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Arlington Lamar (Texas) offensive guard Chris Owens has seen his stock steadily increase over the past few months. What started out as small school interest has now blossomed into 24 offers from some of the biggest schools in the country, and he remains in contact with a number of those schools.
"So far it is going well, it has been very fun. Recently I've been talking to a lot of schools. I've talked to the ones that have just offered me like Texas, Texas A&M, Syracuse, those are the more recent ones, but I've been talking with a lot of schools," he said. "There are a big handful of schools that stick out. A lot of SEC schools, Big 12 schools, a couple Big Ten schools, really there is just a handful of schools from each conference that are sticking out to me."
One of the offers Owens picked up in the past few months was from Texas Tech. The Red Raiders pulled the trigger in mid-January, and the offer made an impact on the guard prospect.
"I would say mid-January is when they offered. It was actually kind of exciting because it was the second school in Texas that had offered me at that time, SMU had offered as well. So it was cool to see that finally some schools in the state that I lived in were starting to show me some attention."
Since the Tech offer, the three-star has remained in contact with Coach Morris and a few others on the Tech staff. Morris' continued recruitment has had a big impact on Owens.
"Coach Morris really, and I haven't called coach Hays in awhile, but I need to," he said. "We usually DM and he usually checks in every once in awhile and asks me how I'm doing, so probably last week or so he contacted me, just saying hello and seeing how I was doing."
"He mainly just checks in with me pretty much. Coach Morris is really good at doing that, he is one of the better coaches out there who checks up on you and your recruitment. I think he is a receivers coach, and I'm not a receiver obviously and he will still check in on pretty much everybody."
The number 43 player in the state of Texas has had some contact with offensive line coach Lee Hays as well. Hays was the coach to extend the offer to Owens, and the two have had some conversations since the offer.
"I've spoken with coach Hays before in person, he came to our school and we just had a normal conversation. It was short because they can't talk to us for more than 5 minutes, but then I called him later that day and we had more of a lengthy conversation. He was just telling me what Texas Tech was about and told me a little bit about himself."
"A lot of it was more on the academic side, but we were also kind of talking about how they were in the process of changing the program around and how they have a lot of people on the team already bonding with coach Kingsbury. They were working on trying to get back to the top of the Big 12."
When Tech offered Owens, it meant a lot to him because they were a Texas school, but he also grew up watching Tech on Saturdays when he was little.
"I never really knew too much, but I do know that a couple years back they had a really solid team. As far back as I've been watching Tech was when Michael Crabtree and that group was there and the big upset they had over Texas and how he tip-toed down the sideline. That is one of the lasting memories that I have, and I can see how they want to get back to those glory days."
Ranked as the number 17 overall guard prospect, Owens will be playing tackle for Lamar this year. This is Owens' first year on the offensive line as he has always played defensive tackle and defensive end for his high school. Owens possesses a lot of potential at the guard spot and talked about his desire to play there in college, how he feels like he could contribute at guard to an offense like Texas Tech.
"There are a couple schools that want me to play tackle, but I'm 6-foot-4, 307 and I'm built for guard. There are a lot of NFL guards who are around my height and weight. Guard is the position I really want to play though."
"Just add some more athleticism that they already have on their offensive line, and I really want to work towards not only being athletic but being dominant in the run game. I feel comfortable with my pass block footwork but run game wise I feel like I would be as athletic if not more so than the defensive tackle who I am going to be going against at the guard spot. I know they run a lot of counter plays where the guard and tackle pull, and I feel like I would be able to do that."
The standout prospect is trying to get a feel for what each school has to offer and has been working on taking visits to a few schools. He has already taken some out-of-state visits and hopes to keep things with in the state for his next couple visits.
"So far I don't have anything scheduled, but I'm hoping to maybe get down to Texas or Texas A&M sometime soon depending on my work schedule. We just want to stay local right now since we took a trip out to Duke two weeks ago."
"My mom and I haven't talked about it (Tech visit) yet, but it is definitely something we will talk about soon. It is on my mind."
When taking his visits to schools and doing his research, Owens has a few things in mind that he hopes to see from prospective colleges. Education and football are the top two factors as well as remaining cognizant of past and incoming recruiting classes.
