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This series of articles will break down the Red Raiders roster approaching the 2017 season. Staff members selected their top-15 players currently on the roster and for each one of them there will be a profile with basic information, videos and expectations.
PUBLISHED:
14th place
Jack Anderson
Position: Offensive Lineman
Class: Freshman
Height: 6’5
Weight: 315 pounds
Hometown: Frisco, Texas
Wow. Jake Anderson has not played a snap with Texas Tech yet and already jumps on the list. But he deserves to be here with all the hype surrounding him. Alongside former Red Raiders Breiden Fehoko and Michael Starts, Anderson is one of the highest-ranked recruits to come to Lubbock in the last decade. ESPN ranked him as the No. 8 player in the state of Texas and No. 3 offensive guard in the nation.
In high school, he was a standout player, obtained first team All-District selection following his junior and senior seasons, and second-team High School All-American by MaxPreps. This led him to walk on the biggest stages for future college players, as he participated in the Under Armour All-America Game and was named for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Obviously, he received scholarship offers from the elite schools in the nation, including Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas, and USC. He chose Texas Tech after a head-to-head with Texas A&M, and immediately became the leader of the 2017 class of recruits.
Watching to his tapes, the main things that we can see is that he literally walks over the defenders with an uncommon physical domination. He is tall, big, strong, and he has an outstanding first step that allows him to take an immediate advantage over a defender. Anderson also is fast for his size and effective at the second level, and he can push his opponent back many yards.
In high school, he played mostly as a center but, as explained in this article, he will start his college career as a guard, opposite Madison Akamnonu. The center position will be occupied by Paul Stawarz, who has more experience and occasionally played in that position in 2016.
This is a smart move by the coaching staff because Anderson is the most talented player on the unit, but it’s necessary to give him the appropriate time to understand how things work in college without too much pressure.