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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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I got a chance to catch up with Coffeyville (Kansas) Community College cornerback Jamarcus Howard.
The DB is getting ready for his last semester in the junior college ranks before becoming a Red Raider in June.
"Over the break, things are going good," he said. "In the spring, I've just got to make sure things go good in school so I can go down to Tech. I'm just going to be working out, training and working hard in the classroom."
The corner was able to catch most of Monday night's Holiday Bowl. He was impressed with the way that the Red Raiders played. He liked what he saw from Tech, especially against a team like Arizona State.
"They really came with their A-game, and I really enjoyed watching that game," Howard said. "Young guys against a good team from the Pac-12 in Arizona State. They put up a good fight. Tech, they came out played hard and did what they had to do in order to get the W."
The JUCO defender was also very happy with the way that the Red Raider secondary played. In fact, he thought it might have been their best game of the year.
"The secondary, they played really good," Howard said. "It was one of the best games that I've seen the secondary play with their assignments. It makes me really excited. It makes me ready to get down there ASAP. I'm just ready to get out there on the field with them."
We're only a month out from signing day at this point.
Howard is ready to sign his name on the dotted line. He wants to be a Red Raider and he can't wait to make it official.
"I'm so excited," he said. "Anxious. I really wish it was next week. I'm just ready to sign."
- McKay
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There aren't too many targets left for Tech in the 2014 class, but the biggest fish still left in the sea is likely College of San Mateo (Calif.) nose tackle Rika Levi. Levi, who visited Lubbock roughly a month ago, recently said that Tech was the top school on his list.
"The only school I've really been talking to is Texas Tech," he said. "Things are going really good. I really like what they have to offer. They're (still my top school)."
Levi also got to see Tech take on ASU in the Holiday Bowl. He loved what he saw from Kliff Kingsbury's first-year team.
"Yeah man, they got after it," he said. "I thought it was really good. They beat Arizona State. That's a really good team. They really kind of showed me what they're capable of. I thought it was great. They struck first and got up before Arizona State could even move."
So, when will a decision be made by the D-lineman? That depends on a few things.
"Whenever either the last day is to make my decision or when I take all my trips, that's when I'll decide," he said. "I'm hoping to make a trip to Missouri, hopefully Kentucky or Ole Miss, But, if things don't work out there, they don't work out."
The most likely trip, at this point, appears to be a visit out to Kentucky. The NCAA is still in a recruiting dead period, however, so he'll have to wait a bit to make a decision with the Wildcats' coaching staff.
"Kentucky wants to get me on a visit, but they're waiting until after the dead period to get into contact with me about it," he said.
Levi currently holds offers from Texas Tech, Missouri, Kentucky and Washington.
-McKay
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Another commit that I got a chance to speak with was Humble (Texas) Summer Creek inside linebacker Dakota Allen.
Allen watched the whole Holiday Bowl from start to finish on Monday night, and he thought Tech came out and really showed how good of a team they were in 2013. It also makes him excited for the future.
"I was very impressed with their performance," he said. "I knew they were going to win anyway, but, I mean, they were pretty underrated I felt like. Watching the game, I got really excited just knowing that I'm going to be there next year."
The way that Matt Wallerstedt's defense played blew Allen away, too.
He kept his eyes on the linebacking corp. the whole night, specifically inside linebackers Sam Eguavoen and Will Smith.
"I was really impressed," Allen said. "I really watch to see their scheme and how they do things on defense so I can get a head start for next year. The biggest thing I see, especially from Will Smith, is effort. I mean, he gives 100 percent every play, but I feel like that's something I do every play no matter what the score is. If he was successful, I feel like I can be too."
The big win over a good opponent makes Allen excited to join the youth movement going in Lubbock.
"I'm too excited," he said. "Words can't even express it. It really sets the tone that people should know about Texas Tech and what they're really about."
A visit is also in store for Allen this month, as he'll head to Lubbock on Jan. 17. The linebacker is ready to hang out with his future coaching staff again and get a chance to meet some of his 2014 classmates.
"I'm really excited to get a chance to meet the coaches again," he said. "Also to get a chance to meet my fellow teammates that I'll be with for the next four to five years."
