Miquel Dingle Jr picks up first Power 5 offer from Texas Tech
Byrnes (SC) athlete Miquel Dingle Jr is a versatile prospect who is also one of the most athletic recruits in the country.
Dingle Jr's dad played in the NFL, the 6-foot-2, 210 pound prospect runs a 4.45 40 yard dash, he is a state champion hurdler and can play running back, wide receiver, tight end, defensive end, outside linebacker, middle linebacker, cornerback or safety. Despite that, until Monday afternoon he only held a single offer from Charlotte, a Group of 5 program.
That all changed though when Texas Tech, led by inside linebackers coach Josh Bookbinder and Director of Player Personnel James Blanchard offered the rising senior a scholarship to come play his college football in Lubbock, TX.
What you need to know...
... Dingle Jr was credited with 66 tackles, 34 assists and two sacks as a junior.
... Dingle Jr recently posted a 110 meter hurdle time of 13.56 seconds which was his personal best and good enough to win a South Carolina 5A state championship.
...Dingle Jr's dad, Mike Dingle, was a star running back at South Carolina who totaled over 2,100 yards from scrimmage and 21 touchdowns in his college career. Dingle was then drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 8th round of the 1991 NFL Draft.
Texas Tech coaches: "A couple weeks ago two coaches from Texas Tech followed me on Twitter. Once that I happened I was like 'oh my gosh, I'm on Texas Tech's radar, there's no way'. I think it was coach (James) Blanchard that followed me and then a little after that it was coach (Josh) Bookbinder. They started reaching out to me, congratulated me on winning state in hurdles and just checking up on me here and there. On Saturday coach Bookbinder gave me his number and we got on the phone for a little while. Then today he notified me that he was gonna show up to our practice.
He came by and watched me practice, I had a great practice thankfully, and basically he told my coach to call him after practice and he ended up talking to me and giving me an offer. It's just surreal and it's just a blessing. It's such a big school and to me it's a great school too, I've heard a lot about it. It's just crazy to me."
Thoughts on the offer: "With Texas Tech, I love Texas. I was there for junior Olympics when I was younger and basically just the environment, it's really good. You know Texas has elite athletes so I'm the type of guy who loves competition because it breeds success. So if I know I have a whole bunch of athletes next to me, locked in and ready to get after it, it's just a great environment and one I really wanna be around."
Fit at the next level: "Basically they're recruiting me for the defensive side of the ball. I run a 4.4, I'm 210 pounds, so of course when I get into college I'm gonna be a little bit bigger, a little bit faster and a little bit stronger so I really pride myself on being an athlete and being able to do anything. I'm being recruited for the defensive side of the ball but wherever the team needs me is where I'll play, I don't care if it's left tackle or center. It's a blessing to be able to further my education."
Visit plans: "Most definitely (I plan to get out there). We haven't talked about that just yet, but coach (Bookbinder) said he wants to stay in touch so hopefully I can make my way down there for an official visit or something. Check out the place and get to know it a little bit more because the school is a big interest of mine."
Overall recruitment: Dingle Jr holds two offers to date, from Charlotte and Texas Tech, though expect that to change in the near future now that he's received his first Power 5 offer and is officially 'on the map'.
"I have a good amount of schools that are showing me interest. I have Wake Forest, South Carolina, North Carolina, Syracuse is recruiting me, and then you got a couple other schools. I can't name them all off the top of my head, I have a couple schools for track as well recruiting me but that's about it."
Commitment timeline: "My dad is no stranger to the recruiting process, he had a Alabama offer in the 10th or 11th grade. To me it's very important to have all your options laid out on the table in order to make a smart decision. If I see something, if I see a school that for sure has everything I could possibly want and I know that I'm gonna be able to further my education...if it's a perfect fit I'll commit on the spot.
My 10th grade year I had a broken foot and I was out for a year and this entire past year, my junior year the recruiting process has been really slow, it's been difficult for me. It's a blessing to be able to play football in itself and to be considered good enough to go to a school and play for free. I don't care how many offers I get, none of that means anything to me, I'm not trying to go get 50 or get a certain amount. Like I said if I have a school that I know for sure is the one I wanna be at I'm gonna commit because there's no point in wasting peoples time and money."