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After visiting Texas Tech this weekend, Quan Shorts has decided to shut down his recruitment and commit to the Red Raiders. Shorts announced via Twitter just a little a while ago that he talked with his dad and decided to commit to Texas Tech. He becomes the 14th commitment of the class and the 3rd Wide Receiver (along with Giles and Strickland). Here is my review of Shorts that I was planning to post tomorrow:
Quan Shorts - Wide Receiver (Atascocita HS, Humble, TX)
Height Weight 40 time Shuttle Vertical Power Throw Squat Bench 6'2" 195 lbs 4.42 (4.65 by ESPN) 4.46 31.9" 37.5' 405 lbs 285 lbs Ratings: 85 by 247 / 70 by ESPN / 5.4 by Rivals / 3-star by Scout
Interest: UTSA (Warmer), Texas Tech (Warmer), Texas A&M *(Warm), Kansas (Cool)
We first learned about Quan Shorts two weeks ago when he was offered by Texas Tech. At the time, he was committed to UTSA and had been so since February, but after a Texas Tech offer two weeks ago and visit to Texas A&M last weekend, he decided to decommit to explore his options. He told Daniel Paulling in this article that he likes Tech because of their offense and currently has them as his favorite. He took an official to Texas Tech this weekend, but it appears that he isn't going to commit at this time. He probably wants to get a better feel of other schools too. Tech finally got a big body WR two weeks ago and are still looking to add a few more receivers to the class, including another big body or two. Now let's see what Quan Shorts can do on film. Shorts is a tall WR with speed that can be effective going down the field or on screen passes. Rivals and his Hudl say he has a 4.42 40 time, but I don't think he's that fast. Still, he has good speed and knows how to use his body to catch the ball deep down the field. Not only that, but he has good blocking skills, which is what Tech has been interested in lately. That means they're tough and it helps open up the running and passing game. Quan Shorts would be a good player to add to the 2015 class.
Quan Shorts was someone that committed to UTSA early in the process, all the way back in February. However, he kept on receiving interest from other colleges while he was committed, including Texas Tech and Texas A&M. Shorts received an offer Texas Tech about a week ago, and visited A&M last weekend before deciding to decommit from UTSA and weigh his options. He took a visit to Texas Tech this weekend and keep on tweeting that he was having the time of his life when on the visit. On Sunday afternoon, he decided that Texas Tech was the place for him and shut down his recruitment to become a Red Raider. We're not yet sure why he committed to Tech, but he has said that he like Tech's offense and he did enjoy his visit, so those are probably the main reasons why he committed. I'm not sure what a Texas A&M offer would do, but I feel pretty confident at this point in saying that Shorts will stay committed to Texas Tech.
Let's take a closer look at what Quan Shorts can do on the football field. What I like about Quan is his ability to go deep. Shorts has pretty good speed and has a tall 6'3" frame, so he has the advantage when going deep down the field. He uses his body to take advantage of the CB and get the position he wants when getting downfield. He's not the best at getting the ball at it's high point, but he gets down the field and gets good enough position to grab the football. If he can locate the ball high, he can become a great WR. Another aspect of his game I like is his blocking, which is something the coaching staff has been looking for in tall WRs. Good blocking creates good rushing which leads to the play action and more passing opportunities. Plus with Kingsbury getting DT QB's, Tech needs WRs that can block on the outside. Finally Shorts also has some pretty good moves. He's not leaving guys on the ground, but he's using cuts and jukes to make guys miss, which is impressive for his size. Shorts is someone who could develop into a good WR with the right coaching. I don't think we'll see him play right away, but he could be someone we see in a couple years become a contributor for the Red Raiders.
With this commitment, we now have two tall receivers for the 2015 class. Tech is trying to get bigger and tougher at the WR position and this commitment will help them. The Red Raiders will likely add a couple more WRs this class and maybe another offensive linemen (like Fred Ulu Perry or Semisi Uluave). Some WR recruits that are still possibilities for the Red Raiders are Tyron Johnson (will be visiting Auburn and Oregon soon), DeDe Westbrook (visiting next month), Ryan Davis and AD Miller. This commitment gives Tech the 23rd ranked class on 247sports, a Top 30 Class on ESPN, the 38th ranked class on Rivals and a 20th ranked class on Scout. That's also only with 14 commits.
Some of y'all are probably asking where the defensive recruits are right now, and they're still deciding. A lot of Tech's main defensive recruits are going to commit late in the process, which is why you currently only see 4 defensive commits for the Red Raiders. Tech is still in good position for many defensive recruits, but they're taking their time, that's all.