Five key 2020 recruits that Texas Tech's next coach should target
Texas Tech currently sits with two early verbal commitments for the 2020 class, a group that ranks No. 27 overall in the Rivals.com Team Recruiting Rankings. Of course, both of those prospects committed to former head coach Kliff Kingsbury and his staff and are still more than a year away from signing their National Letter of Intent.
The Red Raiders are on Day 4 of their coaching search, but it's never too early to look ahead. Once they get its next head coach in place, who should he target for the 2020 class?
We check in on five targets that should be on the next staff's board and get recruiting editor Matt Clare's take on each prospect.
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Breakdown: Bright holds 14 scholarship offers, including 10 from Power Five programs. He visited Texas Tech in early November for the Oklahoma game and has included the Red Raiders in his top five along with Baylor, Nebraska, Houston and Colorado.
Why Texas Tech should target him: Bright, who started out as a running back but moved to slot wide receiver this year, is one of the most explosive players in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and could help out Texas Tech in a variety of roles. Tech is known for having success with slot wide receivers - e.g. Wes Welker, Danny Amendola, Jakeem Grant and Keke Coutee - and Bright could be the next in line.
Clare's take: Bright is very interested in Texas Tech and should be a top target for the new coaching staff. Offensive style aside, the 5-foot-8, 164-pound prospect is a playmaker and comes out of a big-time program at Cedar Hill.
Breakdown: McGowan holds 23 scholarship offers, including 20 from Power Five programs. He announced his offer from the Red Raiders in early September.
Why Texas Tech should target him: Because any time you have an opportunity to go after one of the 20 best prospects in the nation you probably should. McGowan has a good relationship with coach Emmett Jones, and if Texas Tech hangs onto Jones, the program could have a chance here. McGowan is a big physical back at 6-foot, 205 pounds and would be one of the best signees in program history if he chose the Red Raiders.
Clare's take: McGowman is a top target for every program, but he holds an offer from Texas Tech and should be a priority for the new coaching staff as a back who can immediately contribute once on campus.
Breakdown: Broughton holds 14 scholarship offers, including 12 from Power Five programs. He picked up his offer from Texas Tech in September.
Why Texas Tech should target him: Texas Tech is always in need of more defensive lineman and, well, Broughton is the only one the program has offered for 2020 so far. Beyond that, he's a four-star prospect and is a force at 6-foot-6, 260-plus pounds. The Red Raiders will have competition for Broughton from all the big-name programs, so the new head coach will have his work cut out for him on this one.
Clare's take: Broughton holds an offer from Texas Tech and is a national prospect, most of our peers believe he ends up at Texas, but he is one of the better defensive line prospects in the state for 2020 and the new coaching staff will certainly be reaching out.
Breakdown: Flagg holds three early scholarship offers, including two from Power Five programs. The three-star prospect has taken multiple visits to Lubbock, and has talked about his interest in the Red Raiders multiple times with RedRaiderSports.com. Texas Tech's chances with Flagg also go way up if the program can hold onto his two committed 2019 teammates, Keeyon Stewart and Tony Bradford.
Why Texas Tech should target him: Flagg would be a welcome addition to any class. He is a linebacker who is on the shorter side but can tackle and is a big hitter. He was a longtime priority of David Gibbs and Zac Spavital, and the new coach should probably reach out to Flagg and keep his interest in the Red Raiders high.
Clare's take: Flagg has visited Lubbock a handful of times and has two teammates committed to the Red Raiders in the 2019 class. He would arguably be one of the easier targets to 'pick up where we left off' in terms of recruiting.
Breakdown: Black holds seven early scholarship offers, including four from Power Five programs, all of which are Big 12 programs in Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.
Why Texas Tech should target him: Texas Tech is always in need of good cornerbacks, and Black is one of the top in the state for 2020. Already ranked as the 54th best overall player in the state, it would be a huge win for Texas Tech if the new coach is able to pry him out of Waco and away from the Baylor Bears.
Clare's take: Black already holds a handful of Big 12 offers and is considered one of the top prospects on the state for the 2020 class. The new coaching staff will most likely reach out to prospects who already hold offers from Texas Tech, and the three-star prospect is likely to become a target for them.