We're working on getting as many of this weekend's visitors as we can right now. We'll add to this thread as we hear from more of them.
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I just got off the phone with Stillwater (Okla.) wide receiver Jordan Brown, and he actually just got home from his visit. The wide receiver had a great time on his trip, noting that he really liked getting to see the Red Raiders go through a practice on Saturday.
"I really liked it down there, their campus, and what they do in football. I really liked getting to watch them practice, see how they do. That was really fun seeing," he said. "They do a lot of passing, a whole bunch of that, and I like catching the ball."
He also liked getting to finally meet the entire Tech staff, including Coach Chiaverini, who he's been speaking with the most.
"They're really cool coaches. I liked them all, actually. Both wide receivers coaches, the head coach, all the assistants, they're just all great people," said Brown. "Meeting (Coach Chiaverini), it was actually cool to actually get to see him in person and get to talk to him, actually meet him."
Brown had an opportunity to talk with Coach Kingsbury, too.
"It was awesome meeting the head coach, getting to talk to him with my parents. He just said how much he really wants me to be there, cause he thinks I can be a big part of their team."
Now that he's visited, what does the Oklahoma native think about the Red Raiders?
"I like Tech. It's really just a really cool place. I could actually see myself playing out there. It's really nice."
--McKay
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One of the unexpected visitors over the weekend was South Oak Cliff (Texas) dual-threat quarterback David Johnson. We connected with the signal caller to discuss the weekend visit to the South Plains.
"I went down there with one of my friends, Da'Leon Ward, who is committed to Texas Tech," Johnson said. "We really liked the academics at Texas Tech and feel that they would take care of us on and off the field."
The visit started with an up-close view of the Texas Tech practices and the quarterback prospect liked what he saw from the Red Raider offense.
"When we first got there, we watched the team go through practice," Johnson said. "I watched the quarterbacks and some of the drills they were going through. The team then moved into Jones Stadium and went through team one-on-one drills. I really liked watching the how the coaches, quarterbacks and receivers communicated."
From there, Johnson had lunch in the Texas Tech club at the stadium and then received a tour of the facilities.
"We had lunch in the press box at the stadium, then they took us on a tour of the football building and we got to see everything," Johnson said. "We went through the locker room and the weight room, and they have a smoothie and wellness bar inside of the weight room too. That was pretty cool.
"Texas Tech has crazy uniform combinations too. They had everything set out for us and we did a little photoshoot there with all of the coaches."
Johnson also had a chance to learn more about the academics and the support provided for the student-athletes at Texas Tech during the visit.
"We went and touring the business building and it was beautiful, I really liked what they had to offer," Johnson said. "Business is what Da'Leon and I were wanting to major in and we learned more about the personal tutoring and support they provide for the athletes."
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound prospect does not hold an offer from the Red Raiders and is still seeking his first scholarship offer, but already has plans to come back and visit Texas Tech again.
"I hope that Texas Tech offers, that would be a game-changer for me," Johnson said. "I'm just being patient with the whole recruiting thing and also have looks from Kansas State and San Diego State right now. I plan on visiting Kansas State on April 18th and might be visiting Oklahoma State and TCU later this month. I have taken a few visits to Baylor for junior days and a game, but they aren't really showing any interest right now.
"I will actually be back at Texas Tech this Wednesday with my teammate Marvin Terry. He had car trouble this weekend and couldn't make it in, but he really wants to see Tech. We will be back on Wednesday to watch the team go through practices."
-Clare
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Cypress (Texas) Spring wide receiver Donell Dunn made the trip out to the South Plains this weekend with his parents and seemed to really enjoy his visit.
"I love Texas Tech, it was real fun down there and they treated me very well," Dunn said. "It wasn't just football either, it was academics too and I really liked that."
Dunn made it into town on Friday evening and spent the night with a cousin who currently attends Texas Tech, then started the junior day visit on Saturday morning at the Texas Tech practices.
"We went to the stadium on Saturday morning to watch practice," Dunn said. "It was very energetic, and the team went through one-on-ones, 7-on-7 drills. I even learned some of the plays and hand-signals from spending time around coach (Mike) Jinks.
"I got to meet several of the other Tech coaches too. I met coach (Darrin) Chiaverini, coach (Eric) Morris, coach (Kevin) Curtis and basically the whole offensive staff. I even met head coach (Kliff) Kingsbury towards the end of my visit and took some pictures with him."
After practices, Dunn and several of the other visitors enjoyed lunch at the Texas Tech club inside of Jones Stadium and then started a tour of the Red Raider football facilities.
"We toured the weight room and they also took us into the team meeting rooms," Dunn said. "I went into coach Chiaverini's office and watched some of their game film against teams last season. He showed me where they would like me to play, at both the inside and outside receiver positions.
"It was actually very similar to our offense we run at Cypress Springs. Our coaches are supposed to be going up to Texas Tech sometime next week for a coaching clinic with the Tech coaches. We got a lot of our plays from the Texas Tech offense, so it was very similar in terms of the formations and routes."
Dunn and his parents also had the opportunity to learn more about the academics provided at Texas Tech during the visit.
"They also took us through the tutoring halls and showed us how each student-athlete gets their own personal help when it comes to school and classes. I'm not exactly sure yet what I want to major in, but it seemed like you could get assistance from the tutoring staff whenever you needed it and that was impressive."
The 6-foot, 188-pound prospect spoke very highly of the experience at Texas Tech this weekend and has the Red Raiders firmly on top after the visit.
