the Red Raider fans and crowd showed up...but after a close loss the team is now 0-2 to start the season.
it's Friday, let's Flare...
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WEEKLY LINKS
The Recruiting Six-Pack Part II: Visitors expected in town for Oregon game
Ducks overcome 9-point deficit, Red Raiders fall 38-30
McGuire reflects on decision making in Oregon loss
Film Review: Oregon
Visitor reactions to Texas Tech's night game vs. Oregon
5-star WR Micah Hudson dives into top contenders and decision timeline
Grading the Red Raiders: Turnovers doom Red Raiders vs. Ducks
2024 Texas Tech commits and targets tracker: Week Three
Monday McGuire Notebook - Tartleton
Kittley, McGuire echo confidence in Shough, Offensive Line
Fun Facts about Texas Tech's newest WR commit Micah Hudson
Sideline Provisions presents GIFnalysis: WR Micah Hudson
Texas Tech lands its highest-rated recruit of all time in WR Micah Hudson
Micah Hudson stands out from all-time historical Tech commits
Lake Belton HC Brian Cope has high hopes for 5-star WR Micah Hudson
A history of 5-star wideouts from the state of Texas
Texas Tech makes major splash, lands 5-star Micah Hudson
2023 Red Raiders in the NFL: Week one recap
Tech LB Roberts sees success in significant role on short notice
Kittley, DeRuyter break down challenges of Tartleton State
RRS TV: Cole Patterson
Brooks, Tharp embracing several responsibilities in Tech offense
Big man Jaden Toombs spends time back at Texas Tech for official visit
Elite point guard Kingston Flemings talks Texas Tech official visit
RRS TV: CFB Travel Guy
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TTU RECRUITING THIS WEEK
this was a great week on the recruiting trail for the Texas Tech coaches, who landed the program's first five-star commitment in the modern Rivals era. there were a handful of new offers made this week, we have the TTU recruiting edit of the week, a significant 2025 visitor coming in town this weekend and much more.
Micah Hudson goes public
the Texas Tech coaches landed the program's first five-star commitment in the modern Rivals era earlier this week when Lake Belton wide receiver Micah Hudson went public with his verbal commitment to the Red Raiders.
it still does not feel real at this point, I have covered the team a long time and cannot recall even being close or in consideration for a five-star prospect. the coaches were seemingly 'in' with Hudson for nearly two years now.
Brian Nance was the X factor here, the former Baylor standout and recruiting personnel staffer reportedly first met Hudson at the age of 12 years old...Nance volunteered to help some local youth teams and he started following Hudson from there.
in fact, it was revealed that the Red Raiders - despite Hudson's father being a Tech alum/former player - were not really 'in the mix' until Nance joined the Texas Tech staff
there are a ton of links on the Hudson commitment above, @B. Golan and the team did a tremendous job of getting everything rolled out...why? because we were ready in mid-June for a commitment, hence my CFS thread attempt at the time.
regardless of the timeline and what did or did not happen, this is gigantic for Texas Tech...Hudson has real reach and received congrats from various Rivals 100 prospects, other national five-star types and even some Rivals 100 underclassmen prospects from the 2025/2026 classes.
in speaking with Cole Patterson, our Rivals regional analyst, he believes these other prospects seeing a five-star prospect commit to Texas Tech could pay dividends in the 25/26' classes.
Joey McGuire and his staff made history this week, and this is a young man that you should see on the field this time next year as a true freshman...just an incredible talent and a huge shot of momentum for the Texas Tech program moving forward.
I will post more in the coming weeks here within the Flare, but Ben and I have already coordinated a few game visits to see Hudson in person and we have plenty more content coming on the five-star standout.
but yes, this is real...very real - so much so that the young man went on radio the next day and basically said he was 'done' with recruiting, considers himself a loyal person and is excited to be a Red Raider.
