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2023 Signing Day Superlatives

Jake Strong
Jake Strong

The early signing period has come and gone, with the Red Raiders signing one of the most celebrated recruiting classes in program history.

Today RedRaiderSports.com's Ben Golan and Matt Clare take a look at some class superlatives.

Texas Tech signed 24 high school prospects on Wednesday and currently sits with the 21st best class in the country per the Rivals.com team recruiting rankings.

Class MVP

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Ben: Tyrone West, WR

If you had the ability build what the perfect wide receiver looks like, you'd probably come close to the receiver from Humble.

6-foot-2, 188 pounds, great hands, and can absolutely fly. West's 100 meter time of 10.74 has him 7th among incoming recruits in the Big 12, and his 200 meter time of 21.39 ranks him 4th. This is an absolutely elite prospect who has his best football in front of him playing in Zach Kittley's receiver-friendly offense.

Matt: Jordan Sanford, DB

In previous years, this is not a commitment the Red Raiders win against teams like Oklahoma State and TCU. Then you add into the mix late pushes by both Michigan and Washington, and the coaches pulled off quite the win here.

On the field, Sanford is an excellent combination of elite speed and talent at defensive back. In a league like the Big 12, you absolutely need a cover corner and someone who can limit what opposing offenses can do against your defense.

Sanford is that guy.

Track Star

Ben: Jordan Sanford, DB

Sanford is not only one of the higher-rated prospects in the class with his four-stars, he's also the fastest.

Sanford's 100 meter time of 10.55 ranks him #1 among Tech signees, and his 200 meter time of 21.74 ranks him #3 among Tech signees behind only Macho Stevenson and TJ West.

Sanford is a guy who can play safety, corner or nickel, and I'm excited to watch his career in Lubbock.

Matt: Justin Horne, LB

Horne is one of the newest additions to this 2023 recruiting class, but the standout defender was a longtime target for the Red Raiders and his performance on the track is a big reason why.

At 6-foot-2, 200-pounds, Horne runs a 13.8 second time in the 110 hurdles, which translates to a very big human who can move very quickly and change direction at a moments notice.

Horne is going to become a versatile part of the Red Raiders' defense in years to come.

Best Position Group

Ben: DEFENSIVE LINE

This defensive line class is insane and yet, there were several other position groups (WR, OL, DB) that had me thinking a bit.

At the end I couldn't disregard what Zarnell Fitch did with the guys in the trenches. Four prospects rated as a 5.7 three-star or higher, which is just unheard of in Raiderland. That's not even counting Braylon Rigsby or Amier Washington, who have extremely high ceilings. The cherry on top was flipping Dylan Spencer from Texas. Man, what a haul.

Matt: DEFENSIVE BACKS

This group of defensive backs has some serious speed and potential. There are other groups to consider, but looking at the offers and competition for all four (4) of these guys, it had to be defensive backs.

Brenden Jordan, Chapman Lewis, Jordan Sanford and Marquez Stevenson are all versatile enough to play both corner, safety and nickel. This means each prospect has the opportunity to compete for playing time right away, plus a few of them are graduating early and coming into the program in a few weeks.

Biggest Recruiting Win

Ben: Isaiah Crawford, OLB

How often does a Rivals250 edge rusher appear in your back yard? It's been a minute.

Crawford was committed to Baylor but within a week of Joey McGuire's hiring had flipped to Texas Tech. That was massive and really kicked off this class. Crawford is the highest-rated signee in the class and not only did you get him, you kept him away from a Big 12 rival. Huge.

Matt: Dylan Spencer, DE

People will question the true meaning of 'flip' in this situation, but ultimately the Texas Tech coaches kept Spencer high on their board and remained in contact with the 6-foot-5, 250-pound prospect.

The Longhorns can say they cooled on him or maybe they are a victim of their own recruiting success, but take all of that and put it to the side...how many 6-foot-5, 250-pound manchild prospects are available this late in the game?

