Friday can only mean one thing for the discriminating Red Raider fan: time for another edition of the Red Raider Confidential. As always, we begin this session with the ground rules. Everything that is reported in the Red Raider Confidential must stay well… confidential. That's the way this deal works. The Red Raider Confidential is posted in the premium forum to ensure that this information stays exclusively within the Raider Nation.
This will continue to be successful only if everyone helps out, so let’s all work together and keep the discussions limited to this board.
Q&A With Nick Ash
We spent a few minutes with recent Tech offer Nick Ash. The offensive guard out of Keller gave us the latest on his recruiting situation.
RRS: You have five offers right now, is that right?
NA: Yes sir, I’ve got Tech, Nebraska, Washington State, TCU and Houston and I’m honored to have all of them. They’re all really great schools.
RRS: Tell us about Tech a little bit. You said you visited earlier this spring- what’d you think?
NA: I couldn’t get out there for their Junior Day, so my mom and I just went out on a Thursday and I took like a college day for school and just went up there. They gave us a tour of the facilities, the academic buildings, and an opportunity where my mom got to ask all the questions she could think of (laughter). Then we went back and watched the highlight tape, which was awesome, and they said they were going to offer me. So we went into Coach Leach’s office and talked for like half an hour.
RRS: Can you tell us more about your conversation with Coach Leach?
NA: It was pretty funny. I mean, he’s a funny guy, real outgoing and everything. For a head coach to come out and just talk to you like that is pretty nice and just shows that they’re really committed. It was great though, he’s even more laid back than I thought.
RRS: So has anyone stood out to you thus far?
NA: Right now probably Tech and Nebraska have been my favorites. I haven’t been to Washington State, so I can’t say for sure on them, but for now Tech and Nebraska have really been great.
RRS: What caught your eye about those two schools?
NA: Well, just the style of offense- we run a spread that throws the ball like sixty percent of the time in high school, so I think I’d fit in well at either school. As far as Tech goes, I really like them, and my parents like it too. Being from Texas, they can always say it’s a drivable distance and that way my parents can get to all the games, which my parents really like.
RRS: Do you have a timeline at all for when you want to have a commitment made?
NA: I’m not sure. My parents and I have been discussing maybe doing it before the season so as to avoid any distractions, but we’re really not sure yet, so we’ll see.
More on Ryan Clark
When Navarro Junior College safety Ryan Clark committed last week, almost all Red Raiders fans muttered a collective "Huh?" There had been no updates written about Clark by RedRaiderSports.com (or any rivals.com network site for that matter) and his only offer was from Texas Tech.
However, cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchell had been scouting at one of the Navarro practices and requested film on the playmaking safety, and the coaching staff knew Clark was a special talent when they watched his film. In a rather unorthodox move by the staff, they offered Clark the very next day and he committed on the spot. Clark is a ball-hawking safety- he was fifth in the country last season with seven interceptions- but he knows he still has much to improve on.
"I want to get stronger and faster," said Clark. "I'm pretty confident in my cover skills, I'm good in coverage. But I want to get stronger and become a better tackler and be better in run support."
Clark's coach at Navarro, Ray Woodard, thinks he has what it takes to make an impact in the Big 12.
"He’s knowledgeable and puts himself in the proper position. He knows how to play back there. He’s never out of position. He’d probably make a good coach."
It is evident that Clark is an intelligent player who can easily adapt to new schemes, and that should only help him next spring when he begins his career at Tech.
Bullitt still in play?
It was back in January when Texas Tech was the very first to offer Garland safety Terrance Bullitt. With just a few other schools even paying interest, Bullitt listed the Red Raiders at the top of his list.
Five months later, Bullitt has more schools coming after him than he can even count.
“My newest offers are from Southern Miss, SMU, and Rice. Just last week, coaches came to see me from Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas, Arkansas, Iowa, Iowa State, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana Monroe, Notre Dame, North Texas, Purdue, Colorado, and Wisconsin. I see different coaches every day.”
