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I was waiting for commits, with the class only being 12 deep and Tech losing 2 commits recently. However, I didn't think we would get 3 in a 5 hour period. Christian Taylor ended his recruitment and announced he would become a Red Raider via Twitter. He becomes the 15th commitment of the 2015 class and the first DB. Here is my review of Christian Taylor from back in June:
Christian Taylor - Safety (Jersey Village, Houston, TX)
Height Weight 40 time Shuttle Vertical Bench Squat 6'1" 180 lbs 4.58 4.28 36.7" 255 lbs 375 lbs Ratings: 85 by 247 / 78 by ESPN / 5.4 by Rivals
Interest: Louisville (Warmer), Texas Tech (Warm), UCF (Warm), Fresno State (Warm)
Christian Taylor hasn't been on the Red Raiders radar for that long. Just a few weeks ago, Texas Tech offered the safety from Houston when Wally and Haverty were down recruiting in the Houston Area. Christian has quite the offer list, as it includes the list above, along with schools like Minnesota, Nevada and Boise State. About a month ago, Taylor named Louisville his leader, but that was before the Red Raiders offered him. Texas Tech has yet to have commitment in the secondary this season, and probably won't get a lot of commits because of the fact Tech had 8 commitments in the secondary for the 2014 class. Look out for players like Kris Boyd, Holton Hill and Brandon Scott, who are a few talented DBs that Texas Tech is going after. Now let's take a look at Christian Taylor's film. What I like the most about Taylor is that he's good at disguising in coverage and following the QBs eyes. He knows where he needs to be to make a play on the ball, weather it's to break up a pass or intercept the ball. Taylor can also tackle well, wrapping up and finishing on tackles. He stretches out to catch the ball carrier, then is able to hold on and bring him to the ground. Something else that caught my eye is that he had some special teams plays in his highlights. It always helps when players can play special teams well. I'm not sure how close to Taylor is to committing somewhere or how serious Texas Tech is, but Taylor is definitely someone to keep an eye on.
Christian Taylor has been on Texas Tech's radar since I could remember. He was recruited by Coach Wally and Haverty when Tech recruiting in the Houston and have been hot on his trail since. It appeared that Louisville had the lead early on, being named the leaders in May, but Tech didn't give up and were hot on his trail. Tech eventually became the leaders in October and Taylor visited the Red Raiders for the West Virginia game. Bredien Fehoko was there trying to get Taylor to join him on defense. He later took a visit to Baylor, but the Bears never offered Taylor. The Houston area commits were also trying to get Taylor's commitment, talking to him and trying to convince him to join the good guys. Then, just a short while on Twitter, Christian Taylor shut down his recruitment and committed to Texas Tech
Let's now see what Christian Taylor brings to this Tech Defense. Taylor brings toughness, turnovers and determination to the defensive side of the football. The first thing I noticed was the toughness he brings the field. He comes in hard, lays a big hit and takes down the ball carrier with a clean tackle. Some defensive backs shy away from the big hit, but Taylor isn't afraid to get dirty and take his man hard to the ground. I also like his turnover ability he brings. He's a lot like Derrick Dixon in the fact that he hits hard and creates turnovers with his hands and hard hits. He can track down the football and come down with it. Finally, he has that never give up mentality. There are several plays where it seems like he can't make a play, yet he comes flying in and either pushes his man out of bounds or tips the ball enough to negate a catch. Having that mentality is even more important when you're the last line of defense. Christian Taylor was definitely one of the my favorite (if not my favorite) safety to review in the whole 2015 class, and I'm glad he's a Red Raider.
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Tech now has it's first DB commit of the class, but it won't stop there. Kylan Johnson, 3-star ATH, looks like he is starting to really like Tech and could join the team as a Safety. Kahlil Haughton, 4-star S, has Tech high on his list currently and could end up in Raiderland. Darreon Jackson could be deciding tomorrow and could very well become a Red Raider. There's still a lot of options left on the board for Tech.
So now Tech is 3 for 4 (Tipa Galeai committed to TCU) on the day with the potential of going 6 for 7 by the end of the week. Ben Hicks will be deciding between Texas Tech, Houston and SMU tomorrow. Darreon Jackson looks like he will be deciding somewhere tomorrow. DeAndre McNeal will be deciding where he's going to school early tomorrow morning. It's already a big week for the Red Raiders, and it looks like it's about to be bigger.