we are less than a month away from some Texas Tech football....woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
it's Friday, let's Flare...
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WEEKLY LINKS
Tech FB's 2024 class shaping up to be revolutionary
Class Roundup: 2023 Texas Tech Baseball Recruiting
Texas Tech Football July 29th Visitor Reactions
Wide Receiver Recruiting Notes
Fall Camp: Breakout Candidates & Major Storylines for 2023 Red Raiders
2025 recruits talk Texas Tech on first day of allowable contact
Top 30 big man Jaden Toombs recaps Texas Tech visit
Texas Tech offensive line meshing, receiving needed reinforcements in 2023
Tech's McCray ready to bring electricity in 2023
Texas Tech's secondary boosted by the addition of CJ Baskerville
Tech's Rodriguez assuming larger role at inside linebacker spot
McGuire, Kittley, & DeRuyter address the media to kick off fall camp
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TTU RECRUITING THIS WEEK
this week we turned the page to August, which meant the open contact period is here and the coaches hosted a handful of top 2024 and 2025 targets on campus for a pool party event + official offers went out to 2024s and college coaches around the country were officially allowed to initiate contact with 2025 recruits
we recap some of the visitors, a new offer, a 'top schools' list and more...
pool party visit weekend
the headliner was five-star wide receiver Micah Hudson being back in town, and very much not in College Station...no big recap here, but Hudson has been in Lubbock a lot lately and things continue to trend towards the Red Raiders. it seems more like a matter of when, not if one of the nation's top prospects becomes a Red Raider.
the other 2024 storyline from over the weekend was also at wide receiver with both VanKeith Brown and Cedric Lott in town visiting.
the coaches ended up making an offer to Lott, a Boston College verbal commitment. he had great things to say about the visit in the reactions link above, and it sounds like the coaches could flip the 6-foot-6, 200-pound receiver. as a Power Five commitment, it is hard to call Lott a 'sleeper' on the recruiting trail, but he seems like a prospect who will continue adding offers throughout his senior season.
while Hudson updates and a new 2024 wide receiver offer are always notable, this weekend was all about the underclassmen and the coaches had a top 2025 QB target in town...
Parish Episcopal pro style quarterback Sawyer Anderson, the grandson of TTU legend Donny Anderson, was in Lubbock over the weekend. A lot of people would assume Anderson is very familar with Lubbock or had been several times before, but this was one of his first real visits to the Texas Tech program.
there are also people who claim Anderson was gravitating towards Texas or some of the other larger, national offers that came through this off-season...but sources close to Anderson indicate neither of those are really true at all, in fact the quarterback landscape in 2025 with kids coming off the board at a rapid pace has probably forced Anderson to refocus his recruitment.
the 5.7 three-star prospect does not have a decision timeline set, however, the Red Raider coaches put themselves in a great spot with the talented signal caller after a great visit weekend
at the moment, Anderson seems to be the No. 1 target at QB for the 2025 class
the other 2025 visitors were impressive, a pair of four-star offensive linemen in Lamont Rogers and Connor Carty along wtih a few defensive standouts in Anthony Williams and Micah Strickland rounded out a very talented group of prospects that could have been at several other programs...but they were in Lubbock with the Red Raiders.
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Official Offers go out to 2024 commitments/targets
August 1st marked the first day that offers could become 'official' offers, and if you are new or newer to recruiting...this means for every 100 offers the coaches make, they are most likely only sharing 20-25 'official' offers after this August 1st mark.
In a world of copycats, college football recruiting is all about being unique and standing out - well, mission accomplished here from Joey McGuire and his staff...I could post several examples here, but each 2024 commitment received a customized message from the head coach in a customized letter.
I have covered Texas Tech recruiting for a decade now, and these are easily the coolest version of the 'official' offer that I have seen before.
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the flood gates open up for the 2025 class
at midnight this Wednesday/Thursday, college coaches around the country could officially reach out and initiate contact with 2025 recruits. the annual tradition is somewhat weird, where at midnight recruits are flooded with direct messages on social media and given edits from every college program interested in recruiting them.
I say kind of weird because most of these young men already hold offers from Texas Tech, and 'able to initiate contact' does not mean the coaches have not been in contact...there are several ways for college coaches to stay in touch with a high school coach, a trainer, a parent, etc/etc.
that being said, it marks 'go time' for the 2025 class and as the third 'full' class under Joey McGuire, the 2025 class could be special for the Red Raiders
in the edits above, the players featured are Denton Ryan offensive tackle Ty Haywood - a four-star, Rivals 100 prospect - and Lubbock Estacado athlete Bobby Ross - a 5.7 three-star and Texas Top 100 prospect.
edits are cool, but the good old mail in the mailbox is pretty cool when done right.
check out what the Texas Tech program put together in FedEx packages for some of the 2025 top targets this week...
it appears the TTU staff put together a plethora of 'why Texas Tech' type of material, everything from a Mahomes page to Academic Success to Community Service to personalized letters.
the level of detail and effort that goes into making sure these get packed together, shipped to arrive on exactly August 1st is incredible...imagine opening something like this in the mail and going through each page, then finishing it with a personalized letter.
and these guys who posted? just another few 5.7 three-star prospects, Captain Shreve (Louisiana) offensive tackle Devin Harper and Terrell tight end Keiundre Johnson.
