The Juice is presented by our friends at A&B TV in Austin. We want to give you a crystal-clear, high definition view of the Red Raider football team every Sunday, and you can expect the same type of picture clarity and sound quality from the folks A&B TV.
Decided to do something a little bit different today.
1. 2015
Size: 20 signees
Rankings: No. 40 nationally, No. 6 in the Big 12
Offense: 6 WR, 7 OL, 1 RB
Defense: 3 DB, 2 DL, 1 LB
Still at Texas Tech (6): Madison Akamnonu (706 snaps), Lonzell Gilmore (injured, out for season), Christian Taylor (injured, out for seasons), Donta Thompson (575), Terence Steele (586), Broderick Washington (602).
Takeaways: The Red Raiders signed 13 prospects that were ranked three- or four-stars by Rivals.com in 2015, but Madison Akamnonu and Terence Steele were the only ones that remained with the program at the start of the 2018 season. Texas Tech’s three four-star signees – Conner Dyer, Breiden Fehoko, J.F. Thomas – combined to play in 20 games for the Red Raiders.
2. 2016
Size: 25 signees
Rankings: No. 44 nationally, No. 5 in the Big 12
Offense: 4 WR, 4 OL, 2 RB, 1 QB
Defense: 7 DL, 4 LB, 3 DB
Still at Texas Tech (11): Zach Adams (39 snaps), Jordyn Brooks (injured, status unknown), Travis Bruffy (787), Doug Coleman (721), Jett Duffey (534), DaMarcus Fields (503), Noah Jones (injured, out for season), Houston Miller (14), Des Smith (injured), Brayden Stringer (82), T.J. Vasher (suspended indefinitely).
Takeaways: Texas Tech signed 13 offensive players in 2016, and it seems reasonable to think that only three of them – Travis Bruffy, Jett Duffey and Antoine Wesley – met or exceeded expectations based on their ranking. Neither Vasher nor Derrick Willies lived up to their four-star rankings, Da’Leon Ward got kicked off the team and the rest have either played minimally, forgettably or both.
3. 2017
Size: 22 signees
Rankings: No. 47 nationally, No. 7 in the Big 12
Offense: 5 OL, 2 QB, 1 RB, 1 WR, 1 K
Defense: 7 DB, 3 LB, 2 DE
Still at Texas Tech (12): Quincy Addison (injured, out for season), Jack Anderson (injured, out for season), John Davis (33 snaps), Dawson Deaton (785), Will Farrar (53), Adrian Frye (482), Riko Jeffers (680), Thomas Leggett (497), Xavier Martin (5), Nelson Mbanasor (284), Casey Verhulst (200), Quentin Yontz (101).
Takeaways: By the time February 2017 rolled around, Texas Tech had signed three high school running backs in its last three classes – Corey Dauphine, Bryson Denley and Da’Leon Ward. None of them are still with the program. This 2017 class had a good amount of hits, but most of those were junior college signees such as Dakota Allen, Vaughnte Dorsey, Octavious Morgan and Dom Panazzolo.
4. 2018
Size: 17 signees
Rankings: No. 73 nationally, No. 10 in the Big 12
Offense: 5 WR, 5 OL, 2 RB, 1 QB
Defense: 2 DL, 2 LB
Still at Texas Tech (16): Xavier Benson (599 snaps), Troy Bradshaw (9), Alan Bowman (247), KeSean Carter (212), Patrick Curley (0), Erik Ezukanma (443), Clayton Franks (11), Ta’Zhawn Henry (injured, status unknown), Jaylon Hutchings (417), Sterling Galban (0), Demarcus Marshall (0), Myller Royals (14), John Scott (injured, out for season), SaRodorick Thompson (injured, status unknown), Hakeem White (6), Weston Wright (587).
Takeaways: Texas Tech signed the worst class in the Power Five in 2018, thanks in part to Kliff Kingsbury’s general ambivalence toward recruiting and the questions about his job status that had surrounded the program for the better part of a year. The program somehow signed just four defensive players, but Erik Ezukanma, Ta’Zhawn Henry and SaRodorick Thompson look to be strong hits in this class on offense and Xavier Benson has played the sixth-most snaps of anyone on defense. It’s fair to wonder at this point if the Red Raiders are going to get anything out of Patrick Curley, Sterling Galban and/or Demarcus Marshall as they have played zero snaps this season despite significant injury issues at their respective positions.
5. 2019
Size: 19 signees
Rankings: No. 61 nationally, No. 8 in Big 12
Offense: 2 WR, 2 TE, 2 OL, 2 K, 1 RB, 1 QB
Defense: 3 DB, 3 DL, 3 LB
Still at Texas Tech (18): Tony Bradford (213 snaps), Cameron Cantrell (injured, out for season), Trey Cleveland (0), Kosi Eldridge (58), Alex Hogan (104), Jon Garibay (N/A), Simon Gonzalez (0), Gilbert Ibeneme (injured, out for season), Travis Koontz (215), Austin McNamara (N/A), Tyrique Matthews (36), Maverick McIvor (0), Landon Peterson (0), Trevor Roberson (0), Bryce Robinson (0), Dadrion Taylor (187), Dequanteous Watts (0), Quinton Williams (0).
Takeaways: Tony Bradford and Dadrion Taylor have played in nine games this season and have both logged more than 185 snaps. Alex Hogan, Kosi Eldridge and Tyrique Matthews have all played in four games and can still maintain their redshirt status if they sit out the rest of the season.
