The Red Raider Confidential is sponsored by Cardinal's Sports Center. If you need Texas Tech gear or Under Armour apparel, the best place to go in our opinion is Cardinal's -- they have a tremendous location in Lubbock (Slide and S. Loop 289), a store in Plano and a fantastic selection on their website.
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.
---
While things have been hectic for the new coaching staff at Texas Tech, the prime focus for the Kliff Kingsbury regime has been solidifying the program's 2013 commitments as well as beginning to get in touch with uncommitted prospects of interest. Stockton (Calif.) San Joaquin Delta C.C. tight end prospect De'Marieya Nelson was the latest target at a position of need to hear from the Tech coaching staff, specifically his recruiting coordinator Sonny Cumbie.
"I actually talked to him a little bit earlier today. I had been meaning to call him, but I had wanted things to cool down for them a little bit before I gave him a call," he said. "He gave me a run down a little bit and things are going good out there. I guess the head coach had seen my film and they're still interested in me. We kind of spoke briefly, didn't get all in depth. He's going to give me a call back later and I'll get a chance to talk to the head coach."
Speaking of the new head coach, Nelson hasn't had a chance to do any in depth research on Kingsbury, but likes what little he knows about him so far.
"I've been busy with finals and stuff do I haven't gotten the chance. I know he played quarterback there, came from a great program, that's about all I know."
Sometime in the near future, Nelson will get a chance to talk to Kingsbury and get to know the new head man a little more as well as how he fits in with the Red Raiders heading forward. For now, Coach Cumbie made sure the diverse offensive prospect knew that he was still on Tech's radar.
"He was telling me that they're still highly interested in me and I'm still a priority there since the coaching staff changed. That's big," he said. "Since everything changed, I haven't got a chance to talk in depth to them about everything, who they're recruiting, what's the plan, the next step, all of that. When I get a chance to talk to him, I'll be sure to ask him these questions and get some of these answers."
Given the long journey Nelson has traveled to get to his point in his football playing career, he found it surreal that two different coaching staffs at Tech would approve an offer for him to play in the big time.
"Man, I feel very blessed," Nelson said about having his offer approved by the new staff. "I hadn't heard from them since the new coaching staff came in so I was kind of thinking maybe it didn't work for the new head coach but hearing that it did, kind of opened my eyes. I'm looking forward to speaking with the head coach and seeing where he's at with everything as well as taking my visit up there."
So where does Texas Tech currently stand with Nelson?
"That's my biggest offer. A lot of things should stay the same and I still have high interest in them."
Nelson's visit to Lubbock was initially scheduled for December 14th weekend. However, due to the sudden exit of Tommy Tuberville, the tight end prospect decided to reschedule his visit sometime in early January. He has already taken official visits to San Diego State and Utah State.
Nelson holds offers from Texas Tech, San Diego State, Utah State, Fresno State and Memphis among others.
- Rosen
---
Lancaster (Texas) wide receiver prospect Demarcus Ayers has not been shy about professing his desire to be a Red Raider.
Ayers has been hearing a lot of good things about Tech from a couple of Red Raiders.
One the people telling him good things, of course, is 2013 quarterback commit Davis Webb.
"I'm kind of close with the quarterback commit Davis Webb," Ayers said. "We actually beat Davis Webb's team in the third round of playoffs. He's a great player, phenomenal player, great kid, plays the game well, knows what he's doing. Besides that, the relationship with him, ever since we played them, he respects me, I respect him, I admire his game, and he admires mine.
"I got a chance to chat with him over the weekend and he told me good look at state and he'd be coming to watch. I got a chance to talk to him also about his visit this past weekend. Everything I told him about Coach Eric Morris, he said was right. I think he loves Coach Kingsbury and Coach Morris also, so that's a good thing."
Another source is former Lancaster teammate La'Darius Newbold, a 2012 Tech signee. The conversation between them has reaffirmed Ayers' feelings about Tech.
"He told me pretty much, if I came and visited and I liked it, to go ahead and make a decision to join," Ayers said. "He's just been giving me updates on the program, telling me how the coaches have come in and everybody loves them.
