Texas Tech Football Recruiting: Top 7 Positional Needs for the 2011 Red Raiders

With national signing day (February 2) just a mere week a way, it’s just about time to find out how good the 2011 Red Raider recruiting class really is.

Though it’s interesting to discuss each signee and his willingness to actually commit when next Wednesday finally rolls around, it is also fascinating to take the commitment discussion one step further and analyze what this class really does for Texas Tech football.

Yes friend, Texas Tech may indeed have its finest incoming class in the programs history (currently ranked No. 14 overall by Rivals.com).

But how are the current Red Raiders’ specific needs met by this group of talented athletes?

The following slideshow attempts to weigh Tech’s football needs (by position) versus its current projected incoming personnel to provide a more in-depth analysis of what this recruiting class really means to Red Raider football.

Offensive Line

Tony Morales

The Need

The Red Raiders will only lose one offensive lineman to graduation (Chris Olson), but they obviously need bolstering on the O-line beyond the loss of Olson.

Though Tech still managed to rank No. 9 overall in passing yards in 2010, it ranked a dismal No. 81 overall in rushing yards (which is even harder to take when you consider that Tuberville was so vocal about being committed to the run).

Regardless of the Neal Brown/Tommy Tuberville offensive scheme for 2011, this is a team that will need a solid offensive line to (1) provide protection for a young, inexperienced QB and (2) improve the running game.

The Recruits

Tony Morales:  Morales is a 4-star, 300-pound, 6’4” recruit from Sam Houston High in Arlington, Texas.  He is ranked by Rivals.com as No. 5 among offensive centers nationally and No. 36 overall among all recruits in Texas.  

Morales verbally committed in March 2010 but is not yet signed. His commitment is considered solid.

Le’Raven Clark: Clark is a 3-star, 245-pound 6’6” recruit from Rockdale, Texas.  He is ranked No. 30 among offensive tackles nationally and No. 57 overall among all recruits in Texas. 

Clark verbally committed in June 2010 but is not yet signed; his commitment is solid.

Alfredo Morales:  Morales is a 3-star, 287-pound, 6’3” recruit from Sam Houston High in Arlington, Texas.  He is ranked by Rivals.com as No. 22 among offensive guards nationally and No. 79 overall among all recruits in Texas.  

Morales verbally committed in June 2010 but is not yet signed. His commitment is considered solid.

To avoid any confusion, Tony Morales and Alfredo Morales are brothers.

Matt Wilson:  Wilson is a 3-star, 270-pound, 6’7” recruit from Coldspring, Texas.  Wilson only just verbally committed on January 14, 2011, but is not yet signed. His commitment is considered solid.

Receiver

Derek Edwards

The Need

Even with the loss of Lyle Leong and Detron Lewis to graduation, Texas Tech’s receiving corps has a talented group of younger athletes, including senior Jacoby Franks and junior Austin Zouzalik.

But if the Red Raiders hope to continue to hurl the ball downfield with great success, they will need to continue to bring in young, fast receivers who can catch the ball.

The Recruits

Derek Edwards:  Edwards is a 4-star, 163-pound, 6’1” recruit from Brenham, Texas.  He is ranked by Rivals.com as No. 33 among wide receivers nationally and No. 39 overall among all recruits in Texas.  

Edwards verbally committed in March 2010, has signed a letter of intent and is already enrolled at Texas Tech.

Marcus Kennard:  Kennard is a 4-star, 185-pound, 6’4” recruit from Butler C.C. in El Dorado, Kansas.  He is ranked by Rivals.com as No. 18 in the junior college top 50.

Kennard verbally committed in December 2010, has signed a letter of intent and is already enrolled at Texas Tech.

Jakeem Grant: Grant is a 3-star, 157-pound, 5’7” recruit from Horn High in Mesquite, Texas.  He is ranked by Rivals.com as No. 99 among wide receivers nationally and runs the 40 in 4.4 seconds. 

