Friday can only mean one thing for the discriminating Red Raider fan: time for another edition of the Red Raider Confidential. As always, we begin this session with the ground rules. Everything that is reported in the Red Raider Confidential must stay well… confidential. That's the way this deal works. The Red Raider Confidential is posted in the premium forum to ensure that this information stays exclusively within the Raider Nation.
This will continue to be successful only if everyone helps out, so let’s all work together and keep the discussions limited to this board.
Leach on the cover controversy
When it became public that the Athlon’s college football preview regional cover for the Big 12/Texas areas would feature Colt McCoy (Texas) and Stephen McGee (Texas A&M) on the cover and no Graham Harrell we asked Mike Leach about it to get his take on the subject.
“I thought that was interesting. My hats off to those programs because those are fine players and fine coaches, and I mean good enough players and programs to the point where they can make up the 1000 and the 1500 yards or perhaps even better than that that Graham out-passed those guys for,” Leach said. “So it’s going to be pretty impressive to watch those two guys defeat Graham by the margin that that magazine would suggest. Because I think it’s going to be difficult to do, but certainly a publication of the magnitude of that magazine would never sacrifice their integrity to sell magazines, but would only put the best on the cover of that thing… I mean, who am I? A little guy like me – who am I to question the wisdom of a group like that, you know.”
Haliburton happy with camp
Last Sunday afternoon, Frenship defensive lineman Ryan Haliburton was keeping his eyes open for potential future teammates.
“It was good, I think they had a good outcome and I heard one of the Tech coaches say that it was one of the best outcomes they’d ever had.”
The 6-foot-4, 234-pounder had “a lot of fun” at the camp and was seen occasionally joking and laughing with members on the Tech coaching staff.
“I’m starting to have a good relationship with all the coaches and am starting to feel a lot more comfortable around them.”
Out of the 13 total Frenship prospects that attended Sunday’s mini-camp, how did the senior leader feel about his other teammate’s performances?
“They did well. They went out there and they competed. All the coaches at Tech were all impressed. Coach Moore said he would put his money down for us to win the state championship. Gerron (Moore) ran a 4.4 40 which was one of the fastest times out there. Hanslick tested really well. And overall, I just think they did really well.
So what’s the next month or so look like for Haliburton and his buddies?
“Here in a few weeks we’re going to go to North Texas and the satellite camp for UTEP. We’re trying to go on a Six Flags trip for all of us to take, too. I think there’s a TCU camp on June 20th that we’re going to go to but it’s during 7-on-7’s so I don’t know if we’re going to be able to go yet.”
Doege talks about New Mexico offer
The senior starting quarterback for the Frenship Tigers Seth Doege also tried to find out how his other teammates performed last weekend.
“I was real impressed with them [Sunday] because a lot of the guys showed me some things that I hadn’t seen before. Gerron Moore ran a 4.47 and every time I watched him guard someone, he just looked like he was a spider on them. I saw him break on the fall and make interceptions and it was real impressive.”
Besides the monster lineman Mason Walter who already holds an offer from Tech, Doege mentioned one other individual from Wolfforth.
“Nick Hanslik is an athlete. I think in most of the testing he was on top of most of them. He had good numbers.”
But Doege believes that the above mentioned are not the only Frenship prospects who will be turning D-I heads this summer.
“All these guys have potential to get some looks. That’s why we’re doing this and the sweet thing that comes out of this is better bonding and chemistry and that’s what it takes to be a better football team and we can’t wait to play next year.”
The bond that this team has is obvious and Doege looks forward to hanging out with them even more on the trips to mini-camps over the summer.
“We are real close. We all do the same thing together and hang out in the same group whether it’s football, hanging out, or going to a movie. It’s all the same guys that we call to go do things. It’s a real cool thing because some teams don’t have the chemistry that we have and we have the talent and the chemistry and that’s where it’s going to get us where we want to be next year.”