"He has been telling me if I come on a visit, I'm going to love it and if I like what I see to go ahead and pull the trigger. He said even though he had to redshirt, he's enjoying it. He got up there and got a lot better and bigger, more physical, and mentally smart knowing the game. He said it's a great place to be right now and he had a blast even though he hasn't touched the field."
Once Ayers gets an offer from Tech, which he expects to happen, it may be only a matter of time before he pledges to the Red and Black.
- Rosen
---
Jacksonville (Fla.) Eagle's View Academy 2014 quarterback and current Texas Tech commit D.J. Gillins has found the coaching transition to be a little awkward. Gillins' initial recruiting coordinator, Chad Scott, has moved on to Kentucky while the current coaching staff has yet to contact the Rivals250 prospect.
"I'm just waiting for them to reach out to me first," he said. "Communication, that's it. I don't have a timeline but I hope they do it soon."
While Gillins doesn't know a whole lot about new head coach Kliff Kingsbury, he did offer up a few comments about the hire.
"I like it," he said about Tech choosing Kingsbury to replace Tommy Tuberville. "My first time seeing (Kingsbury's offense) was when (Texas A&M) played Florida. The spread and designated runs for the quarterback, it's nice.
"I know he trained Johnny Manziel and was responsible for that offense at Texas A&M. Knowing he coached a great player like Manziel is a great achievement and knowing Johnny Manziel was that good because of him. I hope I can be that good one day."
Not surprisingly, Gillins has been a little more open as of late given the circumstances that surround his commitment. The four-star quarterback is still committed to the Red Raiders, but is interested in Kentucky and Louisville as well.
"I've talked to Coach Chad Scott and they offered," Gillins said. "He's one of my favorite recruiting coaches. Our communicating is really good. We chat pretty much like we've been friends forever.
"Charlie Strong, he had commitment to his team and all the coaches stayed with him. He could've gone anywhere but he wanted but he stayed at Louisville, which was pretty big. Ron Dugan is a really good recruiter, too. Their jump to the ACC helped."
Despite his flirtation with other programs after the recent upheaval at Texas Tech, the Florida native is still receiving positive encouragement from Jakari Dillard, the other 2014 Texas Tech pledge.
"He tells me to stay committed," Gillins said. "He says Kingsbury is a great coach and you can do great at Texas Tech."
It will be interesting to see if Gillins and the new coaching staff choose to go in different directions or remain committed to each other after the next couple of weeks of thorough evaluation.
- Rosen
---
Thursday was a big day for Munday (Texas) athlete Dee Paul.
The Moguls defeated Tenaha in the state title game 42-14, and Paul contributed with three touchdown runs of over 50 yards apiece. We weren't able to get ahold of Paul after the game on Thursday night, but he did tell RRS on Sunday that it would be very special to cap things off with a state title win.
Things are obviously clicking for Paul on the recruiting trail as well, seeing as Tech and Oklahoma State are both pushing for the senior playmaker. Paul spoke with new Red Raider head coach Kliff Kingsbury for the first time last weekend, and Kingsbury is just as committed to picking up Paul as the previous staff had been.
"I talked to Coach Kingsbury (on Saturday)," Paul said. "He said that he'd really like to have me and that I'd be able to make some good things happen if I come there. He told me I was going to get my chance right away.
"He's a great offensive guy. What he did with Johnny Manziel, how he just put the offense in his hands and let him make plays. I know he played at Tech and owns a ton of school records, some NCAA records. I know he was a really good player and knows how to coach up a player."
In almost every conversation that Kingsbury has had with the media so far, he's said that he plans on bringing in a young, vibrant, and excited coaching staff. Paul thinks it would be a blast to have such a young group of coaches because they would be very hands on and relatable.
"I think it would be fun because I know they would involved a bunch in practice and maybe even going out there to practice with us," Paul said. "It would be kind of fun to do that. I just think that they're young coaches, so hopefully they'll be there for a long time. I know Kingsbury, I'm going to guess that he'll be at Tech a long time because he played at Tech. I think with Kingsbury coming in, it's really healing that fan base. He's going to have a lot of support and a lot of fans, and they're going to be patient with him."
Paul got to speak with new secondary coach Kevin Curtis as well.
Curtis believes that the senior can come in and compete right away, and he sees big things for the Munday star at cornerback.