"Texas Tech is No. 1 for me after the visit," Dunn said. "When I first got there, it felt like it was the place to be and the coaches actually treated their players with respect. The whole visit was a really nice experience."
Dunn will compete at the Rivals Speed & Skill Combine on March 28th in Houston and the NFTC regional combine later this spring.
-Clare
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Mineola (Texas) offensive linemen and brothers Riley Anderson were in Lubbock on Saturday for Tech's junior day, and they're currently attending OU's junior day in Norman today. I exchanged a few texts with Riley, and while he couldn't do a phone interview since he's at Oklahoma, we did exchange a few texts about his trip to Tech.
Anderson loved getting to hang out with the coaching staff and noted that he really likes the atmosphere around the program right now.
"We left yesterday from Tech, but we had an awesome time. We were really impressed with the coaches and atmosphere and everything they had to offer us. I had a great time."
I'm hoping to get Riley for a full interview at some point today and will obviously let you all know when I do.
--McKay
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Wichita Falls (Texas) Rider Rivals 250 wide receiver T.J. Vasher was able to take his first visit to the South Plains this weekend for the junior day. Vasher walked me through the visit process starting with getting to take in a spring practice down on the field.
“We got to the campus around 9:30 and after we checked in we went down to the practice field. They had just started practice and it was great to see how they ran things. I loved the tempo that they moved around with. They aren’t playing around when they said that they throw the ball a lot. There was a lot of fast paced stuff, a lot of deep balls, a lot of 7-on-7, I really liked it. It reminded of our practice here, just fast paced, throwing the ball all over the place.”
Seeing the drills in person stuck out to the receiver but seeing how the coaches acted on the practice field also made an impression on the prospect.
“Watching the coaches operate in the practice setting really interested me. You can see that they really want what is best for the players and they want to keep it at a fast pace.”
Afterwards, Vasher and the others met in a group and then broke off to spend some time individually with the coaches. Vasher got to speak with his main recruiting coach, Darrin Chiaverini, as well as a few others.
“We went into the film room and coach Kingsbury talked to everybody and then we split up. The parents stayed in the big room and then the players got split up into the meeting rooms and we got a chance to talk with the coaches.”
“Coach Chiaverini was telling me how I could fit in to their offense and how they just wanted to put the ball into the air which is a receivers dream to be in an offense that will do that,” he said. “I like the fact that they care more beyond football taking it into an academic standpoint or even just life period. They care about me than just football. I met a lot of other coaches too and they just told me how excited they were for me and all the things they have planned for me, with the 2016 class and the things that could happen.”
“I liked to see that Tech was interested in the academics, they know that football life ends and you need to have something to fall back on. They really emphasize the student-athlete life which means a lot to my parents and me.”
The 6-foot-5, 180-pound standout receiver then got a chance to tour the facilities as well as getting a chance to check out the stadium.
“I like the facilities that they have, they put it to good use especially the nutrition system setup that they had everything had a line and I liked that," he said. "The football stadium was nice and it was really cool to see especially with it being my first time in Lubbock. The weather was great too and it was all really nice.”
After touring the football facilities, taking a tour of the overall campus was next on the agenda. By all accounts, Vasher seemed impressed with what he saw from the campus.
“They took us on a tour around the campus. They have a lot of things that a lot of other schools don’t have as have as far as doctors and everything like that and some different buildings. They have a really nice campus, probably one of the best I’ve been to and one of the best around.”
This was the four-star receiver’s first time in Lubbock, but don’t expect it to be his last.
“After taking the visit I am very interested in Tech. I would love to get back for another spring practice or the spring game or something like that. Tech is a school that I am definitely going to keep my eye on, and I definitely want to come back.”
--Kohnle
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Wylie (Texas) wide receiver Jordan Whaley was in town this weekend checking out Texas Tech and the junior day activities. The first part of the morning on Saturday was spent on the practice field, and Whaley shared his thoughts on what he saw on the field.
“The first thing we did was watch some practice, first was good on good, then we watched them do the Oklahoma drill. Then they started on the offensive side going over plays and it was a fast-paced process," he said. "What I liked was that they never stopped, it was just an upbeat practice and it was very professional.”
After seeing the practice, the players went to go eat lunch in the pressbox overlooking the stadium. Whaley liked the view and spent some time talking to the coaches during the meal.
“After that we went to go eat in the pressbox. Looking out over the field was nice. They are remodeling some things with the field and the stadium right now so it’s going to be even better next year,” Whaley said.
“We sat and ate with some coaches up there. Mike Smith and Emmett Jones sat with me. We didn’t talk about football, we just talked about life things and how to be successful off of the field. I took away a lot from their conversation with me.”
Next on the schedule for the prospect was taking a tour of the football facility, something that Whaley enjoyed seeing.
“We took a tour of the training room, the football locker room and around the stadium. It’s more different than high school I can tell you that. It looked great.”
The photo-op with the jerseys really stood out to the prospect, but he also got the chance to speak with some coaches including a chance to meet Coach Kingsbury.
“Their jerseys are sweet. It made me feel like I was at home since we have a lot of the same colors at my high school.”
Whaley enjoyed getting to spend some time around head coach Kliff Kingsbury, too.
“I also talked to the head coach for a bit, I took a picture with him. He is amazing. He is laid back and cool but on the field he is all business, all business.”
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound receiver enjoyed his stay in Lubbock this weekend and felt the visit went well enough to where an offer could be on its way.