"Three of the more important things to me would be number one, education and then football, those are one and two. I want there to be a pretty good mix between school and football, I don't want them to be so football dominant that the education is horrible because that won't help me later life. The third thing would be that I want would look and see what guys the school is bringing in for my particular class and the class before mine because those are the people that I would be playing with for the next three or four more years. I want to make sure that they are not only bringing in players like myself but also bringing in players that are as good or even better than I am so I can count on them."
One player in Tech's past recruiting class that Owens is aware of is former Arlington Bowie OT and 2015 Tech signee Madison Akamnonu. Owens and Akamnonu played in the same district, and he was very aware of Akamnonu's recruitment. The fact that the Bowie OL signed with Tech really impressed Owens and helped him to see that what the Tech coaches were saying was actually true.
"I also know Madison Akamnonu. I don't really know him well personally, but I definitely know of him. I was actually talking about him with a friend the other day and he said something like 'Did you know Madison committed to Tech?' and I was like what? Because he had so many other offers, and I wasn't expecting him to go to Tech. I was just thinking about how they must've really sold him on the school and he must've really liked it there with the players and the coaches. It was kind of the vibe that I was getting with coach Hays and coach Morris, like they seem like they have a plan and they know exactly what they are doing. I was shocked at first about Madison but once I really thought about it, I was getting those same type of good vibes from Hays and Morris that Madison must've been getting as well."
"Seeing Madison commit to Tech shows me that they aren't just talking and selling you a bunch of crap that's not true or anything like that but they actually have a plan and getting a top recruit like him pretty much shows that they have a plan and they know what they are doing and they know what direction they are going in."
Most recruits like to draw out their recruitment and wait till after their senior year or on signing day to make an announcement. The battle for Owens will be an intense one over the next few months, as he hopes to make his commitment before his senior season.
"If everything goes according to plan, I would like to commit before my senior season. I hope to commit during the summer, so that I can enjoy my senior season."
- Kohnle
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Dallas (Texas) Bishop Dunne cornerback Joshua Drayden has surfaced as a potential DB prospect for the Red Raiders. He speaks with linebackers coach Trey Haverty the most right now, and the conversations seem to be going well.
"I talked to Coach Haverty on Monday. Mostly about the spring and how he is excited to see me in action when he comes down and different stuff like that. Mainly just talking about coming to see me though," he said. "He is a real good coach and a real good person. He is always telling me to get my pushups in and get on his level and stuff like that, so he has that sense of humor. It's always like a normal feeling talking to him and it's not awkward or anything like that."
The conversations have gone so well, in fact, that the three-star prospect feels like an offer could be on its way soon.
"I really do think an offer will come soon when they see me in the spring, I really do. Maybe I will get lucky though and they will offer me before then and then they can see what they would be working with."
Tech likely wouldn't be alone in offering the number 42 cornerback, though, as some other schools are close to extending an offer as well.
"I think Stanford is for sure, Oklahoma State, and Navy I think are close."
The Bishop Dunne product already has a good idea of what Tech has to offer and expresses a lot of interest in the Red Raiders. The academic programs have his attention, the football program piques his interest, and he knows a lot of people that either attend or have attended Texas Tech.
"I know they have a lot of oil fields around their area and they have good academics focused in the oil field area. I want to major in petroleum engineering, so that appeals to me. I know Tech is a great school to go to for that. I also know football wise that they are building a great program. I actually have a friend named Peyton Hendrix who plays safety at Tech and he says he loves it. There are also a few alumni that work at my school that went to Texas Tech, so obviously there is something good going on at Texas Tech."
Drayden has a really close bond with Hendrix and likes the idea of maybe playing with him in the future. A visit out to Lubbock is also something on the cornerback's mind.
"It interests me a lot actually that Peyton goes to Tech," he said. "I haven't ever visited before, but I would like to get down soon. I have always wanted to see their campus."
The number 77 prospect in Texas, he's has spent some time watching the Tech defense and already has a good idea of how his skills can fit into their defensive scheme.
"Well being in the Big 12, there is a lot of passing going on. I think I could fit into their defense as a good bump and run corner, being physical at the line, when the QB drops back to pass, he is still going to have to wait, I can disrupt the rhythm of the receivers and make the QB hold onto the ball longer so the D-line can get to him. "
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound corner is taking in all aspects when determining his future school. Academic programs and off the field areas concern him just as much as the football team.
