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UPDATE: Friday Flare - recapping 2025 OVs, a top target sets commitment date, 2025 commit highlights and more

good morning boys and girls, happy Friday

in this week's Flare...

-recapping 2025 official visitors
-a top target sets his commitment date
-2025 commitment highlights
-recruiting around the Big 12


Friday Flare



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Perfect for passionate Texas Tech fans like us, chocolate milk isn’t just a delicious treat—it’s packed with nutrients that keep you energized. Whether you’re finishing a workout, tailgating, celebrating a big win, or just need a tasty pick-me-up, chocolate milk is your go-to drink for strength and recovery AND treating yo’ self! Let’s raise our glasses and toast to a season of victories and unforgettable moments with chocolate milk by our side.

Check out everything there is to know about chocolate milk (plus milk, cheese, yogurt, YOU NAAAAME it), and the hardworking dairy farmers that provide it for you here: https://www.dairymax.org/
@Williermo

Why do we act like

We are this historic powerhouse championship program. I’m sorry but we aren’t. I get that y’all are frustrated about Joey but he’s still your best answer. I love looking at @Brandon Bohannon post because 90% of y’all that agreed with it 2 weeks ago are calling for Joey to be fired now. Stop acting like the solution is to fire Joey and go “back up the brinks truck”. That’s not who we are. I love Tech but I’ve never even seen us get close to a Big 12 title game besides ‘08. And that year was so outside our norm it isn’t funny. The solution is sitting right here in Lubbock, TX. However, I am all ears at the solutions y’all have.

OT: Public School vs Private vs Home School

We just moved into Lovejoy ISD. My wife and I have different opinions on the route we want take right now public/private vs home school. I am more on the Lovejoy side or private school. I 100% do not want home school. I am looking to talk with someone about her concerns around public school education and, uh, the "extra stuff." I am being super vague intentionally because this will get sent to EEF quickly if we dive in here. Anyways, would love to talk via DM or something. It would be great if you have a kid that is currently enrolled in Lovejoy ISD or private school.

UPDATE: Perry hopes to flush special teams issues against Baylor pres. by Prosper Energy Management

Interesting convo with a coach who's unit was a detriment on Saturday. Highlights follow.

Opening Statement:

"We've played pretty good around here the last two years, special teams wise. And I thought, you know, Saturday was a definite step back for us, because we've been playing really good. But I thought that game turned because of the way we played on special teams. We didn't punt real well. We let some turnovers happen that have not happened. And it changed the whole momentum of the game. I'm sick but I think you guys know, I ain't sitting there crying about, I'm moving on. It was hard to take because that was probably the worst we've done. We're going to move on, we're going to be alright but that game's totally on me. I'm not going to sit here and blame anyone but myself because I didn't get our guys ready to play and they did."
Coach McGuire mentioned that there was a bit of weird energy around the program last week, did you feel the same?
"We've been playing really well. I thought that one thing this team has been doing is playing physical. And I thought that that didn't happen Saturday. They took it to us. That was what was disappointing, because I keep preaching for us to be one of those teams, you gotta play physical. And you know, my unit, the special teams unit, did not, and like I said, I take that personal. That's my job to get those guys ready to play and I didn't, for whatever reason anyone wants to say, I'm just gonna blame myself, I'm not going to put it on anybody."

McCray's return decsions...

"I think Drae right now is just pressing...As good as Drae is, they're not all going to be big returns or touchdowns, that's where we've had to go back to the basics, and it's my fault. We're trying to drum everything up and scheme everything up on every kick. And people are kicking the ball away from him, they're doing things. So we've just got to be smart. I got to be smart and just get the ball on the 25 yard line. Let's go play because our offense is good enough to do that. But we can't put ourselves in so many bad situations, put our defense in bad situations, and it's on me."

What led to so many issues on punt?

"I mean, there's two styles of it, you know, there's one where it does run, and then there's one where you just need to hang it up. And he didn't hang it. And then we had a guy miss a tackle that was unblocked. So that was the two biggest issues...you can't hit the ball low. I think it was like a 2.9 or a 3.0 hang, and that's just never going to end good. We've got to work on that. Jack, he's frustrated, he's going to work on that, but again, that's us. We've got to get him better, that's why we're here."

What'd you think of J'Koby in the passing game?

"It's J'Koby. J'Koby in space is unbelievable. I think he's going to be as good as there is doing that. The most impressive thing with him is that he's also pretty physical when it comes to blocking and things like that. (Kittley) does things that he uses our players, he's done it all year and I think getting J'Koby more comfortable with our scheme and being able to do things like that helps us and J'Koby in the long run."