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new offers this week
the Texas Tech coaches offered a preferred walk-on opportunity to Taylor (Texas) offensive tackle Syris Corley this week. the 6-foot-5, 275-pound senior lists three (3) offers from Northwestern State, Purdue and UTSA.
the Texas Tech coaches offered a preferred walk-on opportunity to Dripping Springs (Texas) wide receiver Kyle Koch this week. the 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior lists four (4) offers from Incarnate Word, Northwestern State, Texas Rio Grande Valley and your Red Raiders.
the Texas Tech coaches offered Seminole (Texas) athlete Caton Cramer this week. the 6-foot-3, 190-pound sophomore lists three (3) early offers from Baylor, Houston and your Red Raiders.
the Texas Tech coaches offered Spring Legacy (Texas) wide receiver Michael Brown this week. the 6-foot, 164-pound sophomore lists seven (7) early offers from Kent State, Arkansas State, Tulane, Arizona State, Texas A&M, UNLV and your Red Raiders.
the Texas Tech coaches offered Arlington Timberview (Texas) defensive back Elijah Pratt this week. the 5-foot-11, 165-pound sophomore lists nine (9) early offers from Central Michigan, Penn State, Arizona, Bowling Green, Houston, Texas State, SMU, UNLV and your Red Raiders.
the Texas Tech coaches offered Legacy The School of Sport Sciences (Texas) athlete Keisean Henderson this week. the 6-foot-2, 165-pound sophomore lists 21 (!) early offers from programs from across the country, including offers from Baylor, Colorado, Oregon, Penn State, TCU, Texas A&M, your Red Raiders and several others. Henderson is listed as a 5.9 four-star prospect and is already listed as the No. 57 overall prospect on the Rivals 100 for the 2026 class.
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Coaches hosting Rivals 100 DE this weekend
we are working to update/confirm a few other visitors, but the team confirmed a big visitor for this weekend - Summer Creek (Texas) 2025 defensive end Chad Woodfork.
the 6-foot-5, 220-pound prospect lists nearly 20 offers from programs across the country. this will be Woodfork's third or fourth unofficial visit to campus, which is significant for an underclassmen from the Houston area.
could the coaches continue the hot streak and land a Rivals 100 prospect to kick-off the 2025 class? not expecting a decision by any means, but this changes my outlook on Woodfork's recruitment and where the Red Raiders stand.
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Rivals 100 released for the 2026 class
the Rivals national team released the Rivals 100 for the 2026 class this week and the list features several early targets for the TTU coaching staff...
No. 29 - WR London Smith
No. 47 - CB Aiden Hall
No. 64 - OT Brysten Martinez
No. 69 - RB Jonathan Hatton Jr.
No. 84 - DT Tiki Hola
No. 93 - DT Tomuhini Topui
No. 96 - RB Javian Osborne
No. 98 - OT Darius Gray
No. 99 - ATH Dequane Prevo
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TTU recruiting edit of the week + mail time
another week, another recruiting edit shared by Bryan Rudder (Texas) 2025 running back Jaquise Martin.
if you follow along every week, then you see a trend with certain 2025 targets - guys like Martin, Terrence Lewis and Isaiah Robertson are sharing these edits on a weekly basis.
each of these young men were in town multiple times this off-season and recently for the Oregon game last weekend...all of them retweeted or even quote tweeted the Hudson commitment.
maybe the commitments play out later in the recruiting cycle or year, but the momentum for 2025 recruiting is very real.
edits are cool and all, but old school mail is the best...fresh off a visit to campus, Robertson came home to a mailbox full of letters from the TTU coaching staff.
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need some help here - the 'non' interception
ok, not trying to piss anyone off on a Friday morning or bring up some old ish...but I was watching at a bar without audio and did not want to dare enter a gameday thread to review/read all of the commentary
so...what happened or what was shared on the broadcast? this seems like a textbook interception to me, but maybe I'm a dummy (?)
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the CFB weekend - what to watch
the Red Raiders have another night game this week, so let's take a look at what to watch while you wait for the Texas Tech game to kickoff...
tonight at 6pm - Virginia @ Maryland on FS1 or Army @ UTSA on ESPN
Saturday:
11am - No. 3 Florida State @ Boston College on ABC
11am - No. 7 Penn State @ Illinois on Fox
11am - No. 14 LSU @ Mississippi State on ESPN
11am - No. 15 Kansas State @ Missouri on SEC Network
2:30pm - South Carolina @ No. 1 Georgia on CBS
2:30pm - No. 10 Alabama @ South Florida on ABC
2:30pm - No. 19 Oklahoma @ Tulsa on ESPN2
2:30pm - Minnesota @ No. 20 North Carolina on ESPN
4pm - No. 8 Washington @ Michigan State on Peacock
6pm - No. 11 Tennessee @ Florida on ESPN
6pm - Tarleton State @ Texas Tech on ESPN+
6:30pm - BYU @ Arkansas on ESPN2
6:30pm - Pittsburgh @ West Virginia on ABC
7pm - TCU @ Houston on Fox
9pm - Colorado State @ No. 18 Colorado on ESPN
9:30pm - Kansas @ Nevada on CBSSN
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sell out No. 4 in the books
the K-State game is officially a sell out, and now only TCU and UCF tickets remain available.
