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.
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One of the biggest camp standouts in Houston this year was Cypress (Texas) Cy Woods 2014 running back Samuel Stewart. Stewart, who received an offer from the Red Raiders after the camp, said that he enjoyed his time at Cy Ridge and felt he did fairly well.
"I liked it a lot. I liked the drills and everything that they do. I like how the coaching staff works together and all that. I like how they use their time to actually teach the drills and stuff instead of just going to it and not really teaching it. I learned a lot," he said. "I think I did good. It was one of the best ones that I've had so far."
It was also the first time that Stewart got a chance to hang out with the Tech coaches. He liked the overall demeanor of the group, including running backs coach Chad Scott.
"Me and Coach Scott, we just hit it off pretty good. I like how (the coaching staff) was more calm and relaxed and not all serious and everything with the players. They really like me, so it's a good relationship."
One of the biggest draws to Tech for the Cypress product is Neal Brown's offense. He likes the way running backs are utilized in the offensive attack and feels he would be a good fit in the system.
"I like their offense. I like how they run their offense, because it fits me. It's more of a run and gun offense, and that's how I am," he said. "I think I'm pretty good. I'm more of a built running back, so I think I can hold my own if a lineman or linebacker tries to come in on a blitz or something I can hold them off and let the play develop."
Tech also became the first school to offer the rising junior nearly two weeks ago. He was ecstatic to gain his first offer and said that he's always been a fan of the Red Raiders.
"I was really excited. That was my first offer, so I was extremely happy. I've always liked Texas Tech, so that was good that I (might want to) go there. That was really good."
Like most other 2014 prospects, however, Samuels is keeping his options open for now.
"I'm just keeping an open look on everything. I just see who wants me and will base my decision off that."
Samuels holds an offer from Tech.
- McKay
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Earlier this week, we spoke with Keller (Texas) Timber Creek corner Cedric Dale who participated in Sunday's Rockwall camp. Dale, who received his first offer from Tech after the camp, said that the Red Raiders have always been one of his favorite teams.
"Tech is a great school. It's a big school. My neighbors, they just sent their kids off to Tech actually. It's one of those schools that I've always kept in my top three," he said. "My top three (favorites) have always been Oklahoma, Tech and USC."
Dale also loves the Tech coaching staff. He appreciated the fact that they were genuinely interested in helping and getting to know the athletes they were coaching, unlike some staffs at other summer camps.
"I think they're great. They're great overall. I never got any bad vibes from them. At some of the camps that I've been to, you know you get ignored by the coach. You ask a question, and he just kind of pushes you off to the side. The Tech coaches were very straight up with you. They were 100 percent. They were really upfront, and you could tell that they wanted to help. They really wanted to help you.
"As soon as I got there, we were doing rotation drills. In rotation drills, everyone is kind of going fast, but they were just out there pushing you and pushing you to go harder and harder and to give it your all. That's what I'm really looking for in a coach, is to push me to my best ability. I know I can only get better by doing that."
While it may be really early on in the process, I think Tech fans should keep an eye on Dale. He seems to really be interested in Tech, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Red Raiders in the thick of things for the corner next year.
- McKay
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Leander (Texas) athlete Caleb Woodward called me Thursday evening to tell me he received his first Division I offer from Texas State. The Bobcats are recruiting him as a free safety and as a slot receiver.
He's very excited about the offer, but made it clear he wants to play for Tech.
The Red Raiders want Woodward, Leander's quarterback, at defensive back and secondary coach John Lovett is handling his relationship with Tech. Lovett will call Woodward's high school coach Monday and an offer still seems imminent, but might not be official for a few weeks.
Woodward said he wants to be done with the process before the start of his senior season and will be at the Tech camp in July.
He said he goes back and forth every day on whether he would commit on the spot to Tech or hold out. On some days he knows he commit on the spot and on other days he's not so sure. But really, unless the local Longhorns were to offer Woodward is Tech's to lose.
He's still getting interest from New Mexico but has decided not to attend their camp which would have coincided with his planned July trip to Lubbock.
His grandfather is a Tech fan and lives in Lamesa. Woodward has been on the Tech campus a few times. He attended a game in 2010.
What everyone seemed to really like about Woodward at the Cypress Ridge was his combination of speed and body control. He's got a constant motor and doesn't lose a step when changing directions.
At Leander this season Woodward will be running a zone-read offense but the team should have more of a passing element after getting smothered by Anthony Smith's Westfield team's dominant rush defense in a 13-7 playoff loss. He'll spend the next few weeks running seven-on-seven against some 3A teams so the newly bumped down team from 5A to 4A doesn't reveal anything to potential opponents.
- Graham
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Tech commit and Prosper (Texas) quarterback Davis Webb is on his way to an Elite 11 regional in Las Vegas to contend for the big camp in Redondo Beach, Calif., later this summer.
