A look back at the 2016 Texas Tech recruiting class

They say you should give a recruiting class three seasons before you judge it. Today, we give the 2016 class four seasons, as we take a look back to the past. While a handful still have their senior seasons ahead of them, the majority of this class has graduated or moved on from Texas Tech.

The class had a total of 25 commitments, with 24 of those prospects signing with the Red Raiders. Rivals.com ranked the class as the 44th best recruiting class in the country.

Among this group were a 1st round pick in linebacker Jordyn Brooks, a multi year starter on the line in Travis Bruffy, and one of the nation's leading interceptors in Doug Coleman among others.

Without further ado, we start off with the players who still are eligibility...

This group is a mixed back of starters, depth players and guys who have yet to really make their mark in four years on campus.

The best player from this list is receiver T.J. Vasher, who has totaled 127 receptions for 1,756 yards and 19 touchdowns in his career. He figures to start on the outside as a senior.

Another key contributor has been cornerback Damarcus Fields. Fields has played in 35 career games, racking up 143 tackles, eight-and-a-half tackles for loss, two sacks, four interceptions and 27 passes defended. He figures to start at SPUR as a senior.

Nose tackle Nick McCann has been a part-time starter and has played in 34 career games. He's put up 41 tackles, 4-and-a-half tackles for loss and one sack in his career. Look for McCann to be a part of the defensive line rotation in 2020.

Noah Jones has battled injuries in his time at Texas Tech and has made appearances in three career games.

Zach Adams has made appearances in 15 career games at Texas Tech. With both tackle positions wide open, he has a chance to get in the mix as a senior.

So far Jordyn Brooks has been the only player in this class drafted, though the five seniors listed above still have their say.

Brooks was an absolute stud find by Kliff Kingsbury, David Gibbs and staff. He had a handful of other Power 5 offers - Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa State and Missouri to name a few - but his other other in-state offer came from home town Houston.

In his career, Brooks totaled 360 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, six-and-a-half sacks and two interceptions. His senior year was one of the most dominant defensive efforts Tech fans have seen in quite some time.

His efforts paid off when the Seattle Seahawks selected him 27th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.

All three in this group contributed to Texas Tech in a significant manner and exhausted their eligibility as Red Raiders.

Doug Coleman was a late add to the class, as he was originally going to play receiver at Tulane before a late offer from Tech flipped him. He became a key contributor right away in the secondary, playing corner, nickel and safety over his four seasons. He put up 137 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, 11 interceptions and 15 passes defended in his career. He signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent.

Travis Bruffy, one of three signees in this class rated as a two-star, played in 46 career games at Texas Tech and was a starter in his final three seasons in Lubbock. He also caught a memorable touchdown at Oklahoma State as a freshman. He signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent.

"Big" Mych Thomas was a junior college signee and was only around for two seasons but definitely made the most of them. He appeared in 20 games, contributing 49 tackles, five tackles for loss, a sack and an interception. He spent some time with the New York Jets after signing an undrafted free agent deal.

All four of these players exhausted their eligibility at Texas Tech, but for one reason or another never really put it all together.

Derrick Willies was a four-star prospect who was very hyped as a recruit, but will be remembered at Texas Tech most for his inconsistent play. In two seasons at Tech, Willies combined for 36 receptions, 592 yards and five touchdowns. He also got a cup-of-coffee with the Cleveland Browns and made three catches for 61 yards at the next level .

Desmon Smith, a local star out of Odessa Permian, had an up-and-down career but still left his mark on Texas Tech. Smith appeared in 37 career games and made 81 career tackles with one interception.

De'Quan Bowman was thought to be an explosive return man coming out of junior college but averaged just 25.2 yards per kick return and 9.5 yards per punt return without any scores in his two seasons at Tech. He did make 12 receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown offensively, while adding four rushing yards.

Bailey Smith appeared in 25 career games at Texas Tech with three career starts.

After two seasons in Lubbock, Antoine Wesley had a career stat line of 10 receptions for 137 yards and no touchdowns.

Even the biggest Wesley fan couldn't have been his junior season breakout coming.

Tech lost Keke Coutee to the NFL Draft and had a big void to fill, and Wesley more than made up for it. 88 receptions, 1410 yards and nine touchdowns later, he was named a First Team All-American and was a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award.

He declared early for the NFL Draft and unfortunately went undrafted, though he was picked up by the Baltimore Ravens and is still on their roster today.

This group is another mixed bag of guys who had talent but for one reason or another did not find a way to stick around.

Da'Leon Ward rushed for 769 yards at Texas Tech but was constantly in the dog house and was dismissed from the team before last season. He is now at Stephen F. Austin where he rushed for 471 yards and one touchdown in 2019.

Jett Duffey was a polarizing figure in his time in Lubbock. A ton of talent - he was an Elite 11 finalist and Mr. Texas Football out of high school - but another guy who was constantly in trouble. He threw for 4,077 yards and 26 touchdowns while adding 587 rushing yards and five scores on the ground. After committing to both Tulane and Central Michigan, he has yet to publicly find a home for his senior year.

Gio Pancotti appeared in four games at Texas Tech before transferring to Houston in May of 2019. He started 10 games for the Cougars in 2019.

Johnathan Picone saw action in 11 games as a true freshman at TTU, making three tackles. He transferred to Abilene Christian where he made 30 tackles and five sacks in 2018. He did not appear on the roster last season.

Brayden Stringer played in 37 career games at Texas Tech, making 34 tackles with two-and-a-half tackles for loss. It is rumored that he could be going to Texas State for his senior year.

Kevin Moore was a fan favorite for his big hits and tenacity on special teams early on. Unfortunately he never found a home at Texas Tech, bouncing between linebacker and safety. He played in 23 career games as a Red Raider and made 19 tackles. He transferred to Nicholls State where he really took off, making 112 tackles with two interceptions in 2019. He was named to the All-Southland Conference First Team for his efforts.

Joseph Wallace was one of the more talented per-snap players on the roster, but he was another guy who was constantly in and out of the dog house. In limited action, Wallace contributed 47 tackles, seven tackles for loss and two sacks. He transferred to Sam Houston State prior to the 2019 season where he put up 21 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and four sacks as a junior. He was named to the All-Southland Conference Second Team for his efforts.

Not much to say here.

Jackson left the team in November of his freshman season. He played the 2018 and 2019 seasons at Moorpark College before signing with Midwestern State as part of the 2020 class.

Henderson redshirted in 2016 but was off the roster in 2017.

Denley never signed his NLI with Texas Tech as his offer was as a grayshirt. He would end up at Bowling Green where he has rushed for 789 career yards with four rushing touchdowns entering his senior season. He has also caught 42 career passes for 339 yards and three more scores through the air.

28 career games.

Three career tackles.

Declared early to enter the 2020 NFL Draft.

And thankfully not drafted, because I would have had to eat a shoe if he was.