-McKay
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We told you Thursday that Tyler's Chapel Hill defensive back Joseph Clark will not be joining the Red Raider program in 2014 due to his knee rehabilitation timetable. He will greyshirt and presumably enroll in January, 2015.
That does not mean the Tech coaching staff has shifted away from him.
"They just give me a lot of support and a lot of advice on my rehab," Clark said. "Most of them have been through injuries. I know Coach (Kevin) Curtis has, so he just gives me a lot of advice on it."
Clark was limited to crutches until an initial surgery quite a while after he sustained the injury. Surgeons went in and repaired most of the damage in the knee, but they left his torn ACL alone.
The ACL surgery is on the horizon.
"I was on crutches for about two months, two and a half," Clark said. "I've started walking again. I'm able to take my brace off and walk. It's probably a few more months until my next surgery. It will be my second surgery and my last, and the only thing they're fixing is my ACL.
"After my next surgery, they said I should be able to start (rehab) after about a week. They fixed everything except my ACL in my last surgery."
Clark is still excited to join the team, especially after the signature win against Arizona State.
"I didn't get to see it, but I kept up with it on Twitter and stuff," Clark said. "They weren't picked to do that well, picked to lose by 20. They got the upset. I was proud of them."
- Graham
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We will start a long-term series on Jace Amaro's journey to the NFL in the very near future.
Amaro and several other Red Raiders who exhausted eligibility Monday with hopes of playing professional football have agreed to allow us regular updates on their progress.
As an NFL Combine shoo-in, Amaro obviously will be our headliner.
We caught up with the nation's best tight end Thursday for some preliminary work.
He has decided Kliff Kingsbury's agent, Erik Burkhardt, will represent him. He will train for the NFL Combine at the Athlete's Performance Institute in Frisco, Texas.
Amaro also said his decision to leave school early came down to whether he thought he could be the first tight end selected or not.
"If I knew I wasn't going to be the first tight end picked in the draft, I would have stayed," he said. "There's no doubt in my mind what I'm going to do at the combine. It's just going to blow people away. I feel people get the wrong image. I'm not sure why people say that I'm slow. I've got a lot to prove."
- Graham
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.
---
I got a chance to catch up with Coffeyville (Kansas) Community College cornerback Jamarcus Howard.
The DB is getting ready for his last semester in the junior college ranks before becoming a Red Raider in June.
"Over the break, things are going good," he said. "In the spring, I've just got to make sure things go good in school so I can go down to Tech. I'm just going to be working out, training and working hard in the classroom."
The corner was able to catch most of Monday night's Holiday Bowl. He was impressed with the way that the Red Raiders played. He liked what he saw from Tech, especially against a team like Arizona State.
"They really came with their A-game, and I really enjoyed watching that game," Howard said. "Young guys against a good team from the Pac-12 in Arizona State. They put up a good fight. Tech, they came out played hard and did what they had to do in order to get the W."
The JUCO defender was also very happy with the way that the Red Raider secondary played. In fact, he thought it might have been their best game of the year.
"The secondary, they played really good," Howard said. "It was one of the best games that I've seen the secondary play with their assignments. It makes me really excited. It makes me ready to get down there ASAP. I'm just ready to get out there on the field with them."
We're only a month out from signing day at this point.
Howard is ready to sign his name on the dotted line. He wants to be a Red Raider and he can't wait to make it official.
"I'm so excited," he said. "Anxious. I really wish it was next week. I'm just ready to sign."
- McKay
--
There aren't too many targets left for Tech in the 2014 class, but the biggest fish still left in the sea is likely College of San Mateo (Calif.) nose tackle Rika Levi. Levi, who visited Lubbock roughly a month ago, recently said that Tech was the top school on his list.
"The only school I've really been talking to is Texas Tech," he said. "Things are going really good. I really like what they have to offer. They're (still my top school)."
Levi also got to see Tech take on ASU in the Holiday Bowl. He loved what he saw from Kliff Kingsbury's first-year team.
"Yeah man, they got after it," he said. "I thought it was really good. They beat Arizona State. That's a really good team. They really kind of showed me what they're capable of. I thought it was great. They struck first and got up before Arizona State could even move."
So, when will a decision be made by the D-lineman? That depends on a few things.
