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Taylor (Texas) corner DaMarcus Fields could be one of the best athletes in this Texas Tech class. Fields has done it all for his playoff-bound Taylor squad playing quarterback, wide receiver, corner, safety, and is the teams primary punt and kick returner. He also is a standout track athlete and participates in the 100, 200, and 400 meter dashes and does the long jump and the triple jump. The 6-foot-1 corner prospect runs a 10.3 100 meter dash and ran multiple 4.4 second 40-yard dashes at Texas Tech’s satellite camp over the summer. Tech fans will be happy to hear that things are going great with Texas Tech, too.
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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“The relationship between me and Texas Tech is great, it is wonderful. Out of all the schools that have recruited me, Texas Tech has been the best. I talk to Kevin Curtis the most. We don’t even talk from a football standpoint all the time, but he has just been a mentor for me for life and things like that. I’m just excited to get up there and Coach Curtis has been preparing me for that experience as a true freshman.”
He has watched all their games on TV this year and loves the turnovers that they have been able to create this year. Fields and the other 2016 defenders are excited to make their presence known on defense.
“Oh yes (I’m excited). It makes me very excited and all of the defensive recruits are ready to get in there and ball out. We are all going to come in to Tech and give all the returnees a run for their money. If they aren’t ready, we are going to take their spots.”
I asked Fields who are some guys he has built a relationship with this class and he threw out a name of a player who isn’t even a Red Raider currently.
“There is a corner back, I’m pretty sure we are going to get him. His name is Desmon Smith from Odessa Permian. He is good. He is real good. He is a big guy and is really athletic. He is going to be committing pretty soon so y’all need to watch out for that. I’ve talked to him about it and he is just giving everybody a little waiting, and that is really what it is.”
As mentioned earlier, Fields is a tremendous athlete and has even started to receive a bit more interest on the recruiting trail because of it. A Big 12 recently came and visited Fields but the DB recruit is solid to the Red Raiders.
“A few schools have come down and have visited me not too long ago. It was TCU. I’m not really interested in anywhere else though, but I can’t stop them from coming down. I’m a Red Raider.”
-Kohnle
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Auburndale (Fla.) three-star point guard Keon Clergeot committed to Texas Tech not long after visiting Lubbock and then signed his Letter of Intent on Wednesday, but it wasn’t easy for him to turn down his his other opportunities.
“Chattanooga,” Clergeot said. “Really what was hard about them, Matt McCall wanted me really bad and wanted me to carry the team, be the man of the team and be another Scottie Wilbekin.”
Wilbekin was the SEC Player of the Year in 2014 with the Florida Gators, where McCall was an assistant before taking over at Chattanooga. What ultimately sold Clergeot on Texas Tech was his relationship with the coaching staff and their track record of success.
“Really Texas Tech was wanting the same thing,” Clergeot said. “They’re wanting me to score and carry the team and be a leader.”
-Wright
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Four-star athlete Jaylon Jackson, who hopes to return to action from an off-season ACL tear this week for Cedar Hill as the Longhorns take on Southlake Carroll, is currently being recruited the hardest by Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.
“From Tech I talk to Coach (Emmett) Jones and Coach (Eric) Morris,” Jackson said. “I get to talk to them whenever, if I need something or if I don’t know something, or if I want to know something, I talk to them. Oklahoma State I talk to Tim Duffie, he’s like a defensive coach. He’s the recruiter for our area, I get to talk to him a lot.”
With more than a year left to make a decision, Jackson is still open to other schools but both the Cowboys and Red Raiders have gotten themselves firmly in the mix for the 2017 four-star.
“I’ve visited both of those schools, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State,” Jackson said. “Oklahoma State, I visited them during their spring game and Texas Tech, I got to go there for the Sam Houston and Tech game. At Tech, it’s crazy, their fans are loud. I like their Raider Power chant. It’s crazy, they throw tortillas on the field. And for Oklahoma State, the same. They put up points and they are having a very good year this year, they are undefeated -- that big win against TCU -- that was nice.”
-Wright
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El Paso (Texas) El Dorado 2017 wide receiver Tyquez Hampton recently released a top-six list of schools and the Red Raiders were on the list. UTEP, Kansas, SMU, Texas State, and Oregon also made an appearance on the list. I asked Hampton why he included the Red Raiders.
“The reason I put Tech in that list is because they throw it. They throw it a lot. They also have a pretty good medical program too and that really helped them in making my top-six. The coaching staff has been a real big help too. I talk to Coach Morris almost every day which is also what helped them make that list.”
Hampton’s primary recruiter at the moment is offensive coordinator Eric Morris. Hampton said Morris has been contacting him ever since his freshman season.
“I had contact with him on and off during my freshman year. Then has my junior season started to come up he messaged me on twitter and told me he was interested in me and all of that and told me I could ball. Ever since then we have been talking and building a relationship.”
Despite being in his top-six, Hampton does not currently hold an offer from Tech. He believes that the reason is probably just because they haven’t seen him in person yet. The wide receiver has been in contact with Morris and said Morris could be down for a playoff game or after the season.
Hampton has not seen a game in person but is working on making it out to Lubbock at some point. He has watched a lot of their games on TV, however.
“I have watched a lot of games this year, and that is how I know they throw the ball a lot. Their offense is like my dream offense and it makes me want to be a part of their program even more. As a receiver I want the ball thrown my way and they do that.”
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Hampton finished his junior season with 22 catches for 429 yards and five touchdowns. Hampton is also a three-sport athlete as he plays basketball and runs track. Hampton competes in the 200 meter dash and his personal best time is 21.6.
-Kohnle
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Texas Tech 2016 commits Kevin Moore and Jonathan Picone, both from “the boot”, have been close for sometime now. On their visit to the south plains, the two had the opportunity to talk about the possibility of playing alongside each other at Texas Tech. Picone, who had pledged to the Red Raiders months ago, stayed in the ear of Moore. Eventually, he decided to commit to the Red Raiders and Picone couldn't be more happy that he’ll be tagging along.
“Oh, I'm excited to play with him man. When I went up there on my visit with him, we obviously were talking about being able to go up there and play together. It's a really exciting thought, especially the fact it's going to be a reality now” said Picone. “He's everything you want in a football player and a defensive player. He's a hard nose dude, he works hard, stays out of trouble, never had any problems with him. He just learns everything and soaks it all up, so he's definitely going to be a huge aspect of the team and I look forward to being his teammate.”
-Martin