What did Doege think about his own performance at the mini-camp?
“I think I started off good and then I got sloppy in the end and overthrew some deep routes, but overall I thought I did alright.”
When it came to running the 40-yard dash Doege declined to participate but says not to look into that too much.
“It’s not that I’m not doing running activities, I just didn’t feel like I was ready to run a 4.6 or 4.7. Since I hadn’t had a chance to train in running, I just didn’t want to run one and not run a good time. I didn’t feel like I had anything to prove in that category and the Tech coaches told me that I didn’t have to do anything like that to prove things to them. At Tech, you can run a 4.9 and have a slow time but still be amazing at throwing the ball around and that’s what they’re looking for. I also didn’t want to do anything to set back where I needed to be in a week or two.”
It is because of the knee injury that Doege as of two weeks ago still carried the lone offer from the Red Raiders and lacking the four star ranking that many Tech fans believe he deserves. Is this something that is in the back of the signal caller’s mind?
“It’s not a factor to me and I could care less. It’s an honor for anybody who says great things about how you perform and being recognized. But I’m here to play football. Tech offered me and is where I want to be. All that ratings stuff doesn’t get to me. I know what I can do and I know what I need to do better to get to where I need to be. The rankings thing doesn’t matter to me and I really don’t pay attention to it.”
Even with a lower rating than expected, don’t think for a minute that other teams will quit pursuing the 6-foot-1, 195 quarterback just because he has verbally given his commitment to the Red Raiders.
“New Mexico called the other day and said ‘Well, we know you’re with Tech but we want you to know that we have a scholarship here for you.’ It was nice but I told them that I’m solid with Tech and that Tech’s where I want to be. That’s basically it. They just said they wanted me to know that I had a scholarship offer from me them if I ever wanted it.”
One other note of interest that we picked up from Sunday mini-camp was Doege having a conversation with current Tech quarterback junior Graham Harrell. We asked Doege about his relationship with the young man from Ennis.
“Since I committed, every time I go up to the facility we usually talk for a little bit. [Sunday] we talked for a long time and I think we did get a relationship started. Our dad’s did coach together when we were little and now we’re both going to be Red Raider quarterbacks. With Graham and I, it’s not an uncomfortable situation when I go to him. It’s like we’re friends already and it’s a relationship that has started and I can’t wait to get better and be able to talk with him and be a teammate of his. One of the reasons I’m graduating early is to have more time to be under him and learn from one of the best quarterbacks to ever come out of Texas Tech.”
Connor reiterates importance of summer camps
It’s been well documented by now that Frenship High School will have many representatives as several camps all over the state this summer. Senior running back Michael Connor expresses that these times spent with D-I coaches are not important just for the individuals attending.
“We’re all going together to some other camps and then we’ll probably take everything we learned at those camps and bring it back to the school so we can teach others the techniques and things like that.”
The Tigers’ goals are plain and simple and Connor is well aware what they’re shooting for.
“As a team, we are trying to make it to state and win state so we have to go to other camps and find out what other colleges do so we can learn to adjust ourselves and use in games and bring it back to the school and teach everybody else so that they can get the same feel as if they were at the camp. Everybody travels together and we all player different positions, so we’ll get a better feel of everything.”
As far as his participation at Sunday’s mini-camp at Tech, Connor enjoyed himself.
“I liked it, I loved it, really. It was a nice camp. We got to learn a lot more techniques and how to run routes and how to use your talent, basically. It was a pretty good camp.”
The 5-foot-9, 182-pound back was seen talking to both Seth Littrell and Lincoln Riley during the day, but Connor says that the two contact him on a regular basis.
“I talk to them at least twice a week.”
Even with a forty time of 4.6, Connor says that he still “has high hopes” that the Red Raider will eventually extend an offer his way.
Porter adds another
Thursday afternoon, junior Odessa Permian offensive lineman Garrett Porter added his second offer after the Red Raiders made the first move a few weeks ago.
