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If you're in the Lubbock area and looking to get into shape, but don't know where to start, check out the website for Cardinal's Fitness. You can sign up for individual classes -- no contract or membership required -- that are good for people at any fitness level.
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San Antonio (Texas) Roosevelt safety Arrion Springs, who was in attendance for Tech's spring game last Saturday, said his favorite part of the visit was, hands down, getting to hang out with the coaching staff.
"Just the energy the coaching staff brings, they're young and energetic," he said. "They just have great vibes with each other and it's a family there."
Running back coach Mike Jinks, in particular, is one coach that stands out to Springs. The former Cibolo (Texas) Steele head coach has played a key role in getting a Texas Tech getting some traction in the San Antonio area.
"The people that Coach Jinks is recruiting, he's pretty much telling them he had a great thing going at Steele and he wouldn't leave that just to go to some college that's going to lose," Springs said. "They're trying to big things there. I believe him too because, Steele, they were amazing. He's really good at what he does, recruiting and coaching."
The coaching staff has done a great job getting the Red Raiders into the mix with Springs, but there is still work to do. Springs has not been shy about naming Oregon and Miami as favorites, and it doesn't help Tech's chances that he finally picked up an offer from the Canes this week.
On the positive side of things, Tech and Texas are the two local schools in the mix for Springs. If for some reason heading out of state becomes less appealing, Tech will be in great shape with the Roosevelt safety.
Tech's stock has been climbing ever since the new staff was hired so doubt count them out in the Springs sweepstakes just yet.
- Rosen
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Rockdale (Texas) offensive lineman Josh Pelzel made a return visit to Lubbock for Tech's spring game this past Saturday. The 6-foot-7, 334-pound prospect was glad to finally meet the new coaching staff, and spent some quality time with position coach Lee Hays.
"I got to finally meet all the coaches I've been talking to over Facebook and what not," he said. "Really good atmosphere out there, the guys were fired up. The coaching staff was just as fired up as anyone. They're young and energetic. Everyone was flying around, and having a good time. It really looked like a whole new Texas Tech."
Pelzel paid particular attention to the offensive line, and noted Tech has room to add plenty of depth at the position.
"They only had seven guys rotating in and out, and they ran, I think, 140 plays," he said. "They started out strong, but they were dying towards the end."
"Coach Hays was talking to me about it, and he said he'd love to redshirt me my first year if I went them but he just doesn't know if he could with the depth they have. He definitely needs some help pretty soon."
With Lubbock not being easily accessible for Pelzel, offensive line coach Lee Hays seemed to make it a point to put in a lot of one on one time with the coveted recruit.
"We talked a lot after the game," he said. "We went and ate dinner in the press box together and just talked about where Id fit in, what position I'd play, who would be coming back, all that good. From that point, Hays walked us out to our car and we talked to him for a good 30 minutes in the parking lot. I got to sit down and talk to him a lot for a long time."
The visit went so well, in fact, Pelzel entertained the idea of committing to Tech on his way back to Rockdale.
"I thought about it on my way home," he said. "I'm definitely going to commit somewhere before football season, probably mid-summer or early summer."
According to Pelzel, Tech and Baylor are pretty much even at the top of his list. Aside from Waco's close proximity to home as a slight advantage for Baylor, the lineman said the schools are in a dead heat.
"I really like Baylor and Tech," Pelzel said. "They're both about even right now. I was really hoping that when I went to Tech I would be blown away or find something I didn't like so it would make the decision easier. It was just a really good visit, and I really like the school. It's really tough right now to call."
- Rosen
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Helotes (Texas) O'Connor cornerback Jeilyn Williams was one of several defensive back prospects in town for Tech's spring game, and the corner seemed to thoroughly enjoy his visit.
"It was really nice," he said. "I really liked it. Everybody is a football fan, and the big city is there, the coaches are good, and everyone supports you. I really liked it. I loved the spring game. Everybody was excited. A ton of people came out there and supported it."
