College of San Mateo TE Jason Lloyd picks up TTU offer, decision next?

For College of San Mateo tight end Jason Lloyd, his offer from Texas Tech couldn't have come at a better time. Listed as a 2021 recruit, Lloyd is actually immediately eligible and his offer from the Red Raiders is for this season.

In contact with the coaching staff for over a month now, Lloyd finally heard the good news he had been waiting for from head coach Matt Wells, tight end coach Luke Wells and the rest of the staff.

"So I've been talking to Texas Tech for over a month now and through that time I've build relationships with a lot of their coaching staff. Coach Yost the offensive coordinator, coach Matt Wells the head coach, coach Luke Wells the tight end coach, coach Filani the outside receivers coach. They've all called me but Luke Wells I would speak to regularly, every week for the past month or so.

It was a couple times a week, Facetime's, very personal. We've talked about football, we've talked about what we're doing, what our plans are, just life so that relationship built really good.

The message from the coaches, I just got off the phone with Matt Wells when he extended the offer, and they want me there this fall, in Lubbock. They need a tight end now, as soon as they can open up for organized stuff in Texas they want me there."

Should Lloyd choose the Red Raiders, he would come into a tight end room that currently includes returning senior Travis Koontz, redshirt freshman Simon Gonzalez and incoming true freshman John Holcomb among others. That opportunity to see the field early is a major selling point for Lloyd.

"So they mentioned that they have one returning senior and they have a lot of redshirt freshman and incoming guys but they really need a guy that has experience playing tight end this fall. Their offense goes at such a fast tempo that if I was the No. 1 tight end I'd be playing 55% of the game, and if I was the No. 2 I'd be playing about 45% of the snaps every game. It's not because someone is better than the other but it's because they're so fast tempo that they need the bodies at the tight end position.

I'd come in competing. I believe I'd come in at the No. 2 spot to start out and I'd be fighting for that No. 1 or put in a position to fight for that spot. But either way I'd get there and compete."

Now that Lloyd has his hard-earned offer from the Red Raiders, he's just grateful for the opportunity and is excited for what could be next.

"Such a relief, such a relief but yet I was still at a loss for words. I feel super excited as if they just called me out of the blue even though I had a feeling it was coming it's still just a great feeling."

Lloyd currently holds four offers, but of the four only Texas Tech's offer is for this season. Toledo, UCF and UNLV are all for 2021, which would mean Lloyd plays another season at College of San Mateo. That leads to an interesting decision for the 6-foot-4, 245 pound pass catcher.

"So UCF, UNLV and Toledo are all for December. So I would be at CSM for this fall. Texas Tech was the first school to offer me for this upcoming season.

I've been thinking about it a lot, with everything going on I don't really get the chance to visit these schools and get a feel for the place itself but all the coaches have made a great effort to show me around the school whether it was virtual or just sending me pictures and stuff.

I have no preference (to leave now or return) because I love the CSM football staff, I'm just going to choose the right fit for me. I'm gonna figure it out in the next couple of days, I'm gonna go off the relationships I've made and what program fits for me."

Along with his four offers to date, Lloyd says there are a couple other programs he has been hearing from who could soon be entering the picture.

"I've had contact with Fresno State but not as much as Texas Tech. Colorado State visited CSM before this whole thing started and they got my information and they said they'd be back in the spring but obviously that's not happening. So right now I feel like I'm at a cool stage because I really thought that Texas Tech was going to be my next offer so I can't really answer that but I'm excited to see what's to come. I'm just still going through what just happened and realizing what happened and I have to make a decision if I want to be a Red Raider or not because it's soon. I don't have a lot of waiting time."

Since COVID-19 hit, Lloyd has stayed busy working out and hanging out with his family to pass the time.

"I work out every day, I lift, I run. I play music, I play the ukulele so I've been practicing that. I've just been hanging out with my family, staying safe. Obviously in the Bay Area, it's not a major hotspot but it's more than a lot of other places. California has it's own thing going on so we're just staying safe as a family. It kind of brought us together which is cool but there's never a dull moment at the Lloyd house."

Per his page on cccaasports.org, Lloyd caught 13 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown as a freshman at San Mateo. He was named Bay 6 1st team All-Conference tight end.