"We haven't really built up a relationship yet, but before, I didn't really have a big relationship with Coach John Lovett either," he said. "We just talked, and we talked about my goals and what I wanted to do,. He thought that I had great speed, and he thought that I would be a really good fit for what they're trying to do. They're trying to bring in taller corners. He thinks that with the class we're going to bring in that we can be really special with the recruits and stuff, and he thinks that I can be a really special player at the next level."
With his senior season wrapping up today, we know Paul will focus on recruiting from now until signing day. When we spoke to him on Sunday, he said that things were still tight between Tech, OSU and Baylor and that he was still completely focused on bringing a title home to Munday.
"Tech and Oklahoma State are still neck and neck," Paul said. "I'm going to wait until after our season to decide. Right now the spotlight is on the Munday Moguls, not Dee Paul."
- McKay
---
Hewitt (Texas) Midway receiver Hunter Jarmon is a guy Eric Morris will likely bring on board if he has his way.
Jarmon and Morris built a strong relationship during Morris' time at Washington State and the two have been in contact since Morris arrived in Lubbock.
"He's always been one of the coaches that I've liked," Jarmon said. "We're relatively close in age, he's 25. We got along real well. I see him as a coach, but he first approached me as a friend. We just clicked immediately and I've always enjoyed talking to him on the phone and seeing him in person and stuff. The day that he went to Texas Tech and was hired, he was supposed to come by for an in-home visit and so he called and was very professional about him.
"I've always liked him so my interest in Texas Tech picked way back up."
Jarmon was never committed to the Cougars, but they did have good odds to pick up the Texan.
Morris told the 6-foot, 190-pound receiver about the good aspects of Jarmon's game.
"He told me I run very good routes," Jarmon said. "I'm a very physical receiver and I don't shy away from contact. My ball skills are really good. I can get the deep ball and pluck it away from the defender's hands really easily. I have good hand-eye coordination so that makes me a good receiver."
Jarmon has offers from Washington State, Baylor, Kansas State, Kansas, Iowa State, SMU, North Texas, Oregon State, Missouri and a few others, but he does not have that Tech offer yet.
"They're going to have a staff meeting with all the new coaches and all the new staff and after that they'll probably have an answer for me," Jarmon said.
- Graham
This post was edited on 12/21 11:27 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.
---
While things have been hectic for the new coaching staff at Texas Tech, the prime focus for the Kliff Kingsbury regime has been solidifying the program's 2013 commitments as well as beginning to get in touch with uncommitted prospects of interest. Stockton (Calif.) San Joaquin Delta C.C. tight end prospect De'Marieya Nelson was the latest target at a position of need to hear from the Tech coaching staff, specifically his recruiting coordinator Sonny Cumbie.
"I actually talked to him a little bit earlier today. I had been meaning to call him, but I had wanted things to cool down for them a little bit before I gave him a call," he said. "He gave me a run down a little bit and things are going good out there. I guess the head coach had seen my film and they're still interested in me. We kind of spoke briefly, didn't get all in depth. He's going to give me a call back later and I'll get a chance to talk to the head coach."
Speaking of the new head coach, Nelson hasn't had a chance to do any in depth research on Kingsbury, but likes what little he knows about him so far.
"I've been busy with finals and stuff do I haven't gotten the chance. I know he played quarterback there, came from a great program, that's about all I know."
Sometime in the near future, Nelson will get a chance to talk to Kingsbury and get to know the new head man a little more as well as how he fits in with the Red Raiders heading forward. For now, Coach Cumbie made sure the diverse offensive prospect knew that he was still on Tech's radar.
"He was telling me that they're still highly interested in me and I'm still a priority there since the coaching staff changed. That's big," he said. "Since everything changed, I haven't got a chance to talk in depth to them about everything, who they're recruiting, what's the plan, the next step, all of that. When I get a chance to talk to him, I'll be sure to ask him these questions and get some of these answers."
Given the long journey Nelson has traveled to get to his point in his football playing career, he found it surreal that two different coaching staffs at Tech would approve an offer for him to play in the big time.
"Man, I feel very blessed," Nelson said about having his offer approved by the new staff. "I hadn't heard from them since the new coaching staff came in so I was kind of thinking maybe it didn't work for the new head coach but hearing that it did, kind of opened my eyes. I'm looking forward to speaking with the head coach and seeing where he's at with everything as well as taking my visit up there."
