It’s been two-and-a-fifty percent a long time because the divorce concerning the Texas Tech football application and Kliff Kingsbury was finalized. And 1 could argue that, as is the situation in a lot of breakups, both of those events are in a much better put now that they have absent their separate ways. But that doesn’t imply that Kingsbury’s influence will not nevertheless hang over the upcoming period.
In reality, this tumble, Kingsbury will even now have really the effect on his alma mater even even though he’ll be the head mentor of the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL. Which is for the reason that this is the time that the last two recruiting lessons that Kingsbury brought to Lubbock ought to kind the spine of this workforce. Having said that, the actuality is that individuals two recruiting hauls had been atrocious and have remaining the existing Texas Tech football team to switch to an unproven system of roster making.
Many Crimson Raider lovers are unsure about no matter if the system of loading up on transfers from other Power 5 schools at the moment currently being deployed by head coach Matt Wells is the prudent way to build a software. No mentor in Texas Tech football record has leaned so greatly into the transfer current market and by putting his religion in a host of gamers that have currently flammed out at 1 university, Wells is absolutely gambling with this program’s long term. Will it pay out off? Only time will inform.
But there’s a reason that Wells has been compelled to acquire a unique route to attain roster respectability and deliver in 26 transfers in the previous 3 recruiting lessons. It is mainly because his predecessor remaining the cupboard astonishingly bare.
Kingsbury’s last two recruiting lessons ended up the 2017 course, which is now set to be fifth-12 months seniors, and the 2018 course, users of which are now either redshirt juniors or seniors. And when you look throughout the expected Texas Tech two-deep rotation for 2021, it is obvious that those people two lessons have not produced the amount of money of expertise that a system requires every course to make in get to contend at the Significant 12 amount.
The 2017 class was rated No. 49 in general and No. 6 in the Significant 12 by 247Sports activities. That is about ordinary for what a Tech course has been rated in the earlier decade.
The superior news is that there had been a handful of stars to come from that course. It is headlined by the two offensive linemen from Frisco Substantial Faculty, Jack Anderson and Dawson Deaton, the previous of whom is now in the NFL and the latter of whom is now arguably the Big 12’s ideal centre.
Tech also inked linebacker Riko Jeffers in 2017. The Sachse, Texas native enters his remaining year as a Pink Raider in 2021 with 223 job tackles and 6 vocation sacks and a lot of consider he could be in for a huge time this drop.
But right after that, the only solid contributors the 2017 class furnished the Purple Raiders with had been JUCO DE Tony Jones (who ended his career with 8. sacks), JUCO LB Dakota Allen (249 career tackles as a Red Raider), and JUCO security Vaughnte Dorsey (114 vocation tackles and 5 interceptions). Individuals gamers have been all fantastic contributors but that class required its substantial faculty customers to pan out for Tech’s long run to be protected and that didn’t transpire.
The QB that Tech signed that 12 months, Xavier Martin, was moved to receiver just about as before long as he stepped on campus and has since bounced into the secondary where he tried using his hand at basic safety to no avail. Want to know why Tech’s QB personal injury problems have been so devastating in modern a long time and why gamers not of Large 12 caliber these kinds of as McLane Carter and Henry Colombi have gotten their shot at starting up? It all goes back to failing to land a QB in the 2017 course who could take care of that place, even as a proficient backup.
Meanwhile, some of the maximum-rated signees from that course have demonstrated to be busts. Injuries have kept DE Nelson Mbanasor from being a substantial factor, which is unlucky supplied that he was the only defensive stop Tech took in that class. Quincy Addison was the best-rated large college DB but he as well proved to be a bust as a Pink Raider. Consequently, it makes perception that Tech has invested so intensely in bringing in transfer defensive backs and defensive ends in the Wells period.
In all, 9 higher faculty prospects signed with Tech that calendar year (just one shy of the number of JUCO players Kingsbury introduced to city in that class), and only a person, Deaton, will be a starter for Tech this tumble. A 2nd, Adrian Frye could be a rotational piece at corner. That’s not a good hit charge.
But the 2018 class didn’t do substantially to offset the shortcomings of its predecessor. In reality, it has been only marginally additional effective to the method. That’s simply because, only four members of that class (WR Erik Ezukanma, RB SaRodorick Thompson, OL Weston Wright, and DT Jaylon Hutchings) are established to be starters in 2021.
What’s killed the 2018 class has been defections. Players these kinds of as QB Alan Bowman, WR Kesean Carter, RB Tazhawn Henry, LB Xavier Benson, and WR Myllar Royals all at 1 time flashed opportunity but at some point left the plan for different motives.
Think exclusively about the departures of the receivers, a position that is instead thin for Tech in 2021. How distinctive would that place team be if Carter were being even now on the roster and if Royals had lived up to his prospective as a substitute of currently being dismissed from the staff?
Then there are busts from that class who are however on the roster. Previous 4-star guard Demarcus Marshall has yet to split into the two-deep rotation even with becoming a monster in the substantial faculty ranks. Fellow offensive linemen Clayton Franks and Tony Bradshaw also have been unable to verify worthy of sizeable Saturday snaps. Thus, Wells has experienced to transform to two transfers (T.J. Storment and Josh Burger) to help fill out the 2021 starting offensive line
Some might say it is stupid to stage out that a class ranked 72nd in the nation and 10th in the Significant 12 is not helping this program shift forward. With rankings that small, it should not occur as a shock that the misses have outweighed the hits. In actuality, a lot of may well be content with the 4 starters that the 2018 course has generated.
But this yr, the fact remains, there will be only seven combined players from the 2017 and 2018 lessons that will be starters. In the meantime, 8 of the transfers Wells has brought in will be in line for starting up roles.
Now, Wells is having to dip as seriously into the transfer portal as any coach in America just to help save his work. If he simply cannot, section of the blame for his demise will drop at the feet of his predecessor who remaining the Texas Tech roster in a rather perilous circumstance when he was fired.
