Roster Recap: Who Did Not Qualify from the 2014 Class

Fall practices have started, which always sounds strange to me considering that it will be 100 degrees for the next few weeks and it doesn't exactly feel like fall. Still, August is the month of football and that means that we're all about to get to work and figure out where this team is headed. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, I wanted to have a post where we could detail what has happened with the roster since we last met.

First things first is that we detailed all of the variances in the weights of all of the players. Most notably, the defense seems, overall bigger while the offensive line, particularly at guard, seems to be at around 315 to 310 in terms of weight. Players lost and/or gained weight to get to that point.

Up next is that the roster has had some movement since we last left everyone after the spring practices. First and foremost there is roster attrition at every college. There is always the hope that every player will qualify, but it simply doesn't work that way. Some players are able to qualify, while others simply have to move forward at another college. It's just part of the process.

As far as the 2014 recruiting class, there are three players that didn't make it on the team:

• Connor Wilson: Wilson had some sort of medical condition that will prohibit him from playing for Texas Tech. No reason was given, at least not from what I could tell. Wilson will have his scholarship honored, but he will not count against the 85 scholarship limit.
• Byron Daniels: The receiver from Madison in San Antonio apparently did not qualify and as a result he will attend Trinity Valley Community College in Athens. You would hope that this would be a similar situation to Devin Lauderdale in that Daniels can work on his grades and get back to Texas Tech. If you are ever astounded as to why a player that has ridiculous stats doesn't have more offers, the general reason is grades. Daniels had terrific stats, 72 catches for 1,128 yards and 12 touchdowns, so there always seemed to be a disconnect with me as to why he wasn't offered to more teams.
• Shaquille Davis: Davis originally signed with SMU out of high school, but he had problems qualifying, so he ended up at Mt. San Antonio C.C. in California where he played JUCO for two years. Dais was almost assuredly one of Darrin Chiaverini's signings and there's no doubt that he's a talented player. However, Davis didn't make it to Lubbock and will play at West Texas A&M. I don't know for sure as to why Davis didn't make it to Lubbock, but a lot of times at this time of year, after the semester is over, you find out if a player has enough credits or hours or anything else that will let them qualify. Sometimes, it comes down to the 11th hour.

One more thing to discuss. Have two players not qualify, while one simply has a medical issue is a pretty good batting average. In fact, this is downright impressive all things considered. More players are lost along the way, but thus far, Kingsbury & Co. have had a pretty good retention rate.