. It’s not just that it’s a long drive from home but there’s nothing out
there.”
While being upfront with his opinion of the Hub City, Gramling still remains
optimistic about the Red Raiders.
“I’ve only been out there once. My view of it could change. I’m not trying to
mark off any schools right now because I haven’t made a decision yet. It’s still
a probably but, right now, West Texas isn’t one of my favorite places that I’d
like to live.”
If Gramling didn’t enjoy Lubbock on a night where he saw one of the best
atmospheres in the history of the town, we’re not expecting for his view to
change.
There have also been rumors that Gramling is not looking to play in a spread
offense at the next level although he did not admit that in this interview.
“Tech’s offense is a lot like our high school’s offense that we run so it
wouldn’t be too big of a transition.”
Another individual that won’t be having too much of a transition from high
school to college is Gramling’s teammate and current Tech commit, quarterback
Scotty Young.
“I think it’s a really good fit for him because of how good of a passer he is.
It’s the kind of offense he’s been running the last three years. I knew he
really liked Tech so I was surprised he committed this early but not surprised
he committed to Tech.
“He tried to get me to go out there after he had just committed. He doesn’t
really talk much about it. Right now he’s happy with the decision that he made.”
Gramling admitted that he’s thought about pass blocking for his current
quarterback in college.
“I’d really like to do that and we’ve talked about it before. We know it’s a
possibly but it’s not going to weight too much into my decision because I’m
trying to find a place that fits for me.”
And from the sounds of it, that place will most likely not be Texas Tech.
Tairu excited about getting to Texas Tech
Possibly one of the
biggest things that this Texas Tech basketball program could use is a boost of
confidence. Fortunately for the Red Raiders, South Plains College guard
David Tairu has an abundance of that.
“I’m going to Texas Tech to win a national championship,” said Tairu. “Nick and
I are going to win another championship.
“Do I think we can win it next year? Yes, we can. When A&M went 0-16 in the Big
12 conference, the next year they went to the NCAA tournament and went far so
why not us? It’s all about faith. You have to have faith.”
Whether it’s on or off the court, Tairu is not short on faith. While many
college students were out enjoying their spring break this week, Tairu was on a
mission trip.
“I’m telling you, God is the way.”
It’s Tairu’s passion to lead others around him that makes him more than just
another name on the roster.
In order to get on the scorecard, he also knows that a little more work needs to
be done.
“I have to take Government II and am taking a summer school course at South
Plains. After I pass that, I will be qualified to enroll at Texas Tech.”
Though Tairu’s not expected to be an official Red Raider until July, he’s still
preparing for it right now.
“Nick (Okorie) is just tells me that it’s a huge transition from junior college
to division I and that I’m going to have to work hard with anything I have to
do. I’m just working hard to try to get on the floor at Tech right now. I’m
working hard on the workouts.”
Working with head coach Pat Knight is something that this young
talent looks forward to as well.
“You can tell that he really loves to coach. He’s on his players and the
referees. He’s a winner and you want to be around winners. I really like him.
He’s a winner.”
Tairu was the heart and soul of SPC last year and Red Raider fans need to be
ready to see a lot of him next season.
Onuwukaife not necessarily looking to go out-of-state
There have been many rumors circulating for months that Cedar Park (TX) Cedar
Park defensive end Holmes Onwukaife wanted to go out-of-state.
With offers from all over the country, he definitely has that option. But when
talking about the Texas Tech offer, he brought up the speculation without being
prompted.
“Some people think that I want to go to a school out of state but I’m keeping
all my options open and letting everything happen and evaluating from there,”
said Onwukaife.
Throughout the interview, it was obvious that he was saying everything he could
to make the point that he was definitely interested in the Red Raiders.
“They set themselves above everyone else because at Tech they have the highest
graduation rate and that really stands out to me. Plus, this past season they
had an outstanding season after beating Texas. I’m eager and anxious to go down
there and check them out.”
Those were just his initial thoughts when he brought up Tech but the 6-foot-3,
220-pound prospect was just beginning.
“I know that Lubbock is a big town that’s away from any other large towns. I
also know that they have a strong medical program and they had an outstanding
year this year. I’m just looking to know more.”
Onwukaife also admitted that he actually is more educated on Tech than other
programs because of his where he’s located.
“I have a lot of classmates whose brothers or friends have gone to Tech. They’ve
told me how it is and how the campus is around Tech.”
Because of that, the reaction to the Tech offer amongst family and friends has
been much different than any of the other schools that are pursuing the
defensive lineman.
“I remember that when I told my friends and family, they kept saying, ‘I know
you’re going to go to Tech, right?’ There are some friends I know that are real
big Tech fans.”
Sure, he has seven other offers but as soon as the one from Tech came in the
mail, Onwukaife was on the phone with defensive coordinator Ruffin
McNeill.
“I called him last Thursday. First off, I wanted to thank him so much for the
offer. I wanted to see how things were and start a relationship with him.
“He seemed like a real animated guy. After we talked, we exchanged e-mails and
talked to each other. They’re real jacked up and excited to get me down there
and show me around the campus.”
The Tech DC had no problem telling Onwukaife on why exactly they wanted him to
be a part of their team.