But still, the Tech coaches are staying as consistent as they have been from the beginning.
“First, coach Riley came and saw me on Monday and then the next day he brought coach McNeill. I got to talk to them for a little bit after practice but they can’t really talk to you.
“It went good. Coach McNeill just said that he liked that they’re blitzing me some and that they like how I come off the edge and stuff like that.”
So are the Red Raiders still recruiting Bullit the hardest?
“It’s really hard to say right now. One day I came home with 25 letters.”
But yet, the Garland product is still very aware of who was there when no one else was.
“Yeah, they were the first. They sent the paper first, so you can say that. I like the first offer because they were the first that really showed interest but it doesn’t really make that big of a difference.”
Does Bullitt feel safe with saying he has any favorites at this point?
“Not right now. Right now, I’m just wide open but I do like Tech a lot.”
He insists that the Red Raiders are still in it and will receive a visit from him this summer and the good news is that Bullitt admits he would like to wait until atleast midway through the fall until he makes his final decision. He feels that several official visits are a must before finding his school.
This is an individual that the Red Raider coaching staff and Ruffin McNeill have been very high on for quite some time. Unfortunately for Bullitt, the defensive scholarships are already very tight and who knows what the situation will look like if he holds off until mid-fall.
Tech is at top for Fehoko
We spoke with ‘10 LB V.J. Fehoko last week about his visit to Texas Tech for the spring game. Fehoko spent an entire week in Lubbock with his older brother and current Tech LB Sam Fehoko.
RRS: What have you been up to lately?
VF I’ve just been training and working hard. Just busting my butt. We take it to a whole other level. Right when I came back from Texas, my dad took me to this 20-foot wall made of rocks. It was flat and made of solid rocks and said “V.J., if you can climb this wall then you can be successful with anything in life you want to be. I kept trying and then falling, trying then falling. He told me to sit back and take a few minutes to think about what motivates me and what keeps me going. What motivated me was thinking of my family and after an hour I finally got to the top of the wall. That’s basically how my training has been, with different things like that.
RRS: Tell us about your Tech visit.
VF: Man, I was happy when I got home from the Tech visit. I loved everything I saw over there. Tech to me is one of the top programs in the country. I looked at everything and it seemed to come together and it looked like the right place. I can see why my brother chose Texas Tech. I enjoyed my visit and there’s nothing I didn’t like. All the coaches spent time with ? Ruff and Leach both. And Coach Mitchell took me over to his house to eat and I felt like I was home. Lubbock feels like a second home to me.
RRS: What’d you think about Sam’s performance at practice and the spring game while you were there?
VF: I was pumped to see my brother play. Seeing Sam play middle linebacker with all the talking to me over the phone and finally see him play and become defensive MVP of spring game made me even more pumped. I was real happy to see Sam ball out that day.
RRS: While you were there, did you envision yourself playing on the same field as him, playing right next to him?
VF: Yes, I do. I do think of that, playing next to my brother if I do decide to come to Tech, it would be sweet. Sam would take me under my arms and show me the ropes and I wouldn’t feel alone. I have a lot of guys, besides Sam, like his roommates, that would be there for me. They treated me like family. I got to spend time with a lot of guys, including Omar Castillo and Daniel Howard.
RRS: When you got to spend time with the players, what was that conversation like?
VF: They all told me to come to Tech. I had one of the best times of my life when I went to Lubbock as far as training and having fun with my brother.
RRS: Is it safe to say that Tech is your top school at this point?
VF: Texas Tech set the bar and the standard is really high. Wherever I go now I will compare them all to Tech. If I do feel the same way and they welcome me the same way, then those schools will be in my top vote. They did set the standards very high from academics to football. My brother told me that the Big 12 was a totally different conference and as I saw, it was.
RRS: Did anyone recognize you in public?
VF: I thought that was really crazy. Me and my mom walked through the stands to get popcorn and people were yelling ‘V.J! Come to Tech!’ A lot of people recognized me, from old people to my age. I had guys coming up and asking about my trip and how I like Tech. I told them all how Tech is good to me. It was cool having people recognize me and this was my first time in Lubbock.