I'm guessing the Thursday night matchup with TCU sells out, then UCF could make it a home sell out sweep...I believe it happens, but make sure and grab tickets before they are all gone.
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Jack Anderson lands with the Colts
shoutout to former TTU standout Jack Anderson on landing with the Indianapolis Colts this week...the former Eagle and Giant gets another chance in Indy.
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Reese's Senior Bowl Executive Director visits LBK
a five-star commitment and Jim Nagy comes to visit TTU in the same week? how the turntables.
Nagy runs the Reese's Senior Bowl, arguably the top pre-draft NFL event and 'all-star' game for prospects to compete against the best of the best.
recruiting is all about relationships, no doubt...but a close second to that is 'how can this program help me achieve my dream of getting to the NFL'
this type of networking and praise from a prominent figure in this football world we all love is huge, and that on the back of a huge wave of recruiting momentum with the Hudson commitment this week.
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The Athletic features James Blanchard, Texas Tech Football GM
friend of the site and all-around great dude Sam Kahn published an article this week, a look into the rise of college football General Managers and the piece features Texas Tech Football GM James Blanchard
the article includes a lot of what you already know, but Sam does a tremendous job of pooling multiple quotes and perspectives from other GMs and coaches and programs from across the country
but make no mistake, and look no further than the list of 2025 and 2026 prospects listed out above...Blanchard and his team having the autonomy to grind tape and make offers when they are ready to pull the trigger without any red tape is huge for this Texas Tech program. it allows them get in 'early' with top prospects and build REALationships, the same type of relationships that have resulted in the program's first five-star commitment.
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Dykes and Holgersen play this week - reflect on Leach's influence on their coaching careers
another friend of the site, Dave Campbell's Mike Craven, wrote a cool piece on Sonny Dykes and Dana Holgersen going into their matchup this weekend on how the late Mike Leach influenced their coaching careers.
you are all aware of the star-studded coaching staff that Leach built when he arrived at Texas Tech, but the cool note here is how Holgersen was assigned to the Houston area and Dykes was assigned to the DFW area in terms of recruiting territories - now some 20+ years later, the two men lead programs in Houston and Dallas respectively.
TCU should win here, but Houston is trying to get off the mat after losing to Rice (woof)...the game is in Houston, so give me the Cougars.
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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 updated and the Sooners retain the top class in the conference...
*listed in current Big 12 rankings order, new programs now officially added to the Rivals rankings list - plus a new 'look' or design from the Rivals team on these lists/pages
Oklahoma - 23 total commitments, No. 7 class in the nation
the Sooners added a new commitment this week...
DE Nigel Smith
Texas - 17 total commitments, No. 17 class in the nation
the Longhorns did not add a new commitment this week...
Texas Tech - 19 total commitments, No. 23 class in the nation
the Red Raiders added a new commitment this week...
WR Micah Hudson - ever heard of him?
UCF - 18 total commitments, No. 25 class in the nation
the Golden Knights did not add a new commitment this week...
West Virginia - 20 total commitments, No. 40 class in the nation
the Mountaineers did not add a new commitment this week...
Cincinnati - 20 total commitments, No. 43 class in the nation
the Bearcats did not add a new commitment this week...
TCU - 17 total commitments, No. 45 class in the nation
the Horned Frogs did not add a new commitment this week...
Kansas - 15 total commitments, No. 50 class in the nation
the Jayhawks did not add a new commitment this week...
Iowa State - 16 total commitments, No. 53 class in the nation
the Cyclones did not add a new commitment this week...
Baylor - 14 total commitments, No. 57 class in the nation
the Bears did not add a new commitment this week...
Oklahoma State - 13 total commitments, No. 61 class in the nation
the Cowboys did not add a new commitment this week...
BYU - 14 total commitments, No. 68 class in the nation
the Cougars did not add a new commitment this week...
Houston - eight (8) total commitments, No. 89 class in the nation
the Cougars did not add a new commitment this week...
Kansas State - seven (7) total commitments, No. 96 class in the nation
the Wildcats did not add a new commitment this week...
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have a great weekend everyone!
