Five TTU freshmen who will out-perform their HS rankings

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Matt Wells and the Texas Tech coaching staff signed 20 recruits in the 2020 class, including 10 prospects on offense and 10 prospects on defense.

Recruiting rankings are an imperfect science, but a somewhat necessary evil when tracking the thousands of prospects that land with the hundreds of college programs across the country.

Every year there are prospects who outperform their ranking out of high school, prospects like Jordyn Brooks who is expected to be drafted in the NFL Draft this week and a player who was a three-star prospect not even listed in the state's top prospects out of high school as part of the 2016 class.

There are plenty of examples from every Texas Tech recruiting class, so RedRaiderSports wanted to look at which five newcomers in the 2020 recruiting class have the biggest chance to exceed their rankings as recruits.

Smith had quite the journey from playing prep ball in Las Vegas, mostly lining up at wide receiver, to moving out to West Texas and enrolling at Frenship after his father accepted the running backs coaching position with Matt Wells and Texas Tech.

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound quarterback was a complete unknown, and had not really taken any meaningful snaps at quarterback. He eventually put up great stats and helped Frenship turn things around this season, which led to a rankings update for the talented signal-caller towards the end of last season.

Ranked as a 5.6 three-star prospect, Smith was listed as the No. 87 overall prospect in Texas and the no. 25 overall dual-threat quarterback prospect in the nation.

Based on feedback from coaches, players and others who have watched him perform in person, Smith could easily surpass these rankings at the college level and develop into the next great Texas Tech quarterback.

Frank is a prospect from a program that has consistently produced D1 athletes and his frame as a defensive back is impressive at 6-foot-3, 185-pounds. With new defensive backs coach Derek Jones coming into the fold, it is fair to expect somewhat of a shakeup with this position group and Frank can play both corner or safety with his size.

Ranked as a 5.5 three-star prospect, Frank was listed as the No. 137 overall prospect in Texas.

With his range and willingness to hit from the safety position, Frank is a prospect who could exceed their ranking out of high school at the college level.

Blidi was the very last 2020 prospect to sign with the Red Raiders in the 2020 class, signing in early February of this year. A late push from a few other programs caused the three-star prospect to nearly rethink his longtime commitment to Texas Tech, but Matt Wells and the coaching staff were able to reel him in.

The 6-foot-4, 253-pound defensive lineman is originally from the New Jersey area and moved to New Mexico for a better life, more opportunity. He found that at Portales and excelled on the football field, eventually winning a state championship this season.

Ranked as a 5.5 three-star prospect, Blidi was considered the top prospect in the state of New Mexico for the 2020 class.

He will continue to add weight at the college level and should easily outplay his three-star rankings out of high school, mostly because he flew under the radar as a prospect the entire recruiting cycle.

Listed as an "athlete", Floyd did it all for A&M Consolidated - offense, defense and special teams. He played wide receiver, corner and returned kicks and punts. That athleticism is what landed him 15 offers from programs around the country.

Ranked as a 5.5 three-star prospect, Floyd was listed as the No. 104 overall prospect in Texas.

In the Big 12 conference, Floyd's athleticism and ability to chase speedy receivers around the field will be the reason he outplays his ranking out of high school. He could become a multi-year starter in the Texas Tech secondary.

Moore is a 6-foot-4, 230-pound kid, meaning he is expected to grow at the D1 level and eventually become a full grown 'dude'. When people asked about standouts from the 2020 class, Moore was always the name mentioned. He is from an under-recruited area and probably did not get the shine prospects from the Dallas or Houston areas usually get.

Ranked as a 5.5 three-star prospect, Moore was listed as the No. 124 overall prospect in Texas.

The West Texas product provides something the Red Raiders do not currently have a lot of currently, the ability to rush the passer and disrupt the offense. Moore can easily outplay his high school ranking after spending a year growing and developing in the program, but remember that Matt Wells has shown that he will play a true freshman if they earn the opportunity.