Williams is a teammate of Tech signee and offensive guard Baylen Brown and the duo got a chance to take the trip up to Lubbock together last weekend.
The D.B. said that he really looks up to Brown as a team leader and noted that the lineman is absolutely happy about choosing the Red Raiders.
"Me and Baylen Brown went down there," he said. "He's a really good guy that works hard, and he's always pushing us to get better and work harder. He really, really likes Tech and he's really energetic. He told me that it's really nice and really has me interested in them."
Being from the San Antonio area, Williams' primary recruiter has been running backs coach Mike Jinks. The two have built a great bond early on, and Williams was glad to meet him along with corners coach Kevin Curtis over the weekend.
"I hung out with Coach Jinks and Coach Curtis," Williams said. "Coach Jinks, he coached at Steele, and I had a chance to meet him when he was down here. He's really cool. We joke around, and his running back, Justin Stockton, who's committed to Tech, we competed in track. Coach Curtis, we talk about stuff like Halle Berry, movies like The Hangover, and just whatever. I really like both those guys."
The Red Raiders are definitely in the market for a few more corners, and they like what they see in Williams. He feels that he's a very physical corner and would be a great fit in Tech's aggressive system.
"They told me that they like my speed, that I can hit, that I really get after the ball, and that I really like contact," he said. "I feel like I can press really well and support the run. The only real problem I have is the long ball because of my height. I don't get tired, though and I'm really physical."
Now that he's been to Lubbock, Williams can say that he has a legitimate interest in the Red Raiders.
"I really like it," Williams said. "I didn't know much about Tech before what Baylen had told me. I've been to other colleges, and people have told me how it would be at them, but that's not always true. What Baylen told me, it was all true."
Tech has no offered, but Coach Jinks will be down to evaluate the D.B. in the coming week or so.
- McKay
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The Red Raiders are also interested in Round Rock (Texas) cornerback Brandon Bullock. He was in Lubbock for Tech's spring game as well and he had a great time meeting Tech's coaching staff and getting to know more about Coach Kingsbury's program.
"It was a great visit. The atmosphere out there is great," he said. "Everyone is fired up about Coach Kingsbury, the young coaching staff, the team looked good, so I think Texas Tech is looking to make a little noise this year. My favorite part was getting to meet all the coaches. That, and getting to see all their facilities. Their facilities are great. It was awesome watching the game and getting to see the team perform and stuff."
He was impressed by the atmosphere at the spring game. He liked how the fans came out to support the team and liked what he saw out of the red and black offense.
"The atmosphere was electric," Bullock said. "Their stands were pretty filled for a spring game, not even a regular game. The game was good, the team looked sharp throwing it around, and the offense just looked really good."
The coach that Bullock has been in touch with the most so far is inside receivers coach Eric Morris. He got to meet the receivers coach for the first time on Saturday, and he enjoys the energy that Morris brings.
"I got to meet Coach Kingsbury briefly and also got to meet Coach Morris as well," he said. "He seems like a great guy, a great young coach. He's full of energy, a really fun guy, down to earth, and he really seems to know what he's talking about."
Bullock wasn't the only guy to visit over the weekend from Round Rock, however. K-State commit and Tech O-line target Robert Castaneda made the trip down with the corner, and the two are fairly good friends. Bullock isn't sure what the lineman is going to do, but he knows that Castaneda does really like the Red Raiders.
"I've got a buddy, Robert Castaneda, that goes to school with me," he said. "He says that he really likes the atmosphere at Tech. I'm not sure where he's at right now with them, though. That's his business, not mine. But I love Robert. We hang out on the weekends all the time and are great friends. I'll be happy wherever he goes."
Overall, Bullock had a great trip. He thinks Tech may have something special brewing under Kingsbury and is excited to see what they do this fall.
"I think those guys know what they're doing," the cornerback said. "Everyone is definitely fired up about the young coaching staff. They're going to have a good year this year, have some great young players, so I'm looking forward to watching them this year."
Bullock does not hold an offer from Tech, but Morris and several other coaches will be in Round Rock to evaluate him in the coming days.