“Texas A&M said that they are closing ou the 2008 players paperwork and I will get an offer.”
September 1st should will be an important day and Porter will be counting on the US Postal Service in Midland as he’ll be expecting official offers from Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and any other school that steps forward before that date.
Yenzer high on his Midland pair
Not a better coach or person in the West Texas area than Midland head coach Craig Yenzer and he’s been great to Texas Tech over the years. He’s got a son (Tyler) playing right now and has sent several others (Josh Morris and Baron Batch) this way.
We got a first hand look at two of his prospects last weekend and checked in with him to get his thoughts on the duo.
Yenzer will be the first to tell you that he’s got well over 200 kids in his program so some kids aren’t brought along as quickly as they are in other programs which creates an under the radar scenario for many of his players.
This is exactly the case with left guard Sidney Nwangwu and outside linebacker Tanner Foster.
“Big Sid played for us some last year, we rotated him every other series at left guard,” said Yenzer. “I’m surprised it took him so long to get a look but we’ve had about twenty schools in through here this spring so they know about him now.”
Yenzer said the Bulldogs use Nwangwu’s speed by pulling him on some plays and while there is some work needed in the weight room his footwork and attitude are clearly assets.
Now that Tech has offered and he’s visited what are the chances of landing him?
“Whatever they did up there it worked, he came away very impressed.”
With Foster, he’s just played so many positions that he’s had a hard career for recruiters to follow. He was tried at quarterback at one point and other positions but now they feel like linebacker is where he’ll excel his senior year.
“Great kid, we think he’s got a great year ahead of him. He’s like Sidney, not many knew about him but we think with the year he’ll have that it won’t be long.”
Foster ran a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash at Tech’s camp and weighed at just over 200-pounds but was lighter than normal because of track season. He’ll settle in at 215-pounds this fall and if he keeps that speed someone is going to come calling, he’s clearly a D1 prospect based on what we saw.
As far as Nwangwu goes, we’ll watch that situation closely. There is no reason for him not to be a Red Raider based on where he’s located, his interest level and who his high school coach is.
Foreman boasts about West Orange quartet
We mentioned this earlier in the week but it is worth repeating: Every prospect that West Orange Head Coach Tony Foreman has brought to a Tech mini-camp over the years has played Division-IA football.
Two years ago, Foreman showed up with eventual Texas commitment defensive back Deon Beasley and future Red Raider offensive lineman Jarred Gooch fans were relieved when Foreman pulled up with wide receiver Jacoby Franks.
It’s a pretty impressive track record that Foreman put to the test last Sunday when the West Orange ISD mini-van pulled up into the football training facility parking lot with four more prospects.
Foreman feels that all four of these guys could compete at the Big 12 level and more specifically, at Texas Tech. We asked the West Orange head coach to give us the skinny on each one:
SR WR Josh Rhodes (5-foot-11 ¾, 175-pounds)
“He’s going to be a two year letterman,” explained Foreman. “He played with all those receivers we had last year and was kind of the fifth guy. In the last three years, we’ve had four or five division-I receivers and he’s learned from that group. He’s a possession receiver and runs very good routes and is a smart football player.”
SR DB/WR Seth Thomas (5-foot-8, 171-pounds):
“His brother (Earl) is committed and going to the University of Texas. Earl will be a two years starter and will play on both sides of the ball but is predominately a defensive back and is a lock down corner. With the type of defense we play, it is a bump and run so even though we have him at safety he is normally up against a wide receiver and he is a real aggressive type of defensive back.
JR RB Depauldrick Garrett (5-foot-5 ¾, 184-pounds):
“It’s hard to find an offense that fits him so well. He’s been in the spread offense for three years and is comfortable. I think you can get away with a smaller back in that offense and he is a complete running back and due to the fact that it’s only position he plays, in my mind, there’s no doubt he can play at that level.”
