One of the earliest commits for Texas Tech in the 2026 cycle, New Braunfels (TX) Canyon cornerback Luke Bell was the first of several defensive backs to throw his hat in the Red Raider ring.

His official visit to Tech gave Bell the opportunity to soak it all in at his future home and revel in the moment before his last ride as a high school senior. RedRaiderSports.com caught up with Bell to recap the action.

What you need to know…

… Bell committed to the Red Raiders in January, following a successful first-time visit to Lubbock for Junior Day.

… At the time of his commitment, Tech was Bell’s only offer. He has since picked up offers from Ole Miss, Baylor and Texas State.

… Bell plans on early-enrolling, graduating early so he can arrive at Tech at the end of the fall semester.

… In two seasons on varsity at Canyon, Bell has accumulated 72 tackles, six passes defended and one fumble recovery in nine total games.

Commitment to Texas Tech: “I committed in January on my junior day. So we had a follow up, and decided to set up an OV time during the summer. And it was really good, man. They really showed me real hospitality while I was down there, and they just gave us a real experience of how it's going to be when I get there. Man, I'm blessed, really, I'm blessed to have such a good program to go to. I know Texas Tech has a lot of people there that's going to make them good, especially with the coaching staff. And I believe in them like I have a belief in it. They have a strong future ahead of them. I want to be part of that plan, man, I want to get in there early on and ball out as a freshman. So that was part of my plan. And they helped me see that dream into a vision.”

Official visit weekend: “Obviously, I mean, the pictures was really good. That was really fun. Get to see the other recruits, get to see some other players there. They're all chopping it up, and we got to talk to the coaches. And honestly, I feel like the best part of it was just the hospitality show to my family. It was a big part on how they treated my little brother and how they treated my mother and my father while we were down there. And just getting to talk to the players and see how their experience at Texas Tech is, and just it just opened my eyes to a whole other place.”

Player host: “Brice Pollock. Me and him chopped it up a little bit, and he's a really cool dude. He's really cool. He was really laid back. He's really chill, like he's the type of person that helps you, but he wants to get you where he is and be successful. So me and him was chopping up me and him could relate on a bunch of stuff, and he was telling me to keep my head down and grind, that I have enough talent and enough strength and enough speed to get down there and start. But I gotta want it. I gotta want it. I gotta just be just as hungry as when I came into my freshman year of high school. So he said just to keep my head down and grind and just stay in the playbook, in the playbook early, early on, and try to just understand, because that's the biggest part most recruits come in that they mess up on.”

Connection with cornerbacks coach Darcel McBath: “Nothing short of a blessing. Man, Coach McBath has been amazing for my recruiting process. He's always been, like, one of the best coaches I've met. Just he's a real stand up, he's real. He's not going to tell you nothing just to tell you. He's not going to tell you ‘Hey, you'll get here and instantly start.’ He's like, ‘Hey, you have a really good chance to start, but you gotta ball out. You gotta, you gotta play your plan. You gotta keep your head down, grind for it.’ And he's a real type of coach, he's not gonna lie to your face. And, man, he's football smart. When I tell you football smart, like, I thought I was football smart, until I met Coach McBath. Man, he knows the game. He knows the game as a cornerback because he played at Tech. He played at Tech, and he balled out there while he was there. The way he has a relationship with me and my parents, and just everything added up. It's just like it's a real connection. I can see him as a father figure when I come there, and he's a person that can watch over me, get me right while I'm down at Tech. So a really big part of my reason I came there is for Coach McBath.”

Relationship with Joey McGuire: “Man, it's really good. He just texted me recently saying ‘Thank you for coming here and trusting our plan.’ And I was like, ‘Coach, thank you, man. Like, what everything that you've done for me and my family means in the world.’ Coach McGuire is the type of dude that you will literally see him every single day, and he will have the same exact reaction. He has 100% energy and always a smile on his face, and that's kind of what stands out. Most coaches, if they have a bad day, he'll let it out on the players. But no, Coach McGuire is the same person every single day. He’ll show up with the energy. Show up for the love of the game and show out. He's the type of person that's always showing the same energy to his players and love just like a family, it's amazing. And we were at this house for a player pool party, and we're all there, and he was showing me around his house, showing his beautiful house. And I was like, man, your house is huge. And he took me out, just me around his house. And I was just like, ‘Bro, I promise I know you are a head football coach, but man, it seemed like you were Batman the way you moving, you got so much, your stuff, your vibe and energy, like your house is crazy.’ He was just showing me everything, and then it was just me and him. We were joking about it, and it was just like, it's a real good connection between me and him, though. Like, I could definitely see myself staying at Tech all four years. Man, that's what's really important to me.”

Recruitment status: “Tech is everything that I need right now. So unless something crazy comes out of nowhere, where me and my parents would have to consider, but as of right now, man, I don't see me going anywhere else. I feel like I'm 100 percent committed to Tech right now. I don't see any place better fit for me.”

Message to Texas Tech fans: “Get ready to see history. We’ll make something special happen.”

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