For Webb, it's all about competing.
"My main goal is just to do the best that I can do," Webb said. "I want to get invited to California. I'm not going to fly all the way out there to talk to people; I want to compete. I want to do the best I can do and compete with everyone for a spot in California."
The top 24 quarterbacks as deemed by an Elite 11 selection committee will compete in California hoping to be named a top 11 quarterback in the nation.
Tech target Devonte Kincade won the Arlington, Texas, regional at Cowboys Stadium earlier this year and already has a spot at the Redondo Beach camp.
"There are 24 spots and 11 spots have been invited already so there are 13 spots remaining," Webb said. "I think I have a really good chance. A lot of good quarterbacks are going to the Vegas camp, a lot of big names and a lot of guys that play out there with a chip on their shoulder. I've definitely got a chip on my shoulder.
"I want to compete and want to win the competition."
Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer watched Webb at the Arlington regional camp and came away impressed. When Webb committed to the Red Raiders, Dilfer said Webb reminded him of Tom Brady at 17 years old.
"He'll probably watch me a little bit more, but every quarterback there is on the same level," Webb said. "If you want to get noticed, you out throw them. If you want to get noticed, you out hustle and out compete everybody. That's how you win the competition. It's really great that he knows me and all and gave me a good compliment but they're going to chose the best one and hopefully I'm the best one."
Webb said he expects Penn State quarterback commit Christian Hackenberg, a Rivals250 player, to be in Las Vegas as well as some big name players from Texas, California and New York.
The Elite 11 camps also serve as teaching experiences for rising senior quarterbacks.
"You can always improve your leadership and they teach it at the Elite 11," Webb said. "Footwork is always important and we do some under center stuff. They'll teach you mechanics. They'll teach you accuracy which is the most important part of the quarterback position. Very good life lessons and great competition."
- Graham
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It looks like the Red Raiders have extended another camp offer, this time to Plano (Texas) prospect Joseph Noteboom. It's not clear at this point if the Red Raiders are recruiting the 6-foot-6, 260-pound prospect for the offensive or defensive line, but he spent most of his junior year playing offensive line for Plano.
We weren't able to get Noteboom on the phone Thursday, but hope to catch up with him before the end of the weekend.
- Dickens, McKay
This post was edited on 6/15 1:06 AM by M. 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.
---
One of the biggest camp standouts in Houston this year was Cypress (Texas) Cy Woods 2014 running back Samuel Stewart. Stewart, who received an offer from the Red Raiders after the camp, said that he enjoyed his time at Cy Ridge and felt he did fairly well.
"I liked it a lot. I liked the drills and everything that they do. I like how the coaching staff works together and all that. I like how they use their time to actually teach the drills and stuff instead of just going to it and not really teaching it. I learned a lot," he said. "I think I did good. It was one of the best ones that I've had so far."
It was also the first time that Stewart got a chance to hang out with the Tech coaches. He liked the overall demeanor of the group, including running backs coach Chad Scott.
"Me and Coach Scott, we just hit it off pretty good. I like how (the coaching staff) was more calm and relaxed and not all serious and everything with the players. They really like me, so it's a good relationship."
One of the biggest draws to Tech for the Cypress product is Neal Brown's offense. He likes the way running backs are utilized in the offensive attack and feels he would be a good fit in the system.
"I like their offense. I like how they run their offense, because it fits me. It's more of a run and gun offense, and that's how I am," he said. "I think I'm pretty good. I'm more of a built running back, so I think I can hold my own if a lineman or linebacker tries to come in on a blitz or something I can hold them off and let the play develop."
Tech also became the first school to offer the rising junior nearly two weeks ago. He was ecstatic to gain his first offer and said that he's always been a fan of the Red Raiders.
"I was really excited. That was my first offer, so I was extremely happy. I've always liked Texas Tech, so that was good that I (might want to) go there. That was really good."
Like most other 2014 prospects, however, Samuels is keeping his options open for now.
"I'm just keeping an open look on everything. I just see who wants me and will base my decision off that."
Samuels holds an offer from Tech.
- McKay
---
Earlier this week, we spoke with Keller (Texas) Timber Creek corner Cedric Dale who participated in Sunday's Rockwall camp. Dale, who received his first offer from Tech after the camp, said that the Red Raiders have always been one of his favorite teams.
"Tech is a great school. It's a big school. My neighbors, they just sent their kids off to Tech actually. It's one of those schools that I've always kept in my top three," he said. "My top three (favorites) have always been Oklahoma, Tech and USC."
Dale also loves the Tech coaching staff. He appreciated the fact that they were genuinely interested in helping and getting to know the athletes they were coaching, unlike some staffs at other summer camps.
