Following up last years recruiting class was going to be a challenge as the NIL era is in full force and players are flipping commitments and changing schools left and right. Texas Tech was lucky enough to secure some key recruits early in the process, most notably 5-Star wide receiver Micah Hudson out of Lake Belton. He is the first 5-star recruit in Texas Tech history and will look to make an impact right away for the Red Raiders who will have a totally revamped receiving room this next season.

Alongside Hudson the Red Raiders added another stud quarterback in Will Hammond. Hammond is a 4-Star recruit out of Hutto, Texas. He shined at the Elite 11 competition and was a finalist in a very talented group of incoming quarterbacks. Grabbing a high-level quarterback recruit has been a must for this Texas Tech program recently, and they will likely soon add a guy in the transfer portal with some experience due to the lack of experience behind Behren Morton.

Every position that we saw the Red Raiders lose some depth to in the portal seemed to be replaced by the recruiting class overall. The two positions that were most notable were the offensive line and wide receivers, as the Red Raiders made sure to hit the transfer portal hard. Caleb Douglas and Josh Kelly were two talented guys in the portal that Tech made sure to do some work on and lock-in quickly. Kelly brings more experience at the position and is a sure-handed target that can run the entire route tree. Douglas has a lot of potential and his 6’3” frame will make him a tough cover for any cornerback.

The offensive line gained some experience in the portal as guys like Vinny Sciury, Davion Carter and Sterling Porcher all have played plenty at the Division 1 level and could all see themselves as early favorites to start on the offensive line this next season. Maurice Rodriques might need a season to learn behind the more experienced guys to get acclimated ot the D1 level, but he brings a 6’8” frame and if he shows promise early on could see himself get an opportunity if the guys ahead of him aren’t cutting it.

Devynn Cromwell and Jovon Jackson are the only two defensive players that the Red Raiders added on defense through the transfer portal and each have one season of eligibility left. Both have experience just not at the D1 level, so they will add to the depth at those positions and help fill some holes.

Out of the defensive recruits, I think it’s hard not to be excited about Peyton Morgan. He’s a defensive back that will likely slot in at safety and makes plays all over the field. We have addressed that position heavily with guys that can move around the defensive backfield to each position and not just be stuck at one specific spot (Free Safety, Box Safety). He’s going to be somebody that will take a year to learn the defense behind an already talented group of guys and possibly find himself in game action towards the end of the season.

Cheta Ofili is another high recruit for the Red Raiders that I am excited to see grow over the next few seasons. He’s projected to be an Edge Rusher but needs to put on some more weight in order to do that at the college level, but his athleticism is scary and I’m glad he’s a guy that we were able to get here. While that position wasn’t really a strong suit for the Red Raiders this past season after the loss of Tyree Wilson, Ofili and some of the other younger guys are going to get an opportunity to show what they have sooner rather than later and I can’t wait to see what he does for our defense.

Overall I am excited to see what not only the recruiting class does but how the transfer portal guys can make an immediate impact. The offensive linemen that we brought in are no joke, and if we can shore that position up then this offense will improve greatly and hopefully that will open up the play calling as the guys get more comfortable.

For a full link to the recruiting class, click here.