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TTU makes a Top 8
Millwood (Oklahoma) 2025 athlete Jaden Nickens released his Top 8 this week and included the Red Raiders, along with Arkansas, Oklahoma State, North Texas, UTSA, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and UNLV.
the four-star standout is ranked as the No. 199 overall prospect in the nation, the No. 5 overall player in the state of Oklahoma and the No. 11 overall athlete in the 2025 class.
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speaking of TTU recruiting...
I only know this guy from living in Houston and the sports radio scene...but after watching the video, I learned he was a college tight end and even coached some college ball.
by now, we all know this unique aspect of the Texas Tech recruiting department...and while it seems easy or straightforward, this requires a great level of trust and the execution is easier said than done.
McGuire is famous for saying this allows his coordinators and position coaches to actually coach versus grinding tape...I would argue it also helps them build better relationships both with the current players and it takes the pressure off of them when building relationships with actual recruiting targets. they are not soley responsible for identifying, contacting and building these relationships...in fact, most of the recruits @B. Golan and @J. Gonzales and I speak with start with communication from Blanchard or Nance - then they are introduced to coaches.
the 'contacting' part of that is severely underrated, because you woudl think any kid would respond and want a story written about them...yeah, nope.
it is the same sometimes for college coaches, but the combination of a coaching network from guys like McGuire / Perry and other coaches + the reputation of a Blanchard / Nance certainly helps...but imagine a 2025 kid getting 10-20 direct messages or texts from college coaches - how do you stand out, how to you ensure that real communication...a call, a visit to campus actually occurs?
again, we all know this...but Texas Tech has elite personnel in the recruiting department and the standards around the program have been elevated drastically over the past few years.
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TTU vs. Oregon = SELLOUT
the program announced a sellout this week for the game against Oregon, a night game in The Jones
this week two matchup at home is not only a great opportunity for the Red Raiders to make noise on a national scale, a soldout and rowdy crowd could help provide that 60 Minutes of Us the coaches continue to talk about
shortly after this news broke, it was shared that the program has less than 150 season tickets available before a sellout occurs there...the McGuire effect is real, people are buying back in and I would imagine that less than 150 available becomes less and less over the next few weeks
not a season ticket holder? get your season tickets here
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high praise for EDGE Steve Linton
Jim Nagy runs the Senior Bowl, Dane Brugler is arguably the top NFL Draft analyst in the business
both of them tweeted about Syracuse transfer EDGE/OLB Steve Linton this week...one of the newest Red Raiders has been a topic of conversation from McGuire and the coaches all off-season, they have commented on his potential and explosiveness whenever given the opportunity
it is talking season, but camp starts today and guys like Nagy & Brugler do not just hand out these compliments like candy to anyone on social media
Nagy wrote the longest tweet ever praising Linton and his potential...Brugler has Linton listed in his Top 10 EDGE prospects going into the season
the hype is real, with Linton on one side and Myles Cole on the other...with returning standouts Jaylon Hutchings and Tony Bradford plugging up the middle...good luck to opposing teams keeping the pressure off of the quarterback
I cannot wait to see Linton in DeRuyter's defense this season, a scheme known for confusing the opposition with stunts and create ways to free up these pass rushers
what is crazy to me is that Linton/Cole are obvious mentions as the older, more tenured players...but I just listed four (4) stud, experience DL without even mentioning the depth behind them
things have changed around here and essentially adding a free agent to the roster in Linton, these coaches have proven roster management and getting the best players available is paramount
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congrats to SaRodorick
the former two-star prospect and Red Raider standout is now a Seattle Seahawk, congrats to SaRodorick!
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DCTF follows Kenny Perry around Coaching School
https://twitter.com/dctf/status/1686750283248877568
maybe a lot of things you already know in here, but some very cool details from Kenny Perry's high school coaching past and the article shows how glaringly different relationships with high school coaches are for these Tech coaches compared to other college coaches who might not have the high school coaching background.
Then he and Bryan High School offensive coordinator Michael Waldie reminisce about their playing days. Perry played running back under the legendary Eddy Peach at Arlington Lamar, and his 1986 team entered a regular-season finale against Euless Trinity needing to lose by less than a touchdown to make the playoffs despite a 9–0 record. Lamar fell 20-10; as a result, a then-sophomore Waldie got moved up to varsity for the playoffs. Now, Waldie coaches Bryan wide receiver Tyson Turner, a Texas Tech commit.
this is just one tidbit that I found interesting, much like many other things in life...relationships matter and the 30-40 year history in this one tidbit alone makes the story worthwhile.
