Texas Tech added to its future roster earlier this week, picking up a preferred walk-on commitment from San Antonio (TX) Alamo Heights offensive lineman Jackson Hildebrand.
Hildebrand chose the Red Raiders over scholarship offers from Air Force, Army, Central Missouri, Incarnate Word, San Diego, Fordham and Houston (PWO).
For the 6-foot-4, 285 pound prospect, it wasn't a tough decision as the Red Raiders presented him with an opportunity to win and be coached by a great coaching staff.
"So really, I wanted to win games. When I went on my visit coach (Joey) McGuire really reminded me of my head coach, coach (Ron) Rittimann at Alamo Heights. So he goes by three morals, and he's always saying this at practice.
1) Be a great person
2) Be a great player
3) Be a great teammate
So I really thought he (McGuire) was the most similar to coach Rittimann, and yeah I really stand by these three morals I would say. Winning games is like the biggest thing for me but it's also about the coaching staff. I just love the coaching staff. Coach Hamby, you know he's from Alamo Heights, so I've known him for a while now. All the coaches are just great people which I really like to see."
Hildebrand got to take a visit to Tech in June, and expanded more on his relationship with his future position coach Stephen Hamby and head coach Joey McGuire.
"My parents have mutual friends with coach Hamby. I've been to camps, I started going to Texas Tech camps my sophomore year and really established that connection with coach Hamby, and we've just communicated ever since. Coach McGuire, he's a great person and I really like that coming from his Texas high school head coach standpoint. He's a great guy, that's one of my biggest things about him. He's also a great coach and I like the way he coaches. One of the things I saw was the genuine type of connection he makes with the players. It's awesome. So that's what I really like about them."
While Hildebrand publicly announced his decision on August 7th, he's known for a while that Texas Tech was his future home.
"To be honest, I've wanted to be at Texas Tech my whole life. I actually called him (Hamby) last Thursday, and that's when I committed. I just didn't post until (August 7th). I called coach Hamby on Thursday, and told him I was all in and ready to work."
Now going through fall camp and headed towards his senior season, Hildebrand has one main goal in 2023: to win a state championship.
"I'll say it right now, our No. 1 goal is to win state. I've been playing with these guys on the offensive line for seven years now. My left guard is Jackson Moore, I've been playing with him for seven years now, tackle football. So we all have that relationship, that brotherhood. We're all really good friends and that's what gets these teams to be that next caliber team."
A 2022 All District Football 14-5A II 1st Team Lineman as a junior, Hildebrand is ready to show the Red Raider Nation what he brings to the field every gameday.
"Well, I love just crushing people. Those pancake blocks, pulling around, nailing that middle linebacker. That's my favorite thing to do. I like finishing people."