"Location is not really a factor, but really I just want the school to have good education programs in the major I want to work in. From the football aspect, I just want to be a part of an organization that really cares for the players and wants to help them strive not only on the field but off of it as well."
Texas Tech isn't the only school in play for Drayden's services, as they have some competition from across the nation vying for his talents.
"I'm receiving interest from a lot of schools right now. Texas Tech, Washington, Texas State, SMU, Army, Stanford, there are a lot of schools that I am talking to right now. I've been receiving a lot of interest and offers lately."
Following his junior season, Drayden garnered TAPPS First team All-District and All-State accolades.
- Kohnle
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The Tech coaches offered quite the number of O-linemen over this past week, and they actually provided Baldwin Park (Calif.) offensive lineman Francisco Perez with his first scholarship offer this week.
"I have been in contact with the Texas Tech coaches for about three, four weeks now," Perez said. "Coach (Darrin) Chiaverini and Coach (Lee) Hays are both recruiting me from Tech and we have been connecting at least a few times per week."
Things are a bit quirky for prospects at the school right now, though, as they're going through a coaching change, so recruiting communications are a bit strange at the moment. When Perez heard about his offer, however, he was very excited.
"Usually colleges will contact with coaches and talk recruiting, but we don't have a head coach right now. I actually called the coaches earlier this week and they told me that Texas Tech wanted to offer me. I was stunned for a minute because it was my first offer and it is still hard to believe, but it is a blessing."
Perez competed at the NFTC Los Angeles regional combine this past weekend, placed top 5 in the offensive line group, and immediately received his first two scholarship offers earlier this week.
"Recruiting had been going pretty slow, but I had a good showing in the combine this weekend and maybe some schools noticed me," Perez said. "It felt amazing to receive my first offer and feels good to be noticed by these big universities coming from a small town with big dreams."
"Texas Tech offered earlier this week and then Vanderbilt offered soon after. I'm taking an unofficial visit to USC this Saturday and have a camp invite to UCLA later this summer."
The 6-foot-5, 303-pound prospect isn't very familiar with the Texas Tech program, but he has started to research the university with his father since hearing from the Red Raider coaching staff earlier this month.
"Before they even offered, my dad and I were talking about Texas Tech," Perez said. "We looked at the majors they offer there and where it's at in Texas. My parents are very supportive and think it would be cool for me to live in Texas for college."
Other than the upcoming visit to USC this weekend and the camp at UCLA this summer, Perez does not have any other visit plans setup at the moment.
- Clare
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Amarillo (Texas) defensive tackle Ivory Jackson received an offer from the Texas Tech coaches about three weeks ago, and the West Texas prospect already has the Red Raiders at the top of his list.
"I started talking with the Texas Tech coaches about three weeks ago and they actually offered me that day when we first started talking," Jackson said. "I have pretty much talked with all of the coaches at Tech and I really like the way they are talking with me right now.
"Coach (Eric) Morris and I talk about every other day. They are all about building chemistry, building a family and it's not all just recruiting. I grew up a huge Texas Tech fan and have been to Lubbock for a few games before. Tech is right there at the top of my list right now."
Jackson went on to share what the Texas Tech coaches like about his game.
"The coaches all tell me they really like my attitude and the way I play on the field. They feel that I play on a lot higher level than most high school players and that I have a high motor, keep my eye on the ball and help all of my teammates give max effort."
"Coach Morris and the other coaches all want to put together a good, young defensive line and build chemistry to come together to make plays. They want to get back to that old school Texas Tech football."
The 6-foot-4, 275-pound prospect currently holds four offers from Texas Tech, Kansas, North Texas and Kansas State. He is also receiving interest from several programs and it seems like more offers could be on the way.
"I was supposed to visit Kansas and Kansas State the other week, but it was snowing way too much and we couldn't end up going," he said. "I'm going to be visiting Texas Tech sometime next weekend or the weekend after because I have a track meet in Lubbock and could visit Tech afterwards."
"Coaches from Texas State, Arkansas, San Diego State, UCLA and Missouri are all showing interest right now too."