“It just feels like I am at home when I am at Tech. It was a great visit. I feel like an offer will come soon.”
--Kohnle
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Richardson (Texas) wide receiver Khalil Lacy made his way to the South Plains this weekend for Tech’s first junior day. He loved his first visit and already hopes to make it out to Lubbock again soon.
“Tech stacks up well with all the other schools recruiting me because I really like their offense and how they play. It was my first time in Lubbock so it was a good first impression. I’m definitely going to take a trip back.”
The speedy wide receiver said the visit made a good impression on him, but what specifically stood out? He walked me through the details of his visit, starting with a detailed account of the spring practice.
“We got there and they were practicing offense when we got on the field. The corners and receivers were going against each other and they were all fired up. Then they moved on to the real field and started going through some of their normal practice motions, just throwing the ball a lot, some stock blocking and stuff like that. They went into some team drills after that, some team run and some team pass and stuff like that, some team screen drills. We were on the field getting to talk to the coaches and stuff like that. Then they split up and the offense started running their routes and running some plays on air and stuff like that."
“They went real real fast, they were taking it seriously, they were having a good time, but when it was time to go, it was time to go and they weren’t half-assing it or playing around. That was one of the main things that stood out to me, how hard they were going but still having a good time.”
Watching the ball fly through the air in practice was a major takeaway for the prospect, and it gave him a good idea of how he could fit in on the field at Tech.
“I really like the offense, they sling the ball a lot. I come from a high school that really likes to run the ball but watching them throw the ball up and down the field in practice was exciting. I think I could fit in well in their offense. As a receiver I am explosive, I can run and make the big catch and make the big play.”
Next was a tour of the Texas Tech campus, and Lacy liked what he saw from that aspect as well.
“I liked how close everything was together. The track facilities, the football stadium, the rooms were all close together and right down the street were the building where they had class. I really liked how close it was and how compacted together it was.”
After a tour of the campus, came a tour of the football facilities. The weight room, the stadium, and even the nutrition center caught Lacy's attention.
“We saw the nutrition center and what they eat every day, their snack packs," he said. "We then took a tour of the weight room; everything was maintained nice and neat and it was really big. It looked nice and new.”
“I really liked the stadium too. They said they were re-doing some stuff on the south end, adding in new seats and boxes and trying to make it look pretty. That stood out to me, and I really liked that.”
The photo-op with the jerseys always seems to be a junior day favorite, and Lacy had a good time with it, too.
“Then we went into the room where we watch film and we got to put our jerseys on with our helmets and stuff like that. We got to try on a lot of different combinations and took pictures with coaches.”
What was the lone take away that the receiver took from trying on the jerseys?
“That I look good in red and black.”
After the pictures, the prospects got the chance to speak one-on-one with their coaches. Lacy got to speak with both Haverty and Morris in the individual sessions.
“I spoke with my recruiting coach, Coach Haverty as well as Coach Morris. Coach Haverty said that him and Coach Morris were wanting to stop by a couple more times after April 15th and come and check on me, come check on my grades and see if I’m doing alright.”
Lacy does not hold a Tech offer, but he said that was addressed in his meeting with Coach Morris.
“Coach Morris talked to me about my grades. He said that was the only reason I didn’t have an offer was because my GPA and my SAT wasn’t high enough right now. Once I get all that together, I’ll be receiving one.”
The 5-foot-11, 165-pound prospect also got a chance to speak with the head coach and shared his thoughts on Kingsbury.
“I spoke to Coach Kingsbury as well. He is young, so he can kind of relate to us. He is a real cool dude, he is always fired up but he is serious too. When he sees his quarterbacks do something wrong, he gets right on them and doesn’t wait around, he get right to the point.”
After the visit, how does Lacy feel about Lubbock and the Red Raiders?
“I like Tech a lot they were the first school that started recruiting me. I had a great time, it really opened up my eyes. It was really family oriented. I like the place. It was a great place.”
--Kohnle
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Just wanted to make one quick note: Frisco (Texas) 2017 center/guard Jack Anderson is still in town on his visit. Frisco is on their spring break starting tomorrow, so he figured he'd spend an extra day in Lubbock and head back home on Monday.
And yes, he's having a good time on his visit. Carry on.
--McKay
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Texas Tech hosted several defensive prospects at their junior day over the weekend, including Houston (Texas) John H Reagan inside linebacker Robert Revels. Revels, who holds an offer, made the long drive to Lubbock to check things out, and he wasn't disappointed.
"I think the visit went very, very good. It was better than a couple other of the junior days I went to in that it was way, way more personal. Like, they only had 20-30 kids out there instead of like 200. You're going to be able to talk to your coach and have a one-on-one conversation with you and stuff. I also got to see them practice, and that was really good, too. Throwing on them Red Raider jerseys, that was really nice, too."
One of the things that really stuck out to the Houston native was the intensity and high energy of the practice he attended on Saturday. Things were amped up from the get go, and the players were competing at a high level.
"They're already intense. It's so far away from football season, and they're so pumped already, and I like that a lot. They practiced with high energy and everything. I really liked that a lot."
Revels got to learn some ins and outs of the new Tech defense on his visit, too, as he spent quite a bit of time with linebackers coach Zac Spavital.
"I talked with Coach Spav the most. He was just telling me that they want me to play either mike or will there, and he was showing me a little bit of film with what would be happening and stuff. They have a lot of linebackers on the roster, and it would be a really good opportunity for me to go there."
