Quick Reaction: Texas Tech adds 3-star DT Courtney Wallace

After that game was over, I said that Tech would probably get a few commits this weekend. The atmosphere was good, the fans were rowdy and the game was close. However, I was not expecting Courtney Wallace to be one of them. Wallace's commitment gives Texas Tech it's 4th defensive commit and 3rd on the D-line, which has struggled so far thus season. He is the 3rd High School DT this class, which is huge considering Texas Tech had no true high school D-linemen since 2012 (Poet Thomas switched to the O-line last time I checked). His teammate announced on Twitter that he committed to Texas Tech and Wallace retweeted, confirming his commitment. None of the other recruiting sites have announced his commitment yet (Scout eventually did), so it's not 100% official at the moment. It does look like he is a Red Raider though. Here is my review of Wallace from back in April:

Courtney Wallace - Defensive Tackle (Neville HS, Monroe, LA)

Height	Weight	20 yard Shuffle	Power Throw
6'2"	300 lbs	4.99 secs	34

Ratings: 83 by 247 / 75 by ESPN / 5.4 by Rivals

Interest: Texas Tech (Warm), Louisiana Tech (Warm), Louisiana-Lafayette (Warm), Southern Miss (Warm)

Courtney Wallace isn't a very well known recruit, yet the Red Raiders have noticed him and seeked him out. Texas Tech is the only BCS school to offer, with Louisiana Tech, LA-Lafayette and Southern Miss being a few of Wallace's 8 total offers. If he commits to Tech or receives more interest, the recruiting sites will likely start to rate him. Both WreckEm247 and Rivals have recently talked with Courtney (both behind paywall), which usually means that Texas Tech is taking a serious look at the recruit and vice versa. Texas Tech was unable to pick up a high school defensive lineman last class, so it's important that Tech gets multiple high school defensive linemen this class. Recently he talked with 247, saying that TTU was his biggest offer and was impressed by them. He will camp at LSU and maybe a few others in the summer, but won't take a visit to Texas Tech until the fall for an official visit. Let's take a look at what Wallace can do. The first thing I noticed when watching Wallace's film is his hands. Courtney knows how to use his hands to maneuver his way through the line and get to the ball carrier, weather it's a bull rush, swim move or simply pushing the linemen out of the way. Another aspect I like is how he explodes off the line. There were a few plays where Wallace gets a great jump and is able to get the ball carrier right away. He also has good size when he does play at the next level. Wallace is definitely an player Red Raider fans should keep an eye on for the next few months.

Courtney Wallace first appeared on Texas Tech's radar back in late February when we were the first Power 5 school to offer him. In fact, Tech still remains the only Power 5 school to offer him.  The staff was likely at 2016 DT Rashard Lawrence and noticed Courtney's play and started recruiting him. He's been a quiet recruit for the most part, not really having on info on any of the recruiting sites. He had a story in July about Tech being in great position for him and mentioned in August to Rivals that he wanted to visit Tech, but that has basically been it. However. even with little info on him, I had a feeling we would get a commit from Wallace at some point.

Now let's take another look at Wallace's film. Courtney Wallace has excellent technique as a defensive lineman. He uses his hands well to push off offensive linemen and uses leverage to control linemen and push them back. Courtney is also faster than he appears, being able to explode off the line and get in the opponents backfield. That speed also allows him to chase down running backs and trap them behind the line of scrimmage. What I like the most about Courtney Wallace is his big body. Courtney has a big frame at 6'2" 300lbs and looks like he can develop into a good defensive tackle for the Red Raiders. His rating isn't very high, but I see a lot of potential in his game by the way he looks. He has a lot of muscles on his legs that helps him drive linemen back and uses his hands well. This is the type of player Tech has been looking to add at Defensive Tackle, that big guy that can clog up the middle and disrupt the rushing attack. I don't think he'll start right away, but with the right strength and conditioning training, I can see him being a starting defensive tackle down the line.

<iframe src='//www.hudl.com/embed/athlete/1754010/highlights/70623375' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe>

I know a lot of people were worried about getting defensive recruits early on (we had only 2 defensive commits out of  the 9 commits) but now it appears Tech is finally getting bodies on the other side of the ball. We finally have three linemen that can help of weakness and a LB that can make every tackle. I don't think that'll be it for now. Christian Taylor had TTU at the Top of his list and visited this weekend. Reggie Walker named a Top 3 of KState, Arky and TTU. Darrion Daniels stated his Top 3 were UT, BU and TTU, with Texas Tech appearing to be on top. Kahlil Haughton has Tech near the top of his list and will be visiting in a few weeks. Moe Sekona has Tech in his Top 3, and Arthur McGinnis is still high on the Red Raiders. Defensive help is coming, just wait for it

Get up your Guns Courtney!!!