The main recruiting focus for Texas Tech in the coming months will be on the class of 2026, but it is never too early to establish connections with the ‘27s on their way up. The coaches did just that this past weekend, hosting Southlake (TX) Carroll OT Tristan Dare on an unofficial visit to spring practice. RedRaiderSports.com caught up with Dare to recap the journey to Lubbock.

What you need to know…

… Dare received an offer from Texas Tech Jan. 24, 2025. The Red Raiders were his fourth offer, after Wisconsin, Baylor and Nebraska.

… Dare holds 14 offers to date, including Missouri, Penn State and Washington, among others

… As a sophomore, Dare was an All-District and All-Area offensive lineman for the Dragons

Spring practice visit: “We got in the night before to stay at a hotel, like a three minute walk from campus. We got there around 9:15 and were greeted by the recruiting staff. We did all the check in measurements, and then we waited around for a little bit. I got to talk to coach McGuire for a bit. Joey McGuire he's been really excited for me. I love him. He's just so genuine all the time. And he said, like these, he told me, like, Hey, I know you're getting a bunch of offers, but at the end of the day, he wants me to be a Red Raider. So I thought that was really cool of him. And then after that, I got to talk with the assistant o-line coach, Jackson Kimblel, who was actually a Southlake alum. He graduated in 2018 so there's a little connection there. Then we waited for a little bit, and we went to the team meeting, which o-line stayed for about 5, 10 minutes.

Then we went to the o-line room, and they were still doing the Coaches Clinic that they had. So they brought in a o-line coach, believe he’s like very famous coach, coach (James) Campen, and played with Green Bay, coached with the Packers, the Panthers and a few other teams, I believe, for very, very long time, well respected coach, and I got to hear a lot from him, and I learned a lot from him, all his experience with o-line.

Then after that, just got to talk with the coaches a little more before we went out to practice. Oh yeah, I also forgot to mention that, like, before the meetings, we had a facility tour, which was awesome, getting to see we, we were out there for junior day back in January, and I got to see the Womble for the like, I think it was the first time that showed anybody. So that was really cool. I got to revisit that. Then we went to practice. Practice was great, very well paced, very organized.

The o-line got their work in and physical down there in the trenches. It's great to see how they run it. After practice was over, we got invited with coach Kimble, who I mentioned earlier, to eat crawfish boil at the cafeteria that they had for the football players, which was awesome. I mean, the crawfish was amazing. And that's how our day ended with the visit.”

Connection with Jackson Kimble and other coaches: “I think, with coach Kimble, especially, just relatability of mine, his experiences. I mean, not much, not much has really changed since his time at Southlake. So there's a connection there, as far as we've done the same things, been through the same things, and lived that kind of like part of life, if you could say. The other coaches, I'd say were also, like, just really relatable. They're very kind, genuine. It's like, it makes you really want to play for them, even though you're in high school still. But which is, which is probably one of my favorite things about them.”

What he’s looking for in a program: “So the big three things that I look for this is, not in any particular order, but academics, because, say, football just doesn't work out, and I end up, God forbid, like having a major injury, never get to play a football game, there's always something to fall back on. So, I would want to go to a place where I can get a good education and be able to live a life that's not football, successfully.

Number two is a good program that is good at developing players, but not just like on the field, but off the field, trying to get them better as men, to go already into the world and serve other people.

And then number three, is a good culture, a place where it's like home, I feel like it can belong. I fit in with other players, the coaches love me and like, just like a place. That's those are the three things for me.”

Relationship with Clay McGuire: “Coach clay, awesome, awesome dude. He's very laid back, which, I feel like, is very common with offensive line coaches. But when he needs to be, like, commanding, he has that in him. I saw that practice. He also does a very good job at not scolding his players. Whenever someone messed up, he was very calm the way he addressed them, and wasn't yelling. He's just like, hey, here's what you did wrong, here's how you fix it, and that's something I really respect about him. He's also just very like the rest of the coaches and very genuine, very relatable. He's easy to talk to which is great, especially for a coach I could be playing for for four years.”

Visits scheduled: “So next Saturday, we will be going up to Missouri. That would be the 12th. Next Thursday, we're planning to go to OSU for one of their spring practices. And then the following Monday, after that, we're planning to go to Penn State, since I have the day off of school, I think it's Easter weekend, yes. And then that following Saturday, the 26th we will be going up to Nebraska, and then we will also be going up to Washington sometime in April as well. Those are the five visits that we have so far.”

Camps scheduled: “We have two that we've officially set, officially planned to go to. The first one is Texas right at the end of May, I think it's May 31 so we'll go back down to Austin, get to work with the coaches down there. And then the second one is going to be Tennessee in the summer. I forget the date, but those are the ones we have planned as of right now. But we're also looking to go to Clemson in the summer to, you know, work with the coaches, go to camp and possibly check out campus as well.”

Where Texas Tech stands: “Texas Tech is, like I said earlier, the coaches being relatable and I'd say the overall interest they've shown, as well as like, the genuine, I just say that the genuineness of the of the coaches, especially coach McGuire, he's such a vibrant person, if that makes sense. The facilities are great. I say what's really high on my list from them is that they've been like, they've shown all that interest in me. They seem like they really want me. So like and the culture, the environment I was talking about earlier, feels like I could fit in there. That's so that's what's making it really high on my list, compared to the other opportunities that I have with other schools.”

Join the conversation with other Red Raiders on the Inside The Double T forum.

Subscribe today to get the most in-depth Texas Tech sports and recruiting coverage.

Follow us on X: @RedRaiderSports

Like and follow us on Instagram @rrs_rivals & like us on Facebook.