Growing up in close proximity to the South Plains, what makes Texas Tech a favorable option for the standout prospect?
"My mom likes Texas Tech and thinks it would be cool for me to be close to home, but she also likes Kansas and Kansas State right now," Jackson said. "She knows her football too and wants to me to find the best situation with a great coaching staff.
"The Texas Tech coaches are really sticking out to me right now and that is something important to me - having a good relationship with the defensive line coach, the head coach and the strength & conditioning coach. Of course the degree plans available and what my family thinks of the school will be important to me as well."
- Clare
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Another offer along the offensive line this week went to Rio Rancho (New Mexico) Cleveland offensive tackle Henry Hattis.
"The interest from Texas Tech came on pretty recently," Hattis said. "My defensive coordinator at my high school is close with the Texas Tech coaches. I received a message from Coach Hays around three to four weeks ago and started to get into contact with him."
"We talked again the other night and coach Hays offered me a scholarship. Coach told me the main thing he likes about me is my character and that is something they are always trying to add more of in the program at Texas Tech."
Hattis went on to share more about his conversation with the Texas Tech offensive line coach.
"Coach Hays told me they have watched my film multiple times and that they were very impressed with my play," he said. "We talked about some of the new facilities they are building at Texas Tech and some of the other pros when it comes to the program itself too."
The 6-foot-7, 265-pound prospect also shared his thoughts on the offer from Texas Tech.
"I like how close Texas Tech is and have always watched their games growing up," Hattis said. "I have followed the program and know they haven't been as successful as they have been lately, but every school goes through that.
"Coach Hays wants me to come down for a spring practice and I would like to visit. I'm looking to take a visit in a few weeks, but I have to wait until the basketball season is over. I actually visited Tech with my sister three or four years ago when she went there for a camp, but I'm sure things will seem a lot different whenever I visit again."
Hattis now holds three FBS offers from Texas Tech, New Mexico and New Mexico State with several other programs beginning to show interest.
"Recruiting has been coming down pretty quickly in the last month or so," he said. "I went to a bunch of camps this past summer and some of that is starting to pay off. My sister plays basketball at Texas and I visited over the summer, watched practice and met with the coaches."
"I also went to a New Mexico camp, Arizona State camp and a Colorado State camp. I plan on visiting both Northwestern and Missouri later this spring to see them practice and meet the coaches."
Hattis will compete at the Rivals Camp in Los Angeles and the NFTC regional combine in Oakland later this spring.
He plays center for the basketball team at Cleveland and will play in the quarterfinals of the state tournament this weekend.
- Clare
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The coaches are looking to take several defensive lineman prospects in the 2016 class, and there is another DFW-area prospect starting to receive interest from Texas Tech lately.
Flower Mound (Texas) strongside defensive end Andrew Fitzgerald has been adding new offers every week over the past month and recently started hearing from Texas Tech outside linebackers coach Trey Haverty.
"Everything is going great with recruiting and it has been heating up over the past few months," Fitzgerald said. "Vanderbilt, Army, Cal and North Carolina have all offered recently. It has all been a little random because all of my new offers have come from programs that I have never really talked with before, but I'm happy they have decided to reach out.
"Coach Haverty from Texas Tech sends me messages on social media and checks in with me from time to time. We started connecting around January I believe, but he just lets me know that I'm on their radar and that he plans to come visit during spring practices."
Fitzgerald admits that he doesn't know much about the Red Raiders' program at the moment.
"I really don't know a whole lot about Texas Tech, but coach Haverty has asked me to come visit for a spring practice," Fitzgerald said. "I already had a couple of other visits setup, but might make it out there later in the offseason or sometime this summer."
The DFW-area prospect currently holds nine offers and continues to receive new interest from programs every week.
"I have a pretty good relationship with the coaches at Northwestern, Oklahoma, Duke, Boston College and Oklahoma State right now," Fitzgerald said. "I have already taken visits to SMU, Oklahoma and UNT so far."
"I'm probably going down to Vanderbilt later this month or sometime in April. I also have plans to visit SMU again for their spring scrimmage on March 28th and that's all I know about right now."
Fitzgerald will compete at the NFTC regional combine in Dallas this weekend and the NUC 5-star elite combine on April 19th.
