What to expect out of Texas Tech's 2019 'bridge' class

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Texas Tech is facing its third bridge class - a group that bridges the coaching tenures of an outgoing coaching staff and an incoming staff - in a decade. While Kliff Kingsbury and his staff guided the Red Raiders' recruiting efforts for the bulk of the 2019 cycle, Matt Wells and his staff will bring the class home in the Early Signing Period and on National Signing Day.

Wells inherited the No. 37 class in the Rivals.com Team Recruiting Rankings with 19 public commitments. In the days following his hire - specifically in the days following the dismissal of the Kingsbury's assistant coaching staff - Texas Tech has been hit with five decommitments and boasts the No. 61 class in the country.

The Red Raiders' bridge efforts are complicated further by the new Early Signing Period. How have other programs fared in similar situations? We looked at how three Power Five programs navigated these issues last year to get an idea of what Texas Tech fans should expect from Wells and his staff.