things are happening in Raiderland, we review the week that was.
it's Friday, let's Flare...
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WEEKLY LINKS
Red Raiders drop opener in Austin as bullpen struggles late
Ramirez Rundown: Optimism in the air for Tech football
Coach "Juice" Johnson, receivers talk attention to detail in loaded WR room
Texas Tech throws game into backtop, drops series to Texas
Red Raiders walked off, swept in Austin
Apodaca: Thoughts after Horns sweep Red Raiders
6'6" playmaker Trey Jackson talks Junior Day at Texas Tech
Texas Tech looks to bounce back against Lobos in Albuquerque
Yates, defensive backs speak spring improvements
The Recruiting Six Pack
Rivals 250 DE Loghan Thomas recaps TTU visit
Four-star DL Joseph Jonah-Ajonye discusses OV schedule, commitment timeline
Tech's Baskerville basking in new scenery, new role
Red Raiders welcome TCU, look to snap skid over the weekend
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TTU RECRUITING THIS WEEK
there were a handful of new offers made, another visit from a 5-star wide receiver, we review the upcoming visits this weekend and much more...
new offers
Texas Tech made a Preferred Walk-On (PWO) offer to an uncommitted 2023 prospect, Fort Worth Christian tight end Jordan Green. The 6-foot-4, 207-pound prospect lists offers from Fordham, Indiana, Jackson State, Libery and UMass. As a senior, Green had 41 receptions for 592 yards and 12 touchdowns receiving.
Texas Tech was the first program to offer Mansfield Timberview 2025 safety Nathan Tilmon. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound sophomore is the younger brother of new outside linebacker transfer Terrell Tilmon and played with a few other Red Raiders - Jordan Sanford and Landon Hullaby.
Texas Tech was the first program to offer Sulphur (Louisiana) 2025 tight end John David LaFleur. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound sophomore is the son of former NFL tight end and Dallas Cowboy David LaFleur.
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another visit from 5-star WR Micah Hudson
Lake Belton five-star wide receiver Micah Hudson was in town last weekend to watch the Red Raiders go through spring practice. Per sources, Hudson was joined by his parents and girlfriend - who is expected to attend college at Texas Tech.
As usual, it is extremely difficult to reach Hudson over the phone or text...so a lot of this information is second hand, but from trusted sources. That being said, the girlfriend tidbit is certainly interesting.
Hudson being on campus for the 6-7th time and second time in the past month is the real story. The Red Raiders are in this thing and there is zero doubt about it. The RedRaiderSports fans have been here before, so the trepidation around the Red Raiders' odds to land their first five-star prospect is understandable, but this one feels different.
It is a dangerous game of poker staring down Nick Saban and Alabama, programs like Ohio State and Texas and others...again, this one feels different.
Recruiting is all about relationships and Brian Nance has a very solid relationship with Hudson and his family. This visit was all about seeing the Red Raiders practice and spending time with the head coaches. Our sources indicate that Hudson and his family hung out with the Texas Tech coaches well into the evening, which is huge because there were no other recruits and all eyes were on Hudson.
There will be drama, twists and turns...we may or may not ever speak with Hudson (jkjk, we will find you) but one thing is for certain - the Red Raiders will be in this thing until the very end.
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coaches to host top targets this weekend
this weekend will not mark one of the larger visit weekends for the 2024 class, but in terms of top targets and opportunity, this could be a very important weekend when we look back on how the 2024 class came together.
a handful of 2024 commitments and top targets will be in Lubbock starting today to watch spring practice and visit the program.
you could argue that Lindale OL Casey Poe's recruitment is entering Micah Hudson territory...no, he is not becoming a five-star prospect and there are differences, but the competition the Red Raiders' coaching staff is facing in Alabama, Georgia, Clemson and several others is the same.
for those not aware, the connection to Poe is very direct - his high school coach is the brother of TTU TE’s coach Josh Cochran - and the coaches have been recruiting him since they arrived in Lubbock.