SO DB/WR James Haynes (6-foot-0 ½, 175-pounds)
“He’s going to be a sophomore, so he’ll be in the class of 2010 and has a lot of raw talent. He’s probably as talented of a kid that we’ve had come through there. What Beasley, Earl, and Jacoby were his age, he is past that. With his ability, the sky is the limit. He is converting from running back to wide receiver so he looked a little rough [at the mini-camp] but he’s going to be a great football player and is definitely a great division-I football player within the next year. He should be getting an offer within the next year. His nickname is ‘The Truth’ for a reason. He could be one of the best players to ever come out of that school.”
We’re going to take Foreman’s advice and keep an eye on Haynes as he looks to have everything it takes to become a superstar in the near future.
Also of note, Foreman has recently accepted the job at Baytown Lee and will be leaving West Orange. But Red Raider fans should not be worried as he has already said that he will bring both Haynes and Garrett back next year.
Walters talks about Doege
When Tech QB commit Seth Doege was left out of the four star party Rivals threw this week, several members of the Red Raider faithful were a little bit upset. His backers point to his leadership, strong arm, and lightning quick release, while his detractors point to the line of zero’s that come with his junior season and the fact that he isn’t 6-foot-5.
However, perhaps the best point of view concerning the heralded signal-caller’s abilities could come from the man sets Doege’s drops into motion: his center, Mason Walters.
While interviewing the 2009 prospect earlier this week, he randomly threw in some pretty lofty praise for his quarterback.
“I just want to say that there is no hype about Seth,” he explained. “I mean, just watching him throw the ball, it’s like it’s… it’s un-godly how good he is.”
The lineman went on to explain that in 7-on-7, Doege has been embarrassing the competition.
“We had this 7-on-7 game the other day,” he narrated. “And Seth was throwing passes into places passes shouldn’t go. Double coverage, whatever, just threading the needle, it was amazing. It’s nice, when we walk out of the huddle, I don’t have to tell him anything the defense is doing or anything, because he already knows it all.”
If our gut feeling is right, Doege is going to make Mike Leach look like a pretty sharp guy before it’s all said and done.
Gallington’s Decision Looms
OL prospect Deveric Gallington is one of the top O-Line prospects on Tech’s board in a year where O-Lineman are sorely needed. However, the book on Gallington is that if Florida offers, he’s a Gator. Well, the world will know soon enough, as Gallington is set to head to Florida today.
“I’m going to Florida with my coach this weekend,” he explained. “I should get my offer there. The coaches have been saying they’ll offer me once I see the school and everything, so we’re going to go down there for about 48 hours just for a camp.”
While Florida has promised an offer, Gallington says he’s going to make a decision soon, whether the Gators step up to the table or not.
“If they don’t offer, then it’ll be Oklahoma State or Texas Tech,” he furthered. “I’m probably leaning towards Oklahoma State at this point, but mainly just because I’ve seen their campus and everything. I just don’t know much about Tech.”
However, there are two things Gallington does know about Tech.
“I know two things about Tech though,” he said. “They always go to bowl games and they put a ton of linemen in the NFL. And those are the two things I want the most in a school, winning and getting a shot at the NFL.”
Gallington also explained that he and his coach are big on commitment, so don’t expect to see him switching his pledge around.
“Even if Florida came back in two weeks and were like, ‘Man we want you,’ it wouldn’t matter,” he explained. “My coach and I are all about being about your word, so once I commit, I’m done. I’m not going to be backing out of anything once I decide.”
While Tech is still in the race with Gallington, the fact that he will not visit Tech before making his decision puts Tech at a severe disadvantage with him.
To view previous installments of the Red Raider Confidential, visit the archives by clicking here[/URL].
Again, The Red Raider Confidential is a special feature for RedRaiderSports.com subscribers only. Everything that is reported in the Red Raider Confidential must stay well… confidential. That's the way this deal works. The Red Raider Confidential is posted in the premium forum to ensure that this information stays exclusively within the Raider Nation.
