Dauphine Loses Almost Everything, But Comes Back Stronger. From the Port Arthur News, the day that Texas Tech signee RB Corey Dauphine ran a 20.76 in the 200m last year, he found out that a fire had ravaged his apartment and Dauphine and his family lost almost everything. A year has passed and everything is fine, and leading up to National Signing Day, some high profile colleges, USC, Florida, Texas A&M;, and Michigan made a run at Dauphine:

"I had almost every coach in the country calling after the track championships," Dauphine said. "I had to turn them down. It was great. It made me realize what I really wanted in a college. Some of these schools just want you because of the talent. Texas Tech always wanted me for me. They showed the interest first and proved to me they liked me as a player, student athlete and a young man."

The final time Dauphine told a college no made even Harrison take a step back at how loyal Dauphine was to the Red Raiders.

"Michigan was calling a lot there towards the final hours," Harrison said. "They had a lot of momentum there late with Jim Harbaugh getting on board. Everyone of those coaches really fell in love with Corey the moment they met him. But even Harbaugh couldn't change his mind.

"He is such a great young man and Texas Tech should be very proud because he has already proved how loyal he is to them. It really says a lot about Corey after knowing the caliber of schools he said no to."

Johnson Impresses at International Bowl. According to Dave Campbell, new Texas Tech signee S Jamile Johnson impressed at the International Bowl, an all-star game between the U.S. and Canada:

S Jamile Johnson, South Oak Cliff - McKinney wasn't the only player from South Oak Cliff that made a big impact for Team USA. Johnson, a Texas Tech signee, also made his presence felt with a couple of big hits and key pass deflections. Johnson's numbers don't pop out at you on the final stat sheet, but it was clear Team Canada was afraid to throw his way. Johnson is an extremely versatile defensive back who can play both cornerback and safety. He should make an immediate impact in Lubbock for a Texas Tech team in desperate need of some defensive help.

ESPN's Pre-Spring Position Rankings. ESPN is going position-by-position, with the quarterback first, with their pre-spring rankings in the Big 12 and your very own Patrick Mahomes is third:

3. Texas Tech: If Rudolph isn't the Big 12's best young returning quarterback, Patrick Mahomes is. He caught fire after taking over the starting job, throwing for 14 TDs in Tech's final three games, including a 598-yard passing effort in a near upset of Baylor. Mahomes has become such an integral part of the program, the Red Raiders have said they will tailor spring practices around his baseball schedule. Davis Webb was thought to be Tech's quarterback of the future going into last season, but struggled with turnovers, then injuries. He still has the ability to be a quality player.

Miscellaneous. From ESPN, some new signees feel like they get a raw deal with late coaching changes . . .