like Hudson, this will be another visit in a long list of visits to Lubbock for Poe. this visit should be different because there are other top targets in town, but specifically because Will Hammond, Holton Hendrix and Kasen Long will be there spending time with Poe and the coaches - so the QB commit and current OL commits, all together and all persuading Poe why Texas Tech is the place or fit for him
Prosper offensive tackle Ellis Davis is another top 2024 target coming into town this weekend. Texas A&M and Stanford are top competition for the 5.7 three-star prospect, but getting Davis to campus for an unofficial visit seems like a big deal. We always talk about getting prospects on campus to bust narratives on West Texas and Lubbock. McGuire and his staff can recruit, so not only is getting prospects on campus important, but we have seen that getting prospects on campus has given them something to seriously think about afterwards.
Mansfield Legacy safety Landyn Cleveland is another top 2024 target coming into town this weekend. The 5.7 three-star prospect lists over 30 offers from programs around the country and the Red Raiders are in his Top 12 list of programs, which includes Michigan, Penn State, Oklahoma State, Auburn, Oklahoma State, Louisville, Houston, Arizona, Texas, Nebraska and TCU. Cleveland also announced that he plans on committing April 13th, so a few weeks from today.
having Cleveland in town this weekend is a positive, but I do not really have a read on his recruitment. he has visited Oklahoma State, Texas, TCU, Texas A&M - all schools in his Top 12.
add the visit to Texas Tech a few weeks before his announcement and I'm not buying a commitment here...that being said, McGuire and his staff have recruited the Mansfield/Arlington area very well and I could be completely wrong.
I have seen Cleveland at a few camps recently and he does not seem overly physical, but on the field he plays safety like a linebacker and bodies receivers...albeit in shorts and t-shirts in the camp setting, but this dude has 30+ offers for a reason...it indicates to me that he is a dog on the field as a defender.
the last player to highlight is an underclassman, Parish Episcopal 2025 quarterback Sawyer Anderson - the grandson of TTU great Donny Anderson. the early 5.7 three-star prospect already holds nearly 20 scholarship offers from programs around the country, including offers from Arkansas, Miami, Ole Miss, North Carolina, TCU and several others.
Anderson is one of seven (7) total quarterbacks that Texas Tech has offered in the 2025 class. With Hammond on board for 2024, Anderson and other 2025 quarterbacks are most likely receiving a lot more attention from Zach Kittley and the TTU coaches these days. The ties to Texas Tech are there and now Anderson gets to see the program up close again, spend time with the coaches and the Red Raiders can make their case.
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scattershooting TTU recruiting
another week, another whoa look at how tall and athletic this guy is type of update from Odessa wide receiver and Texas Tech commitment Ivan Carreon.
the fact that Nick Harris was able to see Carreon in person and liked him enough to shout him out on social media + his recap article is a good thing too...as a 5.6 three-star, we could see Carreon's ranking rise in the months to come.
he has serious upside at 6-foot-6, 200-pounds...more importantly, Carreon shared that he is locked in with Texas Tech regardless of any new interests or offers from other programs.
it appears the Texas Tech coaches will attend summer camps/prospect camps hosted at North Texas later this summer, pretty cool opportunity to uncover hidden gems in the DFW area and support a former Red Raider in Eric Morris and his new Mean Green staff.
the Nigerian Nightmare
Conroe Oak Ridge four-star defensive end and longtime Texas Tech target Joseph Jonah-Ajonye won camp MVP and earned an invite to the Under Armour All-American Game this past weekend.
again, Nick Harris was on hand to watch the camp and spoke with the Rivals 250 prospect afterwards, who mentioned his scheduled official visit to Texas Tech this June.
although the Tech coaches have been involved for a while, Jonah-Ajonye's recruitment really took off to start 2023 with several new offers. programs like Oklahoma, Oregon, Notre Dame and others have built good relationships with the four-star defender...BUT none of those relationships compare to the relationship built with Texas Tech DL coach Zarnell Fitch.
