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With it being Spring Break right now, things are a bit slow right now with both prospects and the staff out over the last few days. So, I decided to take the RRC a little bit of a different path this week and focus on one specific position group: The defensive line.
You guys have asked for some defensive line updates, and with Terrance Jamison settling in as the new position coach and really just starting to get his sea legs on the recruiting trail, things have been pretty slow.
That being said, I can confirm that Coach Jamison has now started reaching out to a big number of prospects, both ones that Coach Patrick was in contact with and a few new ones. So, I went out and got in touch with a number of those prospects, many of whom are just in the initial greetings and getting-to-know stages with the new D-line coach.
So, while there may not be any quotes, I do have some info for you guys on a number of defensive line targets he's in touch with or circled.
Santa Clarita (Calif) College of the Canyons DE Dorian Gerald
-Coach Jamison has made initial contact with Gerald, a JUCO prospect and true strongside defensive end. This is not a prospect that Coach Patrick was in touch with before. He currently holds offers from Arizona State, Washington State, Colorado State, Marshall, Memphis, and Georgia State. This is an interesting contact because it confirms that the Red Raiders are in the very least interested in JUCO defensive linemen right now.
Spring (Texas) DE/OLB Willie Smith
-Smith is a prospect that Coach Jamison and the Red Raiders have only circled and will likely make contact with in the coming weeks. While he's listed as a true defensive end on Rivals, everything I've heard and seen leads me to believe Tech would recruit him as a rush end. You can see that there's a lot to like from a raw tools perspective on film.
Cibolo (Texas) Steele OLB/DE Juan Henry
-Henry and Coach Jamison got in touch on Wednesday, and the two are supposed to have their first phone conversation over the weekend. It's worth noting that Henry was a prospect that the Red Raiders were interested in before Jamison got here, as he started hearing from Coach Patrick before he left back in early January. Worth noting that Coach Jamison had already invited Henry down to Lubbock for their April 8th Saturday night scrimmage, but he'll be visiting Colorado State - his only offer right now - that weekend. So instead, he'll be in attendance at the Star in Frisco for Tech's Spring Game on April 1st. The attention that he's already received leads me to believe that Tech is pretty interested here in him as a rush end prospect.
Frisco (Texas) Lone Star LB Nick Bolton
-If you're looking for a tackling machine, I found you one here. Coach Jamison it looks like won't be recruiting just D-linemen either, as Bolton is a linebacker all the way I would guess. However, I can confirm Coach Jamison has reached out and made contact with him. He already holds offers from Boston College, Colorado, and Houston among a number of other group of five schools in the region. This is a player I think Tech would be smart to get in on, as I think he can really play.
Fort Worth (Texas) All Saints DE/OLB Grayson Mann
-Another prospect that Coach Jamison has gotten in touch with, actually talked to on Wednesday as well. Mann currently holds offers from Nebraska, Northwestern, Colorado State, Harvard, and a few others. He's an edge rusher at the high school level, but I wonder if he becomes an outside linebacker in college. I think he's clearly a tweener right now.
Marana (Arizona) Mountain View DT Kai Golden
http://www.hudl.com/video/3/4384888/5816c12aed57ee088095a803
-Golden heard from Coach Jamison earlier on this week, and he wasn't hearing from Tech prior to this to my knowledge. It's interesting that the Red Raiders would be going after an Arizona prospect, however. It's also worth noting that he already has offers from Virginia and New Mexico State. Arizona State, Arizona, New Mexico, Washington, and a few others are in contact as well.
So, just wanted to share a look into what prospects Coach Jamison has already circled or reached out to in his first few weeks on the job. Also, I'm supposed to be getting in touch with hoops offers Zhaire Smith - who's visiting in a few weeks, and Cedric Alley, so if I get ahold of them I will add their interviews to the RRC this week as well. Have a great weekend!
