I don't think Clint Trickett is smiling as much as he did during the WVU game. His team lost and the good guys advanced to 7-0 heading into Norman, which actually could be a huge game recruiting wise for Texas Tech. This game is on national TV and a lot of recruits will be paying attention. A win at OU could show the change of power and benefit us a lot. There are numerous 2015 recruits that are from Oklahoma and have the Red Raiders on their radar, including 5-star OG (Offensive Guard, not Original Gansta) Jalin Barnett and DT Marquise Overton. Although these guys are highly ranked and are going to be hard to get, with Kingsbury at the helm, it's not impossible, Let's look at them now.
Jalin Barnett - Offensive Guard (Lawton HS, Lawton, OK)
Height: 6'4" Weight: 315 lbs
Ratings: 98 by 247 / 86 by ESPN / 5.9 by Rivals
Interest: Oklahoma (Warm), Texas Tech (Warm), Alabama (Cold), Oklahoma State (Cold)
If Tech were to grab Jalin, this would be the first 5-star recruit to ever go to Texas Tech (tell me if I'm wrong). A little background info, he is the 8th highest ranked recruit according to ESPN and 12th according to 247. That's huge. Some of y'all might have noticed that he is attending Lawton HS and recognized the school name. That is because 2013 commit Maurice Chandler (didn't make it on campus due to grades) and current 2014 commit Ivan Thomas played at Lawton HS, and Barnett actually went with Ivan and their coach to visit Tech on June 20th. Tech doesn't have a specific coach recruiting Barnett right now, but hopefully soon someone will. Other schools in the hunt are Oklahoma, who offered April 4th, one day before Tech. Oklahoma State also has recently offered Barnett within the last month, along with Alabama. Will Tech get Barnett? We definitely have a shot offering so early, but his process seems far from over. His highlight tape is impressive, looking better than most seniors when he's a sophomore. His strength in his arm is ridiculous, pushing off defensive linemen easily on every tape. He keeps in his arms close and pushes off during screens and running plays, usually either knocking guys on the ground or keeping them in front of him, not able to reach their arm out at the runner. He also keeps his arms out and the linemen away from the quarterback. This is helpful when the defensive player is trying to stick in arm in the way of a pass. Size is also a factor him, because it's harder for linemen with speed to get around him or bull rush Barnett. Plus it helps when Barnett runs fluently. Don't get too excited about him, because the chances to get him aren't in our favor, but a shift in the Big XII could change the mind of recruits. That's why from a recruiting standpoint, this OU game seems bigger than it actually is. I'll give you info if I find out Barnett is attending the Oklahoma game.
Marquise Overton - Defensive Tackle (Jenks HS, Jenks, OK)
Height: 6'1" Weight: 300 lbs 40: 5.51
Rating: 95 by 247 / 82 by ESPN / 5.8 by Rivals
Interest: Texas Tech (Warm), Oklahoma* (Warm), Oklahoma State (Cold), Baylor (Cold)
Marquise was first offered by Texas Tech back on July 24th, his 6th offer overall at the time. Later on October 5th came an offer from Oklahoma State, which Overton is very interested in also. The one team which surprisingly hasn't offered is Oklahoma, which Overton went to their camp and two OU coaches are recruiting him. Anyway, I think a win against Oklahoma and OKST and really push Marquise in the right direction and choose the good guys. While looking at his film, Overton to me look raw, and by that I mean he has the mechanics and a lot of room to get better. His only moves thus far is really the bull rush, where Marquise pushed back the center and disrupts the run/pass or tackles the ballcarrier. His strength is obviously there, but his speed is not the greatest, but being a DT you don't really need much speed. I am not sure when Overton, if he will, visit Texas Tech, but he hasn't scheduled a visit with anyone else thus far. Texas Tech currently doesn't have a specific coach recruiting him, so the best we can do right now is too keep on winning games and staying relevant.
Here are some other updates:
Football 2014:
- Silvester Hayes committed to Colorado State last week. Tech offered him back in February but never visited the Red Raiders and ended up choosing CSU last Wednesday. Congrats to him.
- Randy Anyanwu liking Tech right now and will visit the team during the OKST game. Texas Tech is in Randy Anyanwu's top 3, including Marshall and an unnamed 3rd school.
- Zay-Coven Henderson has his list down to four teams; Ole Miss, Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech. He visited Oxford last weekend (Ole Miss beat LSU) and will be visiting Oklahoma this weekend (better win Raiders). Zay-Coven has unofficially visited Texas and few times but has yet to visit Lubbock.
- Fahn Cooper is down to his top two. I know one is Texas Tech and the other I believe is Texas A&M. A&M offered his just this past week and are trying to sign his talents.
- Terrell Clinkscales is getting a lot of attention as of late, including offers from Alabama, Auburn and Mississippi State. Lucky Tech picked up an official visit from Terrell when we did.
Basketball 2014:
- Jackson Davis, according to FortyYearCatFan, had visited Texas Tech during Homcoming. Last weekend he was visiting Rice.
- Javon Bess committed to Michigan State after visiting there last weekend. He was leaning towards the Spartans as Tech seemed they were well out of the race. Not a lot of options left for Tech.
Football 2015+:
- Marvin Terry, a 2016 Weak-Side Defensive End, had his first offer from Texas Tech this past week. He is NR (nobody from 2016 is) right now and goes to South Oak Cliff HS in Dallas, TX
- Daylon Mack, 5-star DT, committed to Texas A&M. Texas Tech hadn't gained much attention from Mack, while he ended his recruiting process early. Funny fact: My uncle is actually a coach at his High School (Gladewater HS).