This will only be successful if everyone helps make it work, so let’s all work together and keep the discussions limited to this board.
Thank you all again for subscribing to RedRaiderSports.com!
This will continue to be successful only if everyone helps out, so let’s all work together and keep the discussions limited to this board.
Leach on the cover controversy
When it became public that the Athlon’s college football preview regional cover for the Big 12/Texas areas would feature Colt McCoy (Texas) and Stephen McGee (Texas A&M) on the cover and no Graham Harrell we asked Mike Leach about it to get his take on the subject.
“I thought that was interesting. My hats off to those programs because those are fine players and fine coaches, and I mean good enough players and programs to the point where they can make up the 1000 and the 1500 yards or perhaps even better than that that Graham out-passed those guys for,” Leach said. “So it’s going to be pretty impressive to watch those two guys defeat Graham by the margin that that magazine would suggest. Because I think it’s going to be difficult to do, but certainly a publication of the magnitude of that magazine would never sacrifice their integrity to sell magazines, but would only put the best on the cover of that thing… I mean, who am I? A little guy like me – who am I to question the wisdom of a group like that, you know.”
Haliburton happy with camp
Last Sunday afternoon, Frenship defensive lineman Ryan Haliburton was keeping his eyes open for potential future teammates.
“It was good, I think they had a good outcome and I heard one of the Tech coaches say that it was one of the best outcomes they’d ever had.”
The 6-foot-4, 234-pounder had “a lot of fun” at the camp and was seen occasionally joking and laughing with members on the Tech coaching staff.
“I’m starting to have a good relationship with all the coaches and am starting to feel a lot more comfortable around them.”
Out of the 13 total Frenship prospects that attended Sunday’s mini-camp, how did the senior leader feel about his other teammate’s performances?
“They did well. They went out there and they competed. All the coaches at Tech were all impressed. Coach Moore said he would put his money down for us to win the state championship. Gerron (Moore) ran a 4.4 40 which was one of the fastest times out there. Hanslick tested really well. And overall, I just think they did really well.
So what’s the next month or so look like for Haliburton and his buddies?
“Here in a few weeks we’re going to go to North Texas and the satellite camp for UTEP. We’re trying to go on a Six Flags trip for all of us to take, too. I think there’s a TCU camp on June 20th that we’re going to go to but it’s during 7-on-7’s so I don’t know if we’re going to be able to go yet.”
Doege talks about New Mexico offer
The senior starting quarterback for the Frenship Tigers Seth Doege also tried to find out how his other teammates performed last weekend.
“I was real impressed with them [Sunday] because a lot of the guys showed me some things that I hadn’t seen before. Gerron Moore ran a 4.47 and every time I watched him guard someone, he just looked like he was a spider on them. I saw him break on the fall and make interceptions and it was real impressive.”
Besides the monster lineman Mason Walter who already holds an offer from Tech, Doege mentioned one other individual from Wolfforth.
“Nick Hanslik is an athlete. I think in most of the testing he was on top of most of them. He had good numbers.”
But Doege believes that the above mentioned are not the only Frenship prospects who will be turning D-I heads this summer.
“All these guys have potential to get some looks. That’s why we’re doing this and the sweet thing that comes out of this is better bonding and chemistry and that’s what it takes to be a better football team and we can’t wait to play next year.”
The bond that this team has is obvious and Doege looks forward to hanging out with them even more on the trips to mini-camps over the summer.
“We are real close. We all do the same thing together and hang out in the same group whether it’s football, hanging out, or going to a movie. It’s all the same guys that we call to go do things. It’s a real cool thing because some teams don’t have the chemistry that we have and we have the talent and the chemistry and that’s where it’s going to get us where we want to be next year.”
What did Doege think about his own performance at the mini-camp?
“I think I started off good and then I got sloppy in the end and overthrew some deep routes, but overall I thought I did alright.”
