hope everyone survived the 2023 freeze, it was a boring week sitting at the house, but we did it.
it's Friday, let's Flare...
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WEEKLY LINKS
Looking Ahead at the 2023 Texas Tech Bullpen
Tech looks for glimmer of hope against LSU
By the Numbers: Breaking Down LSU
Apodaca: Tech snaps eight-game skid behind Walton's season-best performance
Tech closes second half strong, drops LSU 76-68
Ramirez: Tech fins win column, gains building block moving forward
Emergency Edition of The Matador Report
Tech looks to build momentum against Iowa State
Duncanville DT Alex January talks relationship with DL coach Zarnell Fitch
By the Numbers: A Second Look at Iowa State
Immediate reaction to 24-point comeback win over Iowa State
Tech pulls off 80-77 upset against Iowa State
A bit of what Mark Adams said after win over Iowa State
Morning-after comeback on ISU thoughts
Tech's 2023 Big 12 schedule offers promise for rising program
Rivals100 WR Kaliq Lockett excited about in-state offer from TTU
2025 QB Ty Hawkins earns Tech offer after throwing for coach Kittley
A look ahead at the 2023 Texas Tech infield
Mark Adams Wednesday Availability
Huntsville corner Isaiah Collins picks up first offer from Texas Tech
Familiar faces headline Tech funning back room in 2023
RRS TV: Coach Brad Stanfield
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TTU RECRUITING THIS WEEK
the coaches signed the final piece to the 2023 recruiting class this week in an otherwise sleepy signing day across the country and the coaches offered another handful of new prospects throughout the week
Natchitoches Central defensive tackle and longtime Texas Tech commitment Tre'Darius Brown officially signed with the Red Raiders this week. The three-star prospect originally committed to the Tech coaches this past April and stayed loyal to the Red Raiders throughout the process. He was not able to sign during the early signing period last December, but is now on board and will head to Lubbock this summer.
At 6-foot-2, 297-pounds, Brown has played both offensive line and defensive line in his high school career. In my experience, this usually boads well for prospects at the next level, just the reps at both positions and the technique required to both block and shed blocks.
What is the most eye-opening part of Brown's signing is just how little most cared about this second national signing day. Even on the board chats, it was joked about how Tech signing a 6-ft-2, 300-lb three-star defensive tackle would warrant a parade in the streets only a few years ago...and it is funny...because it is true.
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new offers
Texas Tech offered Richardson Berkner 2025 wide receiver Richmond Ugochukwu this week. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound standout sophomore is currently unranked, but Ugochukwu now holds four (4) early offers from your Red Raiders, North Texas, UTSA and Mississippi Valley State.
Texas Tech was the first program to offer Kennedy (Washington) cornerback Joey Thomas III this week. The 6-foot, 160-pound standout freshman is a multi-sport athlete and is currently running Track & Field and competiting in 7v7 during the off-season.
Texas Tech was the first program to offer Owasso (Oklahoma) offensive tackle Blake Cherry this week. Maybe a 'not so fast' here, the standout sophmore did announce an offer from the Red Raiders and it is now deleted...so more to come.
Texas Tech was the first program to offer Owasso (Oklahoma) offensive guard Ryker Haff this week. The 6-foot-5, 288-pound standout sophomore is considered one of the best underclassman lineman in the state of Oklahoma for the 2025 class.
Texas Tech was the first program to offer Huntsville cornerback Isaiah Collins this week. The 6-foot-3, 175-pound standout junior finished with 42 tackles, five (5) pass breakups and two (2) forced fumbles this past season.
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SaRodorick Thompson added to the Senior Bowl
On January 15th, 2018 the RedRaiderSports subscribers were introduced to a running back out of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, only weeks before national signing day for the 2018 recruiting class.
Ranchview running back SaRodorick Thompson held 10 offers from G5 programs and had a very productive senior season, earning the District's Co-Offensive MVP award as a result. The interest from both Texas Tech and SMU came very late in the process, but things moved fast from that January 15th update with Thompson officially visiting Lubbock and earning the offer from the Red Raiders and ultimately committing and signing with Texas Tech in early February.
For a kid to who was lightly recruited, rated a 5.4 two-star prospect...Thompson not only stamped his name in the Texas Tech record books as a very productive and reliable back through his playing career, but the NFL is definitely in his future.
He played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl this past week and then an injury to Texas RB Roschon Johnson provided an opportunity for Thompson to participate in the Reese's Senior Bowl - considered the 'best of the best' when it comes to these pre-NFL Draft combines/games.
Of course, Thompson is already well-liked and the tweets/feedback on his performance this week are already positive. I'm not reporting anything breaking here or stating anything outside of the obvious, but as someone who covered SaRodorick when very little people - including myself - knew who he was is pretty inspiring and an incredible accomplishment/opportunity for him to display his talent in front of every NFL decision maker under the sun.
The Senior Bowl game is this weekend, Saturday February 4th at 1:30pm
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2023-24 Big 12 Schedule Release
the schedule release has been talked about a ton already this week, so not adding much detail here...just adding my .02 cents
the who is playing who or 'not' playing who reminds me of the old Big 12 where the schedule can truly benefit the Red Raiders in any given year
I'm not here to predict wins and losses just yet, but I will say the vibes or feelings around the wins and losses going into this next season are much different and the conversation has moved from "can we win six games and get to a bowl" to "can we win eight or nine games with this schedule"
I know my friends and I are already looking at both Oregon and TCU as the most interesting or intriguing games of the season. Overall, the home set of games isn't too exciting beyond those two games, but the good news is that the road schedule is not very daunting either.
what are your predictions?
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Recruiting - Around the Big 12
as I mentioned, it was a quiet signing day around the conference as the majority of prospects signed and committed this past December, but there were a few 2024 commitments around the conference...
Baylor - landed OL Koltin Sieracki, his older brother is on the team
K-State - landed OL Ryan Howard out of Pennsylvania
Kansas - landed QB Isaiah Marshall out of Michigan
Iowa State - landed DE Jace Gilbert out of Wisconsin, the program's first 2024 commitment
OkState - landed RB Rodney Fields, an unrated prospect from Oklahoma City
BYU - landed WR Siosefa Brown, a 6-foot-5, 190-pound unranked prospect
Housotn - landed DE Zion Taylor, a local prospect and 5.6 three-star with over 20 offers from various P5 programs, including the Red Raiders
UCF - landed LB Samarian Robinson, an in-state 5.6 three-star prospect with six (6) offers from UCF, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Louisville, South Florida and UAB
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have a great weekend everyone!
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