Grant visited Lubbock on January 14 verbally and committed to Tech on January 16, 2011, but is not yet signed. His commitment is considered solid.

LaDarrin Robertson: Robertson is a 3-star, 215-pound, 6’3” recruit from Longview High in Longview, Texas. 

Robertson verbally committed to Tech in July 2010 but is not yet signed.  He visited TCU on January 14, 2011, but as of now he is still considered a solid commitment for Tech.

Quarterback

Michael Brewer

The Need

The Taylor Potts vs. Steven Sheffield quarterback controversy is officially over in Lubbock.

As both of these capable athletes depart the South Plains, they leave the reins of Tech’s potent passing attack to Seth Doege and Scotty Young.

Doege is 41 for 65 for 427 yards, two touchdowns and zero picks in his two years at Tech.  The only time he saw action in 2010 was when he went 3-for-4 for 58 yards in a very brief appearance versus Weber State.

Scotty Young is thought to be the next great QB at Tech but has not seen any game time yet.

It certainly won’t hurt the Red Raiders to have options and depth in finding a replacement for Potts under center.

The Recruit

Michael Brewer:  Brewer is a 3-star, 175-pound, 6’1” recruit from Lake Travis High in Austin, Texas.  He is ranked by Rivals.com as No.13 among dual threat quarterbacks nationally and No. 42 overall among all recruits in Texas. He runs the 40 in 4.7 seconds.  

Brewer verbally committed in March 2010, has signed a letter of intent and is already enrolled at Texas Tech.

Running Back

Kenny Williams

The Need

Baron Batch’s great career at Texas Tech closes with 2,501 yards and 27 touchdowns; luckily, he leaves junior Eric Stephens behind, who has amassed 922 yards and eight touchdowns in his two seasons as a Red Raider.

Again, if Tuberville is truly committed to a dominant run game being a key to Lubbock's championship dreams, the Red Raiders will need to continue to fill holes at running back as seniors leave for bigger and better things.

The Recruits

Kenny Williams:  Williams is a 4-star, 206-pound, 5’10” recruit from Hendrickson High in Pflugerville, Texas.

He is ranked by Rivals.com as No. 18 among wide receivers nationally, No. 33 overall among all recruits in Texas and No. 226 overall national among all recruits. He runs the 40 in 4.48 seconds.

Williams verbally committed to Tech in March 2010 but has not yet signed. He visited Lubbock on January 14, 2011, and his commitment is still considered solid.

Bradley Marquez:  Marquez is a 3-star, 173-pound, 5’11” recruit from Odessa High in Odessa, Texas.  He is ranked by Rivals.com as No. 31 among running backs nationally and No. 54 overall among all recruits in Texas. He runs the 40 in 4.5 seconds.

Marquez verbally committed in May 2010 but has not yet signed. His commitment is considered solid.

Defensive Line

James Castleman

The Need

Well, frankly, Texas Tech needs help in every defensive area in 2011 to improve what has to be considered a dismal defensive showing (No. 85 overall in scoring defense).

The defensive line suffers the loss of three seniors who spent time at D-line—most critically, End Brian Duncan and DL Colby Whitlock.  These two standouts combined for 120 tackles (75 unassisted) and nine sacks, all in 2010.

The attrition of these guys will leave the line young and flying without their proven leaders. Throw a new defensive coordinator into the mix and any and all help is beyond a want—it is a need.

The Recruits

James Castleman:  Castleman is a 3-star, 255-pound, 6’4” recruit from Amarillo High in Amarillo, Texas.  He is ranked by Rivals.com as No. 34 among defensive tackles nationally and No. 52 overall among all recruits in Texas. 

Castleman verbally committed in April 2010, is scheduled to visit Lubbock on January 28 but is not yet signed. His commitment is solid.

*** Update *** As of January 26 the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal is reporting that Castleman has switched his oral commitment from Texas Tech to Oklahoma State where he visited Sunday, January 23.