What led to Baylor being able to tackle in space so well?

"I thought Baylor did a great job of tackling this space, to be honest with you. As running backs, you can't block everybody, so you've got to make people miss. That's one thing that we focus on week-to-week. Tahj has made a lot of guys miss, those younger guys like I said, J'Koby, and Cam's (Dickey) is getting better. I thought Cam came in and had some really good runs there in the fourth quarter. That's what he's got to do, he's got to come in and run hard to give Tahj a spell."

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Prosper Energy Management is a mineral management company based in Dallas/Fort Worth with a Red Raider as a founding member. With over 35 years of experience in oil and gas management, Prosper provides full start-to-finish management, as well as tailored service, with the mission of serving their clients above all else. Prosper specializes in petroleum engineering, giving their clients that competitive edge when tackling the complexities of leasing, land & title, division orders, accounting, forecasting, etc
www.prosperenergymgmt.com

@Zacbash10

RECRUITING: Elite EDGE Chad Woodfork, a TCU commit, talks weekend visit to Texas Tech pres. by Chocolate Milk


Just got off the phone with Woodfork earlier tonight and wanted to get this story up for y'all. Feel pretty good about him but we'll see, obviously Tech had a good pitch which got him interested enough to visit despite his TCU commitment.

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Perfect for passionate Texas Tech fans like us, chocolate milk isn’t just a delicious treat—it’s packed with nutrients that keep you energized. Whether you’re finishing a workout, tailgating, celebrating a big win, or just need a tasty pick-me-up, chocolate milk is your go-to drink for strength and recovery AND treating yo’ self! Let’s raise our glasses and toast to a season of victories and unforgettable moments with chocolate milk by our side.

Check out everything there is to know about chocolate milk (plus milk, cheese, yogurt, YOU NAAAAME it), and the hardworking dairy farmers that provide it for you here: https://www.dairymax.org/
@Williermo

Limited Edition Chilean Sea Bass Crackers (Previously Gold Fish Crackers)




I am guessing all of the more healthier alternatives in the kids crackers game has taken its toll on. Now they are shifting gears.

Special Teams … What in the world!?

I apologize if I have missed a thread on this already, but I don’t feel like this is getting enough attention on here.

What we saw yesterday from our ST units was utterly baffling. Does everyone realize that we would have likely LED at halftime if not for all the ST blunders? You gave up 10pts in the H1 when BU wasn’t exactly moving the ball all over you yet at that time in the game. Aside from the points, you gave up so many yards of FP all game long it was disgusting.

Had ST showed up like they had all year, this game would have been drastically different. We had to play from behind and play tight the entire game because of ST. As bad as the defense was, I am squarely in the camp that they wouldn’t have been this bad without the ST units just totally letting this team down yesterday. Something we hadn’t seen prior to yesterday.

That cannot happen again. It is reason 1A, IMO, why you lost yesterday.

RELEASE: Tahj Brooks named a finalist for a very prestigious award

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Full release below:
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech senior running back Tahj Brooks was named a finalist Wednesday for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy, the premier scholar-athlete award that is annually presented by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.

In recognition of being tabbed a finalist, Brooks will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2024 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. He will travel to Las Vegas on Dec. 10 for the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner where one of the 16 finalists will be presented with the Campbell Trophy for being the nation’s top student-athlete to “combine academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.”

Brooks becomes the sixth Red Raider in program history and the first since 2012 to be recognized as a NFF National Scholar-Athlete, joining a prestigious list that includes the likes of John Scovell (1967), Keith Cockrum (1999), Kliff Kingsbury (2002), Graham Harrell (2008) and Cody Davis (2012).

“Tahj Brooks is not only one of the best players in college football but also one of the best students and teammates I’ve had the privilege to coach,” Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire said. “He is more than deserving of this honor. Tahj will forever be remembered as one of the best players in our history, and his inclusion as a Campbell Trophy finalist further exemplifies that. We look forward to celebrating his success the remainder of this season and again at the NFF Awards Dinner in December.”

Brooks was selected as a finalist from a record number of 204 semifinalists submitted to the NFF nationwide from across all NCAA divisions and the NAIA. Candidates must be either a senior player in his final year of eligibility or be a graduated player or graduate transfer who has already earned a bachelor’s degree. Each candidate must have a minimum cumulative 3.2 GPA on a 4.0 scale to go along with outstanding football ability as a starter or significant contributor as well as exemplary leadership on the field, in the classroom and within the community.

