good morning boys and girls...took a few weeks off - sick and then family vacation - but I'm back for another edition.
it's Friday, let's Flare...
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WEEKLY LINKS
The Recruiting Six Pack
Stats and notes on recent Texas Tech offers
Flashback Friday: Favorite Tech moments of the past decade
The Recruiting Six Pack II
How Hudson White entering the protal affects Tech baseball in 2024
DB Alvin Williamson Jr. high on Red Raiders following OV
DB Peyton Morgan on Texas Tech: It feels like family
TE commit Trey Jackson enojys Texas Tech OV, connecting with coaches
Madisonville WR L.J. Johnson recaps his weekend in Lubbock
OT and hometown commit Holton Hendrix discusses his official visit
Prosper OT Ellis Davis commits to Texas Tech
Texas Tech stnadout out for EDGE Charles Anderson Jr.
Sideline Provisions presents GIFnalysis: OL Ellis Davis
OT commit Kasen Long recaps his official visit with the Red Raiders
Texas Tech offers Crandall TE Joshua Smith
There's no better place than Texas Tech, says Hawley ATH Chandlin Myers
Austin-Westlake's Will Magids strong senior year leads to Texas Tech
Lindale OG Casey Poe recaps phenomenal weekend with Red Raiders
Hampton has TTU high on his list after official visit
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TTU RECRUITING THIS WEEK
we have a new 2024 commitment, tons of official visitors over the past few weeks and another group of talented official visitors in town this weekend...the coaches also made a handful of new offers to underclassmen targets
new commit
Prosper offensive tackle Ellis Davis announced his commitment to the Red Raiders on Monday afternoon. The 5.7 three-star prospect chose Texas Tech over 25 other offers, including offers from Auburn, Florida State, Ole Miss, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Penn State, TCU, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M and several others.
industry rankings:
Rivals - 5.7 three-star
247 - 90 rating, four-star and No. 243 in the nation (Top 247)
On3 - 91.79 rating, four-star and No. 172 in the nation (Top 300)
I linked the commit story from @J. Gonzales and the GIFnalysis from @B. Golan above, but listed at 6-foot-7, 270-pounds it is easy to see why so many college coaches were recruiting Davis.
Hamby and the coaching staff like nasty offensive lineman and a quick watch of Davis' tape show several plays like this where he is laying guys out. With his size, the most impressive thing about Davis is his movement and footwork. He can redshirt at Texas Tech and continue building his frame, but this type of offensive tackle prospect can help your program win games for years and that is why this commitment win against other quality programs is so impressive for McGuire & Co.
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Ratings update - 2024 class
the Rivals national team released the updated 2024 rankings throughout the week this week, and a handful of Texas Tech 2024 commitments received a ratings bump...I repeat, the Texas Tech commitments received a bump - not being a smartass, but just pointing out this used to not happen in years past...this coaching staff can evaluate and close, and Rivals is not the only recruiting shop around that notices.
OL Holton Hendrix was bumped to a 5.8 four-star prospect, meaning he is just outside of the Rivals 250 - so think top 300 in the nation
WR Ivan Carreon was bumped to a 5.8 four-star prospect, meaning he is just outside of the Rivals 250 - so think top 300 in the nation
both well deserved bumps, both great early evaluations for the Texas Tech staff as well.
if you want my brief opinion on the recent Carreon drama/not drama...mountain meet molehill, and this isn't some guess or gut feeling, I made some calls and even spoke with some people in West Texas.
obviously expect anything in recruiting, but I'm told that Carreon loves Texas Tech and plans to be a Red Raider...the opportunity for a kid to take official visits, attend camps and earn offers only comes around once in a lifetime.
in fact, one could argue that competing at these camps and continuing to stack these offers lead to his name being seen + the new evaluation.
so for you newbies to following recruiting, we say 'ride the wave'...to you guys & gals who have followed for years and are still getting nervous/etc, I say to you...RIDE THE WAVE
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TTU makes Top 10 for WR target Ashton Bethel-Roman
the Houston area standout was bumped to a four-star prospect and into the Rivals 250 this week, and he will be in Lubbock this weekend for his official visit.
his father, Mark Roman, is a former LSU Tiger and played in the NFL for the Bengals, Packers and 49ers...so the pedigree is there as well.
I have not spoken with young Ashton myself, but it appears that the main competition in this Top 10 would be Arkansas, Purdue, Kansas State, Baylor and Houston. that being said, Oregon recently offered and we all know they have some cache with recruits. the offers from Arkansas, Houston, Ole Miss, TCU and Nebraska are all fairly new - since late April and May.
this will be Bethel-Roman's fourth time visiting the Texas Tech campus and the Red Raiders have been recruiting him the longest...by far - his offer came in last June 16th, so a year ago today (!)
too much going on to enter a Futurecast and most of the WR recruiting attention goes to Hudson for obvious reasons, but Bethel-Roman is a dog and would make for a pretty salty potential trio with Carreon and Hudson...good luck to defenses there.