So where does Texas Tech currently stand with Nelson?
"That's my biggest offer. A lot of things should stay the same and I still have high interest in them."
Nelson's visit to Lubbock was initially scheduled for December 14th weekend. However, due to the sudden exit of Tommy Tuberville, the tight end prospect decided to reschedule his visit sometime in early January. He has already taken official visits to San Diego State and Utah State.
Nelson holds offers from Texas Tech, San Diego State, Utah State, Fresno State and Memphis among others.
- Rosen
---
Lancaster (Texas) wide receiver prospect Demarcus Ayers has not been shy about professing his desire to be a Red Raider.
Ayers has been hearing a lot of good things about Tech from a couple of Red Raiders.
One the people telling him good things, of course, is 2013 quarterback commit Davis Webb.
"I'm kind of close with the quarterback commit Davis Webb," Ayers said. "We actually beat Davis Webb's team in the third round of playoffs. He's a great player, phenomenal player, great kid, plays the game well, knows what he's doing. Besides that, the relationship with him, ever since we played them, he respects me, I respect him, I admire his game, and he admires mine.
"I got a chance to chat with him over the weekend and he told me good look at state and he'd be coming to watch. I got a chance to talk to him also about his visit this past weekend. Everything I told him about Coach Eric Morris, he said was right. I think he loves Coach Kingsbury and Coach Morris also, so that's a good thing."
Another source is former Lancaster teammate La'Darius Newbold, a 2012 Tech signee. The conversation between them has reaffirmed Ayers' feelings about Tech.
"He told me pretty much, if I came and visited and I liked it, to go ahead and make a decision to join," Ayers said. "He's just been giving me updates on the program, telling me how the coaches have come in and everybody loves them.
"He has been telling me if I come on a visit, I'm going to love it and if I like what I see to go ahead and pull the trigger. He said even though he had to redshirt, he's enjoying it. He got up there and got a lot better and bigger, more physical, and mentally smart knowing the game. He said it's a great place to be right now and he had a blast even though he hasn't touched the field."
Once Ayers gets an offer from Tech, which he expects to happen, it may be only a matter of time before he pledges to the Red and Black.
- Rosen
---
Jacksonville (Fla.) Eagle's View Academy 2014 quarterback and current Texas Tech commit D.J. Gillins has found the coaching transition to be a little awkward. Gillins' initial recruiting coordinator, Chad Scott, has moved on to Kentucky while the current coaching staff has yet to contact the Rivals250 prospect.
"I'm just waiting for them to reach out to me first," he said. "Communication, that's it. I don't have a timeline but I hope they do it soon."
While Gillins doesn't know a whole lot about new head coach Kliff Kingsbury, he did offer up a few comments about the hire.
"I like it," he said about Tech choosing Kingsbury to replace Tommy Tuberville. "My first time seeing (Kingsbury's offense) was when (Texas A&M) played Florida. The spread and designated runs for the quarterback, it's nice.
"I know he trained Johnny Manziel and was responsible for that offense at Texas A&M. Knowing he coached a great player like Manziel is a great achievement and knowing Johnny Manziel was that good because of him. I hope I can be that good one day."
Not surprisingly, Gillins has been a little more open as of late given the circumstances that surround his commitment. The four-star quarterback is still committed to the Red Raiders, but is interested in Kentucky and Louisville as well.
"I've talked to Coach Chad Scott and they offered," Gillins said. "He's one of my favorite recruiting coaches. Our communicating is really good. We chat pretty much like we've been friends forever.
"Charlie Strong, he had commitment to his team and all the coaches stayed with him. He could've gone anywhere but he wanted but he stayed at Louisville, which was pretty big. Ron Dugan is a really good recruiter, too. Their jump to the ACC helped."
Despite his flirtation with other programs after the recent upheaval at Texas Tech, the Florida native is still receiving positive encouragement from Jakari Dillard, the other 2014 Texas Tech pledge.
"He tells me to stay committed," Gillins said. "He says Kingsbury is a great coach and you can do great at Texas Tech."
It will be interesting to see if Gillins and the new coaching staff choose to go in different directions or remain committed to each other after the next couple of weeks of thorough evaluation.
