2024 Signing Day Superlatives

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 recruiting analysts Ben Golan and Matt Clare take a look at some class superlatives.

Texas Tech signed 21 prospects on Wednesday and currently sits with the 23rd best class (tied with Missouri) in the country per the Rivals.com team recruiting rankings.

Ben: Will Hammond, QB

Hammond was the fifth overall commit in the class, announcing his decision in December 2022. Texas Tech was considering a handful of quarterbacks in the 2024 class and honed in on (at the time) the unranked prospect from Hutto.

What a decision that turned out to be. Hammond lit it up at camps all off-season and that continued all the way up to the Elite 11 finals where he graded out among the best in the nation. As a senior Hammond accounted for 54 touchdowns in 11 games, and received a well-deserved bump into the Rivals250.

Matt: Micah Hudson, WR

Look, there are a lot of choices here, but Joey McGuire and his coaching staff did something special in this 2024 recruiting class - they signed the program's first five-star prospect in the modern recruiting era in Lake Belton wide receiver Micah Hudson - the No. 6 overall prospect in the entire nation. I have covered recruiting for nearly 10 years and there are a handful of young men who just stand out when seeing them in person - Ed Oliver, Trevor Lawrence and now Micah Hudson. In watching him play against Granbury earlier this season, I came away a believer in his makeup and speed and overall skill set as a wide receiver. Hudson will impact this Red Raider Football program immediately, and seeing a five-star sign with Texas Tech will have an immediate impact on the perception of this program for years to come.

Ben: Oliver Miles III, DB

50' 10" in the triple jump might be all you need to know here. That was good to place Miles III first in the Texas 4A state triple jump finals this past May.

The standout athlete from El Campo might be a bit slept on because he missed most of his senior season, but that would be a mistake. He chose Texas Tech over the likes of Notre Dame and Stanford among others, and was a huge recruiting win for the staff.

Matt: J'Koby Williams, RB

The coaches signed a running back who is not only explosive on the football field, scoring 100 career touchdowns, but he brings real athleticism with a 14.2 second time in the 110m hurdles and 45 feet in the triple jump.

The Beckville standout did it all for the Bearcats, playing quarterback and running back. He was consistently being named player of the week and received multiple accolades for his performance on the field this season.

Ben: OFFENSIVE LINE

Several worthy position groups here but you have to love what Stephen Hamby and Co. did up front. Kasen Long, Holton Hendrix, Jacob Ponton and Ellis Davis gives you two West Texas studs and two extremely talented tackle prospects.

Big people beat up little people and the quickest way to turn the program into a Big 12 championship contender is by building in the trenches. For the second year in a row it appears the staff hit a home run in offensive line recruiting.

Matt: DEFENSIVE BACKS

The offensive line haul is definitely impressive, but look at what the coaches have hauled in with this group of defensive backs - Ashton Hampton, Peyton Morgan, Isaiah Collins, Malik Esquerra, Chandlin Myers and Oliver Miles III.

Talk about a reload of the defensive secondary, not only were Blanchard & Co. early on these guys, but they were seemingly right when several other programs followed suit with offers. This groups brings more size, length and speed to the secondary in Lubbock.

Ben: Micah Hudson, WR

The first five-star in program history is the obvious answer for me. Micah Hudson never wavered despite interest from all the blue blood programs in America. Now he'll be tasked with being a huge part of the offense the second he steps foot in Lubbock, TX. If there's anyone cut out for the job, it's Lake Belton's superstar.

It's easy to see five-star and assume the player is great, but Hudson is just different. The way he catches the ball, the way he makes people miss, his playmaking, his competitiveness and his personality is just the perfect fit for Texas Tech.

Enjoy him for the next three seasons, Red Raider fans.

Matt: Will Hammond, QB

Before his commitment to Texas Tech, Hutto quarterback Will Hammond fielded interest from multiple programs and visited the likes of Texas and TCU. In the days following his commitment to the Red Raiders as an unrated prospect, Hammond proceeded to add new offers from Texas A&M, Auburn, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Oklahoma State and others.

Not only did Hammond stay loyal to the Red Raider coaching staff, but he thrived as a leader in the 2024 class and built a relationship with five-star wide receiver Micah Hudson and several others in this class.

I believe in the years to come that Hammond has the ability to grow into a top tier college football quarterback for the Red Raiders.

Ben: Casey Poe, OL

Texas Tech did a great job with this offensive line class, as the unit won my "best position group" superlative. However, tying into what I said earlier about building in the trenches, losing Casey Poe hurts. Texas Tech had a lot going for it in this recruitment, and any time you have a legitimate shot at a Rivals250 lineman and don't get him it'll sting.

At the end of the day Poe chose Alabama, and while it's hard to blame anyone for doing so, it still is a loss for the Red Raiders.