Those attributes have more than described Brooks throughout his tenure as a Red Raider.

Now in his fifth season, Brooks is on pace to become Texas Tech’s all-time leading rusher as he needs 363 yard to match Byron Hanspard’s record entering this Saturday’s road trip to TCU. Brooks has totaled 3,856 yards on the ground over his career, including 804 already this season in only six games played. He currently ranks third nationally for rushing yards per game (134.0) and 11th in total rushing yards.

Brooks entered the top 10 in Big 12 Conference history this past weekend for career rushing yards. He is only 144 rushing yards shy of becoming the third Red Raider all-time and the ninth Big 12 player in history to rush for at least 4,000 yards in a career. Brooks is also on pace to snap Texas Tech’s career rushing attempts record and ranks in the top five for both career 100-yard games and rushing touchdowns.

Known for his patient running style, Brooks is a multi-year team captain who has helped push the Red Raiders to three-consecutive bowl victories at the 2021 AutoZone Liberty Bowl, the 2022 TaxAct Texas Bowl and the 2023 Radiant Technologies Independence Bowl. The Red Raiders are currently 5-2 overall this season and 3-1 in Big 12 play, only one win shy of bowl eligibility for the fourth-consecutive season.

Off the field, Brooks has hosted a youth football camp in his hometown of Manor, Texas, outside of Austin the last two summers. He is a regular participant in Texas Tech’s community service initiatives, often visiting local schools to mentor students throughout West Texas.

In the classroom, Brooks is a three-time first team Academic All-Big 12 selection who earned his bachelor’s degree in sport management with a minor in advertising last December. Brooks boasted a 3.55 GPA as an undergraduate student as he is currently pursuing a certificate in sports communications during his final season as a Red Raider.


For the latest news on Brooks and his chase of Texas Tech’s all-time rushing record, please visit TahjTime.com.

2024 William V. Campbell Trophy Finalists

Tahj Brooks
, RB – Texas Tech (3.55 GPA – Sport Management)

Robert Coury, LB – Carnegie Mellon [PA] (3.97 GPA – Mechanical Engineering)

Jaxson Dart, QB – Ole Miss (3.71 GPA – Business)

Beau Freyler, DB – Iowa State (3.91 GPA – Kinesiology)

Dillon Gabriel, QB – Oregon (3.43 GPA – Multidisciplinary Studies)

Ashton Gillotte, DL – Louisville (3.69 GPA – Communications)

Brody Grebe, DE – Montana State (3.93 GPA – Mechanical Engineering)

Mark Gronowski, QB – South Dakota State (3.76 GPA – Mechanical Engineering)

Terrance Hollon, LB – Howard (3.90 GPA – Health Science)

Jack Kiser, LB – Notre Dame (3.82 GPA – Business Analytics)

Luke Lehnen, QB – North Central [IL] (3.76 GPA – Exercise Science)

Brayden Long, QB – Slippery Rock [PA] (4.00 GPA – Sport Management)

Jake Majors, C – Texas (3.65 GPA – Business Management)

Seth McLaughlin, C – Ohio State (4.00 GPA – Finance)

Jalen Milroe, QB – Alabama (3.52 GPA – Management)

Jackson Woodard, LB – UNLV (3.77 GPA – Kinesiology)

Hurricanes and insurance.

This years hurricane season is drawing to a close. We saw 2 cat 5's this year. One, the first week in July, the last in October. That makes 8 in the last 8 years. The National Hurricane Center estimates there were a total of 11 cat 5 from 1850-1959, 60 years. Does anyone still want to claim this it's another normal pattern of Earth's climate evolution of over thousands of years? Watching Desantis denying the obvious last week was embarrassing. It's not a case of "if" we'll get hit, it's "when", and how many. The financial hit from such a storm will be huge for Texas taxpayers as we are forced to keep our subsidized plan viable. This doesn't include problems with our national flood plan. Even the most conservative estimates of rising sea levels will exacerbate problems more.

Insurance companies have had enough and Progressive became the latest insurer to announce their pulling back from Texas. Florida has seen almost every company pull out or reduce their policies. The few left have decreased coverage and dramatically raised premiums. Both states have instituted state supported insurance plans, ours being the Texas Fair Plan. The state insurance commission agreed to a 10 percent premium increase this year due to our cat 1. Imagine what we could see with a cat 3 or 4, or heaven forbid, a cat 5.
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