With his trip now in the books, Revels kept things short when describing what he thought of his time out in West Texas.
"I think it's amazing. I like it a lot," he said. "The football facilities, the coaches, the town, it's all just great."
I'll have a full story up tomorrow morning that will detail much more of what Revels enjoyed about his visit over the weekend.
--McKay
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West Mesquite (Texas) tight end Donte Coleman continues to be one of the most recruited prospects in the DFW area for the 2016 class and the standout prospect made a weekend visit to the South Plains for the Red Raiders junior day this weekend.
"When we made it into town the team was still going through practice," Coleman said. "We walked down the tunnel and I could see everything, it was a good feeling. I liked how they were working and noticed some things that I'm already doing in our offense at West Mesquite.
"The receivers had good size, they were making plays and I didn't see any drops out there. They were really getting after it as an offensive unit."
Coleman seemed to get the red carpet treatment from the Texas Tech coaching staff and enjoyed the welcome.
"When we got there, all of the coaches greeted me and my family. They showed me a lot of attention and talked me through some of the stuff and showed me some things during practice. I liked how they were opening things to me and I felt very welcomed. The players were introducing themselves too. I met Davis Webb and several of the wide receivers from Tech, but I cannot remember everyone's name right now."
After the practice ended, the junior day event began with lunch at the Texas Tech club inside of Jones Stadium.
"One practice was over, we took a quick tour of the stadium and had lunch up in the press box," Coleman said. "From there, coach (Trey) Haverty showed my family and I around the campus. He showed us all of the different things to do on campus and it was a really big place with a lot of history.
"After that, coach took us through the football facilities and I got to see the training room, the weight room, the practice fields and the coaches offices. It was all very nice and they showed us everything."
Coleman spent some one-on-one time with Texas Tech offensive coordinator and inside receivers coach Eric Morris after touring the football facilities.
"I met with coach Morris for a while in the team meeting room and we watched film of the Texas Tech offense," Coleman said. "I play tight end and he was showing me some tape of how they used Jace (Amaro) in certain situations. The coaches want me to play that role in the offense and catch a ton of passes within the offense."
The standout prospect finished the junior day in head coach Kliff Kingsbury's office for a meeting with his parents.
"Towards the end of the visit I went to coach Kingsbury's office and sat down with him, coach Morris, coach Haverty and my family," Coleman said. "We really discussed the entire opportunity at Texas Tech and the coaches told my parents that I was one of the recruits they are really wanting to add in the 2016 class. It was a good discussion, they answered all of our questions and it went very well."
Now that Coleman has taken the trip out West to visit Texas Tech, what are his thoughts on the opportunity with the Red Raiders?
"I felt like I needed to go out there because people judge schools and teams on how they did the year before, but the things with Texas Tech is that they didn't have a really good season," Coleman said. "For me, going out there and seeing things up close, it puts a much different perspective on them as a program for me. I'm glad that I was able to take the visit this weekend."
Coleman will compete at the Rivals Camp in Dallas on March 29th and the NFTC regional combine later this spring.
-Clare
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Allen (Texas) defensive end Levi Onwuzurike made the trip out to the South Plains this weekend for the Texas Tech junior day.
"We got into town around 10:30-11:00am and the team was going through practice," Onwuzurike said. "All of the coaches came to say hello and were very welcoming to us. The Tech coaches really made me feel like a VIP the entire visit and I really liked that.
"I went over to the defensive lineman and focused on that unit because it's my position group. Coach (Mike) Smith really had the guys going hard and all of the players seemed to really like him. It was a 4-5 hour practice and the entire team was out there having a lot of fun throughout the day."
After practice ended, Onwuzurike started the junior day with a tour of the campus and football facilities at Texas Tech.
"The coaches showed us around campus and took us to see some of the things to do," Onwuzurike said. "My brother is a student at Texas Tech and has told me a few things, but seeing it for myself was a lot different. It's a big campus and there was a lot to see.
"From there, we went and toured the football facilities. The coaches showed us the weight room, the locker room and we were able to see all of the gear and jerseys they have there at Texas Tech. We tried some stuff on and took pictures with the coaches too."
Once the tour ended, Onwuzurike spent some one-on-one time with coach Smith and current Texas Tech outside linebacker Pete Robertson.
"I had the chance to watch some tape with coach Smith and he showed me how they would use me to rush the edge on defense," Onwuzurike said. "He told me they are thin on the defensive line and that I could come in to the program with an opportunity to play early.
"He also introduced me to one of the current players, Pete Robertson. We talked about what it was like playing for coach Smith and playing at Texas Tech. Pete told me that he loved playing for coach Smith and that he was a big reason for his turnaround as a player. He led the conference in sacks last season, so that meant a lot coming from him."
Towards the end of the visit, Onwuzurike and his family had a chance to sit down with head coach Kilff Kingsbury for a quick meeting.
"At the end of our visit, coach Smith took us down to see coach Kingsbury in his office," Onwuzurike said. "We talked for a while, got to know one another a little more and he basically told us that I was one of their high priority recruits in the 2016 class.
"I'm really glad that I got to get out there for a visit because my brother and my teammates had told me things about Texas Tech before, but seeing everything in person and getting to experience the team going through practices really put Tech in a different view point for me."
Onwuzurike is considering an unofficial visit to Oklahoma State sometime soon and will compete at the Rivals Camp in Dallas on March 29th.