"I think they're great. They're great overall. I never got any bad vibes from them. At some of the camps that I've been to, you know you get ignored by the coach. You ask a question, and he just kind of pushes you off to the side. The Tech coaches were very straight up with you. They were 100 percent. They were really upfront, and you could tell that they wanted to help. They really wanted to help you.
"As soon as I got there, we were doing rotation drills. In rotation drills, everyone is kind of going fast, but they were just out there pushing you and pushing you to go harder and harder and to give it your all. That's what I'm really looking for in a coach, is to push me to my best ability. I know I can only get better by doing that."
While it may be really early on in the process, I think Tech fans should keep an eye on Dale. He seems to really be interested in Tech, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Red Raiders in the thick of things for the corner next year.
- McKay
---
Leander (Texas) athlete Caleb Woodward called me Thursday evening to tell me he received his first Division I offer from Texas State. The Bobcats are recruiting him as a free safety and as a slot receiver.
He's very excited about the offer, but made it clear he wants to play for Tech.
The Red Raiders want Woodward, Leander's quarterback, at defensive back and secondary coach John Lovett is handling his relationship with Tech. Lovett will call Woodward's high school coach Monday and an offer still seems imminent, but might not be official for a few weeks.
Woodward said he wants to be done with the process before the start of his senior season and will be at the Tech camp in July.
He said he goes back and forth every day on whether he would commit on the spot to Tech or hold out. On some days he knows he commit on the spot and on other days he's not so sure. But really, unless the local Longhorns were to offer Woodward is Tech's to lose.
He's still getting interest from New Mexico but has decided not to attend their camp which would have coincided with his planned July trip to Lubbock.
His grandfather is a Tech fan and lives in Lamesa. Woodward has been on the Tech campus a few times. He attended a game in 2010.
What everyone seemed to really like about Woodward at the Cypress Ridge was his combination of speed and body control. He's got a constant motor and doesn't lose a step when changing directions.
At Leander this season Woodward will be running a zone-read offense but the team should have more of a passing element after getting smothered by Anthony Smith's Westfield team's dominant rush defense in a 13-7 playoff loss. He'll spend the next few weeks running seven-on-seven against some 3A teams so the newly bumped down team from 5A to 4A doesn't reveal anything to potential opponents.
- Graham
---
Tech commit and Prosper (Texas) quarterback Davis Webb is on his way to an Elite 11 regional in Las Vegas to contend for the big camp in Redondo Beach, Calif., later this summer.
For Webb, it's all about competing.
"My main goal is just to do the best that I can do," Webb said. "I want to get invited to California. I'm not going to fly all the way out there to talk to people; I want to compete. I want to do the best I can do and compete with everyone for a spot in California."
The top 24 quarterbacks as deemed by an Elite 11 selection committee will compete in California hoping to be named a top 11 quarterback in the nation.
Tech target Devonte Kincade won the Arlington, Texas, regional at Cowboys Stadium earlier this year and already has a spot at the Redondo Beach camp.
"There are 24 spots and 11 spots have been invited already so there are 13 spots remaining," Webb said. "I think I have a really good chance. A lot of good quarterbacks are going to the Vegas camp, a lot of big names and a lot of guys that play out there with a chip on their shoulder. I've definitely got a chip on my shoulder.
"I want to compete and want to win the competition."
Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer watched Webb at the Arlington regional camp and came away impressed. When Webb committed to the Red Raiders, Dilfer said Webb reminded him of Tom Brady at 17 years old.
"He'll probably watch me a little bit more, but every quarterback there is on the same level," Webb said. "If you want to get noticed, you out throw them. If you want to get noticed, you out hustle and out compete everybody. That's how you win the competition. It's really great that he knows me and all and gave me a good compliment but they're going to chose the best one and hopefully I'm the best one."
Webb said he expects Penn State quarterback commit Christian Hackenberg, a Rivals250 player, to be in Las Vegas as well as some big name players from Texas, California and New York.
The Elite 11 camps also serve as teaching experiences for rising senior quarterbacks.
"You can always improve your leadership and they teach it at the Elite 11," Webb said. "Footwork is always important and we do some under center stuff. They'll teach you mechanics. They'll teach you accuracy which is the most important part of the quarterback position. Very good life lessons and great competition."
- Graham
---
It looks like the Red Raiders have extended another camp offer, this time to Plano (Texas) prospect Joseph Noteboom. It's not clear at this point if the Red Raiders are recruiting the 6-foot-6, 260-pound prospect for the offensive or defensive line, but he spent most of his junior year playing offensive line for Plano.
We weren't able to get Noteboom on the phone Thursday, but hope to catch up with him before the end of the weekend.
- Dickens, McKay
This post was edited on 6/15 1:06 AM by M. Graham