RRS: You’re only about to be a junior and have two more years, what are your plans now with the rest of your recruitment?
VF: My recruiting plans right now are to sit back and wait for the process. Right now, I’m just going to try to hit up camps and stuff. But as far as coaches keeping contact, they’re doing the same thing with the same things going on.
RRS: Can you talk about the camps you’re going to go to?
VF: I’m going to make it up to Texas Tech, first. That’s my priority. I’m going to go to Utah for a camp, the All-Poly Camp, a camp in Maui, and I’m thinking about hitting up a couple of combines as well. I’m trying to cut out schools and going to camps or combines where there are a lot of schools and not just one. Texas Tech is the only school I’m going to where it is an individual school.
RRS: So why is Tech the only school you’re going to go to a camp at?
VF: If the schools are showing me love and are real interested in me then I’ll see them but not this summer. When I was at tech, I learned a lot of new things. And with my brother there, I’m also training with my brother. Sam’s going to be there too as well and I feel like I want to attend that camp and I want to see the competition.
RRS: Before we let you go, anything else going on in your life?
VF: Tom Lemming from ESPN is going to come down here and he’s going to find the top 10 2009 players in Hawaii and he did some research and heard about me. He called and said I’m the only 2010 prospect he’s interviewing. He’s going to be interview me on May 19th and I think it’s going to air nationally.
Sims feeling much better with commitment
When DL De’Anthony Sims decided to commit to the Red Raiders last week, it was a decision that he could have made sooner if it wasn’t for his well documented set back after the Tech visit last month for the spring game.
“When we got back on the plane Sunday my appendix bursted,” recalled Sims. “I was in the hospital for a week. I was having stomach aches on Saturday night and when I got on the plan on Sunday night it bursted it and they had to cut me open and clean the poision out from when it burst. It took a while for them to release poison that had gotten into my system.”
“When it burst they said everything felt better so I actually slept till 11:30. Then that night I actually started going to sleep because I didn’t get any sleep the night before on Saturday. Around 11:30 it got really bad, I couldn’t really talk. They took me to the hospital and that’s when they found out.”
Now a month later, Tech fans seem to have nothing worry about and gladly for Sims, everything is looking good.
“Yeah, I’m’ feeling much better. I can’t pad up again till August but I can start lifting weights and going hard on June 2nd.
The tough part for the 6-foot-3, 300-pound lineman is that this incident occurred right before spring workouts. Now, the big man is only observing his team from the sideline.
“It’s very hard to just sit out there and watch them practice and not be in there and not be able to do anything.”
Being sidelined because of an injury is not something that Sims is used to.
“I’ve been playing football since I was little. I played little league and then I picked it back up in the 7th grade. I’ve never had anything like this that has kept me out. I’ve never been hospitalized till this incident. So, mostly I’ve been taking it slow. I’m having to take it slow and I can ease my way into it again after June 2nd.”
Even with the sickness occurring, Sims still could not get the visit to Tech out of his mind.
“It was nice. It was a nice facility, they were really nice. They treated me nice. I didn’t feel like a regular person there. They made me feel good when I went up there. They actually showed that they take care of their players. You can’t really explain but they put the best atmosphere around you that you can really have. They showed that they’re going to work with you with open arms but also make you the best person that you can be.
“The facilities were nice they had a great academic facility, a great weight room, and a great stadium. The academic center was nice.”
Sims reiterated that the more he thought about his trip to Lubbock, the more he fell in love with it.
“I haven’t really done much since the surgery and stuff. But I can tell you that leaving there that day, they exceeded every expectation that I set. It was better than I thought it would be. It was really nice with great players there. I really like the way they do it there.”
The thought of committing came across the prospect’s mind while he was inside Jones AT&T Stadium but he held off, wanting to confirm he was going to be making the right choice.
“I was really thinking about doing it when I was there but I had to get home and see what the best decision was to make family-wise. My Grandmother told me to go for it and I’m going for it. She supports me all the way.”