-Clare
This post was edited on 3/8 6:15 PM by M. Clare
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I just got off the phone with Stillwater (Okla.) wide receiver Jordan Brown, and he actually just got home from his visit. The wide receiver had a great time on his trip, noting that he really liked getting to see the Red Raiders go through a practice on Saturday.
"I really liked it down there, their campus, and what they do in football. I really liked getting to watch them practice, see how they do. That was really fun seeing," he said. "They do a lot of passing, a whole bunch of that, and I like catching the ball."
He also liked getting to finally meet the entire Tech staff, including Coach Chiaverini, who he's been speaking with the most.
"They're really cool coaches. I liked them all, actually. Both wide receivers coaches, the head coach, all the assistants, they're just all great people," said Brown. "Meeting (Coach Chiaverini), it was actually cool to actually get to see him in person and get to talk to him, actually meet him."
Brown had an opportunity to talk with Coach Kingsbury, too.
"It was awesome meeting the head coach, getting to talk to him with my parents. He just said how much he really wants me to be there, cause he thinks I can be a big part of their team."
Now that he's visited, what does the Oklahoma native think about the Red Raiders?
"I like Tech. It's really just a really cool place. I could actually see myself playing out there. It's really nice."
--McKay
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One of the unexpected visitors over the weekend was South Oak Cliff (Texas) dual-threat quarterback David Johnson. We connected with the signal caller to discuss the weekend visit to the South Plains.
"I went down there with one of my friends, Da'Leon Ward, who is committed to Texas Tech," Johnson said. "We really liked the academics at Texas Tech and feel that they would take care of us on and off the field."
The visit started with an up-close view of the Texas Tech practices and the quarterback prospect liked what he saw from the Red Raider offense.
"When we first got there, we watched the team go through practice," Johnson said. "I watched the quarterbacks and some of the drills they were going through. The team then moved into Jones Stadium and went through team one-on-one drills. I really liked watching the how the coaches, quarterbacks and receivers communicated."
From there, Johnson had lunch in the Texas Tech club at the stadium and then received a tour of the facilities.
"We had lunch in the press box at the stadium, then they took us on a tour of the football building and we got to see everything," Johnson said. "We went through the locker room and the weight room, and they have a smoothie and wellness bar inside of the weight room too. That was pretty cool.
"Texas Tech has crazy uniform combinations too. They had everything set out for us and we did a little photoshoot there with all of the coaches."
Johnson also had a chance to learn more about the academics and the support provided for the student-athletes at Texas Tech during the visit.
"We went and touring the business building and it was beautiful, I really liked what they had to offer," Johnson said. "Business is what Da'Leon and I were wanting to major in and we learned more about the personal tutoring and support they provide for the athletes."
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound prospect does not hold an offer from the Red Raiders and is still seeking his first scholarship offer, but already has plans to come back and visit Texas Tech again.
"I hope that Texas Tech offers, that would be a game-changer for me," Johnson said. "I'm just being patient with the whole recruiting thing and also have looks from Kansas State and San Diego State right now. I plan on visiting Kansas State on April 18th and might be visiting Oklahoma State and TCU later this month. I have taken a few visits to Baylor for junior days and a game, but they aren't really showing any interest right now.
"I will actually be back at Texas Tech this Wednesday with my teammate Marvin Terry. He had car trouble this weekend and couldn't make it in, but he really wants to see Tech. We will be back on Wednesday to watch the team go through practices."
-Clare
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Cypress (Texas) Spring wide receiver Donell Dunn made the trip out to the South Plains this weekend with his parents and seemed to really enjoy his visit.
"I love Texas Tech, it was real fun down there and they treated me very well," Dunn said. "It wasn't just football either, it was academics too and I really liked that."
Dunn made it into town on Friday evening and spent the night with a cousin who currently attends Texas Tech, then started the junior day visit on Saturday morning at the Texas Tech practices.
"We went to the stadium on Saturday morning to watch practice," Dunn said. "It was very energetic, and the team went through one-on-ones, 7-on-7 drills. I even learned some of the plays and hand-signals from spending time around coach (Mike) Jinks.
"I got to meet several of the other Tech coaches too. I met coach (Darrin) Chiaverini, coach (Eric) Morris, coach (Kevin) Curtis and basically the whole offensive staff. I even met head coach (Kliff) Kingsbury towards the end of my visit and took some pictures with him."
After practices, Dunn and several of the other visitors enjoyed lunch at the Texas Tech club inside of Jones Stadium and then started a tour of the Red Raider football facilities.
"We toured the weight room and they also took us into the team meeting rooms," Dunn said. "I went into coach Chiaverini's office and watched some of their game film against teams last season. He showed me where they would like me to play, at both the inside and outside receiver positions.
"It was actually very similar to our offense we run at Cypress Springs. Our coaches are supposed to be going up to Texas Tech sometime next week for a coaching clinic with the Tech coaches. We got a lot of our plays from the Texas Tech offense, so it was very similar in terms of the formations and routes."
Dunn and his parents also had the opportunity to learn more about the academics provided at Texas Tech during the visit.
"They also took us through the tutoring halls and showed us how each student-athlete gets their own personal help when it comes to school and classes. I'm not exactly sure yet what I want to major in, but it seemed like you could get assistance from the tutoring staff whenever you needed it and that was impressive."
The 6-foot, 188-pound prospect spoke very highly of the experience at Texas Tech this weekend and has the Red Raiders firmly on top after the visit.
