Texas Tech's football coaches are betting on themselves in the 2016 recruiting cycle.
You could argue that's the case with every recruiting class -- Tommy Tuberville wasn't wrong when he likened that part of his job to that of a salesman -- but it's especially true today.
Seven of the Red Raiders' 19 verbal commitments -- Neiman Armstrong, Emoree Giddens, DaMarcus Fields, Jett Duffey, Johnathan Picone, Antoine Cox-Wesley and Giovanni Pancotti -- have no other Power Five offers. Armstrong, Giddens and Cox-Wesley aren't listed in the Rivals.com database as having any other offers at all.
It's not as if the Texas Tech staff set out to sign players that didn't have any other Power Five offers. That wasn't the goal in January. The Red Raiders missed out on most of their top-level targets and moved on down their list. This isn't that unusual, mind you. It's just the nature of recruiting.
What is striking to me about the 2016 cycle, though, is how the Red Raiders are doubling-down on their evaluations and not playing the same long-game -- aiming really high, slow-playing others -- that ended in mixed results this past February.
If Emoree Giddens or Neiman Armstrong had been in the 2012 or 2015 classes, would the Red Raiders have accepted commitments from them in April and May? I'm not so sure. Neither had any other offers at the time of their pledge, so it's not as if Texas Tech was under any pressure to push for a commitment. To me, additions like Giddens and Armstrong speak to the confidence this staff has in their evaluations.
We won't be in a position to really judge those evaluations for a few more years, but there's no denying the importance of quality evaluations for a program like Texas Tech.
In fact, shortly after the Red Raiders' 63-34 loss to Baylor in 2013, I wrote as much:
"The Bears' quarterback, top two receivers, top two running back and best offensive linemen were all lower-level three-stars coming out of high school -- none were Texas Top 100 players. BU's leading tackler in the game, cornerback K.J. Morton, was a two-star JUCO prospect; he also had a sack, three tackles for a loss, four pass breakups, a forced fumble and an interception. The team's injured star receiver, Tevin Reese, was also a two-star. BU's leading tackler on the season, linebacker Bryce Hager, was also a two-star."
Time will tell if the next K.J. Morton, Tevin Reese or Bryce Hager is in this class, but I appreciate Texas Tech's approach to this cycle.
You could argue that's the case with every recruiting class -- Tommy Tuberville wasn't wrong when he likened that part of his job to that of a salesman -- but it's especially true today.
Seven of the Red Raiders' 19 verbal commitments -- Neiman Armstrong, Emoree Giddens, DaMarcus Fields, Jett Duffey, Johnathan Picone, Antoine Cox-Wesley and Giovanni Pancotti -- have no other Power Five offers. Armstrong, Giddens and Cox-Wesley aren't listed in the Rivals.com database as having any other offers at all.
It's not as if the Texas Tech staff set out to sign players that didn't have any other Power Five offers. That wasn't the goal in January. The Red Raiders missed out on most of their top-level targets and moved on down their list. This isn't that unusual, mind you. It's just the nature of recruiting.
What is striking to me about the 2016 cycle, though, is how the Red Raiders are doubling-down on their evaluations and not playing the same long-game -- aiming really high, slow-playing others -- that ended in mixed results this past February.
If Emoree Giddens or Neiman Armstrong had been in the 2012 or 2015 classes, would the Red Raiders have accepted commitments from them in April and May? I'm not so sure. Neither had any other offers at the time of their pledge, so it's not as if Texas Tech was under any pressure to push for a commitment. To me, additions like Giddens and Armstrong speak to the confidence this staff has in their evaluations.
We won't be in a position to really judge those evaluations for a few more years, but there's no denying the importance of quality evaluations for a program like Texas Tech.
In fact, shortly after the Red Raiders' 63-34 loss to Baylor in 2013, I wrote as much:
"The Bears' quarterback, top two receivers, top two running back and best offensive linemen were all lower-level three-stars coming out of high school -- none were Texas Top 100 players. BU's leading tackler in the game, cornerback K.J. Morton, was a two-star JUCO prospect; he also had a sack, three tackles for a loss, four pass breakups, a forced fumble and an interception. The team's injured star receiver, Tevin Reese, was also a two-star. BU's leading tackler on the season, linebacker Bryce Hager, was also a two-star."
Time will tell if the next K.J. Morton, Tevin Reese or Bryce Hager is in this class, but I appreciate Texas Tech's approach to this cycle.
