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Texas Tech gets it's 2nd commitment of the day after a month of no activity. After a month of recruiting, Lonzell Gilmore ended his recruitment just a short while ago and choose the Red Raiders over Nevada via Twitter. He becomes the 14th commitment in the 2015 class and the 4th D-linemen commit. Here is my review of Gilmore earlier this month
Lonzell Gilmore - Defensive End / Outside Linebacker (Spring HS, Spring, TX)
Height Weight 40 time 6'3" 230 lbs 4.70 Ratings: 78 by 247 / NR by ESPN / 5.4 by Rivals / 2-star by Scout
Interest: Texas Tech (Cool), Kansas State (Cool), Nevada (Cool), Fresno State (Cool)
Lonzell Gilmore received an offer from Texas Tech this past week his 4th offer at the time. Since then, he has received offers from Kansas State and Miami (OH). Before then, he had 3 other FBS offers from Nevada, Fresno State and Colorado State. I don't know a whole lot about Gilmore, but he seems like someone Tech may want at Pete's position once Pete leaves next season. He has yet to take an official visit anywhere, but I bet he will take some in the near future. His team is currently in the playoffs, so I bet he'll wait until the season is over with to take his visit. Texas and A&M have also shown interest, but I don't think they will offer Gilmore anytime soon if they do. Now let's take a look at what Lonzell Filmore can do on film. What I like about Gilmore is his explosiveness off the line. He may not be the biggest defensive linemen, but he comes off the line strong and uses that leverage to take advantage of his man and get in the backfield. He also uses that speed to chase down running backs and bring them down. I also like the way he tackles. He comes at the defender hard and uses all his force to bring him down. He wraps up and brings down the ball carrier. I think he would be used as an outside LB in Tech's system, backing up Pete Robertson. He's not the heaviest kid, but he's fast and tackles well. I hope he takes a chance at Tech and really considers them.
Tech first offered Lonzell Gilmore in late November and have been going hard after his commitment ever since. Gilmore had a strong senior campaign and Tech was in need for young defensive linemen. He was recruited by John Scott Jr. (before he left) and Kevin Curtis (master recruiter). Lonzell Gilmore visited Nevada just this past weekend and was going to visit Texas Tech in January, but decided it was time to shut down his recruitment and commit to the Red Raiders before his official visit.
Let's now take a look at what Lonzell Gilmore will bring to the Red Raiders. Gilmore brings a lot to Texas Tech's defensive line, including speed, form tackling and athleticism. Gilmore may not be quite as big (weight wise) as some defensive linemen, but he brings explosiveness and speed to the line. He gets off the line quick, burst through the hole and is able to chase down the ball carrier. Tech had problems bringing down the QB last season, so maybe adding more speed on the defensive line will help Tech limit big play opportunities for the opponent. I also like the way he tackles. He wraps both arms around the defenders and uses all his force to bring them down. Tech has problems tackling in recent years, so seeing someone who knows how to tackle is a relief. Finally, Gilmore brings a lot of athleticism to the table that can make him into a great player. He posses a good frame and has the speed and strength to be transformed into a great player for Texas Tech. Kliff got a good one today.
This now gives Texas Tech another defensive linemen to the class and it's first true defensive end (Fehoko, Wallace and Washington are all DT's). That's likely not going to be it for the defensive line however. Darrion Daniels, 4-star DT, is still on the table for the Red Raiders and could commit somewhere at any time now. Arden Key, 4-star DE, will visit Tech sometime soon and could flip to the Red Raiders. Tech is still in contention for a lot of defensive linemen and defensive recruits all together.