I'm not just posting that to pump his tires or get clicks...Fitch is a great recruiter and in speaking with Jonah, it is evident that the relationship there is going to play a factor in his recruitment.
getting him on campus for an official visit this June is huge and should be crucial in landing the Rivals 250 talent.
MAIL TIME!
Plano East defensive end and longtime Texas Tech target Chima Chineke visited Iowa last weekend and earned his second offer from the Hawkeyes. The standout defender came home to a ton of mail from the Texas Tech coaches this week. He has plans to officially visit Texas Tech this June.
Katy offensive tackle Coen Echols is one of the program's newest offers and the standout prospect received a ton of mail from the Texas Tech coaches this week. He recently spoke with Benjamin Golan, noted Texas Tech recruiting journalist, and mentioned that he plans to unofficially visit Lubbock sometime this spring.
new arrivals - transfers + high school signees
I don't have a breakdown per second here, but every new transfer and early enrollee from the 2023 class is featured in this quick video from TTU Football.
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Texas Tech Pro Day
we talk about Tyree Wilson a ton for obvious reasons, but for Texas Tech Pro Day the NFL Network and several other media outlets + NFL coaching staffs were in town this week simply because of Wilson's talents...which only helps put additional eye balls on his many teammates - listed above - showing off their talents at the TTU Pro Day.
hopefully all of these guys get a shot at making a roster or competing for a roster spot, but outside of Tyree Wilson, guys like RB SaRodorick Thompson and Marquis Waters are the most likely to be drafted late in the NFL Draft later this month.
after some research at the University of Google, I'm seeing a 6th round grade on Thompson and several free agent pickup ideas on Waters.
that being said, it takes one team to really like a prospect...so time will tell, but with Wilson not working out in Lubbock, the standout pass rusher is pretty much cemented to go in the first round of the draft.
of note...Wilson did mention he will be attending the NFL Draft in Kansas City with his family and some of the TTU coaches.
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Recruiting - Around the Big 12
well, as most of you already know...I'm not perfect
after being super excited for some movement of any kind around the conference last week, I wrote about UCF landing their 2024 quarterback...all while missing the fact that Kansas and Iowa State both added a few commitments 2-3 weeks ago!
Iowa State:
The Cyclones now stand at three (3) total commitments in the 2024 class, good for the No. 47 overall class in the nation.
Canfield (Ohio) athlete Danny Inglis committed to Iowa State earlier this month. The 5.5 three-star prospect chose the Cyclones over offers from Bowling Green, Miami Ohio, Toledo, Ohio and Youngstown State.
Linn Mar Community School (Iowa) tight end Keaton Roskop committed to Iowa State earlier this month. The 5.6 three-star prospect chose the Cyclones over offers from Army, Kansas State, Northern Illinois, Texas A&M and Northern Iowa.
Kansas:
The Jayhawks now stand at three (3) total commitments in the 2024 class, good for the No. 43 overall class in the nation.
Desert Edge (Arizona) corner back Aundre Gibson committed to Kansas earlier this month. The 5.5 three-star prospect chose the Jayhawks over offers from Arizona, Iowa State, Nebraska, Arizona State, Washington, Oregon State, Oregon, Washington and others.
Kansas State:
The Wildcats now stand at four (4) total commitments in the 2024 class, good for the No. 31 overall class in the nation.
Douglas County (Colorado) outside linebacker Jake Stonbraker committed to Kansas State this week. The 5.6 three-star prospect chose the Wildcats over another offer from Colorado.
Oklahoma:
The Sooners landed their first commitment of the 2024 class this week, and now they have the No. 57 overall class in the nation.
Casteel High School (Arizona) corner back Jeremiah Newcombe committed to Oklahoma this week. The Rivals 250 four-star prospect chose the Sooners over 25 other offers, including offers from Arizona State, Michigan, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, USC and several others.
TCU and Cincinnati remain the only two (2) teams in the Big 12 without a commitment in the 2024 recruiting class.
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have a great weekend everyone!