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official visitor recap + preview
ok, keep in mind that I'm catching up from two (2) weeks on the DL here...so we are going to start with the first OV weekend from two weeks ago.
first OV weekend - the coaches had three (3) visitors - DT Alex January, DT Miles Adams and OL Brett Carroll
easier to report with two weeks of hindsight, meaning after the weekend it was kind of expected that Miles Adams would verbally commit to the Red Raiders after the visit...instead the coaches ended up feeling a lot better about where they stand with Alex January that it put a pause on any commitments at the DT position. Golan reported as much in my absence, but this is a smaller class and the DT spot is more of a luxury take...so nothing against Adams, they obviously love him as a prospect, there is just no rush to 'fill' that spot at the moment.
with Carroll, the coaches certainly made a good impression and sit in a good spot with him...that being said, a week later they added Davis - who is arguably the better prospect - and it makes you wonder how many OL prospects the coaches will take.
this is always based on the 'who' or which prospect, re: Casey Poe wants to commit, Casey Poe can commit...so I believe it comes down to 'who' and how many spots the coaches want to use on the OL.
my guess would be six (6) total, and with four (4) commits already on board, it seems like the coaches are focused on filling out the interior line...more on that below.
second OV weekend (last weekend) - complete list of visitors
the coaches hosted 14 official visitors + QB Will Hammond came into town as an unofficial visitor to hang around the other commits & targets in town...*Hammond will be back this weekend for his official visit
we covered Davis and his commitment in detail above, the other important visitors were -Ivan Carreon, Casey Poe, Edward Smith, Ashton Hampton and Peyton Morgan
all visitors are important, but for Flare purposes, we are focusing on these young men...
Carreon - I gave my .02 on that situation above, but getting him back on campus and securing that relationship is always important
Poe - not much to say here, but this kid has been on campus a ton and loves Texas Tech...only issue is that Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Oklahoma are recruiting him very hard as well. I'm not here to pump sunshine, but with this coaching staff you simply cannot count them out of anything...maybe Poe does follow the blueblood opportunity, but I do not believe that is as much of a forgone conclusion as most believe.
Smith - the coaches have offered a ton of DE targets and Smith seems to be a constant, he loved the visit and I believe the Red Raiders now sit in the driver's seat for his commitment
Hampton - I posted my article yesterday and entered a Futurecast, too much momentum and positive feedback...I believe he commits to the Red Raiders later this summer
Morgan - this young man is probably one of the kids in this 2024 class that has been recruiting the longest by McGuire & Co...they have a great relationship and the coaches love his potential at the safety posiiton. there is a ton of competition for his commitment, but the consistency from the TTU coaches and the relationship in place wins out in the end for me...not ready for a Futurecast here just yet, however, it could come in the next few weeks for me.
this weekend - complete list of visitors
offense:
Hudson gets a ton of attention, and for good reason, but I'm not going to write a bunch of words about how 'important' this visit is, etc/etc...because while you can call it important, the Texas Tech coaches have a real, solid relationship with Hudson and I would argue this weekend is more about spending time with Will Hammond and other commits, targets and the players.
I wrote about Ashton Bethel-Roman above, but he is a very talented prospect and another guy who will spend time with Hammond this weekend.
RB J'Koby Williams is a very intriguing target visiting this weekend, the 5.7 three-star and Texas Top 100 prospect has an impressive offer list and could be one of my picks to eventually commit to the Red Raiders after a solid OV this weekend
I don't know anything about Crandall tight end Joshua Smith, but from what I read in @J. Gonzales' article and @B. Golan's notes on the board...it seems like the coaches love this kid and his potential.
OL Coen Echols has a ton of quality offers and has already been to A&M and Auburn for official visits...but he clearly has a solid relationship with the Texas Tech coaches, and as I wrote above about OL recruiting in this 2024 class, the coaches will take the right guys and I believe Echols is a no doubt take as a road grader on the inside of the line.
defense:
EDGE Chima Chineke is a longtime target for the Red Raider coaches, in fact they believed in him and offered way before anyone else...when talking with him, there is no doubt he hates interviews and talking about himself...but you could easily tell the relationship with the TTU coaches was something he talked about with ease. I believe he is a no doubt take for the coaches, and I like their chances against both Iowa and Kansas - where Chineke has or will also offiically visit.
the coaches have five (5) defensive back targets coming in town this weekend - Isaiah Collins, Dontae Carter, Malik Esquerra, Oliver Miles III and Tyson Turner.
something I really like about this coaching staff and their approach to recruiting is how they stack options at each position group from a targets standpoint...anything and everything can happen in recruiting, sometimes coaching staffs in the past have gone 'all in' with certain prospects while neglecting other targets or not recruiting them 'as hard'.
you look at this group of defensive backs and the entire OL class conversation, and McGuire's staff knows how to effectively recruit while sticking and moving while 'riding the wave'
Carter is a standout and I'm interested to learn more from him about the visit. Miles III is another interesting battle against Notre Dame and Stanford, but I like the coaches' chances here.