When it came to running the 40-yard dash Doege declined to participate but says not to look into that too much.
“It’s not that I’m not doing running activities, I just didn’t feel like I was ready to run a 4.6 or 4.7. Since I hadn’t had a chance to train in running, I just didn’t want to run one and not run a good time. I didn’t feel like I had anything to prove in that category and the Tech coaches told me that I didn’t have to do anything like that to prove things to them. At Tech, you can run a 4.9 and have a slow time but still be amazing at throwing the ball around and that’s what they’re looking for. I also didn’t want to do anything to set back where I needed to be in a week or two.”
It is because of the knee injury that Doege as of two weeks ago still carried the lone offer from the Red Raiders and lacking the four star ranking that many Tech fans believe he deserves. Is this something that is in the back of the signal caller’s mind?
“It’s not a factor to me and I could care less. It’s an honor for anybody who says great things about how you perform and being recognized. But I’m here to play football. Tech offered me and is where I want to be. All that ratings stuff doesn’t get to me. I know what I can do and I know what I need to do better to get to where I need to be. The rankings thing doesn’t matter to me and I really don’t pay attention to it.”
Even with a lower rating than expected, don’t think for a minute that other teams will quit pursuing the 6-foot-1, 195 quarterback just because he has verbally given his commitment to the Red Raiders.
“New Mexico called the other day and said ‘Well, we know you’re with Tech but we want you to know that we have a scholarship here for you.’ It was nice but I told them that I’m solid with Tech and that Tech’s where I want to be. That’s basically it. They just said they wanted me to know that I had a scholarship offer from me them if I ever wanted it.”
One other note of interest that we picked up from Sunday mini-camp was Doege having a conversation with current Tech quarterback junior Graham Harrell. We asked Doege about his relationship with the young man from Ennis.
“Since I committed, every time I go up to the facility we usually talk for a little bit. [Sunday] we talked for a long time and I think we did get a relationship started. Our dad’s did coach together when we were little and now we’re both going to be Red Raider quarterbacks. With Graham and I, it’s not an uncomfortable situation when I go to him. It’s like we’re friends already and it’s a relationship that has started and I can’t wait to get better and be able to talk with him and be a teammate of his. One of the reasons I’m graduating early is to have more time to be under him and learn from one of the best quarterbacks to ever come out of Texas Tech.”
Connor reiterates importance of summer camps
It’s been well documented by now that Frenship High School will have many representatives as several camps all over the state this summer. Senior running back Michael Connor expresses that these times spent with D-I coaches are not important just for the individuals attending.
“We’re all going together to some other camps and then we’ll probably take everything we learned at those camps and bring it back to the school so we can teach others the techniques and things like that.”
The Tigers’ goals are plain and simple and Connor is well aware what they’re shooting for.
“As a team, we are trying to make it to state and win state so we have to go to other camps and find out what other colleges do so we can learn to adjust ourselves and use in games and bring it back to the school and teach everybody else so that they can get the same feel as if they were at the camp. Everybody travels together and we all player different positions, so we’ll get a better feel of everything.”
As far as his participation at Sunday’s mini-camp at Tech, Connor enjoyed himself.
“I liked it, I loved it, really. It was a nice camp. We got to learn a lot more techniques and how to run routes and how to use your talent, basically. It was a pretty good camp.”
The 5-foot-9, 182-pound back was seen talking to both Seth Littrell and Lincoln Riley during the day, but Connor says that the two contact him on a regular basis.
“I talk to them at least twice a week.”
Even with a forty time of 4.6, Connor says that he still “has high hopes” that the Red Raider will eventually extend an offer his way.
Porter adds another
Thursday afternoon, junior Odessa Permian offensive lineman Garrett Porter added his second offer after the Red Raiders made the first move a few weeks ago.
“Texas A&M said that they are closing ou the 2008 players paperwork and I will get an offer.”
September 1st should will be an important day and Porter will be counting on the US Postal Service in Midland as he’ll be expecting official offers from Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and any other school that steps forward before that date.