- McKay
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The Red Raiders are starting to fill up on wide receivers, but one of their targets still on the board is Garland (Texas) Naaman Forest wide receiver and Texas State commit Marcus Perkins Jr.
Perkins, who does not yet hold an offer from Tech, said that he had a great time hanging out in Lubbock and love getting to spend some time with some of the Tech players and other recruits.
"It was cool," Perkins Jr. said. "That atmosphere was good. The coaches, they showed a lot of love. I didn't expect them to do. I got to hang out with Davis Webb, KD Cannon, my quarterback, Justin Walker, and the quarterback that just committed, Patrick Mahomes. We hung out together, so it was kind of different. I didn't expect all of that."
The coach in charge of recruiting Perkins Jr. so far has been safeties coach Trey Haverty. Haverty has been recruiting the wideout since he was at TCU so the two have gotten to know each other extremely well over the last year or so.
"Coach Haverty is my main recruiter, and we talk all the time," Perkins Jr. said. "We talk pretty much every week. He's a guy recruiting our area, and he was actually recruiting me to TCU, so I've known him for a long time. I talked to Coach Cumbie and the D-line coach a little bit."
As far as what he does well as a receiver, Perkins Jr. sees himself as a versatile player. He likes to play the deep ball, but he also feels he could be a shifty slot player as well.
"I have a lot of different things that I do well," he said. "I'm very fast, have great straight line speed, and I love to catch the deep ball. I'm the type of guys that can make guys get, and that's like my speciality. I'm also a good route runner, and most people don't realize that. I can play inside and outside both and I know how to get great separation. You can count on me to catch the ball whenever it heads my way."
The Naaman Forest prospect really wasn't extremely interested in Texas Tech before his trip out to Lubbock, but that's certainly changed. Perkins Jr. said that he was really surprised by the unique, family atmosphere at Tech.
"Before the visit, I couldn't really say that I had any interest. I mean, I know a couple of guys that go out there that don't play football, and I know Terrance Bullitt pretty well, but after my visit, my interest has really been sparked. Just seeing how the Tech coaches are, how they interact with both the players and recruits, they show everybody a lot of love. They're all really down to earth guys, and it's very rare that you get that. But they're definitely up there, man. They're up there pretty high."
The Red Raiders may run out of receiver spots before an offer is extended. Perkins Jr. does understand that, but he thinks that he may be able to get an offer in the next few weeks when Tech evaluates him again.
"I do know that they're only taking four receivers, so I'm not really sure if I'm going to get offered or not. But I do have a lot of interest in them," he said. "Coach Haverty's been communicating with me more and more, just letting me know what's going on, and he's been honest with me about the whole process. He did say that they have a real high interest me and told me that I'd be hearing from them a lot more."
Perkins is currently committed to Texas State and is receiving interest from Boise State, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tech.
- McKay
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The Red Raiders aren't done recruiting Whitehouse (Texas) just yet.
Tech is going for the three-peat while recruiting safety Justin Dunning to its Class of 2015 to supplement Dylan Cantrell and Patrick Mahomes in back-to-back classes and the program has a lot of traction in the East Texas community.
"It was a great visit overall," Dunning said. "That was my first time to Texas Tech. I got to go out there and go to the spring game. All the coaches showed me a lot of attention. They were all real cool. We've got a lot of good players and they all like Tech, and it looks like Tech likes us. I've seen a lot more Tech fans here since Dylan committed."
Trey Haverty and Sonny Cumbie followed up on Cumbie followed up on Dunning, Mahomes and Cantrell Tuesday in Whitehouse.
"They didn't pressure me into committing because it's early," Dunning said of their conversations in Lubbock. "But they were talking about what a good place Tech is and to stick with them through the process."
Aside from Tech, Dunning's lone scholarship early in the process, he receives attention from Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor and Oklahoma.
"It's too early for me to name a top school, but Texas Tech is up there right now," the safety said.
