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Boone opens up
Last week, Fort Lauderdale wide receiver Shawn Corker told us
that not only was he looking at attending Texas Tech, but he was trying to talk
others into joining him. He talked about how he had gotten in contact with
fellow Florida superstar, wideout Kadron Boone.
“He got my number from my coach one day,” said Boone. “He gave me a call and
heard that I was looking at Texas Tech. He was sharing with me some of the
things that he liked and saw when he went there. He wanted to know where I stood
recruiting-wise. We’re both out of Florida so he was just seeing how the
recruiting process was going.”
While Boone had already been thinking about the Red Raiders, Corker’s phone call
made a huge impact. In fact, the two still keep in contact at least once a week.
“When Coach [Lincoln] Riley told me that they weren’t
recruiting too many guys from this area, I didn’t know that Shawn was one of
them. I had heard about the school and out of nowhere Shawn called. It shocked
me.
“It made a big impact because he’s been to Tech and he already knows what it’s
like. He’s telling me some of the things that might stand out to me.”
Boone has been to Texas one time when he came to Lewisville a few years back to
visit his brother, whom still lives there. As far as visiting Lubbock, the
talented wideout can only go by what Corker has told him.
“He told me that it’s a great place. He said that he fell in love with it when
he got there. He told me to go look for myself. He said that everyone likes it
for different reasons. He really felt like I was going to like it overall.”
While Corker could most likely talk Boone into visiting, the problem is that he
is not in any rush. There’s a good chance that Tech could fill both of their
commitment spots by the time he gets a chance to visit.
Even if he does visit before they’re full, Boone might not be ready to pull the
trigger. He’s trying his hardest to take all five visits.
Still, Boone explained that Riley is being positive about the situation and
still wants the Trinity Catholic standout to come visit, no matter what.
“He just told me the amount of receivers that they plan to take but you never
know what will happen. You might have a commitment that decommits. You never
know what’s going to happen.”
Boone said that it’s important to him that he continues to keep in touch with
Riley.
“I’m learning more about them. I didn’t know too much about them. I’ve been
calling coach Lincoln Riley and he’s been sending me things in the mail to give
me an idea about Tech.”
Like most out-of-state receivers, Tech’s passing game is what caught Boone’s
eye. There was also a game named Michael Crabtree that came up in conversation
as well.
“I watched him and how they used him and the other receivers. It was outstanding
especially to hear that he came in as a quarterback. For him to have that type
of progress in two years, that tells me that they’re doing a good job with the
receiving corps out there.”
While every school in the country is on Boone and he lists a different favorites
list every week, we can tell you that we feel Tech is in it as much as any
others as long as Corker is looking to commit to the Red Raiders. If Corker ends
up giving his verbal in Tech’s favor, we predict his recruiting effort to pick
up even more.
More home games in 2010 for Dan Spencer's program
Much has been made about Tech’s ’09 baseball schedule which included
a number of extended road trips. While the ’10 schedule is not complete, it does
appear the Red Raiders will be less road weary with over 30 games scheduled to
be played at home next season.
With the length of the season extended by a week, Tech will open at home with a
three team tournament similar to how they opened the ’09 season. Michigan and
Maine will take part in a four game tournament to open the season at The Law.
Other non conference teams scheduled to travel to Lubbock next year include
Gonzaga, Washington State, Texas State, Dallas Baptist, North Dakota and New
Mexico.
As they do every other year, Tech will travel to Houston for the Minute Maid
Classic and play Houston, Rice and TCU. Dan Spencer’s group will also travel to
Ft. Worth for three games against TCU as well as annual treks to New Mexico and
Dallas Baptist. Also, the Red Raiders will travel to Las Vegas for two games
against UNLV.
With the unbalanced conference schedule, the Red Raiders will benefit in ’10
with five series at home. Texas, Oklahoma, Baylor, Missouri and Kansas State
will all travel to Lubbock next season.
The schedule is not complete as of yet so look for a couple of other teams to be
added in the coming weeks.
Tech in good position with Martin
There’s been a total of 10 schools that Round Rock safety Desmond
Martin
has seen over the last two years. Still, there’s one that sticks out over the
rest.
“I’m leaning towards Texas Tech,” he said. “I just like the love that they’re
showing me and I like where their program is going.”
Tech is one of the most recent offers that the 6-foot-1, 173-pound defensive had
received. That prompted a recent trip out to Lubbock.
“Driving to Lubbock I didn’t see much of anything. It’s a bunch of country roads
and small towns. It’s almost a seven hour drive but it’s doable. The city of
Lubbock is nice. It’s expanding.
“They have a very nice campus. It’s not too spread out to where you would need a
car but it’d be good to have a bike. I really liked their athletic facilities.
The overall experience was fantastic.”
He has a great relationship with both defensive coordinator Ruffin
McNeill and his recruiting coach Charlie Sadler.
“Coach Ruff and I actually just had a conversation the other day. I called him
to see what he had planned for Father’s day. He said he was going to go visit
his family. Coach Sadler said he was going to the Bahamas or Jamaica with his
family. I feel like I’m on a real personal level with both of them.”
Martin isn’t as close with head coach Mike Leach but still
feels a connection.
“We didn’t talk very long when I was there but he seems like a great person to
meet and know. I could definitely be around him for four or five years.”
To Martin, Tech has so many positive compared to all the other programs that
he’s visited.
“It’s the second or third closest to home so that’s a plus. It’s in the Big 12
conference, they play on national TV and I love the atmosphere there.”
It’s looking good for the Red Raiders as Martin said that he’s going to want to
make a decision by August. As of right now, he has no other plans to see any
more schools. Martin even admitted that as of right now it sure looks like he’s
going to sign with Texas Tech.
