Scott gets commitment from 2017 safety Thomas Leggett
Texas Tech received some exciting news on Saturday evening as Allan Hancock C.C. safety Thomas Leggett made the decision to commit to the Red Raiders. Leggett was in Lubbock on his official visit when everything clicked and he decided to shut things down and commit to the Scarlet and Black.
Leggett, a 2017 prospect, is a late-addition to the 2017 class and will soon be back in Lubbock to join the team this summer. The family atmosphere and the fact that Tech believed in his ability as a player factored in heavily to his decision.
“Coming out to Lubbock and them showing me around like they did just made me feel welcomed and everything. Them just giving me everything I needed here on my visit just really made an impression on me. Texas Tech, that was my first offer. They looked at me and gave me that first opportunity to leave junior college and play at a high level at a D1 university. I really took that into consideration.
“How they showed love to me played a big part in my commitment. They made me feel like I was at home, which really sealed the deal for me. They were the first school to give me an opportunity and were the first school to see me as a high caliber safety who could play at the D1 level. I took that into consideration. I really took that to heart. That’s really what sealed the deal for me.”
Leggett, who was a full qualifier out of the 2016 class, didn’t have the desired options coming out of high school, so he went the junior college route to generate more interest. After a first team All-Conference season as a freshman, Leggett could have went back to Allan Hancock to improve his stock even more but shut things down and committed to Tech instead. They believed in him, so he rewarded them with a commitment.
“I took the junior college route out of high school as a full qualifier. I just wanted to give myself the best options possible and Texas Tech came right out with an opportunity and invite for an official visit. When I got here, the campus is beautiful, the stadium was great, and everything they showed me just took my breath away. The coaches didn’t have to come and recruit me right now, they could have waited. They could have made me prove myself so to say.
“For them to see me like that and the fact that they have a direct need at safety. I had that opportunity to come in and play right away at that level that I’ve been trying to reach since I was put into this recruiting world. They gave me that opportunity and then the shoe fit everywhere else. It just felt right.”
Leggett will have four years to play three at Texas Tech, and he is excited to prove to everyone that he deserves to be in this position as a soon-to-be-Red Raider.
“My whole career I’ve been slept on. I could have went back to junior college and me personally just humbling myself. If I went back, though, I could have been one of the top prospects in the 2018 class, that’s what I felt like. I was just trying to find my home and I found it. Once I get there, I’m going to go to work. I’m going to prove to the world what they’ve been missing and what they’ve been sleeping on.
“With Tech giving me that opportunity, they see me as that guy, and I’m about to give them a show. I’m about to let everyone know that they should have picked me up earlier. I’m about to put on a show for all the schools that passed on me.”
“I’m a downhill runner. I will meet you in the gap, I will see you there. I like to read and stuff but I also like to man up, I’m going to come up and challenge you every play. Playing receivers one-on-one, I like that challenge, but I am also going to come down hill and fill the gap. I’m going to meet you there. Right now I’m working on being that ballhawk, too. I’m going to man you up every play and give you that challenge.”
Leggett, who was an All-Conference safety at Allan Hancock, is pegged as a safety at Texas Tech as well. They also see him playing nickelback and will be moving him all over the field due to his versatility.
Another factor in Leggett’s decision to wrap things up with Tech was his conversation he had with coach Kingsbury. Leggett postponed his initial visit just to have the opportunity to meet Kingsbury and it didn’t disappoint.
“It’s almost like a dream. We went out to eat last night and then today we went into his office and talked for a bit. I’m sitting right across from the head coach at Texas Tech University, a big-time D1 school in the Big 12. It was great to meet coach Kliff Kingsbury and being able to talk with him and have him tell me that he is excited for me to come in and make an impact really had an impact on me. After I talked with him, everything else just felt great.”
Leggett seemingly has all the tools to be a contributor to a Tech defense that is lacking playmakers in the secondary. He has the size, athleticism, and was a significant contributor on his team last season. Leggett also has a leg up on the competition as he has his brother, former Clemson Tiger/National Champion/2017 5th-round pick Jordan Leggett, mentoring him every step of the way.
“He’s living the dream right now, and I am proud of him. I’m always looking to him for anything I need and asking him what I need to do to put on weight and things like that. We play complete opposite positions, but I can still go and talk to him and find out what I need to do to play at the D1 level. He is working with those guys all the time, he is playing with them, and now he has made it to the big time. Seeing him is step one in the dream and now I’m going to go out and do what I need to do to accomplish it at Texas Tech.”