This post was edited on 4/26 10:06 AM by A. Dickens
If you're in the Lubbock area and looking to get into shape, but don't know where to start, check out the website for Cardinal's Fitness. You can sign up for individual classes -- no contract or membership required -- that are good for people at any fitness level.
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San Antonio (Texas) Roosevelt safety Arrion Springs, who was in attendance for Tech's spring game last Saturday, said his favorite part of the visit was, hands down, getting to hang out with the coaching staff.
"Just the energy the coaching staff brings, they're young and energetic," he said. "They just have great vibes with each other and it's a family there."
Running back coach Mike Jinks, in particular, is one coach that stands out to Springs. The former Cibolo (Texas) Steele head coach has played a key role in getting a Texas Tech getting some traction in the San Antonio area.
"The people that Coach Jinks is recruiting, he's pretty much telling them he had a great thing going at Steele and he wouldn't leave that just to go to some college that's going to lose," Springs said. "They're trying to big things there. I believe him too because, Steele, they were amazing. He's really good at what he does, recruiting and coaching."
The coaching staff has done a great job getting the Red Raiders into the mix with Springs, but there is still work to do. Springs has not been shy about naming Oregon and Miami as favorites, and it doesn't help Tech's chances that he finally picked up an offer from the Canes this week.
On the positive side of things, Tech and Texas are the two local schools in the mix for Springs. If for some reason heading out of state becomes less appealing, Tech will be in great shape with the Roosevelt safety.
Tech's stock has been climbing ever since the new staff was hired so doubt count them out in the Springs sweepstakes just yet.
- Rosen
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Rockdale (Texas) offensive lineman Josh Pelzel made a return visit to Lubbock for Tech's spring game this past Saturday. The 6-foot-7, 334-pound prospect was glad to finally meet the new coaching staff, and spent some quality time with position coach Lee Hays.
"I got to finally meet all the coaches I've been talking to over Facebook and what not," he said. "Really good atmosphere out there, the guys were fired up. The coaching staff was just as fired up as anyone. They're young and energetic. Everyone was flying around, and having a good time. It really looked like a whole new Texas Tech."
Pelzel paid particular attention to the offensive line, and noted Tech has room to add plenty of depth at the position.
"They only had seven guys rotating in and out, and they ran, I think, 140 plays," he said. "They started out strong, but they were dying towards the end."
"Coach Hays was talking to me about it, and he said he'd love to redshirt me my first year if I went them but he just doesn't know if he could with the depth they have. He definitely needs some help pretty soon."
With Lubbock not being easily accessible for Pelzel, offensive line coach Lee Hays seemed to make it a point to put in a lot of one on one time with the coveted recruit.
"We talked a lot after the game," he said. "We went and ate dinner in the press box together and just talked about where Id fit in, what position I'd play, who would be coming back, all that good. From that point, Hays walked us out to our car and we talked to him for a good 30 minutes in the parking lot. I got to sit down and talk to him a lot for a long time."
The visit went so well, in fact, Pelzel entertained the idea of committing to Tech on his way back to Rockdale.
"I thought about it on my way home," he said. "I'm definitely going to commit somewhere before football season, probably mid-summer or early summer."
According to Pelzel, Tech and Baylor are pretty much even at the top of his list. Aside from Waco's close proximity to home as a slight advantage for Baylor, the lineman said the schools are in a dead heat.
"I really like Baylor and Tech," Pelzel said. "They're both about even right now. I was really hoping that when I went to Tech I would be blown away or find something I didn't like so it would make the decision easier. It was just a really good visit, and I really like the school. It's really tough right now to call."
- Rosen
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Helotes (Texas) O'Connor cornerback Jeilyn Williams was one of several defensive back prospects in town for Tech's spring game, and the corner seemed to thoroughly enjoy his visit.
"It was really nice," he said. "I really liked it. Everybody is a football fan, and the big city is there, the coaches are good, and everyone supports you. I really liked it. I loved the spring game. Everybody was excited. A ton of people came out there and supported it."
