DTN will be taking a close look at Texas Tech's 2010 recruiting class. A look at the offensive players, defensive players, and other thoughts regarding Tommy Tuberville's first recruiting class at Texas Tech. I'd also like to thank kayakyakr for help with editing these posts.
1. QB Scotty Young
Young is the jewel of this class and had Young decided to bolt after Leach's dismissal, I probably would have locked myself in a closet and simply cried myself to sleep. Thankfully, that didn't happen, and we're talking about Young being one of, if not the best, quarterback to commit to Texas Tech. Young ran a version of the Air Raid, and if you've seen his film, you know that he's a very polished quarterback already. He is very accurate, especially with the deep ball and on the move. Despite how ready Young actually is, I think that ideally, Young redshirts this year and competes for the starting job next year, along with QB's Seth Doege and Jacob Karam. And for the record, I'm not ready or willing to write off any quarterback before they're properly given a chance to compete. Lots of folks will remember Doege's performance against TAMU and Kansas and there's no doubt that there was some rust there, but all three quarterbacks were highly rated when they committed to Texas Tech. I think they all have ability and I'm more than ready to let things play out next spring.
2. WR Shawn Corker
With the last minutes loss of WR Kadron Boone, Corker's continued commitment was vital to keeping at least one high profile receiver. Last year, we talked about the "Crabtree Effect" (which was the idea that Crabtree's on-the-field success would eventually lead to high school players wanting to come to Texas Tech) and for that legacy to continue, and I think it will, the offense must continue to produce high profile receivers with guady on the field statistics. A big part of those statistics is recruiting high caliber high school players with athletic ability and Corker fits that bill. And the thing that I love, which is the same thing that HC Tommy Tuberville loved, was that Corker goes up and grabs everything headed his way. He's not a burner, though he does have plenty of speed being listed at 4.45. His game is more about body control and quickness, catching the ball on the run and darting around tacklers. In 2 years he pulled in 89 catches for 1,736 yards, 19.5 yards/catch. Keep in mind that he played against many of the fastest and best high school defensive backs in the nation last year. There's a bit of a logjam at WR with Eric Ward and Aaron Fisher coming off their redshirt year and everyone other than Britton back, but he will have his chance to play his way onto the field this year in the fall.
3. OL Beau Carpenter
Carpenter isn't even the highest rated of the linemen that committed to Texas Tech, but I think he will eventually grow into the best of the group. I've watched the film of both James Polk and Aleon Calhoun, and both are absolutely dominating their high school opponents, but the thing that intrigues me most about Carpenter is that he essentially did the same thing, but he did it at a relatively light weight. Going into his senior year, Carpenter weighed only 245 and some colleges were concerned about whether or not Carpenter would have the ability to put weight on his 6'7" frame. By the end of his senior year, Carpenter is 275 and the weight he added isn't the type of weight that made him slower. I thought that Carpenter's best attribute was that he was a very good athlete, the best athlete of the three offensive linemen and if I could compare him to one player that maybe reflects the type of player and worker that I think he is, it would be Rylan Reed. One of the most valuable things about Beau is that he's already on campus and that is going to give him a huge head start on his career.
4. RB Delans Griffin
Griffin would probably be ranked much higher if it were not due to the possibility that he may not qualify academically. Griffin's ability to accelerate and elusiveness is downright scary, whether it be as a running back or as an inside receiver. Griffin is a legitimate 4-star player that was seemingly over-looked in this class. Griffin is the 3rd consecutive 4-start RB recruit after Harrison Jeffers in 2008 and Eric Stephens who switched from Minnesota in 2009. Griffin is a continuation of that recruiting success. In terms of size, he's a bit taller than Stephens and has the ability to probably add some decent weight to a 5'11" frame. Griffin has a very similar quick first burst like Stephens and he has an explosive ability that's incredibly unique.
5. WR Benjamin McRoy
Ben McRoy is this year's do-everything athlete recruit. If Delans Griffin fails to qualify, Ben may play running back in this offense as this year's rb recruit. Most likely, though, he will fall into the slot mold of Cornelius Douglas (2008) and EJ Celestie (2009). Think of a ridiculously fast Nehemaih Glover. Keep in mind that Ben is very likely to grayshirt next season so that he will arrive on campus with the same amount of eligibility left as his brother who will arrive in 2011. If you watch film on Ben, you'll notice right away his speed. This offense is going to be very good at getting him into space and that has to be a very exciting prospect for a guy who can go from 0 to lightspeed in the blink of an eye.
Aleon Calhoun and James Polk
*Ed. Note: Since there are only 7 offensive commits, I figure we might as well include Calhoun and Polk.
As mentioned above are both dominating blockers on the high school level. Both players are going to have to adjust to the college game, as both Calhoun and Polk dominated on the high school level because of their massive size. Both players are going to have to work on their quickness in order to contribute on a meaningful level at Texas Tech. The fact that Tuberville has hired a strength and conditioning coach that emphasizes quickness and speed should be a blessing for both players.