- Clare
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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Arlington Lamar (Texas) offensive guard Chris Owens has seen his stock steadily increase over the past few months. What started out as small school interest has now blossomed into 24 offers from some of the biggest schools in the country, and he remains in contact with a number of those schools.
"So far it is going well, it has been very fun. Recently I've been talking to a lot of schools. I've talked to the ones that have just offered me like Texas, Texas A&M, Syracuse, those are the more recent ones, but I've been talking with a lot of schools," he said. "There are a big handful of schools that stick out. A lot of SEC schools, Big 12 schools, a couple Big Ten schools, really there is just a handful of schools from each conference that are sticking out to me."
One of the offers Owens picked up in the past few months was from Texas Tech. The Red Raiders pulled the trigger in mid-January, and the offer made an impact on the guard prospect.
"I would say mid-January is when they offered. It was actually kind of exciting because it was the second school in Texas that had offered me at that time, SMU had offered as well. So it was cool to see that finally some schools in the state that I lived in were starting to show me some attention."
Since the Tech offer, the three-star has remained in contact with Coach Morris and a few others on the Tech staff. Morris' continued recruitment has had a big impact on Owens.
"Coach Morris really, and I haven't called coach Hays in awhile, but I need to," he said. "We usually DM and he usually checks in every once in awhile and asks me how I'm doing, so probably last week or so he contacted me, just saying hello and seeing how I was doing."
"He mainly just checks in with me pretty much. Coach Morris is really good at doing that, he is one of the better coaches out there who checks up on you and your recruitment. I think he is a receivers coach, and I'm not a receiver obviously and he will still check in on pretty much everybody."
The number 43 player in the state of Texas has had some contact with offensive line coach Lee Hays as well. Hays was the coach to extend the offer to Owens, and the two have had some conversations since the offer.
"I've spoken with coach Hays before in person, he came to our school and we just had a normal conversation. It was short because they can't talk to us for more than 5 minutes, but then I called him later that day and we had more of a lengthy conversation. He was just telling me what Texas Tech was about and told me a little bit about himself."
"A lot of it was more on the academic side, but we were also kind of talking about how they were in the process of changing the program around and how they have a lot of people on the team already bonding with coach Kingsbury. They were working on trying to get back to the top of the Big 12."
When Tech offered Owens, it meant a lot to him because they were a Texas school, but he also grew up watching Tech on Saturdays when he was little.
"I never really knew too much, but I do know that a couple years back they had a really solid team. As far back as I've been watching Tech was when Michael Crabtree and that group was there and the big upset they had over Texas and how he tip-toed down the sideline. That is one of the lasting memories that I have, and I can see how they want to get back to those glory days."
Ranked as the number 17 overall guard prospect, Owens will be playing tackle for Lamar this year. This is Owens' first year on the offensive line as he has always played defensive tackle and defensive end for his high school. Owens possesses a lot of potential at the guard spot and talked about his desire to play there in college, how he feels like he could contribute at guard to an offense like Texas Tech.
"There are a couple schools that want me to play tackle, but I'm 6-foot-4, 307 and I'm built for guard. There are a lot of NFL guards who are around my height and weight. Guard is the position I really want to play though."
"Just add some more athleticism that they already have on their offensive line, and I really want to work towards not only being athletic but being dominant in the run game. I feel comfortable with my pass block footwork but run game wise I feel like I would be as athletic if not more so than the defensive tackle who I am going to be going against at the guard spot. I know they run a lot of counter plays where the guard and tackle pull, and I feel like I would be able to do that."
The standout prospect is trying to get a feel for what each school has to offer and has been working on taking visits to a few schools. He has already taken some out-of-state visits and hopes to keep things with in the state for his next couple visits.
"So far I don't have anything scheduled, but I'm hoping to maybe get down to Texas or Texas A&M sometime soon depending on my work schedule. We just want to stay local right now since we took a trip out to Duke two weeks ago."
"My mom and I haven't talked about it (Tech visit) yet, but it is definitely something we will talk about soon. It is on my mind."
When taking his visits to schools and doing his research, Owens has a few things in mind that he hopes to see from prospective colleges. Education and football are the top two factors as well as remaining cognizant of past and incoming recruiting classes.