Spencer is a puppy, coaches have the opportunity to turn him into a real dog.

Toughest Recruiting Miss

Ben: Calvin Simpson-Hunt, CB, Ohio State

Texas Tech held on to the one-time pledge from Waxahachie for as long as they could, but after offers from the likes of Oregon, LSU, Florida, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Texas, it was the one from the Buckeyes that finally broke the dam.

The way this staff recruits means there will be more recruits the caliber of Simpson-Hunt in the future, and as the program achieves success on the field it should help them keep guys like him committed against blue bloods.

Matt: Calvin Simpson-Hunt, CB, Ohio State

Basically everything that Ben said, what I will add is that in the new world of college football recruiting, coaches have to maintain relationships with every prospect they recruit.

I believe the coaches remain in good standing with Simpson-Hunt and his family, so should he decide to ever leave Columbus, Ohio...maybe Lubbock, Texas is always a soft landing spot?

Most Underrated Prospect

Ben: Miquel Dingle Jr., LB

Dingle is the lone 2-star in the class and the easy answer for me.

He's elite athletically, and I will bet on that succeeding down the line. Among all Big 12 signees Dingle Jr is in the top 20 in the 100 meter, 200 meter, the best hurdler and top five in the long jump. Give me that all day.

Matt: John Curry, LB

Curry is considered the hometown kid who committed to the Red Raiders - his only offer - because he is the hometown kid.

I believe Curry is slept on as a 5.5 three-star prospect. At 6-foot-4, 205-pounds, Curry has so much room to add onto an already big frame. Along with Dingle Jr. and Horne, Curry is yet another athletic linebacker joining this Texas Tech defense.

Sky High Potential

Ben: Nick Fattig, OL

Nick Fattig has all the traits to be an All-Conference offensive lineman at Texas Tech.

Really good size at 6-foot-4, 274 pounds. He's athletic as hell with a 33.3 inch vertical, a 9-foot-6 inch broad jump and a 4.81 40 yard dash. He throws a Shot Put 48'5" and Discus 143'7". He's not only an All-District player, he's also an All-State player. He held several offers from Ivy League programs. Oh, and he was also the 2022 National Olympic Weightlifting Champion.

Texas Tech offensive line coach Stephen Hamby has a gem on his hands with Fattig.

Matt: Ansel Nedore, DT

Nedore is not your normal teenager, he doesn't care about the media attention or social media recognition like most. In fact, his coaches say that he is into reading books and art.

On the football field, Nedore is a beast and in a defensive line class full of playermakers, he could develop into mainstay for this Red Raider defense for years to come.

First Off The Bus

Ben: Dylan Spencer, DE

6-foot-5, 250 pounds, wearing all black uniforms at night at the Jones. This guy looks like a #QBHunter if I've ever seen one.

Matt: Kaden Carr, OL

Give me the big man Kaden Carr, a high school senior that could play Lurch in a remake of the Adams Family. He is huge at 6-foot-5, 317-pounds, but big is one thing, this kid can move and will only continue to tap into that athleticism at the college level.

Mr. Red Raider

Ben: Jake Strong, QB

About as solid as a recruit could be. Strong committed to the Red Raiders in January 2022 and never looked back despite receiving other opportunities. He played a massive role in recruiting others to this class, too. Other than the coaches, it's arguable that Strong was the glue that held it all together.

Strong's leadership and pro-Tech visibility on social media was massive, and now the early enrollee will get to campus in a couple weeks and get to work on his Red Raider career.

Matt: Isaiah Crawford, DE

I think Jake is an easy answer here, love the kid and he has truly been a leader for this 2023 recruiting class from beginning to end.

However, who was the first to join this class? Who flipped from Baylor immediately after Joey McGuire took over in Lubbock?

That would be Post's own Isaiah Crawford, not only the first commitment in the class, but also the highest rated prospect the Red Raiders will sign in the 2023 class.

He never waivered and continually visited the South Plains to recruit others throughout the past year.

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