Texas Tech picked up commitment No. 14 in 2026 on Monday afternoon with the announcement of Forney (TX) wide receiver Imari Jehiel. Jehiel's decision comes on the heels of his official visit to Lubbock, which he took from June 13-15.
The 6-foot, 185 pound prospect was a priority for wide receivers Juice Johnson, offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich and the rest of the Red Raider staff as he chose Texas Tech over 23 total offers including the likes of Boston College, Houston, Kansas State, SMU, TCU, Utah and several others.
Upon landing in Lubbock for his visit, Tech's staff showed Jehiel exactly what he wanted to see and he didn't leave town without giving the coaches his commitment.
"It just felt good. The love from coach Juice (Johnson) and all the other coaching staff, it just felt like the right fit for me. From the facilities and from the coaching love to the nutritionist and just everybody. Everybody is good people and I just felt the love as soon as I touched down in Lubbock."
Jehiel is looking forward to playing for his future position coach, the aforementioned Juice Johnson, as the two have developed a strong connection going back several months.
"Coach Juice has been recruiting me hard. They had the home visit, just kept it real with me the whole time. Him and coach Leftwich. They just always kept it real and been honest with me. I just appreciate stuff like that, the small things. We talked football and he just loves my game and I just love the relationship we have. Just gonna keep building the relationship, we text all the time and he said let's build it more. So let's build it."
Jehiel got to take official visits to Boston College and Texas State prior to heading to Lubbock. What stood out to Jehiel from his time in Lubbock was just how everything felt, which eventually led to his pledge.
"Really just the feel of everything. From being in the hotel to being in the facility to eating with the players, everything just felt right. It was just a great feeling."
Jehiel told coach Juice of the welcome news as he and his family were going over some things in a football meeting.
"It was me and coach Juice and my family. We just having a football meeting and he was just walking me through all the drills and how it would be for me getting there early as an early enrollee. We just chopped it up. Then at the end of it I just said 'let's do it, I'm ready'."
Jehiel was one of eight recruits in Lubbock for their official visits this weekend, and he got to connect with a couple of the other recruits while in town.
"Brayden Allen, the other receiver. He was a good dude. I watched some of his film, he's a good receiver. And Boss (S'Vioarean Martin). He's a defensive back. Me and him have a good relationship because that's Nelson Peterson's cousin, my quarterback's cousin. I've worked out with him a couple times, so the relationship there was good."
Jehiel accepts that he will continue being recruited by other programs moving forward but says he's not exactly interested in any other school and that Texas Tech is where he wants to be.
"I'm 100% locked in."
As a junior, Jehiel recorded 26 receptions for 616 receiving yards (23.7 yards per catch) and 7 receiving touchdowns per his MaxPreps profile. His message to Texas Tech fans is simple, he's looking to bring the energy and his playmaking to the 806.
"I'm gonna bring the energy, bring the love and bring my game as well. So be on the lookout for that."
As a sophomore in 2024, Jehiel competed in the 110 Meter Hurdles (15.96 seconds) and the 300 Meter Hurdles (44.83 seconds) though he did not continue those events this spring per his athletic.net profile.
Jehiel is Texas Tech's 14th commitment of the 2026 class and first wide receiver commit.
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