"Three of the more important things to me would be number one, education and then football, those are one and two. I want there to be a pretty good mix between school and football, I don't want them to be so football dominant that the education is horrible because that won't help me later life. The third thing would be that I want would look and see what guys the school is bringing in for my particular class and the class before mine because those are the people that I would be playing with for the next three or four more years. I want to make sure that they are not only bringing in players like myself but also bringing in players that are as good or even better than I am so I can count on them."
One player in Tech's past recruiting class that Owens is aware of is former Arlington Bowie OT and 2015 Tech signee Madison Akamnonu. Owens and Akamnonu played in the same district, and he was very aware of Akamnonu's recruitment. The fact that the Bowie OL signed with Tech really impressed Owens and helped him to see that what the Tech coaches were saying was actually true.
"I also know Madison Akamnonu. I don't really know him well personally, but I definitely know of him. I was actually talking about him with a friend the other day and he said something like 'Did you know Madison committed to Tech?' and I was like what? Because he had so many other offers, and I wasn't expecting him to go to Tech. I was just thinking about how they must've really sold him on the school and he must've really liked it there with the players and the coaches. It was kind of the vibe that I was getting with coach Hays and coach Morris, like they seem like they have a plan and they know exactly what they are doing. I was shocked at first about Madison but once I really thought about it, I was getting those same type of good vibes from Hays and Morris that Madison must've been getting as well."
"Seeing Madison commit to Tech shows me that they aren't just talking and selling you a bunch of crap that's not true or anything like that but they actually have a plan and getting a top recruit like him pretty much shows that they have a plan and they know what they are doing and they know what direction they are going in."
Most recruits like to draw out their recruitment and wait till after their senior year or on signing day to make an announcement. The battle for Owens will be an intense one over the next few months, as he hopes to make his commitment before his senior season.
"If everything goes according to plan, I would like to commit before my senior season. I hope to commit during the summer, so that I can enjoy my senior season."
- Kohnle
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Dallas (Texas) Bishop Dunne cornerback Joshua Drayden has surfaced as a potential DB prospect for the Red Raiders. He speaks with linebackers coach Trey Haverty the most right now, and the conversations seem to be going well.
"I talked to Coach Haverty on Monday. Mostly about the spring and how he is excited to see me in action when he comes down and different stuff like that. Mainly just talking about coming to see me though," he said. "He is a real good coach and a real good person. He is always telling me to get my pushups in and get on his level and stuff like that, so he has that sense of humor. It's always like a normal feeling talking to him and it's not awkward or anything like that."
The conversations have gone so well, in fact, that the three-star prospect feels like an offer could be on its way soon.
"I really do think an offer will come soon when they see me in the spring, I really do. Maybe I will get lucky though and they will offer me before then and then they can see what they would be working with."
Tech likely wouldn't be alone in offering the number 42 cornerback, though, as some other schools are close to extending an offer as well.
"I think Stanford is for sure, Oklahoma State, and Navy I think are close."
The Bishop Dunne product already has a good idea of what Tech has to offer and expresses a lot of interest in the Red Raiders. The academic programs have his attention, the football program piques his interest, and he knows a lot of people that either attend or have attended Texas Tech.
"I know they have a lot of oil fields around their area and they have good academics focused in the oil field area. I want to major in petroleum engineering, so that appeals to me. I know Tech is a great school to go to for that. I also know football wise that they are building a great program. I actually have a friend named Peyton Hendrix who plays safety at Tech and he says he loves it. There are also a few alumni that work at my school that went to Texas Tech, so obviously there is something good going on at Texas Tech."
Drayden has a really close bond with Hendrix and likes the idea of maybe playing with him in the future. A visit out to Lubbock is also something on the cornerback's mind.
"It interests me a lot actually that Peyton goes to Tech," he said. "I haven't ever visited before, but I would like to get down soon. I have always wanted to see their campus."
The number 77 prospect in Texas, he's has spent some time watching the Tech defense and already has a good idea of how his skills can fit into their defensive scheme.
"Well being in the Big 12, there is a lot of passing going on. I think I could fit into their defense as a good bump and run corner, being physical at the line, when the QB drops back to pass, he is still going to have to wait, I can disrupt the rhythm of the receivers and make the QB hold onto the ball longer so the D-line can get to him. "
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound corner is taking in all aspects when determining his future school. Academic programs and off the field areas concern him just as much as the football team.