"Texas Tech is No. 1 for me after the visit," Dunn said. "When I first got there, it felt like it was the place to be and the coaches actually treated their players with respect. The whole visit was a really nice experience."
Dunn will compete at the Rivals Speed & Skill Combine on March 28th in Houston and the NFTC regional combine later this spring.
-Clare
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Mineola (Texas) offensive linemen and brothers Riley Anderson were in Lubbock on Saturday for Tech's junior day, and they're currently attending OU's junior day in Norman today. I exchanged a few texts with Riley, and while he couldn't do a phone interview since he's at Oklahoma, we did exchange a few texts about his trip to Tech.
Anderson loved getting to hang out with the coaching staff and noted that he really likes the atmosphere around the program right now.
"We left yesterday from Tech, but we had an awesome time. We were really impressed with the coaches and atmosphere and everything they had to offer us. I had a great time."
I'm hoping to get Riley for a full interview at some point today and will obviously let you all know when I do.
--McKay
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Wichita Falls (Texas) Rider Rivals 250 wide receiver T.J. Vasher was able to take his first visit to the South Plains this weekend for the junior day. Vasher walked me through the visit process starting with getting to take in a spring practice down on the field.
“We got to the campus around 9:30 and after we checked in we went down to the practice field. They had just started practice and it was great to see how they ran things. I loved the tempo that they moved around with. They aren’t playing around when they said that they throw the ball a lot. There was a lot of fast paced stuff, a lot of deep balls, a lot of 7-on-7, I really liked it. It reminded of our practice here, just fast paced, throwing the ball all over the place.”
Seeing the drills in person stuck out to the receiver but seeing how the coaches acted on the practice field also made an impression on the prospect.
“Watching the coaches operate in the practice setting really interested me. You can see that they really want what is best for the players and they want to keep it at a fast pace.”
Afterwards, Vasher and the others met in a group and then broke off to spend some time individually with the coaches. Vasher got to speak with his main recruiting coach, Darrin Chiaverini, as well as a few others.
“We went into the film room and coach Kingsbury talked to everybody and then we split up. The parents stayed in the big room and then the players got split up into the meeting rooms and we got a chance to talk with the coaches.”
“Coach Chiaverini was telling me how I could fit in to their offense and how they just wanted to put the ball into the air which is a receivers dream to be in an offense that will do that,” he said. “I like the fact that they care more beyond football taking it into an academic standpoint or even just life period. They care about me than just football. I met a lot of other coaches too and they just told me how excited they were for me and all the things they have planned for me, with the 2016 class and the things that could happen.”
“I liked to see that Tech was interested in the academics, they know that football life ends and you need to have something to fall back on. They really emphasize the student-athlete life which means a lot to my parents and me.”
The 6-foot-5, 180-pound standout receiver then got a chance to tour the facilities as well as getting a chance to check out the stadium.
“I like the facilities that they have, they put it to good use especially the nutrition system setup that they had everything had a line and I liked that," he said. "The football stadium was nice and it was really cool to see especially with it being my first time in Lubbock. The weather was great too and it was all really nice.”
After touring the football facilities, taking a tour of the overall campus was next on the agenda. By all accounts, Vasher seemed impressed with what he saw from the campus.
“They took us on a tour around the campus. They have a lot of things that a lot of other schools don’t have as have as far as doctors and everything like that and some different buildings. They have a really nice campus, probably one of the best I’ve been to and one of the best around.”
This was the four-star receiver’s first time in Lubbock, but don’t expect it to be his last.
“After taking the visit I am very interested in Tech. I would love to get back for another spring practice or the spring game or something like that. Tech is a school that I am definitely going to keep my eye on, and I definitely want to come back.”
--Kohnle
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Wylie (Texas) wide receiver Jordan Whaley was in town this weekend checking out Texas Tech and the junior day activities. The first part of the morning on Saturday was spent on the practice field, and Whaley shared his thoughts on what he saw on the field.
“The first thing we did was watch some practice, first was good on good, then we watched them do the Oklahoma drill. Then they started on the offensive side going over plays and it was a fast-paced process," he said. "What I liked was that they never stopped, it was just an upbeat practice and it was very professional.”
After seeing the practice, the players went to go eat lunch in the pressbox overlooking the stadium. Whaley liked the view and spent some time talking to the coaches during the meal.
“After that we went to go eat in the pressbox. Looking out over the field was nice. They are remodeling some things with the field and the stadium right now so it’s going to be even better next year,” Whaley said.
“We sat and ate with some coaches up there. Mike Smith and Emmett Jones sat with me. We didn’t talk about football, we just talked about life things and how to be successful off of the field. I took away a lot from their conversation with me.”
Next on the schedule for the prospect was taking a tour of the football facility, something that Whaley enjoyed seeing.
“We took a tour of the training room, the football locker room and around the stadium. It’s more different than high school I can tell you that. It looked great.”
The photo-op with the jerseys really stood out to the prospect, but he also got the chance to speak with some coaches including a chance to meet Coach Kingsbury.
“Their jerseys are sweet. It made me feel like I was at home since we have a lot of the same colors at my high school.”
Whaley enjoyed getting to spend some time around head coach Kliff Kingsbury, too.
“I also talked to the head coach for a bit, I took a picture with him. He is amazing. He is laid back and cool but on the field he is all business, all business.”
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound receiver enjoyed his stay in Lubbock this weekend and felt the visit went well enough to where an offer could be on its way.