- Rosen
---
Thursday was a big day for Munday (Texas) athlete Dee Paul.
The Moguls defeated Tenaha in the state title game 42-14, and Paul contributed with three touchdown runs of over 50 yards apiece. We weren't able to get ahold of Paul after the game on Thursday night, but he did tell RRS on Sunday that it would be very special to cap things off with a state title win.
Things are obviously clicking for Paul on the recruiting trail as well, seeing as Tech and Oklahoma State are both pushing for the senior playmaker. Paul spoke with new Red Raider head coach Kliff Kingsbury for the first time last weekend, and Kingsbury is just as committed to picking up Paul as the previous staff had been.
"I talked to Coach Kingsbury (on Saturday)," Paul said. "He said that he'd really like to have me and that I'd be able to make some good things happen if I come there. He told me I was going to get my chance right away.
"He's a great offensive guy. What he did with Johnny Manziel, how he just put the offense in his hands and let him make plays. I know he played at Tech and owns a ton of school records, some NCAA records. I know he was a really good player and knows how to coach up a player."
In almost every conversation that Kingsbury has had with the media so far, he's said that he plans on bringing in a young, vibrant, and excited coaching staff. Paul thinks it would be a blast to have such a young group of coaches because they would be very hands on and relatable.
"I think it would be fun because I know they would involved a bunch in practice and maybe even going out there to practice with us," Paul said. "It would be kind of fun to do that. I just think that they're young coaches, so hopefully they'll be there for a long time. I know Kingsbury, I'm going to guess that he'll be at Tech a long time because he played at Tech. I think with Kingsbury coming in, it's really healing that fan base. He's going to have a lot of support and a lot of fans, and they're going to be patient with him."
Paul got to speak with new secondary coach Kevin Curtis as well.
Curtis believes that the senior can come in and compete right away, and he sees big things for the Munday star at cornerback.
"We haven't really built up a relationship yet, but before, I didn't really have a big relationship with Coach John Lovett either," he said. "We just talked, and we talked about my goals and what I wanted to do,. He thought that I had great speed, and he thought that I would be a really good fit for what they're trying to do. They're trying to bring in taller corners. He thinks that with the class we're going to bring in that we can be really special with the recruits and stuff, and he thinks that I can be a really special player at the next level."
With his senior season wrapping up today, we know Paul will focus on recruiting from now until signing day. When we spoke to him on Sunday, he said that things were still tight between Tech, OSU and Baylor and that he was still completely focused on bringing a title home to Munday.
"Tech and Oklahoma State are still neck and neck," Paul said. "I'm going to wait until after our season to decide. Right now the spotlight is on the Munday Moguls, not Dee Paul."
- McKay
---
Hewitt (Texas) Midway receiver Hunter Jarmon is a guy Eric Morris will likely bring on board if he has his way.
Jarmon and Morris built a strong relationship during Morris' time at Washington State and the two have been in contact since Morris arrived in Lubbock.
"He's always been one of the coaches that I've liked," Jarmon said. "We're relatively close in age, he's 25. We got along real well. I see him as a coach, but he first approached me as a friend. We just clicked immediately and I've always enjoyed talking to him on the phone and seeing him in person and stuff. The day that he went to Texas Tech and was hired, he was supposed to come by for an in-home visit and so he called and was very professional about him.
"I've always liked him so my interest in Texas Tech picked way back up."
Jarmon was never committed to the Cougars, but they did have good odds to pick up the Texan.
Morris told the 6-foot, 190-pound receiver about the good aspects of Jarmon's game.
"He told me I run very good routes," Jarmon said. "I'm a very physical receiver and I don't shy away from contact. My ball skills are really good. I can get the deep ball and pluck it away from the defender's hands really easily. I have good hand-eye coordination so that makes me a good receiver."
Jarmon has offers from Washington State, Baylor, Kansas State, Kansas, Iowa State, SMU, North Texas, Oregon State, Missouri and a few others, but he does not have that Tech offer yet.
"They're going to have a staff meeting with all the new coaches and all the new staff and after that they'll probably have an answer for me," Jarmon said.
- Graham
This post was edited on 12/21 11:27 AM by A. Dickens