Yenzer high on his Midland pair
Not a better coach or person in the West Texas area than Midland head coach Craig Yenzer and he’s been great to Texas Tech over the years. He’s got a son (Tyler) playing right now and has sent several others (Josh Morris and Baron Batch) this way.
We got a first hand look at two of his prospects last weekend and checked in with him to get his thoughts on the duo.
Yenzer will be the first to tell you that he’s got well over 200 kids in his program so some kids aren’t brought along as quickly as they are in other programs which creates an under the radar scenario for many of his players.
This is exactly the case with left guard Sidney Nwangwu and outside linebacker Tanner Foster.
“Big Sid played for us some last year, we rotated him every other series at left guard,” said Yenzer. “I’m surprised it took him so long to get a look but we’ve had about twenty schools in through here this spring so they know about him now.”
Yenzer said the Bulldogs use Nwangwu’s speed by pulling him on some plays and while there is some work needed in the weight room his footwork and attitude are clearly assets.
Now that Tech has offered and he’s visited what are the chances of landing him?
“Whatever they did up there it worked, he came away very impressed.”
With Foster, he’s just played so many positions that he’s had a hard career for recruiters to follow. He was tried at quarterback at one point and other positions but now they feel like linebacker is where he’ll excel his senior year.
“Great kid, we think he’s got a great year ahead of him. He’s like Sidney, not many knew about him but we think with the year he’ll have that it won’t be long.”
Foster ran a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash at Tech’s camp and weighed at just over 200-pounds but was lighter than normal because of track season. He’ll settle in at 215-pounds this fall and if he keeps that speed someone is going to come calling, he’s clearly a D1 prospect based on what we saw.
As far as Nwangwu goes, we’ll watch that situation closely. There is no reason for him not to be a Red Raider based on where he’s located, his interest level and who his high school coach is.
Foreman boasts about West Orange quartet
We mentioned this earlier in the week but it is worth repeating: Every prospect that West Orange Head Coach Tony Foreman has brought to a Tech mini-camp over the years has played Division-IA football.
Two years ago, Foreman showed up with eventual Texas commitment defensive back Deon Beasley and future Red Raider offensive lineman Jarred Gooch fans were relieved when Foreman pulled up with wide receiver Jacoby Franks.
It’s a pretty impressive track record that Foreman put to the test last Sunday when the West Orange ISD mini-van pulled up into the football training facility parking lot with four more prospects.
Foreman feels that all four of these guys could compete at the Big 12 level and more specifically, at Texas Tech. We asked the West Orange head coach to give us the skinny on each one:
SR WR Josh Rhodes (5-foot-11 ¾, 175-pounds)
“He’s going to be a two year letterman,” explained Foreman. “He played with all those receivers we had last year and was kind of the fifth guy. In the last three years, we’ve had four or five division-I receivers and he’s learned from that group. He’s a possession receiver and runs very good routes and is a smart football player.”
SR DB/WR Seth Thomas (5-foot-8, 171-pounds):
“His brother (Earl) is committed and going to the University of Texas. Earl will be a two years starter and will play on both sides of the ball but is predominately a defensive back and is a lock down corner. With the type of defense we play, it is a bump and run so even though we have him at safety he is normally up against a wide receiver and he is a real aggressive type of defensive back.
JR RB Depauldrick Garrett (5-foot-5 ¾, 184-pounds):
“It’s hard to find an offense that fits him so well. He’s been in the spread offense for three years and is comfortable. I think you can get away with a smaller back in that offense and he is a complete running back and due to the fact that it’s only position he plays, in my mind, there’s no doubt he can play at that level.”