“They said that they love my explosiveness and the way that I pursue to the
ball, even from across the field to make a tackle. They like my effort and how
much I love the game.”
Although a visit date is not set in stone at this point, Onwukaife said that he
will definitely be heading towards the Hub City soon.
Finally, he had one more comment that further leads us to believe that Tech is
going to be a big contender in his recruitment.
“I will surprise everyone when I pick my school. I don’t have any favorites at
this time. I know that people don’t think I’ll go to a certain school. When I
visited Rice unofficially, it was my first visit and it was a totally different
experience. I’m going to wait until I visit all these schools and maybe I’ll
give you a better answer as to who I like the most.”
We’re not saying that Tech fans should start learning how to spell and pronounce
his last name quite yet. But the Red Raiders definitely have a legitimate shot
at Onwukaife.
Premium Q&A: Former Red Raider Daniel Charbonnet
What was your routine up there in Atlanta as you prepared for your pro day?
DC: Basically, we'd just come up there everyday and we'd
go out and do a lot of running and work on all the drills and the forty and all
the position drills we are going to do and we do that for about two hours. Then
we'd go into the weight room and lift for about two hours.
Was it difficult in the beginning?
DC: It’s a little different than what you were doing. I
think Benny (Wylie) is the best strength coach in the country, but it’s
different when you come out here to a place like this and you’re training
specifically for certain drills, like just the forty-yard dash and then doing
some position work too. I think the biggest thing is there is only about seven
or eight guys to a group and then there’s four coaches, so you’re getting a lot
of personal attention they are teaching you every little specific aspect of
every drill and everything about your stance and just things like that, that you
cant really get on a level where you’re out there working with huge groups of
guys and only a limited number of coaches, so I think that’s the biggest
difference. It’s tough but one of the coaches came up to me because Eric
(Morris) and Graham (Harrell) and (Stephen) Hamby are all out here and he said,
‘Do all you Texas Tech guys work this hard.’ I think that is a testament to
Benny and how he prepared us all throughout our careers.
Aside from the three Red Raiders that you mentioned, who else was up there
in Atlanta with you guys?
DC: One of them, definitely the most interesting, I don’t
know if you remember, I think he was a top recruit in the country a few years
ago, Willie Williams? Yeah, he’s out here working out with us and you hear all
these stories about him and like he’s a huge stud and all that. It’s kind of
funny ever since I’ve been around him he’s got a huge smile on his face and he’s
a lot of fun to be around, he’s a funny guy, he hasn’t had any problems since he
has been up here. Maybe he’s got his life turned around or whatever, but it was
pretty funny working out with him after hearing all those stories about him
through the years. There’s a couple more guys, I think there is a guy from TCU,
a safety from TCU, a few guys from UGA because it’s so close, there’s some
Maryland guys, a really good linebacker from Maryland. I’d say total there’s
about 40 or 50 guys just from all over the country.
Why did you guys choose to train in Atlanta with that program?
DC: Well, I knew a little bit about it going in because
the guy who owns it, his son played with me at Duke. So, I found out about when
I was up there and I just heard all about it and I saw the results they were
able to produce for some of their clients and some of the guys that have worked
out there. He took Brian Urlacher out of college out of New Mexico and he gained
like 30 pounds and dropped his 40 about two-tenths. I mean Chip Smith he is
top-notch and is probably the best in the business when it comes down to
performance coaches, he has been around the longest, he has been around longer
than any of the guys in the country. Not only does he work you and get you
better for pro day and combine stuff, but he makes you a better football player,
too. That’s why I chose him, I think Emo, and Graham and Hamby would say the
same thing.
Could you talk a bit about your younger brother, Aaron, walking-on at Texas
Tech?
DC: I’m really excited that it worked out for him to come
out there, even though he is walking on, I don’t even think that will matter.
He’s a good football player. He’s probably got the most natural ability out of
anybody in our family, he’s just been kind of hampered by injuries the past
couple of years and didn’t really get to play any full seasons until this year,
he had a pretty good year. I’m real excited about him going out there and
working with coach (Carlos) Mainord, because Coach Mainord knows what he is
talking about and he will teach him some football, so I’m excited about being
able to come back and watch both of them play.
What about the two guys, Cody Davis and Franklin Mitchem, that are expected
to take over your's and Darcel McBath's spots?
DC: I think they are definitely going to have to really
work hard. I think they are both really talented kids, and another one that you
don’t hear many people talk about is Brett Dewhurst is up there
with them. If you watch all the kick-offs this past year and look for his number
and he is down there making plays almost every time. He is just a play-making
safety and he is going to be on the field next year one way or the other. The
combination of those three guys I think they will be all right, two of the guys
will have to step up and it will be good because they will have competition
between each other and this spring will go a long way in showing how that is
going to unfold. I’m not worried about it, I think Cody Davis
is just a ball-hawk and he understands football and is just a good athlete. Then
Franklin he’s got the size and speed and he can make a lot of plays back there
running the routes. I think once they learn the more and more they play the more
you will see them. They will be good for the future, so no worries.
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This post was edited on 3/20 2:51 PM by A. Dickens
