Possible Red Raiders: A Weekly Recruiting Update - 3/25/14

Not a lot has happened in the last week, as Texas Tech just finalized their recruiting class and the university was on spring break. Therefore, basketball didn't have much recruiting going on and football didn't have any recruits visit campus. I expect more info to be out next week, as we'll have another spring practice under our belts and we'll be closer to the Spring game. I'm working on getting a list of who is all attending the game, but it's hard to keep track of everyone. Hopefully I'll have the list out by next Tuesday. This week, we'll take a look at WR James Proche, JUCO LB Caleb Potter and DB Kris Boyd.

James Proche - Wide Receiver (Prime Prep Academy, Dallas, TX)

Ratings: 87 by 247 / 3-star by ESPN / 5.7 by Rivals

Interest: SMU (Warm), TCU (Warm), Texas* (Warm), Texas Tech* (Warm)

James Proche is a highly rated WR out of Dallas, yet only has a few offers (also offered by Colorado State and Tulsa). However, many of the top programs in the area are recruiting him, including the likes of Texas, A&M, Baylor and Oklahoma. Proche has expressed wanting to play with Stidham, as most recruits have, and have kept an eye on the Red Raiders since. With Texas Tech having a deep WR core and many high rated recruits interested in Tech, the Red Raiders may not offer him quite yet. Hopefully Tech keeps up with Proche so he doesn't lose interest. Now let's take a look at what Proche can do. He looks like he can multiple positions, as he played both inside and outside receiver in high school. He shifty enough to play in the slot, but has enough height and athletic ability to also play outside. Also, he has good football awareness. He can juke, spin or cut depending on where defenders are around him. As you can see in his film, he can create a big play out of a small one and can gain those extra yards. He also made some good sideline and endzone catches, showing he's aware of the field. Nothing is likely to happen with James Proche until he starts getting offers from bigger schools (besides TCU), so he probably won't commit soon.

Caleb Potter - Linebacker (Orange Coast CC, Costa Mesa, CA)

Ratings: NR by 247 / NR by ESPN / NR by Rivals

Interest: Ole Miss *(Warm), Kansas State *(Warm), Texas Tech *(Warm), Kentucky (Warm)

Caleb Potter is one of those "twitter happy" guys, so a lot of info about him is out there right now. In high school, he was a 5'11" DE for Arlington Bowie and went to Orange Coast CC to play football. He has gotten offers from many colleges (Texas Tech not one), including Kansas, Kentucky, Texas State and Purdue. Caleb has released a Top 10 list, and Texas Tech looks to be sitting at 3rd place right now, with Ole Miss and Kansas State ahead of the Red Raiders. However, he has expressed that he would like to play in Texas, so we have an advantage there. The coaching staff have talked to Caleb numerous times and convinced him to visit Lubbock this weekend and for the Spring game. He tweeted out that he will likely commit somewhere around the 3rd game of the season. Let's take a look at his film. The thing I like most about Caleb is his hard hitting and tackling. He lays blows on players when he hits them. He has the ability to attack the runner, rush the passer or drop back into coverage, stopping any pass towards the middle of the field. One thing that Caleb will probably need to improve on is his speed. He's a little slow at times getting the receivers and running backs, and occasionally missed a guy and had to turn around and get him. However, if he can gain a little bit more agility, he will turn into a fine football player.

Kris Boyd - Defensive Back (Gilmer HS, Gilmer, TX)

Ratings: 89 by 247 / 82 by ESPN / 5.9 by Rivals

Interest: Texas (Warm), Texas A&M *(Warm), Texas Tech (Warm), Oklahoma (Warm)

Here is another on of those guys where it seems just about everyone is after them. At one point, it seemed Tech wouldn't be in the running for Kris Boyd, which is why I didn't review him earlier, but now it seems Texas Tech is very much in the race for him. Back in the beginning of the month, he tweeted out that either Coach Strong, Sumlin, Kingsbury or Stoops would be in "something good". Just a few days ago, he also specifically mentioned Oklahoma, Texas Tech and USC as showing him a lot of love (later on he also mentioned Texas, A&M and FSU). So far the only visit listed on the 247 site is to A&M, who has yet to offer Boyd. and Texas. He has visited a Texas Tech camp however, and did speak about it afterwards. He said at the time that Texas was his favorite because of the relationship, but the coaching staff has changed since then. Here is a look at Boyd's film. This kid is something else. From the start of the play, he packs a mean punch on the receiver driving them off balance and messing up their route. Then with his speed and size, he stays with the receiver throughout the play, not giving them a chance to catch the ball. When a player does have the ball, he can force his way out of the block and lay a hit on the ball carrier, causing a fumble at times. He also played some running back in high school, and his ability to cut and accelerate is amazing. He's able to find a hole and use his arsenal of skills to get into the endzone. The skill he possesses already is incredible, I believe he has the size, speed and strength to be the best defensive back in college football. Kris Boyd will release a Top 5 soon, and I believe that Tech has a good chance to make the list. If Tech can grab Boyd, it would be a huge pick-up for the Red Raiders.

Here are some more updates:

Basketball 2014:

• Abdoulaye Gueye, 83 rated PF, was supposed to visit last weekend, but according to Chris Level, the visit will be this weekend. With 6 recruits now committed this class, it doesn't look like Tech will have room for Gueye. However, with Rivals reporting that Hannahs transferring out, that would leave a spot open for Gueye. He has told Future150.com that he will commit soon. Only has visited Minnesota and Texas Tech.

Football 2015:

• Breiden Fehoko, 97 rated DT, will be naming a Top 5 in August and now looks like he'll be committing during the Under Armor All American game. He will visit Tech for the Spring game, who looks to be in a good position for Fehoko right now.
• Jaylon Lane, 85 rated CB, decommitted from Ole Miss just two weeks after committing there. With new offers on the table, he wants to reevaluate his process. He rather be close to home if possible. He visited Texas State last weekend.
• Malik Lovette was moved from a 91 to a 94 on Wednesday. Tech is recruiting him hard, but an offer from USC could convince Lovette to pick the Trojans.
• Ykili Ross, 96 rated CB, was offered by Texas Tech yesterday. Another stud from California, which Tech has been interested in recently.
• DeChaun Holiday, 96 rated S, was offered by Texas Tech yesterday. Another one of those studs from California.
• Jordan Davis, 90 rated TE, has gained interest in Texas Tech, despite being committed to Texas A&M. He visited Texas last weekend and will likely visit Texas Tech soon.
• Two big Texas Tech targets went to Baylor's junior day this weekend in Malik Jefferson and Conner Dyer. Both players have visited a lot of schools as of late.

Basketball 2015+:

• Hunter Shelton, 78 rated SF, was scouted by Texas Tech this past weekend. Tech only has two scholarships to use, and one position they could use is an athletic SF.

Football 2016+:

• Darrion Green, 2017 RB, has named his Top 5, with Texas Tech being included in that list. Other teams on the list were Texas, TCU, LSU and Oregon.