One week from signing day, we take a look at how the other Big 12 classes are shaping up, recapping the official visitor reactions, and a look at some signing day "questions" to monitor as signing day approaches...
CONFERENCE OVERVIEW
1. Oklahoma
National ranking: 4
Total commits: 25
Average star rating: 3.72
5-star/4-star/3-star: 1/17/6
2. Oklahoma State
National ranking: 30
Total commits: 20
Average star rating: 3.1
5-star/4-star/3-star: 0/3/16
3. Baylor
National ranking: 33
Total commits: 20
Average star rating: 3.05
5-star/4-star/3-star: 0/2/17
4. Texas
National ranking: 35
Total commits: 15
Average star rating: 3.47
5-star/4-star/3-star: 0/8/6
5. Texas Tech
National ranking: 39
Total commits: 20
Average star rating: 2.9
5-star/4-star/3-star: 0/1/16
6. Iowa State
National ranking: 45
Total commits: 21
Average star rating: 2.86
5-star/4-star/3-star: 0/0/18
7. Kansas
National ranking: 49
Total commits: 20
Average star rating: 2.75
5-star/4-star/3-star: 0/1/13
8. West Virginia
National ranking: 54
Total commits: 18
Average star rating: 2.83
5-star/4-star/3-star: 0/1/13
9. TCU
National ranking: 58
Total commits: 13
Average star rating: 3.15
5-star/4-star/3-star: 0/3/9
10. Kansas State
National ranking: 74
Total commits: 16
Average star rating: 2.56
5-star/4-star/3-star: 0/0/9
Recruits recap visits
Texas Tech hosted a large number of visitors this past weekend when multiple commits and recruits made their way to Lubbock for their official visits. We spoke with many of the ones who made a visit and got the scoop below...
DB Samuel Barnes -
"My favorite part was just chilling with the team," Barnes told RRS. "I really liked getting to know some of the players, because those would be guys that could be my teammates. I hung out with Keke (Coutee) and Demarcus (Felton), plus some other guys. They were all cool people."
DB Adrian Frye -
“It went really well, and I really enjoyed myself up there," Frye told RRS. "My host was one of the defensive players, Willie Sykes, and I got to spend time with him and a couple others. That was really fun, just experiencing that atmosphere of being around other college athletes.”
RB Desmond Nisby -
"It was awesome, absolutely amazing," Nisby said in an interview with RRS. "The first thing that I did when we got off the plan is go have some good southern food. The coaches took me to a steakhouse, we ate and then they took me to the stadium. It was incredible, they had the jumbotron going and I could hear the fans roaring through the video they were playing."
OL Casey Verhulst (via Twitter) -
Texas Tech signing day questions:
How will Tech close out their 2017 class?
This question was posed last week, and the thought remains. Samuel Barnes has entered into the picture as a potential DB replacement for Adam Beck. Elijah Walker was recently offered and will be in Lubbock this weekend, and top defensive target David Anenih will be in Lubbock this weekend as well.
It has also been reported that Tech could pursue a late receiver addition in Chabastin Taylor (Taylor is not signing on NSD). While not the most exciting (on paper) haul, signing day for Red Raider fans still has a little bit of intrigue.
How will the new OL hire impact OL recruiting?
With Lee Hays' recent dismissal and the subsequent hire of Brandon Jones, are there any shakeups in store on signing day? Casey Verhulst still seems solid. Hays made an offer on Friday to JUCO OL Clay Cordasco. Is Cordasco still a target? Is Jones bringing any pre-existing relationships to Lubbock? We will definitely be monitoring the situation going forward.
Secret visitors?
Samuel Barnes was in Lubbock this past weekend as a "secret" visitor, as he kept the new Tech offer and subsequent Lubbock visit under wraps until after said visit. This is definitely not an uncommon practice this close to signing day and the visit would have remained a secret if we didn't stumble across that info the day before. Don't be surprised if Tech has a few more guys in this weekend that are purposely kept off the radar.