“Yeah, I would say so.”
Note: Martin is the younger brother of 2009 Baylor signee Glasco Martin. Desmond
does not hold an offer from the Bears and is ok with that. We still don’t feel
that Baylor would be a threat as Desmond mentioned that he favored Tech.
Premium Q&A: 2010 Texas Tech commit Russell Polk
What you been doing this summer?
RP: I’ve just been working out.
What are you focusing on?
RP: I’m working on my quickness, speed and strength.
Can you tell us more about your workout?
RP: It’s pretty intense. Right now I’ve been going three days a week because I have 7-on-7 on Thursdays. I’m in the weight room and running on all of them.
Are you working out with anyone else?
RP: No. I’m doing this program that all of us at school are working on. We’re doing it with a strength trainer from school. He’s helping me on my footwork. He’s taught me how to shuffle and back pedal better.
How’s life been since you committed to Tech?
RP: It’s been great. I feel real comfortable about going to Tech.
Have people been talking to you about it?
RP: People have been asking me about why I committed and if I’m sure that’s where I wanted to go. I tell everyone that I’m sure that’s where I want to go.
Have other schools have recruited you since?
RP: No one has, it’s been the same school. The last school I had talked to was Arizona. They came up to one of our practices during spring. They were asking me if I would be interested in playing defense there. I told him them ‘not really.’ I told them that Tech is where I really want to be right now.
You been keeping in contact with Tech?
RP: Yeah. I’ve been talking with Coach Mitchell. I’ve been calling him about once a week. He’s talking about how great it is to have me. He’s been talking about me coming down to visit. They’re trying to set that up sometime next year during the season. I need to call him tonight and find out which game I’m going to go to.
Why did you feel comfortable committing there if you haven’t visited?
RP: It’s just the school that I’ve been wanting to go to. I’ve been hearing great things about their campus.
Who’s been telling you great things?
RP: Jarvis Phillips. He’s a great player and a great leader. We’ve known each other since we were little.
Have you talked to him lately?
RP: Nah, I saw him at a party when he came back. I talked to him about the training that they’ve been having. He told me that their practices have been moving faster and quicker. It’s much more intense.
Are you ready for that yet?
RP: I’m pretty sure I am. If not, I’ll do my best to stay with the group.
What are your goals this season?
RP: To double what I had last season on my stats and be a leader on the field. Last year I had 74 tackles and 3 interceptions.
What makes you believe you can double that?
RP: I’ve been putting in a lot of work. I’ve gotten a lot faster and a lot stronger.
What’s your current height and weight?
RP: 5-11, 190
Griffin has Tech on top
When we spoke to four-star running back Delans Griffin
(pronounced de-lance) earlier this week, we were expecting to hear quite a bit
more about his home state’s two major schools, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
However, we were surprised about what he had to say.
“I mean, they’re just schools, you know, they just happen to be here though,” he
laughed. “I talk to their coaches quite a bit, you know, I’ll answer when they
call or respond when they e-mail, but I do that for pretty much everyone. I
don’t know if they’re interested or not, and I won’t fight'em if they want to
throw their hat in the ring, but I’m certainly not keeping my hopes up or
crossing my fingers, if that makes sense? I’m not worried about whether or not
they offer because I have eight great offers already, and I really like what
they have to offer.”
Though some prospects say similar things when they feel disrespected by a
school, there was no such vibe with Griffin, who honestly appears to be fine
moving forward without either school.
“Right now, I’d say my top school is Texas Tech,” he said. “It’s them and then
pretty much everyone else I guess. They’ve got a great offense and great
academics and I really like their staff- they’ve been recruiting me better than
anyone else, so I’m excited about them. That’s a good school right there.”
While it’s nice to be a front-runner at this point, the elephant in the room is
the prospect of an in-state offer coming down the pike at a later date.
“Oh, I don’t know how I’d feel about that,” he said of an OSU or OU offer. “I
mean, not just with them, but with any new school jumping in, I don’t know how
it would affect things. I know this though, it would take an awful lot to bump
Texas Tech out of that spot at this point, and that’s not just OU and Oklahoma
State either, that’s anyone. I really like Tech a lot and I’m not sure what
would change that. I mean, even though I grew up watching those two and rooting
for them, that doesn’t mean they’re right for me, and I don’t think they’re
better than Tech for me at this point. I mean, I guess anything can change, but
as far as new offers go, I don’t know what it would have to be to knock Tech off
the top.”
Griffin is planning on visiting in mid-July, and if things go well while he’s in
Lubbock, he claims it won’t be entirely out of the question for him to commit
shortly thereafter. Stay tuned.
Is Bell a CU lock?
Well, according to Kenny Bell, no. To hear the Boulder native
tell it, he does have a vague leader at this point, but it’s not Colorado.
“My top five at this point is just the five schools who have offered,” said the
athlete. “Minnesota, Texas Tech, Colorado, Colorado State, and Idaho. I’d say
Minnesota is my favorite right now. After that I’m probably most excited about
CU and Tech.”
Though Bell remains unsure as to exactly when he’s going to make the call, for
now it seems like a three-horse race.
“You know, I really enjoyed my trip to Minnesota, I’m real excited about Tech,
and I’m real excited about CU, so I really could go any way,” he explained. “I’m
focused on finding the right fit, and I’m not sure where that is yet.”
Bell will be starting at corner and quarterback for his team this fall, while
also moonlighting at running back and wideout. He’ll also be Mr. Everything for
special teams as well, where he’ll be returning kicks and punts, while also
handling the punting duties. He is being recruited as a defensive back by the
Red Raiders.
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This post was edited on 6/27 8:57 PM by A. Dickens