"Location is not really a factor, but really I just want the school to have good education programs in the major I want to work in. From the football aspect, I just want to be a part of an organization that really cares for the players and wants to help them strive not only on the field but off of it as well."
Texas Tech isn't the only school in play for Drayden's services, as they have some competition from across the nation vying for his talents.
"I'm receiving interest from a lot of schools right now. Texas Tech, Washington, Texas State, SMU, Army, Stanford, there are a lot of schools that I am talking to right now. I've been receiving a lot of interest and offers lately."
Following his junior season, Drayden garnered TAPPS First team All-District and All-State accolades.
- Kohnle
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The Tech coaches offered quite the number of O-linemen over this past week, and they actually provided Baldwin Park (Calif.) offensive lineman Francisco Perez with his first scholarship offer this week.
"I have been in contact with the Texas Tech coaches for about three, four weeks now," Perez said. "Coach (Darrin) Chiaverini and Coach (Lee) Hays are both recruiting me from Tech and we have been connecting at least a few times per week."
Things are a bit quirky for prospects at the school right now, though, as they're going through a coaching change, so recruiting communications are a bit strange at the moment. When Perez heard about his offer, however, he was very excited.
"Usually colleges will contact with coaches and talk recruiting, but we don't have a head coach right now. I actually called the coaches earlier this week and they told me that Texas Tech wanted to offer me. I was stunned for a minute because it was my first offer and it is still hard to believe, but it is a blessing."
Perez competed at the NFTC Los Angeles regional combine this past weekend, placed top 5 in the offensive line group, and immediately received his first two scholarship offers earlier this week.
"Recruiting had been going pretty slow, but I had a good showing in the combine this weekend and maybe some schools noticed me," Perez said. "It felt amazing to receive my first offer and feels good to be noticed by these big universities coming from a small town with big dreams."
"Texas Tech offered earlier this week and then Vanderbilt offered soon after. I'm taking an unofficial visit to USC this Saturday and have a camp invite to UCLA later this summer."
The 6-foot-5, 303-pound prospect isn't very familiar with the Texas Tech program, but he has started to research the university with his father since hearing from the Red Raider coaching staff earlier this month.
"Before they even offered, my dad and I were talking about Texas Tech," Perez said. "We looked at the majors they offer there and where it's at in Texas. My parents are very supportive and think it would be cool for me to live in Texas for college."
Other than the upcoming visit to USC this weekend and the camp at UCLA this summer, Perez does not have any other visit plans setup at the moment.
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Amarillo (Texas) defensive tackle Ivory Jackson received an offer from the Texas Tech coaches about three weeks ago, and the West Texas prospect already has the Red Raiders at the top of his list.
"I started talking with the Texas Tech coaches about three weeks ago and they actually offered me that day when we first started talking," Jackson said. "I have pretty much talked with all of the coaches at Tech and I really like the way they are talking with me right now.
"Coach (Eric) Morris and I talk about every other day. They are all about building chemistry, building a family and it's not all just recruiting. I grew up a huge Texas Tech fan and have been to Lubbock for a few games before. Tech is right there at the top of my list right now."
Jackson went on to share what the Texas Tech coaches like about his game.
"The coaches all tell me they really like my attitude and the way I play on the field. They feel that I play on a lot higher level than most high school players and that I have a high motor, keep my eye on the ball and help all of my teammates give max effort."
"Coach Morris and the other coaches all want to put together a good, young defensive line and build chemistry to come together to make plays. They want to get back to that old school Texas Tech football."
The 6-foot-4, 275-pound prospect currently holds four offers from Texas Tech, Kansas, North Texas and Kansas State. He is also receiving interest from several programs and it seems like more offers could be on the way.
"I was supposed to visit Kansas and Kansas State the other week, but it was snowing way too much and we couldn't end up going," he said. "I'm going to be visiting Texas Tech sometime next weekend or the weekend after because I have a track meet in Lubbock and could visit Tech afterwards."
"Coaches from Texas State, Arkansas, San Diego State, UCLA and Missouri are all showing interest right now too."