“It just feels like I am at home when I am at Tech. It was a great visit. I feel like an offer will come soon.”
--Kohnle
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Richardson (Texas) wide receiver Khalil Lacy made his way to the South Plains this weekend for Tech’s first junior day. He loved his first visit and already hopes to make it out to Lubbock again soon.
“Tech stacks up well with all the other schools recruiting me because I really like their offense and how they play. It was my first time in Lubbock so it was a good first impression. I’m definitely going to take a trip back.”
The speedy wide receiver said the visit made a good impression on him, but what specifically stood out? He walked me through the details of his visit, starting with a detailed account of the spring practice.
“We got there and they were practicing offense when we got on the field. The corners and receivers were going against each other and they were all fired up. Then they moved on to the real field and started going through some of their normal practice motions, just throwing the ball a lot, some stock blocking and stuff like that. They went into some team drills after that, some team run and some team pass and stuff like that, some team screen drills. We were on the field getting to talk to the coaches and stuff like that. Then they split up and the offense started running their routes and running some plays on air and stuff like that."
“They went real real fast, they were taking it seriously, they were having a good time, but when it was time to go, it was time to go and they weren’t half-assing it or playing around. That was one of the main things that stood out to me, how hard they were going but still having a good time.”
Watching the ball fly through the air in practice was a major takeaway for the prospect, and it gave him a good idea of how he could fit in on the field at Tech.
“I really like the offense, they sling the ball a lot. I come from a high school that really likes to run the ball but watching them throw the ball up and down the field in practice was exciting. I think I could fit in well in their offense. As a receiver I am explosive, I can run and make the big catch and make the big play.”
Next was a tour of the Texas Tech campus, and Lacy liked what he saw from that aspect as well.
“I liked how close everything was together. The track facilities, the football stadium, the rooms were all close together and right down the street were the building where they had class. I really liked how close it was and how compacted together it was.”
After a tour of the campus, came a tour of the football facilities. The weight room, the stadium, and even the nutrition center caught Lacy's attention.
“We saw the nutrition center and what they eat every day, their snack packs," he said. "We then took a tour of the weight room; everything was maintained nice and neat and it was really big. It looked nice and new.”
“I really liked the stadium too. They said they were re-doing some stuff on the south end, adding in new seats and boxes and trying to make it look pretty. That stood out to me, and I really liked that.”
The photo-op with the jerseys always seems to be a junior day favorite, and Lacy had a good time with it, too.
“Then we went into the room where we watch film and we got to put our jerseys on with our helmets and stuff like that. We got to try on a lot of different combinations and took pictures with coaches.”
What was the lone take away that the receiver took from trying on the jerseys?
“That I look good in red and black.”
After the pictures, the prospects got the chance to speak one-on-one with their coaches. Lacy got to speak with both Haverty and Morris in the individual sessions.
“I spoke with my recruiting coach, Coach Haverty as well as Coach Morris. Coach Haverty said that him and Coach Morris were wanting to stop by a couple more times after April 15th and come and check on me, come check on my grades and see if I’m doing alright.”
Lacy does not hold a Tech offer, but he said that was addressed in his meeting with Coach Morris.
“Coach Morris talked to me about my grades. He said that was the only reason I didn’t have an offer was because my GPA and my SAT wasn’t high enough right now. Once I get all that together, I’ll be receiving one.”
The 5-foot-11, 165-pound prospect also got a chance to speak with the head coach and shared his thoughts on Kingsbury.
“I spoke to Coach Kingsbury as well. He is young, so he can kind of relate to us. He is a real cool dude, he is always fired up but he is serious too. When he sees his quarterbacks do something wrong, he gets right on them and doesn’t wait around, he get right to the point.”
After the visit, how does Lacy feel about Lubbock and the Red Raiders?
“I like Tech a lot they were the first school that started recruiting me. I had a great time, it really opened up my eyes. It was really family oriented. I like the place. It was a great place.”
--Kohnle
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Just wanted to make one quick note: Frisco (Texas) 2017 center/guard Jack Anderson is still in town on his visit. Frisco is on their spring break starting tomorrow, so he figured he'd spend an extra day in Lubbock and head back home on Monday.
And yes, he's having a good time on his visit. Carry on.
--McKay
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Texas Tech hosted several defensive prospects at their junior day over the weekend, including Houston (Texas) John H Reagan inside linebacker Robert Revels. Revels, who holds an offer, made the long drive to Lubbock to check things out, and he wasn't disappointed.
"I think the visit went very, very good. It was better than a couple other of the junior days I went to in that it was way, way more personal. Like, they only had 20-30 kids out there instead of like 200. You're going to be able to talk to your coach and have a one-on-one conversation with you and stuff. I also got to see them practice, and that was really good, too. Throwing on them Red Raider jerseys, that was really nice, too."
One of the things that really stuck out to the Houston native was the intensity and high energy of the practice he attended on Saturday. Things were amped up from the get go, and the players were competing at a high level.
"They're already intense. It's so far away from football season, and they're so pumped already, and I like that a lot. They practiced with high energy and everything. I really liked that a lot."
Revels got to learn some ins and outs of the new Tech defense on his visit, too, as he spent quite a bit of time with linebackers coach Zac Spavital.
"I talked with Coach Spav the most. He was just telling me that they want me to play either mike or will there, and he was showing me a little bit of film with what would be happening and stuff. They have a lot of linebackers on the roster, and it would be a really good opportunity for me to go there."
