We continue our look back at recruiting class from the past. Today I wanted to focus on the 2010 recruiting class as it illustrates perfectly why the Red Raiders are coming off of a combined 12-13 record in Coach Kingsbury's first two seasons.
These are the guys who should have been seniors in 2013 or redshirt seniors in 2014. They should have anchored the new coach's first 2 seasons. Instead the class was almost completely demolished by guys who didn't arrive on campus, were kicked off the team or transferred. With the coaching change, you would expect transfers, but looking at the timeline most of these transfers took place prior to Tuberville leaving.
It is almost scary to think that out of a class of 28, you ended up with 7 guys who contributed in any sort of meaningful way. To take it a step further, 2 of the 7 guys were JUCO guys and gone by the time Kingsbury arrived. So he was working with only 5 guys from the 2010 class. Now ask yourself why we went 4-8 last season. Kingsbury may or may not be the answer that is yet to be determined but you would be hard pressed to find one coach who could immediately succeed when he walks into this sort of situation.
The 2010 & 2011 saw 30 of 55 recruits who didn't fully see out their eligibility at Tech (not counting Amaro who left for the NFL year). In 2015, the Red Raider football team will finally finish feeling the results of the attrition from these two classes. Thanks goodness for that!
Below is the breakdown of each category:
Studs (NFLers/All Americans type players):
None
Headliners (All Conference type players):
Dartwan Bush - When healthy he was really good coming off of the edge. He struggled with injuries late in his career. In 2013 you could tell a difference in the defensive line when he was injured the last half of the season. He did struggle against elite competition due to him being a little undersized, but Tech would benefit from having a Dartwan Bush type of player on their team every year.
Darrin Moore - He came from Blinn CC with 3 years to play at Tech. His first season was non-descript, but he followed it up with a nice junior season and a huge senior season. He was All-Big 12 Second Team his senior year. He had 92 receptions, 1,037 and 13 TDs that season.
Tre Porter - He was a really good player who struggled with injuries off and on in his time at Tech. He made a difference when he was on the field. He was All-Big 12 Honorable Mention his junior and senior year. He led the Big 12 freshmen in tackles as a true freshman.
Jackson Richards - I could almost repeat what I said about Bush for Richards. He was the ultimate team guy. He went through a new DC every year, but did whatever was asked when it was asked. He played a lot of defensive tackle last year even though he was a better fit at defensive end, but the team needed help at tackle so he did what was asked of him. He played his tail off. Again, Tech would benefit from having a player like Richards every year.
Contributors (Starters/Spot Starters guys):
James Polk - He started a few games here and there over the course of his time at Tech. He played well enough, but was never going to be a star. He also worked hard from all accounts, but just wasn't physically gifted enough to be elite.
Donald Langley - He was JUCO defensive lineman who played in 22 games and started 15 over the course of his 2 years at Tech. He was injured late in his senior season but played and started all 9 games up to that point in the season. He was definitely a solid anchor in the middle of the defense.
Scott Smith - He was a highly sought after JUCO defensive end. He played in only 12 games over his two seasons at Tech due to a suspension. He was a good player when he was on the field, but his suspension kept him off the field. He probably would have fallen into the "Headliners" category if not for the suspension.
Roster Fillers (Non-Starters/Depth guys):
Zach Winbush - He finished up his eligibility last season as a special teams player more than anything else. He started 1 game in his career.
Shawn Corker - He bounced around from receiver to defensive back then back to receiver. Similar to Richards he showed up and did whatever was asked of him. He contributed on special teams throughout his career. I feel bad putting him as a roster filler, because he was such a team guy but his impact on the stat sheet was minimal at best.
No Impact:
None
Transfers/Left the program:
Joe Carmical - Transferred to University of Central Arkansas after 2010 season
Beau Carpenter - He was dismissed from the team prior to the 2014 season.
Cqulin Hubert - He played 2 seasons before being kicked off the team. He went on to play at Southeastern Louisiana.
Don Hursey - He transferred after his redshirt freshman year. He ended up playing at Duquesne University. His football career ended in 2012 due to injury.
Urell Johnson - He transferred after his redshirt freshman year at Tech. He went on to play at Southern Miss.
Desmond Martin - He dealt with injuries for 2 years prior to leaving the program.
Ben McRoy - He left the program after his sophomore year due to grades.
Tahrick Peak - He transferred after his freshman year.
Russell Polk - He left the program after his redshirt freshman year.
Lawrence Rumph - He played 1 season at Tech before transferring to Angelo State.
Scotty Young - Transferred after his reshirt freshman year to Louisiana Tech to play under Sonny Dykes. He graduated and didn't play complete his last year of eligibility.
Never made it to campus:
Aleon Calhoun - He didn't qualify academically out of high school. He went to Navarro College. When his time at Navarro was up, he had offers from Alabama, FSU, and LSU. He ended up going to the Arena Football League and is a member of the Spokane Shock.
Lawrence Cayou - He ended up signing with Tech, but never made it campus. He went to Copiah-Lincoln Mississippi Community College for his freshman year, Highland Community College (KS) for his sophomore year, Arkansas State for his junior year and finished his career at Lincoln University of Missouri last season.
Coby Coleman - He left Texas Tech after his freshman year.
Mike Jones - He was never listed on the Texas Tech roster. I am assuming he never made it to campus due to grades, but I couldn't confirm.
Delans Griffin - He didn't qualify academically out of high school. He went to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Junior College before transferring to the University of Central Oklahoma.
Brandon Smith - He was never listed on the Texas Tech roster. I am assuming he never made it to campus due to grades, but I couldn't confirm.
Phillip Warren - He didn't qualify academically out of high school, but ended up at Marshall where he was kicked off the team in April 2012 for an altercation with police.
LaVaughn Whigham - He didn't qualify academically out of high school. He tried to get into Marshall with his high school teammate Phillip Warren, but did not qualify there either.