Williams is a teammate of Tech signee and offensive guard Baylen Brown and the duo got a chance to take the trip up to Lubbock together last weekend.
The D.B. said that he really looks up to Brown as a team leader and noted that the lineman is absolutely happy about choosing the Red Raiders.
"Me and Baylen Brown went down there," he said. "He's a really good guy that works hard, and he's always pushing us to get better and work harder. He really, really likes Tech and he's really energetic. He told me that it's really nice and really has me interested in them."
Being from the San Antonio area, Williams' primary recruiter has been running backs coach Mike Jinks. The two have built a great bond early on, and Williams was glad to meet him along with corners coach Kevin Curtis over the weekend.
"I hung out with Coach Jinks and Coach Curtis," Williams said. "Coach Jinks, he coached at Steele, and I had a chance to meet him when he was down here. He's really cool. We joke around, and his running back, Justin Stockton, who's committed to Tech, we competed in track. Coach Curtis, we talk about stuff like Halle Berry, movies like The Hangover, and just whatever. I really like both those guys."
The Red Raiders are definitely in the market for a few more corners, and they like what they see in Williams. He feels that he's a very physical corner and would be a great fit in Tech's aggressive system.
"They told me that they like my speed, that I can hit, that I really get after the ball, and that I really like contact," he said. "I feel like I can press really well and support the run. The only real problem I have is the long ball because of my height. I don't get tired, though and I'm really physical."
Now that he's been to Lubbock, Williams can say that he has a legitimate interest in the Red Raiders.
"I really like it," Williams said. "I didn't know much about Tech before what Baylen had told me. I've been to other colleges, and people have told me how it would be at them, but that's not always true. What Baylen told me, it was all true."
Tech has no offered, but Coach Jinks will be down to evaluate the D.B. in the coming week or so.
- McKay
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The Red Raiders are also interested in Round Rock (Texas) cornerback Brandon Bullock. He was in Lubbock for Tech's spring game as well and he had a great time meeting Tech's coaching staff and getting to know more about Coach Kingsbury's program.
"It was a great visit. The atmosphere out there is great," he said. "Everyone is fired up about Coach Kingsbury, the young coaching staff, the team looked good, so I think Texas Tech is looking to make a little noise this year. My favorite part was getting to meet all the coaches. That, and getting to see all their facilities. Their facilities are great. It was awesome watching the game and getting to see the team perform and stuff."
He was impressed by the atmosphere at the spring game. He liked how the fans came out to support the team and liked what he saw out of the red and black offense.
"The atmosphere was electric," Bullock said. "Their stands were pretty filled for a spring game, not even a regular game. The game was good, the team looked sharp throwing it around, and the offense just looked really good."
The coach that Bullock has been in touch with the most so far is inside receivers coach Eric Morris. He got to meet the receivers coach for the first time on Saturday, and he enjoys the energy that Morris brings.
"I got to meet Coach Kingsbury briefly and also got to meet Coach Morris as well," he said. "He seems like a great guy, a great young coach. He's full of energy, a really fun guy, down to earth, and he really seems to know what he's talking about."
Bullock wasn't the only guy to visit over the weekend from Round Rock, however. K-State commit and Tech O-line target Robert Castaneda made the trip down with the corner, and the two are fairly good friends. Bullock isn't sure what the lineman is going to do, but he knows that Castaneda does really like the Red Raiders.
"I've got a buddy, Robert Castaneda, that goes to school with me," he said. "He says that he really likes the atmosphere at Tech. I'm not sure where he's at right now with them, though. That's his business, not mine. But I love Robert. We hang out on the weekends all the time and are great friends. I'll be happy wherever he goes."
Overall, Bullock had a great trip. He thinks Tech may have something special brewing under Kingsbury and is excited to see what they do this fall.
"I think those guys know what they're doing," the cornerback said. "Everyone is definitely fired up about the young coaching staff. They're going to have a good year this year, have some great young players, so I'm looking forward to watching them this year."
Bullock does not hold an offer from Tech, but Morris and several other coaches will be in Round Rock to evaluate him in the coming days.