Kindred Evans:  Evans is a 3-star, 215-pound, 6’6” recruit from South Grand Prairie High in Grand Prairie, Texas. 

He is ranked by Rivals.com as No. 29 among weakside defensive ends nationally and No. 86 overall among all recruits in Texas.  

Evans verbally committed in June 2010 but is not yet signed; his commitment is considered solid.

Dennell Wesley:  Wesley is a 3-star, 310-pound, 6’2” recruit from Butler County C.C. in El Dorado, Kansas. 

Wesley verbally committed to Tech on January 12, 2011, and is scheduled to visit Lubbock on January 28 but is not yet signed. His commitment is considered solid.

Secondary

Marcus Roberson

The Need

Though Texas Tech is only losing a couple of seniors in the secondary to graduation, this is the area the Red Raiders need to improve the most.

Tech ranked a dismal No. 120 in pass defense this past season, allowing over 300 yards per game through the air.

Incoming defensive coordinator Chad Glasgow spent the past 10 seasons coaching defensive backs at TCU, where they were No. 1 overall against the pass in 2010.

Glasgow will need all the help he can get to right the Texas Tech defensive ship, especially in the secondary.

The Recruits

Marcus Roberson:  Roberson is a 4-star, 170-pound, 6’1” recruit from St. Thomas Aquinas in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. 

He is ranked by Rivals.com as No. 2 among cornerbacks nationally, No. 11 overall among all recruits in Texas and No. 37 overall among all recruits nationally. 

Though he made a verbal commitment to Tech January 18, 2011, he visited Florida on January 21 and his commitment is considered soft.

Capturing Roberson’s signature on February 2 would be absolutely huge to the future of the Red Raider defense.

Jeremy Reynolds:  Reynolds is a 3-star, 163-pound, 5’9” recruit from Dudley High in Greensboro, North Carolina. 

He has a 3.2 GPA in high school and though he had planned on enrolling in Tech early, his plans have been delayed.

Reynolds verbally committed in August 2010 but has not yet signed. His commitment to Tech is considered solid.

Freddie Warner:  Warner is a 3-star, 176-pound, 5’10” recruit from Pinkston High in Dallas, Texas. 

Warner verbally committed to Tech in June 2010 but is not yet signed; his commitment is considered solid.

Linebacker

Terrell Hartsfield

The Need

The Tech linebacker corps was one of the bright spots coming into what looked to be (and was) a bleak year defensively for the Red Raiders. 

The close of the 2010 season takes with it four of Tech’s linebackers, including Bront Bird, who led the Red Raiders with 106 total tackles (68 solo), one sack and three interceptions.

There are a bunch of young candidates to fill the holes left by attrition at the linebacker position, but again Tech will need all the help they can get defensively speaking.

The Recruits

Blake Dees:  Dees is a 3-star, 234-pound, 6’0” recruit from Spanish Fort High in Spanish Fort, Alabama.  He is ranked by Rivals.com as No. 39 among all recruits in Alabama.  

Dees verbally committed to Tech in April 2010, has signed a letter of intent and is already enrolled at Texas Tech.

Terrell Hartsfield:  Hartsfield is a 4-star, 215-pound, 6’4” recruit from Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia.  He is ranked by Rivals.com as No. 40 among all prep school recruits nationally. 

Hartsfield verbally committed to Tech in March 2010 but has not signed; his commitment his considered solid.

Justin Cooper:  Cooper is a 3-star, 205-pound, 6’1” recruit from University School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Cooper visited Lubbock on January 14, 2011, and verbally committed to Tech on January 17 but is not yet signed. 

His commitment is considered soft and he also made visits to Connecticut (in December) and Cincinnati (January 7).

Sam Eguavoen: Eguavoen is a 3-star, 220-pound, 6’2” recruit from Lakeview Centennial in Garland, Texas.  He verbally committed to Tech in November 2010 but has not yet signed; his commitment is considered solid.