Rewind: Texas Tech's 2003 class

Mike Leach's fourth signing class at Texas Tech came at an exciting time for the program. The Red Raiders were fresh off of a nine-win season that saw them sweep their in-state rivals and notch the the program's first bowl victory in seven years. The class that Leach signed that February seemed to continue that momentum.

"This is by far the best recruiting class I've had since I've been at Texas Tech," he said at Texas Tech's National Signing Day press conference. "For those that care, it's ranked as high as No. 14 in the country. I don't pay attention to that really on who we selected or any other lists. The biggest point of emphasis on this class was defensive backs and offensive linemen and I thought we really did a good job at fortifying our troops in that regard."

While some media outlets did list the class as high as No. 14 due to some questionable JUCO evaluations, Rivals.com ranked Texas Tech's 2003 haul as the 44th-best class in the country. And though opinions differed on how it compared to other classes around the country, Leach felt that the newcomers would add much-needed depth to his team.

"That was the biggest key was to get depth," he explained. "Previously when Tech was on probation, the position that took the biggest hit as far as scholarships was the offensive line. We were committed to get the numbers up at that position scholarship-wise. We would like to have 18 in the program on scholarship at a time, and so that was one of the points of emphasis.

"Of course, in the secondary, our two corners graduated so that position is wide open. DBs are among the best athletes on the field, so they have a lot of flexibility to do a lot of things. Big ones can occasionally play linebacker or safety, and they have great special teams potential."

Despite its initial promise, the Red Raiders' 2003 class would ultimately go down as one of the more disappointing classes in Leach's tenure on the South Plains. There were few multi-year contributors in the class, and more than half of the 24 prospects that inked with Texas Tech that February either never made it to campus or left the program before exhausting their eligibility.

Complete list: Texas Tech's 2003 signing class

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BIGGEST BUST: Chauncey Clark. Clark was projected by some to be a linebacker in college, but the Red Raiders had plans for him to start out at defensive end. He was a sack specialist, racking up 36 in two years at City College of San Francisco, and was expected to make an immediate impact on Texas Tech's razor-thin defensive line. Unfortunately for the Red Raiders, Clark never made it to campus.

Also considered: Phillip Daugherty, Jamaal Jackson

BIGGEST HOME RUN: Antonio Huffman. Though he hadn't played a game in two years when he arrived in Lubbock, Huffman adjusted fairly quickly. He played mostly on special teams in 2003 but locked down a starting position as a sophomore and would remain a fixture in Texas Tech's secondary for the rest of his career.

Also considered: Keyunta Dawson, Alex Reyes

STRENGTH OF THE CLASS: Defensive Backs. Though four-star Jamaal Jackson didn't live up to expectations, JUCO standout Ryan Phillips never made it to the South Plains and Chad Johnson transferred after two promising seasons, the Red Raiders still signed three multi-year starters in Antonio Huffman, Chris Parker and Joe Garcia.

WEAKNESS OF THE CLASS: Offensive Line. Of the five offensive linemen that signed with Texas Tech in 2003, only JUCO-transfer Dan Christian saw any live snaps, and those were almost entirely on special teams. The other four -- Ben Griffin, Matt Grissel, Josh Morris and Raymond Serres -- all left the program after less than three years on campus. Had the Red Raiders not signed a standout group of offensive lineman the year before, the program would have found itself in deep trouble in 2005 and 2006.