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football Edit

Donovan Stephens remains a priority for Texas Tech

Donovan Stephens at Camp Bullitt last weekend
Donovan Stephens at Camp Bullitt last weekend (Ben Golan/RedRaiderSports.com)

One of the standouts at Camp Bullitt, both during the combine portion and the camp setting, was Del City (Okla.) linebacker/safety Donovan Stephens.

Stephens made the drive to Garland, Texas with his trainer and former Red Raider defensive back Tre' Porter. Stephens, listed as a safety by Rivals, is being recruited by Texas Tech to play linebacker but participated in the camp with the defensive backs to showcase his coverage abilities.

During the combine, Stephens participated in all of the events and here were his results. For a comparison, here is how Michigan safety and Minnesota Vikings 6th round draft pick Josh Metellus tested at the NFL Combine this season (Metellus' results in parenthesis)

40 yard dash: 4.69 (4.55)

185 pound bench: 21 reps (20 reps*)

Vertical jump: 32 inches (36.5 inches)

Broad jump: 109 inches (124 inches)

Short shuttle: 4.64 (4.40)

L-drill: 7.44 (6.94)

*Combine bench press is 225 pounds, not the 185 pounds used at Camp Bullitt

Metellus is listed at 5-foot-11, 209 pounds which is similar to Stephens so I felt the comparison was valid. While Metellus won every competition head-to-head, he was likely training for months for those exact drills while Stephens has spent the last 3-4 months under some type of quarantine and no organized football activities. Still, Stephens' times weren't too far off and athletically he compares favorably to a guy who just got drafted.

What you need to know...

... Stephens visited Lubbock back in January for Junior Day.

... In total Stephens holds seven offers. Other schools that have offered include Baylor, Boise State, Eastern Michigan, Hawaii, North Texas and Oklahoma State.

... Per his MaxPreps.com page, Stephens had 112 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, four sacks and four interceptions as a junior at Del City.

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Camp goals: "I just want to come out here and compete, and take my abilities to a different level."

Mentality during a camp setting: "Compete, win, get better. Use my technique's that I've learned so that's what I'm gonna do."

Virtual visits: "I've taken virtual visits with Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Eastern Michigan and Boise State. They've been really cool, it's really cool how they section it to where we can see stuff even though we can't really be there and make us feel like we're there. I don't have any upcoming virtual visits that I know of.

At Texas Tech we get on a Zoom call, they take us through the academics, they have little videos for us. They show us slides and clips of the food area, where we'll be living and the school and stuff to give us the feeling of being around Texas Tech."

Coaches contact: "I talk to the entire coaching staff at Tech, I'd say we talk pretty regularly."

Potential summer decision: "I'm still thinking about it and all of my options."

Staying busy during COVID-19: "We've been working out as a team since I believe June. Just working out, weight room, staying in shape and all that stuff. We're actually able to work out like normal but with masks on."

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