SO DB/WR James Haynes (6-foot-0 ½, 175-pounds)
“He’s going to be a sophomore, so he’ll be in the class of 2010 and has a lot of raw talent. He’s probably as talented of a kid that we’ve had come through there. What Beasley, Earl, and Jacoby were his age, he is past that. With his ability, the sky is the limit. He is converting from running back to wide receiver so he looked a little rough [at the mini-camp] but he’s going to be a great football player and is definitely a great division-I football player within the next year. He should be getting an offer within the next year. His nickname is ‘The Truth’ for a reason. He could be one of the best players to ever come out of that school.”
We’re going to take Foreman’s advice and keep an eye on Haynes as he looks to have everything it takes to become a superstar in the near future.
Also of note, Foreman has recently accepted the job at Baytown Lee and will be leaving West Orange. But Red Raider fans should not be worried as he has already said that he will bring both Haynes and Garrett back next year.
Walters talks about Doege
When Tech QB commit Seth Doege was left out of the four star party Rivals threw this week, several members of the Red Raider faithful were a little bit upset. His backers point to his leadership, strong arm, and lightning quick release, while his detractors point to the line of zero’s that come with his junior season and the fact that he isn’t 6-foot-5.
However, perhaps the best point of view concerning the heralded signal-caller’s abilities could come from the man sets Doege’s drops into motion: his center, Mason Walters.
While interviewing the 2009 prospect earlier this week, he randomly threw in some pretty lofty praise for his quarterback.
“I just want to say that there is no hype about Seth,” he explained. “I mean, just watching him throw the ball, it’s like it’s… it’s un-godly how good he is.”
The lineman went on to explain that in 7-on-7, Doege has been embarrassing the competition.
“We had this 7-on-7 game the other day,” he narrated. “And Seth was throwing passes into places passes shouldn’t go. Double coverage, whatever, just threading the needle, it was amazing. It’s nice, when we walk out of the huddle, I don’t have to tell him anything the defense is doing or anything, because he already knows it all.”
If our gut feeling is right, Doege is going to make Mike Leach look like a pretty sharp guy before it’s all said and done.
Gallington’s Decision Looms
OL prospect Deveric Gallington is one of the top O-Line prospects on Tech’s board in a year where O-Lineman are sorely needed. However, the book on Gallington is that if Florida offers, he’s a Gator. Well, the world will know soon enough, as Gallington is set to head to Florida today.
“I’m going to Florida with my coach this weekend,” he explained. “I should get my offer there. The coaches have been saying they’ll offer me once I see the school and everything, so we’re going to go down there for about 48 hours just for a camp.”
While Florida has promised an offer, Gallington says he’s going to make a decision soon, whether the Gators step up to the table or not.
“If they don’t offer, then it’ll be Oklahoma State or Texas Tech,” he furthered. “I’m probably leaning towards Oklahoma State at this point, but mainly just because I’ve seen their campus and everything. I just don’t know much about Tech.”
However, there are two things Gallington does know about Tech.
“I know two things about Tech though,” he said. “They always go to bowl games and they put a ton of linemen in the NFL. And those are the two things I want the most in a school, winning and getting a shot at the NFL.”
Gallington also explained that he and his coach are big on commitment, so don’t expect to see him switching his pledge around.
“Even if Florida came back in two weeks and were like, ‘Man we want you,’ it wouldn’t matter,” he explained. “My coach and I are all about being about your word, so once I commit, I’m done. I’m not going to be backing out of anything once I decide.”
While Tech is still in the race with Gallington, the fact that he will not visit Tech before making his decision puts Tech at a severe disadvantage with him.
To view previous installments of the Red Raider Confidential, visit the archives by clicking here[/URL].
Again, The Red Raider Confidential is a special feature for RedRaiderSports.com subscribers only. Everything that is reported in the Red Raider Confidential must stay well… confidential. That's the way this deal works. The Red Raider Confidential is posted in the premium forum to ensure that this information stays exclusively within the Raider Nation.
This will only be successful if everyone helps make it work, so let’s all work together and keep the discussions limited to this board.
Thank you all again for subscribing to RedRaiderSports.com!