Sims had a conversation with defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill the night that he pulled the trigger.
“We didn’t talk that much but he was really to the point. He said that he was really excited about my decision and he’s going to help make my decision the best that I’ve ever made.”
Sims has offers from Tech and Houston, but has also heard from other schools, including several very recently.
“Baylor was really looking at me and I got a call from Fresno State the other day. Texas A&M wanted me to call them back and make a visit.”
So, let’s get to the bottom of this. Is Sims 100% done with his recruitment?
“Probably, yeah. But I don’t really know for sure, just maybe. I’m really undecided about that. I don’t really think there’s anything that can flat out change my mind.”
We then gave Sims a minute to think about it and he came back with a very assertive answer:
“I’m 99% done, the slimmest thing possible that can happen is a family emergency that would change my mind and force me to live closer to Houston. But let’s be honest, I’m a Red Raider.”
No more receivers?
With Tech likely only taking one receiver in this class, it appears as though Aaron Fisher beat Jarrod Darden to the punch. Right now, it looks like Fisher will be that one receiver.
Darden was well aware of the time frame involving the availability of that slot, and our guess is that with the offer to Fisher, Darden must not have been ready to pull the trigger and Tech's coaches were moving on.
Now, it must also be known that if a top athlete like a Kraig Appelton or a Ja'Ron Stokes were to show interest in jumping on board, look for Tech to try their best to find room for them. It would be very hard to turn talent like that away.
But in the end it looks like unless someone too good to pass up comes along, the Red Raiders have closed shop at the wideout position.
Defensive scholarships
The numbers are dwindling on the defensive front and look for the staff to begin easing up a bit in giving out any more defensive scholarships. At this time, the main concentration and only position that they’d be looking to fill is at the safety spot. And even then, they only might be able to accommodate an individual.
Why Tech for Crockett?
Several people have inquired as to why Jaye Crockett elected to go out of state since he already held an offer from New Mexico. We asked Crockett’s coach, J.D. Isler, this very subject earlier in the week.
“You know, we talked about that,” said Isler. “And they (UNM) were getting ready to really start recruiting him harder, but it came down to looking at playing in the Mountain West or playing in the Big 12 and that makes for a fairly easy decision.”
Isler says that the opportunity to play in the Big 12 coupled with the way Tech recruited the 6-foot-6 junior, made Crockett feel like Tech would be a good fit.
“They’ve recruited him really well,” said his coach. “Pat came over about two weeks ago and then they sent Bubba back the following week and that’s when he said they were going to offer him, which made Jaye really want to check it out more. So when he did, it made an impression. He liked everything and made the call while he was driving home.
“We had talked about it a lot before he took that visit, just the opportunity to play in the Big 12 and the opportunities as far as playing for great coaches and getting a chance to play early and often, and I think it just all fit for Jaye. I think it’s going to be a good fit for both sides.”
Franklin Talks Tech
Though Duncanville wing Roger Franklin will certainly be a tough recruit to land, he is keeping his eye on the Red Raiders. After offering last month, Franklin is looking to learn more about the West Texas program.
“Well, I know that Coach Knight, of course his father Bobby Knight is a legend, so I’m sure he’s a great coach,” said Franklin. “I’m sure his father gives him a lot of knowledge as far as passing stuff down.”
He also made mention of one of his former teammates.
“I think Tech would be a good fit for me,” he said. “They’ve worked out great for a guy from my school who went there last year, Dwalyn Roberts. And I really like him, so that’s a plus.”
Though he has not been on an official visit to Tech thus far, the star athlete says he plans on making it down on a visit “real soon.”
To view previous installments of the Red Raider Confidential, visit the archives by clicking here.
Again, The Red Raider Confidential is a special feature for RedRaiderSports.com subscribers only. Everything that is reported in the Red Raider Confidential must stay well… confidential. That's the way this deal works. The Red Raider Confidential is posted in the premium forum to ensure that this information stays exclusively within the Raider Nation.
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