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TTU legend Zach Thomas being inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame this weekend
https://twitter.com/ProFootballHOF/status/1686841473633861632
Thomas played at Tech before my time following the Red Raiders, but it is easy to see why the linebacker was such a fan favorite...not only does he bleed red & black, it seems that anyone and everyone who comes into contact with Zach really loves his personality and approach to the game.
there are many players who have tremendous careers at Texas Tech, but taking it to the NFL and continuing to succeed takes a special player...performing at a NFL Hall of Fame level is a whole other story.
Thomas is one of a kind and I cannot wait for his speech this week in Canton.
congrats to a great Red Raider legend!
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I found Tyron Johnson...
https://twitter.com/NickHarrisDC/status/1687186067173298176
member when the Tech coaches were recruiting a five-star, top receiver in the country and thought they had a legitimate shot? man...I do
well, I found Tyron Johnson...he is on the Cowboys' roster
that is my report.
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CFB Realignment / Another addition to the Big 12
https://twitter.com/RossDellenger/status/1687279556695146496
https://twitter.com/TreyWallace_/status/1687304658211987456
the Big 12 recently added Colorado back into the conference for the 2024 season, and now rumors are swirling that Arizona could be the next - or the 14th team - to join the Big 12 conference for the 2024 season...and that announcement could come as soon as today, but it is expecting soon.
the news of a streaming deal with Apple for the Pac 12 broke this week, however, that deal was rumored to be around $20-$24 million per team...then with a successful amount of subscribers there is the opportunity for more earnings, money to be made.
but that seems like too little, too late for the Pac 12 conference...not only were the rumors of Arizona to the Big 12 gathering momentum, rumors of the Big 10 conference adding Oregon and Washington have gained a lot of traction this week.
I personally love adding Colorado and Arizona, they might not be 'major' programs or the envy of other conferences...but for the Big 12 and Yormark, this represents a best case scenario of getting to 14 teams and introducing so many new programs to a conference that at many times was left for dead once all of this conference realignment got started nearly 15 years ago.
I do not know the specifics or timing involved, but should the dominoes begin to fall...the Big 12 could also add Arizona State and Utah to become a 16 team league.
if you consider the Big 10 potentially adding Oregon and Washington for an 18 league team, then it stands to reason that 14 or 16 total teams might not be the end game for the Big 12 conference.
I'm excited to see where this goes, but it is crazy to think we were all posting about 'going to the Pac 12' with Texas/OU/OkState not so long ago...right?
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Recruiting - Around the Big 12
we look around the new-look conference this week after more new commitments were made, the rankings are now updated and have shifted the Sooners to the top class in the conference...
*listed in current Big 12 rankings order, new programs now officially added to the Rivals rankings list
Oklahoma - 18 total commitments, No. 13 class in the nation
the Sooners added two (2) new commitments this week...
DB Mykel Patterson-McDonald
QB Brendan Zurbrugg
Texas - 15 total commitments, No. 19 class in the nation
the Longhorns did not add any new commitments this week
Texas Tech - 18 total commitments, No. 30 class in the nation
the Red Raiders did not add any new commitments this week
UCF - 14 total commitments, No. 39 class in the nation
the Golden Knights added one (1) new commitment this week...
WR Ric'Darious Farmer
West Virginia - 19 total commitments, No. 41 class in the nation
the Mountaineers added one (1) new commitment this week...
LB Curtis Jones
Cincinnati - 20 total commitments, No. 43 class in the nation
the Bearcats added two (2) new commitments this week...
DB Quinton Price
RB Jason Patterson
Kansas - 15 total commitments, No. 46 class in the nation
the Jayhawks did not add any new commitments this past week
Iowa State - 16 total commitments, No. 48 class in the nation
the Cyclones did not add any new commitments this past week
Oklahoma State - 13 total commitments, No. 55 class in the nation
the Cowboys did not add any new commitments this past week
TCU - 15 total commitments, No. 56 class in the nation
the Horned Frogs added four (4) new commitments this week...
OL Creece Brister
DB Devondre McGee
OL Wesley Harvey
OL Mitch Hodnett
*none of these commitments were rated, so no rankings bump for the class
Baylor - 12 total commitments, No. 57 class in the nation
the Bears did not add any new commitments this past week
Houston - seven (7) total commitments, No. 85 class in the nation
the Cougars did not add any new commitments this past week
Kansas State - seven (7) total commitments, No. 86 class in the nation
the Wildcats did not add any new commitments this past week
BYU - eight (8) total commitments, No. 96 class in the nation
the Cougars did not add any new commitments this past week
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have a great weekend everyone!