Growing up in close proximity to the South Plains, what makes Texas Tech a favorable option for the standout prospect?
"My mom likes Texas Tech and thinks it would be cool for me to be close to home, but she also likes Kansas and Kansas State right now," Jackson said. "She knows her football too and wants to me to find the best situation with a great coaching staff.
"The Texas Tech coaches are really sticking out to me right now and that is something important to me - having a good relationship with the defensive line coach, the head coach and the strength & conditioning coach. Of course the degree plans available and what my family thinks of the school will be important to me as well."
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Another offer along the offensive line this week went to Rio Rancho (New Mexico) Cleveland offensive tackle Henry Hattis.
"The interest from Texas Tech came on pretty recently," Hattis said. "My defensive coordinator at my high school is close with the Texas Tech coaches. I received a message from Coach Hays around three to four weeks ago and started to get into contact with him."
"We talked again the other night and coach Hays offered me a scholarship. Coach told me the main thing he likes about me is my character and that is something they are always trying to add more of in the program at Texas Tech."
Hattis went on to share more about his conversation with the Texas Tech offensive line coach.
"Coach Hays told me they have watched my film multiple times and that they were very impressed with my play," he said. "We talked about some of the new facilities they are building at Texas Tech and some of the other pros when it comes to the program itself too."
The 6-foot-7, 265-pound prospect also shared his thoughts on the offer from Texas Tech.
"I like how close Texas Tech is and have always watched their games growing up," Hattis said. "I have followed the program and know they haven't been as successful as they have been lately, but every school goes through that.
"Coach Hays wants me to come down for a spring practice and I would like to visit. I'm looking to take a visit in a few weeks, but I have to wait until the basketball season is over. I actually visited Tech with my sister three or four years ago when she went there for a camp, but I'm sure things will seem a lot different whenever I visit again."
Hattis now holds three FBS offers from Texas Tech, New Mexico and New Mexico State with several other programs beginning to show interest.
"Recruiting has been coming down pretty quickly in the last month or so," he said. "I went to a bunch of camps this past summer and some of that is starting to pay off. My sister plays basketball at Texas and I visited over the summer, watched practice and met with the coaches."
"I also went to a New Mexico camp, Arizona State camp and a Colorado State camp. I plan on visiting both Northwestern and Missouri later this spring to see them practice and meet the coaches."
Hattis will compete at the Rivals Camp in Los Angeles and the NFTC regional combine in Oakland later this spring.
He plays center for the basketball team at Cleveland and will play in the quarterfinals of the state tournament this weekend.
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The coaches are looking to take several defensive lineman prospects in the 2016 class, and there is another DFW-area prospect starting to receive interest from Texas Tech lately.
Flower Mound (Texas) strongside defensive end Andrew Fitzgerald has been adding new offers every week over the past month and recently started hearing from Texas Tech outside linebackers coach Trey Haverty.
"Everything is going great with recruiting and it has been heating up over the past few months," Fitzgerald said. "Vanderbilt, Army, Cal and North Carolina have all offered recently. It has all been a little random because all of my new offers have come from programs that I have never really talked with before, but I'm happy they have decided to reach out.
"Coach Haverty from Texas Tech sends me messages on social media and checks in with me from time to time. We started connecting around January I believe, but he just lets me know that I'm on their radar and that he plans to come visit during spring practices."
Fitzgerald admits that he doesn't know much about the Red Raiders' program at the moment.
"I really don't know a whole lot about Texas Tech, but coach Haverty has asked me to come visit for a spring practice," Fitzgerald said. "I already had a couple of other visits setup, but might make it out there later in the offseason or sometime this summer."
The DFW-area prospect currently holds nine offers and continues to receive new interest from programs every week.
"I have a pretty good relationship with the coaches at Northwestern, Oklahoma, Duke, Boston College and Oklahoma State right now," Fitzgerald said. "I have already taken visits to SMU, Oklahoma and UNT so far."
"I'm probably going down to Vanderbilt later this month or sometime in April. I also have plans to visit SMU again for their spring scrimmage on March 28th and that's all I know about right now."
Fitzgerald will compete at the NFTC regional combine in Dallas this weekend and the NUC 5-star elite combine on April 19th.
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