With his trip now in the books, Revels kept things short when describing what he thought of his time out in West Texas.
"I think it's amazing. I like it a lot," he said. "The football facilities, the coaches, the town, it's all just great."
I'll have a full story up tomorrow morning that will detail much more of what Revels enjoyed about his visit over the weekend.
--McKay
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West Mesquite (Texas) tight end Donte Coleman continues to be one of the most recruited prospects in the DFW area for the 2016 class and the standout prospect made a weekend visit to the South Plains for the Red Raiders junior day this weekend.
"When we made it into town the team was still going through practice," Coleman said. "We walked down the tunnel and I could see everything, it was a good feeling. I liked how they were working and noticed some things that I'm already doing in our offense at West Mesquite.
"The receivers had good size, they were making plays and I didn't see any drops out there. They were really getting after it as an offensive unit."
Coleman seemed to get the red carpet treatment from the Texas Tech coaching staff and enjoyed the welcome.
"When we got there, all of the coaches greeted me and my family. They showed me a lot of attention and talked me through some of the stuff and showed me some things during practice. I liked how they were opening things to me and I felt very welcomed. The players were introducing themselves too. I met Davis Webb and several of the wide receivers from Tech, but I cannot remember everyone's name right now."
After the practice ended, the junior day event began with lunch at the Texas Tech club inside of Jones Stadium.
"One practice was over, we took a quick tour of the stadium and had lunch up in the press box," Coleman said. "From there, coach (Trey) Haverty showed my family and I around the campus. He showed us all of the different things to do on campus and it was a really big place with a lot of history.
"After that, coach took us through the football facilities and I got to see the training room, the weight room, the practice fields and the coaches offices. It was all very nice and they showed us everything."
Coleman spent some one-on-one time with Texas Tech offensive coordinator and inside receivers coach Eric Morris after touring the football facilities.
"I met with coach Morris for a while in the team meeting room and we watched film of the Texas Tech offense," Coleman said. "I play tight end and he was showing me some tape of how they used Jace (Amaro) in certain situations. The coaches want me to play that role in the offense and catch a ton of passes within the offense."
The standout prospect finished the junior day in head coach Kliff Kingsbury's office for a meeting with his parents.
"Towards the end of the visit I went to coach Kingsbury's office and sat down with him, coach Morris, coach Haverty and my family," Coleman said. "We really discussed the entire opportunity at Texas Tech and the coaches told my parents that I was one of the recruits they are really wanting to add in the 2016 class. It was a good discussion, they answered all of our questions and it went very well."
Now that Coleman has taken the trip out West to visit Texas Tech, what are his thoughts on the opportunity with the Red Raiders?
"I felt like I needed to go out there because people judge schools and teams on how they did the year before, but the things with Texas Tech is that they didn't have a really good season," Coleman said. "For me, going out there and seeing things up close, it puts a much different perspective on them as a program for me. I'm glad that I was able to take the visit this weekend."
Coleman will compete at the Rivals Camp in Dallas on March 29th and the NFTC regional combine later this spring.
-Clare
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Allen (Texas) defensive end Levi Onwuzurike made the trip out to the South Plains this weekend for the Texas Tech junior day.
"We got into town around 10:30-11:00am and the team was going through practice," Onwuzurike said. "All of the coaches came to say hello and were very welcoming to us. The Tech coaches really made me feel like a VIP the entire visit and I really liked that.
"I went over to the defensive lineman and focused on that unit because it's my position group. Coach (Mike) Smith really had the guys going hard and all of the players seemed to really like him. It was a 4-5 hour practice and the entire team was out there having a lot of fun throughout the day."
After practice ended, Onwuzurike started the junior day with a tour of the campus and football facilities at Texas Tech.
"The coaches showed us around campus and took us to see some of the things to do," Onwuzurike said. "My brother is a student at Texas Tech and has told me a few things, but seeing it for myself was a lot different. It's a big campus and there was a lot to see.
"From there, we went and toured the football facilities. The coaches showed us the weight room, the locker room and we were able to see all of the gear and jerseys they have there at Texas Tech. We tried some stuff on and took pictures with the coaches too."
Once the tour ended, Onwuzurike spent some one-on-one time with coach Smith and current Texas Tech outside linebacker Pete Robertson.
"I had the chance to watch some tape with coach Smith and he showed me how they would use me to rush the edge on defense," Onwuzurike said. "He told me they are thin on the defensive line and that I could come in to the program with an opportunity to play early.
"He also introduced me to one of the current players, Pete Robertson. We talked about what it was like playing for coach Smith and playing at Texas Tech. Pete told me that he loved playing for coach Smith and that he was a big reason for his turnaround as a player. He led the conference in sacks last season, so that meant a lot coming from him."
Towards the end of the visit, Onwuzurike and his family had a chance to sit down with head coach Kilff Kingsbury for a quick meeting.
"At the end of our visit, coach Smith took us down to see coach Kingsbury in his office," Onwuzurike said. "We talked for a while, got to know one another a little more and he basically told us that I was one of their high priority recruits in the 2016 class.
"I'm really glad that I got to get out there for a visit because my brother and my teammates had told me things about Texas Tech before, but seeing everything in person and getting to experience the team going through practices really put Tech in a different view point for me."
Onwuzurike is considering an unofficial visit to Oklahoma State sometime soon and will compete at the Rivals Camp in Dallas on March 29th.
-Clare
This post was edited on 3/8 6:15 PM by M. Clare