- McKay
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The Red Raiders are starting to fill up on wide receivers, but one of their targets still on the board is Garland (Texas) Naaman Forest wide receiver and Texas State commit Marcus Perkins Jr.
Perkins, who does not yet hold an offer from Tech, said that he had a great time hanging out in Lubbock and love getting to spend some time with some of the Tech players and other recruits.
"It was cool," Perkins Jr. said. "That atmosphere was good. The coaches, they showed a lot of love. I didn't expect them to do. I got to hang out with Davis Webb, KD Cannon, my quarterback, Justin Walker, and the quarterback that just committed, Patrick Mahomes. We hung out together, so it was kind of different. I didn't expect all of that."
The coach in charge of recruiting Perkins Jr. so far has been safeties coach Trey Haverty. Haverty has been recruiting the wideout since he was at TCU so the two have gotten to know each other extremely well over the last year or so.
"Coach Haverty is my main recruiter, and we talk all the time," Perkins Jr. said. "We talk pretty much every week. He's a guy recruiting our area, and he was actually recruiting me to TCU, so I've known him for a long time. I talked to Coach Cumbie and the D-line coach a little bit."
As far as what he does well as a receiver, Perkins Jr. sees himself as a versatile player. He likes to play the deep ball, but he also feels he could be a shifty slot player as well.
"I have a lot of different things that I do well," he said. "I'm very fast, have great straight line speed, and I love to catch the deep ball. I'm the type of guys that can make guys get, and that's like my speciality. I'm also a good route runner, and most people don't realize that. I can play inside and outside both and I know how to get great separation. You can count on me to catch the ball whenever it heads my way."
The Naaman Forest prospect really wasn't extremely interested in Texas Tech before his trip out to Lubbock, but that's certainly changed. Perkins Jr. said that he was really surprised by the unique, family atmosphere at Tech.
"Before the visit, I couldn't really say that I had any interest. I mean, I know a couple of guys that go out there that don't play football, and I know Terrance Bullitt pretty well, but after my visit, my interest has really been sparked. Just seeing how the Tech coaches are, how they interact with both the players and recruits, they show everybody a lot of love. They're all really down to earth guys, and it's very rare that you get that. But they're definitely up there, man. They're up there pretty high."
The Red Raiders may run out of receiver spots before an offer is extended. Perkins Jr. does understand that, but he thinks that he may be able to get an offer in the next few weeks when Tech evaluates him again.
"I do know that they're only taking four receivers, so I'm not really sure if I'm going to get offered or not. But I do have a lot of interest in them," he said. "Coach Haverty's been communicating with me more and more, just letting me know what's going on, and he's been honest with me about the whole process. He did say that they have a real high interest me and told me that I'd be hearing from them a lot more."
Perkins is currently committed to Texas State and is receiving interest from Boise State, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tech.
- McKay
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The Red Raiders aren't done recruiting Whitehouse (Texas) just yet.
Tech is going for the three-peat while recruiting safety Justin Dunning to its Class of 2015 to supplement Dylan Cantrell and Patrick Mahomes in back-to-back classes and the program has a lot of traction in the East Texas community.
"It was a great visit overall," Dunning said. "That was my first time to Texas Tech. I got to go out there and go to the spring game. All the coaches showed me a lot of attention. They were all real cool. We've got a lot of good players and they all like Tech, and it looks like Tech likes us. I've seen a lot more Tech fans here since Dylan committed."
Trey Haverty and Sonny Cumbie followed up on Cumbie followed up on Dunning, Mahomes and Cantrell Tuesday in Whitehouse.
"They didn't pressure me into committing because it's early," Dunning said of their conversations in Lubbock. "But they were talking about what a good place Tech is and to stick with them through the process."
Aside from Tech, Dunning's lone scholarship early in the process, he receives attention from Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor and Oklahoma.
"It's too early for me to name a top school, but Texas Tech is up there right now," the safety said.
This post was edited on 4/26 10:06 AM by A. Dickens
