East Texas athlete Colt Sparks commits to TTU: "It just felt like home"

Texas Tech added to its 2025 recruiting class this week with a surprising addition in Gladewater (TX) Sabine athlete Colt Sparks. Surprising because at the time of his announcement, Sparks had only held a Texas Tech offer for 3 days.

Sparks, who in high school plays all over the field at quarterback, wide receiver, tight end and defensive back, will be playing tight end at Texas Tech. Sparks has developed a close bond with tight end’s coach Josh Cochran and will be moving into his room at the next level.

“They were the right fit for me because as soon as I got down there immediately it just felt like home. The way look at me and greeted me, I mean it was hugs and it was ‘how are you’s?’ and all that kinda stuff. That means a lot to me. It was like a family environment and that was what I looked for throughout my recruitment. It was where would I fit best with my personality and my family culture? That’s where I come from and that’s what matters most to me is having my family be one of the main things.

Coach Cochran took me in like his own son. Love coach Cochran to death. Coach Blanchard took a chance on me with looking at my film. They way they just treated me, it was like royalty when I got down there for sure.”

While the offer and subsequent commitment happened quickly, Texas Tech has actually been recruiting Sparks for a while now.

The 6-foot-5, 210 pound prospect was in Lubbock over the weekend where he learned of the offer and almost immediately knew of his decision. Still Sparks took a few days to think about it, and came to the same conclusion he had originally: he was going to be a Red Raider.

“I started talking to them when coach Cochran came down last year around spring time. He kinda got to know me a little bit, he knew who I was and stuff. Well this spring came around and coach Blanchard started talking to me a lot. Coach Cochran started texting me, and we got into that bond really. It was almost like they wanted me so bad. They would text me, call me all the time. I did have an idea that I would be most likely getting an offer (on the visit) because I talked with coach Blanchard on the phone and he was like ‘man, we really want you. We’re dead set on you and we want you to get down here. We’re gonna show you around and show you what we got’ and I was like ‘man, I’m super excited to get down there’. Then as soon as I got down there, sure enough, it was all on the table for me.

So after I got the offer – in my head, I didn’t tell anybody – but I was like this is definitely where I want to spend few years for sure. Just with the environment, it just seemed absolutely perfect. God gave me all these abilities and he placed this place in my hands for sure. I believe that God handed me this right from himself.

I had waited two or three days, so I wanted to sleep on it just to let myself really think about it a little bit because this is a big step in my career. So it got to Tuesday night and I called coach Cochran and coach Blanchard and told them I was gonna go ahead and commit and make that my home.”

As a junior Sparks – who also plays basketball, baseball and runs track for Sabine HS – put up 1616 passing yards, 959 rushing yards, 32 receiving yards and accounted for 29 total touchdowns.

He describes himself as a true athlete, capable of doing it all on the field, but he’s also looking forward to playing more of a traditional tight end role at Texas Tech.

“That is something I’m most definitely comfortable with,” Sparks says, about playing tight end at the next level. “For me, I’m just a playmaker. I’m gonna go catch the ball, I can do anything. I believe I can do anything on the field and that’s what a lot of coaches use me for. I can run, I can catch and I can throw. I have speed and I have a great jumping ability to go high-point the ball. That’s one of my main attributes is being able to go jump up and catch a jump ball over a DB’s head. We’ve always talked – me and coach Cochran – over this time about me playing quarterback and how easy it’ll be for me as a tight end to read a defense and read a block and see where the safeties are and find open space for the quarterback to throw me the ball. I think it’s almost perfect. You see all kinds of tight ends in the NFL and all over the place, they were quarterbacks in previous years and I think that’s gonna be a perfect fit for me.”

Despite any new opportunities that might be headed his way in the future, Sparks believes in his word to the Texas Tech coaches and plans on sticking to his original commitment as a Red Raider.

“I am most likely gonna shut it down. The way coach Cochran, and all of the staff at Texas Tech, they just told me they’re just in on me. They’re gonna keep their word with me, they’re not gonna take anything back. Everything I got right now is gonna stay like that. So that’s what I told coach Cochran is that I’m not gonna flip, because I made my word to you as a man and as a man I’m not gonna change my decision. I don’t feel like that’s right, and I hate how college football is like that now. You can’t change that about people but I’m gonna stay 110% committed to Texas Tech for sure.”

Sparks hasn’t set his next visit to Lubbock quite yet but expect the newest Red Raider pledge to be in West Texas several times this summer and during the fall for football games.

“I’m not sure the next time but I will definitely be down there a ton this summer and during the football season. I’m gonna be at a bunch of home games and stuff like that but I will be down there a few times this summer for sure.”

Sparks’ message to Texas Tech fans is that he wants to help the Red Raiders win a lot of football games and championships during his time in Lubbock. To Sparks, it’s also important to thank God for putting this opportunity in front of him.

“Man, I just wanna show people that I play for the one and only. I play for the Lord above and I wanna shine a light for him. That’s the main thing for me, it’s not always about football it’s about showing what the true meaning of all this is. I wanna make sure that I get that point across to everyone is that I’m a big Christian guy.

I also want them to know that I’m gonna make big plays in big times. I’m gonna work my butt off for anybody on that team. I’m gonna try to win us a ton of Big 12 championships for sure.”

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