Collins, Esquerra and Turner are all solid evaluations from the staff...other programs caught on or copied with offers, so there is competition for each of these prospects, but I believe the Tech coaches sit in a great spot - relationship wise - with each of these young men.
calling my shot - J'Koby Williams, Joshua Smith, Chima Chineke, Isaiah Collins and Dontae Carter are all potential additions to this 2024 class for TTU
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new offers
the coaches offered Honey Grove 2026 running back Ryelan Morris this week. the 5-foot-11, 165-pound back currently holds six (6) early offers from your Red Raiders, Michigan State, Missouri, North Texas, Purdue and SMU.
the coaches offered Crowley 2027 athlete Antayvious Ellis this week. the 6-foot, 175-pound incoming freshman already holds three (3) early offers from your Red Raiders, UTSA and TCU.
the coaches offered Flower Mound 2026 offensive tackle Drew Evers this week. the 6-foot-3, 277-pound lineman currently holds nine (9) early offers from your Red Raiders, Florida State, Baylor, Colorado, Incarnate Word, Louisville, North Texas, Purdue and SMU. for the recruiting nerds, Drew is the younger brother of one-time TTU QB target Nick Evers, who is now at Wisconsin.
the coaches offered Baylor defensive back transfer A.J. McCarty Jr. this week, only minutes after he annnounced his plans to transfer. the relationships are there from the Tech coaches who were previously at Baylor, and the early word is that McCarty is a heavy lean to join the Red Raiders as a walk-on with the opportunity to earn a full scholarship.
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Elite 11 schtuff
ok, we plan on aggregating a ton of feedback and social media coverage from the Elite 11, but the early takeaway after two (2) days is this...
Will Hammond absolutely belongs with the best of the best quarterbacks in the nation. in fact, our own national team posed that as a question for Hammond going into the event. since then, all Hammond has done is compete at a high level.
the Elite 11 ranked him No. 6 overall after day one and while they have not released the day two rankings, Hammond did finish second overall in the Pro Day event held last night.
I texted with Ben last night and said this...Hammond doesn't need to win this event, he doesn't even need to finish Top 5...simply being in the Top 10 and turning some heads nationally should result in him being bumped into the Rivals 250.
rankings are all subjective and Hammond is a solid commitment either way...but looking at his talent, the tape, this event and his offer list - Hammond is a R250 prospect in my most humble of opinions.
I have been glued to the Elite 11 updates, and we will put together a full article/content item with everything from the Elite 11, including feedback from Hammond himself.
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oh helllll yeaaaahhhhhh, that's my quarterback!
breaking: Mahomes is the man, the guy cannot miss and I cannot wait to watch the Quarterback docuseries on Netflix next month.
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Recruiting - Around the Big 12
after being away for two weeks and the start of official visits around the nation, we have seen several new commitments around the conference...cannot go into detail on each commit for each program, but I have linked each prospect and can help answer any questions
let's go...
Texas Tech - 10 total commitments, No. 25 class in the nation
added OL Ellis Davis, covered above*
West Virginia - 10 total commitments, No. 34 class in the nation
Neil Brown's staff has added seven (7) new commitments in the month of June so far...
DE Obinna Onwuka
OL Kyle Altuner
DE Elijah Kinsler
DB Keelan Flowe
WR Brandon Rehmann
ATH Zae Jennings
DB Israel Boyce
Oklahoma - six (6) total commitments, No. 35 class in the nation
*no new commitments since late April
Kansas - 10 total commitments, No. 40 class in the nation
LB Jonathan Kamara
LB JaCorey Stewart
OL Harrison Utley
DB Austin Alexander
RB Harry Stewart III
DB Jalen Todd
Iowa State - nine (9) total commitments, No. 46 class in the nation
LB Cael Brezina
DB Carson Van Dinter
Oklahoma State - seven (7) total commitments, No. 47 class in the nation
ATH David Kabongo
Baylor - seven (7) total commitments, No. 51 class in the nation
TE Greydon Grimes
ATH Mason Dossett
DB Kristopher Wokomah
TCU - five (5) total commitments, No. 56 class in the nation
ATH Julian Knox
Kansas State - six (6) total commitments, No. 58 class in the nation
OL Kyle Rakers
Texas - three (3) total commitments, No. 72 class in the nation
*no new commitments since May 2nd
BYU - seven (7) total commitments, No. 65 class in the nation
QB Enoch Watson
DB Thomas Prassas
TE Ryner Swanson
Cincinnati - 11 total commitments, No. 42 class in the nation
ATH Willie Goodwyn
TE Devyn Zahursky
DB Marquavious Saboor
Houston - one (1) total commitment, No. 99 class in the nation
*no new commits since January 2023
UCF - seven (7) total commitments, No. 48 class in the nation
RB Stacy Gage
LB DJ McCormick
DE DJ Allen
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have a great weekend everyone!
