I have to say I am extremely impressed by the recruiting strategy of David Gibbs. In a matter of 3 months, he's managed to do what no defensive coach has been able to accomplish here since John Goodner's departure which is simply put together a complete football roster. The plan was systematic and clear. While not quite complete yet, as we need two more safeties in the class, we are simply down to going all in for Andrew Fitzgerald and Marvin Terry in the front 7, two absolute stud players by any rating standard. We don't have to land them for a successful class, but as for monetizing our recruiting time, it can't be done much better at Texas Tech. Looking at 2016's roster, here's how things shake out on the depth chart:
WDE - Mitchell/Moore/Z. Barnes/Gilmore
NT - Pipkens/Outlaw/Washington/Thomas (We've got enough bodies on the DL that I forgot about a 5 star transfer we landed from Michigan. Don't be disappointed when he's not as quick as a 2 star from Longview.)
DT - Fehoko/McCann/Jackson
SDE - Miller/Deshay/N. Jones/(Fitzgerald moves to the top with a commitment)
MLB - Allen/Woods/Hinton/(A guy like Terry probably won't even change the order - like we could RS an NFL draft pick)
WLB - Jenkins/Brooks/Picone or Stringer
NLB - Mack/Hendrix/Taylor/Stringer
CB - Bethel/Madison/Armstrong
S - Ward/Jah. Johnson/J. Barnes
S - Jam. Johnson/Dixon
CB - Nelson/P-Bray/Banks/Fields
That's about as talented of roster as we've ever accumulated on that side of the ball. Let's hope Gibbs can get them to play, but I consider our defensive roster mended at this point. Only two JUCOs on the entire depth chart. I don't hold anything against JUCO players on our roster and they've been extremely critical to our program over the years, but we're not the kind of outfit that needs to rely on them. We have a plethora of good options from Texas high schools that will sign up with us and Gibbs' first class is the best example. Bear in mind, that the 4 star NT listed above from Georgia was beat out in the first two weeks of practice on the depth chart by a couple of 2 and 3 star true freshmen from Texas on the OL. Stars aren't equal by region due to the level of competition. Prospects from this state are the best of the best that the nation has to offer. The only recruiting list that truly matters is the all district lists as voted by the high school coaches that face these players. I don't really put much stock in any other lists as those are the most accurate.
WDE - Mitchell/Moore/Z. Barnes/Gilmore
NT - Pipkens/Outlaw/Washington/Thomas (We've got enough bodies on the DL that I forgot about a 5 star transfer we landed from Michigan. Don't be disappointed when he's not as quick as a 2 star from Longview.)
DT - Fehoko/McCann/Jackson
SDE - Miller/Deshay/N. Jones/(Fitzgerald moves to the top with a commitment)
MLB - Allen/Woods/Hinton/(A guy like Terry probably won't even change the order - like we could RS an NFL draft pick)
WLB - Jenkins/Brooks/Picone or Stringer
NLB - Mack/Hendrix/Taylor/Stringer
CB - Bethel/Madison/Armstrong
S - Ward/Jah. Johnson/J. Barnes
S - Jam. Johnson/Dixon
CB - Nelson/P-Bray/Banks/Fields
That's about as talented of roster as we've ever accumulated on that side of the ball. Let's hope Gibbs can get them to play, but I consider our defensive roster mended at this point. Only two JUCOs on the entire depth chart. I don't hold anything against JUCO players on our roster and they've been extremely critical to our program over the years, but we're not the kind of outfit that needs to rely on them. We have a plethora of good options from Texas high schools that will sign up with us and Gibbs' first class is the best example. Bear in mind, that the 4 star NT listed above from Georgia was beat out in the first two weeks of practice on the depth chart by a couple of 2 and 3 star true freshmen from Texas on the OL. Stars aren't equal by region due to the level of competition. Prospects from this state are the best of the best that the nation has to offer. The only recruiting list that truly matters is the all district lists as voted by the high school coaches that face these players. I don't really put much stock in any other lists as those are the most accurate.
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