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The coaching staff has been making visits to high schools around the state with the spring evaluation period in full swing, and a handful of new offers have gone out over the past week. Houston (Texas) Westside defensive tackle Jordan Elliott is one of the latest prospects to receive an offer from the Red Raiders.
“I talked with Coach (David) Gibbs from Texas Tech this week,” Elliott said. “He was the defensive coordinator at Houston last year and thought that Texas Tech had already offered me when he made the move over this offseason."
“He told me that I have what it takes to be a defensive lineman past college. Coach Gibbs also told me that he knows I can go anywhere and have a lot of options, but gave me a little advice and told me that it comes down to what is best for me and my family.”
The relationship between Elliott and the Texas Tech coaching staff is brand new, but the standout defender has already connected with some of the coaches and shared his thoughts on Texas Tech as an option.
“Coach Gibbs and I didn’t really talk much about Texas Tech specifically, we mostly talked coach to player and didn’t get into a lot of recruiting stuff,” Elliott said. “I also connected with Coach (Kevin) Curtis from Texas Tech and he is going to be one of my main recruiters from Tech. It’s only been a few days, but he checks in with me every day and we are just getting to know one another."
“I would say that Texas Tech definitely has a chance. They are a Big12 program and I know a lot of people that have gone to school at Texas Tech. I’m open to any school and every program is in consideration right now.”
Elliott had committed to Baylor this past January and recently reopened his recruitment after several new offers over the past few months.
“When I decommitted from Baylor it was just a lot of things,” he said. “I feel that I might have committed too early in the process and wanted to weigh all of my options before making a final decision."
“I’m still considering Baylor, but wanted to reopen things and be open to all of the schools who offer or start showing interest. I still talk with Coach (Art) Briles, Coach (Chris) Achuff and all of the Baylor coaches. Nothing has really changed, they are still recruiting me hard and want me to join the program.”
For now, Elliott only has one visit setup for later this summer and is hoping to narrow down his options to a Top 10 list sometime in August.
“I have a visit to USC planned this summer, but don’t really have any other visits setup right now,” he said. “I would like to release a Top 10 later this summer, sometime close to August or before the season.”
Rated a three-star prospect, the six-foot-five, 300-pound defensive lineman is rated as the number 32 tackle prospect in the nation and the number 50 player in the Rivals Texas Postseason Top 100 for the 2016 class.
-Clare
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Another prospect that received an offer from the coaches this week was Frisco (Texas) Heritage wide receiver Bubba Ogbebor.
“I started to get in touch with the Texas Tech coaches about two weeks ago,” Ogbebor said. “Coach (Kevin) Curtis messaged me and said that they might be interested in me. I gave Coach Curtis a call this week and that is when he told me about the offer."
“I also had a chance to speak with the outside receivers Coach (Darrin) Chiaverini. Both of the coaches told me that I’m a playmaker and they like the way that I highpoint the ball. They believe that I could become an all-conference receiver in their offense because they throw the ball a lot out there.”
The wideout went on to share more from his conversation with the Texas Tech coaches.
“Coach Curtis is all about the little things,” he said. “He wants to know what I’m doing to get better and keeps on me about making sure my grades are in line. The coaches and I talked about setting up a date to visit the campus too."
“I also talked with Coach Chiaverini about the offense they run at Texas Tech. They love to throw the ball around a lot, and as a wide receiver I really like that. We run a true spread here at Heritage too, it’s about 70-30 pass to rush in our offense, so I’m used to being in that type of offense now.”
The six-foot-one, 191-pound prospect currently holds offers from Texas Tech, Iowa, Georgia State and Kansas with a handful of programs showing interest at the moment.
“My next move is to get out to Texas Tech for a visit,” Ogbebor said. “Then I’m going to visit Kansas because my brother is going up there. I’m also going to attend the Texas Tech and Arizona State satellite camps here in the area this summer."
“Coaches from BYU, Oklahoma State, Tulsa and Arizona State are showing a lot of interest lately and my next offer could come from one of those schools this spring. For now, I’m just enjoying the process and trying to learn more about each program.”
The receiver grew up in Virginia and moved to Texas his freshman year of high school where he started playing football.
“I was born and raised in Virginia,” Ogbebor said. “I moved to Texas a few years ago and started playing football during my freshman year. I truly love the sport now and it has brought me some amazing new opportunities.”
Rated a three-star prospect, Ogbebor is listed as the number 91 player in the Rivals Texas Top 100 for the 2016 class. He finished his junior campaign with 60 receptions for 1,042 yards and 19 touchdowns this past season.
-Clare
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The defensive coaches for Texas Tech handed out several new offers this week, and one of the latest prospects to receive an offer from the Red Raiders is Dallas (Texas) Wilmer-Hutchins defensive back DeMarkus Acy.
“Coach (Kevin) Curtis came by the school and watched us work out, go through some drills in practice today,” Acy said last Friday. “We have been talking for a few weeks now, mostly getting to know one another so far. My coaches had me give him a call this afternoon and that is when he offered me."
“Coach Curtis wants me to play corner for Texas Tech. He likes my size and the way I moved around in the workouts. We talked about how I would be a good fit for their defense and they want me to come visit sometime soon.”
A visit to the South Plains is in the works for the standout prospect, and he hopes to learn more about the Texas Tech program now that they have offered.
“I need to work on the date with Coach Curtis, but I’m planning to visit Texas Tech sometime soon,” Acy said. “I don’t know a lot about Texas Tech, but it is my first offer here in Texas and I’m very thankful for that. I just need to get my ACT/SAT testing scores taken care of and then I will be good to go.”
The six-foot-one, 172-pound prospect now holds seven FBS offers and is beginning to receive interest from a handful of other programs lately.
“Recruiting has really been picking up lately,” Acy said. “I haven’t really done very many visits, just a quick visit to SMU here in town. I plan on getting out to some other programs later this spring or sometime this summer."
“Coaches from Arkansas, Oklahoma State, SMU and Oklahoma have been showing interest and could end up offering later this spring after seeing me in practices.”
Acy is currently unranked, but earned District 6-4A All-District first team honors as a junior this past season.
-Clare
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(PART TWO IN NEXT POST)
