Jarrett Stidham, Football Recruiting & Albert Einstein

And is there such a thing as cold?

"Yes."

"No, sir. There isn't.... Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go any further than that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.

The conversation above, purportedly between a young Albert Einstein and his unnecessarily over-confident professor probably never happened, which further strengthens the following.

There is no such thing as cold, only an absence of heat; there is no darkness but a lack of light; there is no existence of a "de-comitmment,"  there is only the possibility of never fully committing.

So despite all evidence to the contrary: the countless trips to Lubbock, the double-t emblazoned towel worn during his senior season and the endless promises to "build a monster" via social media, young Mr. Stidham was never fully committed to Texas Tech University or its fans. I don't know what happened, or how it transpired, but the highest-rated quarterback to ever consider becoming a Red Raider is gone. And while his choice of schools is not yet known, it seems that Baylor nation is unusually giddy this morning. So perhaps he'll make the short move to Waco, or the long move to Eugene, but Lubbock doesn't appear to be in the cards. I feel no ill-will towards the young man, because for all his professions of loyalty and actions that left a fan-base dreaming about the future, he was never a Red Raider. The timing doesn't matter. Whether a year ago, or last night, he was never a Red Raider.

When conducting interviews at VTM, we always include one common question: What does it mean to be a Red Raider?

At first, I didn't realized how much it meant coming from junior college. It grew on me very quickly and I never regret a day being a Red Raider. It's one of those things that you have to be a part of to fully understand the meaning. If you look like at guys in the NFL that come from here, you're guaranteed to be a hard worker that gets the job done, that's willing to compete every day. That includes in the class room and even our fans; that's just the culture. We may be over looked, but you'll always remember when you came across one.

- Red Raider and former LB, Will Smith

Red Raiders are extremely proud of what we have and never complain about what we don't. We LIVE to prove the naysayers wrong.

-Red Raider and head football coach, Kliff Kingsbury

Someone who embraces and values the culture of West Texas. Someone who strives to be successful, make those around them successful, and always reaches out to their Red Raider network for business opportunities.

-Red Raider and musician, Josh Abbott

My heart will always be with Texas Tech - it's where I became a man. However, my wife went to UT and I'm constantly surrounded by Longhorns so I have respect for their community. Let me put it this way, when I dress my kids, they are always in Red Raider gear.

-Red Raider and Tequila 512 Founder, Scott Willis

To be tough. To be dependable. To be honorable. To work hard. To fail. To get up. To Succeed. To win. To be humble. To return. To help someone else do the same.

Red Raider, former RB and accomplished artist, Baron Batch

Best of luck, Jarrett, from all Red Raiders. Because while Albert Einstein quotes, proof of cold, or expressions of intent can never be fully proven, the pride and spirit of Red Raiders can. It is a choice and those that make it do so while never looking back.

Those that do so are committed.