Matt: Joseph Jonah-Ajonye, DE

The coaches were very early on Jonah-Ajonye - surprise, surprise - and the then three-star prospect reciprocated the interest by visiting Lubbock twice. There was a strong feeling at the time that Jonah-Ajonye could be leaning towards a commitment to the Red Raiders, and then a flurry of new offers from 'national' programs came pouring in - Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia and several others.

From there, things dwindled and the coaches quickly pivoted to other targets...but in this world of the transfer portal, it never hurts to maintain relationships and follow these young men throughout their careers.

Fast forward from then to now, Jonah-Ajonye is a 5.9 four-star prospect ranked as the No. 63 overall prospect in the nation. They say you 'cannot win them all', but give me a personnel staff that can see these prospects from a mile away before the stars and 'big' offers any day of the week.

Ben: Lorenzo Johnson Jr, WR

The first commit in the class, going all the way back to February 2022, Johnson Jr initially committed as a cornerback but was eventually flipped to the offensive side of the ball. Johnson Jr is an electric playmaker who as a senior totaled over 1,000 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns. He picked up offers throughout his recruitment from the likes of Ole Miss and Houston, but decided to stick it out with Texas Tech. Look for Johnson Jr to be a playmaker on both offense and special teams before too long.

Matt: Trey Jackson, TE

There is a tight end at South Oak Cliff that put up 24 receptions for 505 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. He is rated as a 5.6 three-star prospect, holds 12 offers and is listed at 6-foot-4, 215-pounds as a high school senior. Meet the latest Texas Tech tight end signee Trey Jackson, a kid who is very underrated from a productivity standpoint and someone who plays at a marquee program in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Not only does Jackson have the statistics, but tight ends do so much more for an offense that does not fill up a stat sheet. He is big, physical and should have plenty of time to grow into his frame before stepping onto the field as a Red Raider.

Ben: Jacob Ponton, OL

Ponton is a 6-foot-7, 270 pound lineman who has it all out in front of him. Offered by Texas Tech on April 1st 2023, Ponton came to Rivals Camp on May 7th where he lit it up on a national stage to really get on the map. Less than 24 hours later on May 8th, Ponton announced his decision to be a Red Raider.

Ponton has an extremely high ceiling as a left tackle. He's physical and athletic, and possesses all the traits you want in a prospect. Texas State, Tulsa and Houston also offered, but Ponton remained solid with his Texas Tech pledge.

Matt: Cheta Ofili, OLB

Sachse outside linebacker is a prospect that we first met at the Next Level Athlete camp here in Dallas. He looked chizzled out of stone, very muscular and very athletic. These things do not make a good football player, but this is a young man with very little football experience and his year to year growth has been insane. At both the Next Level Athlete and Under Armour camps, Ofili stood out and earned top billing from recruiting analysts across the industry before his senior season even started. Yes, he eventually earned the four-star and Rivals 250 status, but that does not change my opinion on his sky high potential. This is one player to watch in the coming seasons racing off the edge of the defense and straight to the opposing quarterback for the Red Raiders.

Ben: Edward Smith, OLB

Many candidates for this one but lets go with the 6-foot-5, 250 pound pass rusher out of Pearland (TX) Glenda Dawson. Smith was a big land this summer, choosing Texas Tech over TCU, Oklahoma State and Oregon among others.

He's expect to play the field outside linebacker role which has been held by Tyree Wilson and Myles Cole the last two seasons.

Matt: Ellis Davis, OT

The Prosper offensive tackle is already listed at 6-foot-7, 275-pounds and has yet to fully grow into his frame. Once Ellis gets into the strength and conditioning program, he will grow into the four-star monster that the recruiting industry sees across the board. The opposing team and their fans will definitely see Davis when he steps off the bus and he has the potential to become an all-conference tackle with his size, athleticism and technique at the position.

Ben: Ellis Davis, OL

Davis grew up in California, moved to Prosper in HS and quickly fell in love with Texas Tech. The Red Raiders were Davis' first offer, and despite additional offers coming in from Missouri, TCU, Colorado, Penn State, Tennessee, Utah, Texas A&M, Stanford, Florida State, Oklahoma, Auburn, Nebraska, Ole Miss and Oregon among others, Texas Tech was always towards the top for the 6-foot-7, 275 pound offensive tackle.

Davis scheduled official visits to Texas Tech, Stanford and TCU, but ended up shutting things down after his trip to Lubbock. Along with Micah Hudson, he will represent Texas Tech at the Under Armour All-America Game this winter.

Matt: Malik Esquerra, DB

I love this kid's personality and attitude towards everything we see on social media. I say social media, because we do not personally know Malik, but if you want to see Mr. Red Raider look no further than a kid traveling to a road game at Baylor and cheering on the team in enemy territory. Malik also turned down a late offer from the new Texas A&M staff and boasted on social media about how much it meant that the Texas Tech coaches believed in him from the start.