"Whenever either the last day is to make my decision or when I take all my trips, that's when I'll decide," he said. "I'm hoping to make a trip to Missouri, hopefully Kentucky or Ole Miss, But, if things don't work out there, they don't work out."
The most likely trip, at this point, appears to be a visit out to Kentucky. The NCAA is still in a recruiting dead period, however, so he'll have to wait a bit to make a decision with the Wildcats' coaching staff.
"Kentucky wants to get me on a visit, but they're waiting until after the dead period to get into contact with me about it," he said.
Levi currently holds offers from Texas Tech, Missouri, Kentucky and Washington.
-McKay
--
Another commit that I got a chance to speak with was Humble (Texas) Summer Creek inside linebacker Dakota Allen.
Allen watched the whole Holiday Bowl from start to finish on Monday night, and he thought Tech came out and really showed how good of a team they were in 2013. It also makes him excited for the future.
"I was very impressed with their performance," he said. "I knew they were going to win anyway, but, I mean, they were pretty underrated I felt like. Watching the game, I got really excited just knowing that I'm going to be there next year."
The way that Matt Wallerstedt's defense played blew Allen away, too.
He kept his eyes on the linebacking corp. the whole night, specifically inside linebackers Sam Eguavoen and Will Smith.
"I was really impressed," Allen said. "I really watch to see their scheme and how they do things on defense so I can get a head start for next year. The biggest thing I see, especially from Will Smith, is effort. I mean, he gives 100 percent every play, but I feel like that's something I do every play no matter what the score is. If he was successful, I feel like I can be too."
The big win over a good opponent makes Allen excited to join the youth movement going in Lubbock.
"I'm too excited," he said. "Words can't even express it. It really sets the tone that people should know about Texas Tech and what they're really about."
A visit is also in store for Allen this month, as he'll head to Lubbock on Jan. 17. The linebacker is ready to hang out with his future coaching staff again and get a chance to meet some of his 2014 classmates.
"I'm really excited to get a chance to meet the coaches again," he said. "Also to get a chance to meet my fellow teammates that I'll be with for the next four to five years."
-McKay
--
We told you Thursday that Tyler's Chapel Hill defensive back Joseph Clark will not be joining the Red Raider program in 2014 due to his knee rehabilitation timetable. He will greyshirt and presumably enroll in January, 2015.
That does not mean the Tech coaching staff has shifted away from him.
"They just give me a lot of support and a lot of advice on my rehab," Clark said. "Most of them have been through injuries. I know Coach (Kevin) Curtis has, so he just gives me a lot of advice on it."
Clark was limited to crutches until an initial surgery quite a while after he sustained the injury. Surgeons went in and repaired most of the damage in the knee, but they left his torn ACL alone.
The ACL surgery is on the horizon.
"I was on crutches for about two months, two and a half," Clark said. "I've started walking again. I'm able to take my brace off and walk. It's probably a few more months until my next surgery. It will be my second surgery and my last, and the only thing they're fixing is my ACL.
"After my next surgery, they said I should be able to start (rehab) after about a week. They fixed everything except my ACL in my last surgery."
Clark is still excited to join the team, especially after the signature win against Arizona State.
"I didn't get to see it, but I kept up with it on Twitter and stuff," Clark said. "They weren't picked to do that well, picked to lose by 20. They got the upset. I was proud of them."
- Graham
---
We will start a long-term series on Jace Amaro's journey to the NFL in the very near future.
Amaro and several other Red Raiders who exhausted eligibility Monday with hopes of playing professional football have agreed to allow us regular updates on their progress.
As an NFL Combine shoo-in, Amaro obviously will be our headliner.
We caught up with the nation's best tight end Thursday for some preliminary work.
He has decided Kliff Kingsbury's agent, Erik Burkhardt, will represent him. He will train for the NFL Combine at the Athlete's Performance Institute in Frisco, Texas.
Amaro also said his decision to leave school early came down to whether he thought he could be the first tight end selected or not.
"If I knew I wasn't going to be the first tight end picked in the draft, I would have stayed," he said. "There's no doubt in my mind what I'm going to do at the combine. It's just going to blow people away. I feel people get the wrong image. I'm not sure why people say that I'm slow. I've got a lot to prove."
- Graham
