Tech legacy hoping to visit this fall

Football programs recruit legacy players on a regular basis these days. The Red Raiders have pursued the offspring of former greats over the last few years, including such players as Jonathan Gray, Darrion Daniels, and others. Now, one of the best defensive linemen in school history has a son getting ready to gear things up on the recruiting trail.

Waxahachie (Texas) 2017 wide receiver Jalen Reagor, son of former Texas Tech All-American defensive tackle Montae Reagor, first really stood out to Tech when he was one of the best pass catchers at their Lancaster camp in Dallas nearly a month ago. In fact, they were so impressed that they decided to extend an offer, the very first for the junior receiver.

It was a great moment for the youngster, and one that he still can't quite believe really happened.

"It feels really good, because both of my parents went there. Just for that, to be my first offer, what a coincidence? I really appreciate it, I'm really thankful for it, and I would not have thought that I could go there."

The young Reagor said his dad was equally floored by the offer to his son from his alma mater. However, the elder Reagor made sure to tell his son that he needed to take his time and make the best decision for himself and his future.

""When I first told him, he was wowed. It was like a dream," he said. "He was telling me that one thing he's not going to do is force me to go there. He wants me to be smart, weigh my options, and then don't think he's ever trying to force me to Tech."

Things started off in the spring between the Tech staff and the Waxahachie native. Red Raider OC Eric Morris dropped by the school to take a look at the receiver, and he certainly liked what he saw.

"I had talked to one coach this spring, Coach Morris. I think I ran some route, and I was coasting it, but the quarterback just kind of overthrew me. I then sped up and caught the ball one handed. Once he saw that, my coach had me call him after practice, and he was really impressed."

Tech is looking at Reagor as a versatile pass catcher, as they feel he could play on the outside or inside. Coach Morris really likes how the 2017 prospect runs his routes and has developed a solid work ethic early on, too.

"He loves my ball skills, likes how I don't rush my routes like a lot of young receivers. I take pride in running my routes precisely, improving on muscle memory. I work on a lot of stuff try, to catch a hundred balls or so each day after we workout, so he said they were really impressed with my work ethic."

So, now that the Red Raiders have offered, Reagor says he's been keeping in touch with Coach Morris more often. He likes the former Tech receiver's personality, too.

"I talk to Coach Morris every once in a while now. My dad will talk to him some, too," he said. "Coach Morris, I really like him. He's real cool. He's not one of those coaches that's always serious. He'll play around with you, joke with you, but when it's time to get down to business, he's serious with you, which I like."

The man who actually extended the offer to Reagor, however, was head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

"Coach Kingsbury just told me that they really liked me, that he'd been watching me all spring. They liked my film from last year, and then he told me they wanted to offer me a scholarship, that I was the kind of guy he was looking for in my class. He got straight to it."

The junior receiver really liked the way the Red Raider coaches treated himself and the rest of the participants in the Lancaster camp, too.

"I felt like they treated us like they'd treat their own athletes out in Lubbock. I loved the enthusiasm. They were so excited, and they were so real with it. I'm not a boring guy, I like being in the heat of the moment, so I really liked it."

So, with a visit now in hand, the next step for Reagor and his family will be to take a trip out to Lubbock sometime this fall. They've been out to Lubbock plenty of times before, but never on a real recruiting visit.

"Yes, for sure. When I told my dad, he was just like yeah, we have to take a trip out there," he said. "You know how they have past players come and give them passes and stuff, so I've been in the locker room and walked on the field, been in the weight room, so I've seen most of it before."We usually go every year when they play somebody like Texas. Sometimes we'll go out there just for a visit, but we usually go for a game, and we'll probably go out there soon."

As for his own thoughts on the Red Raiders, Reagor likes where things appear to be headed with Tech's program, and he believes they've been adding some impressive players to the roster over the last few seasons.

"I feel like they're a growing program now. They've picked up a bunch of really good players like Jah'Shawn Johnson, Donta Thompson, and I feel like the sky is the limit for them. Their ceiling right now is higher than most schools I feel like they have a big goal to reach."

Reagor now holds offers from Texas Tech and SMU, but he's been in constant contact with Texas A&M as well, and he believes the Aggies may be interested.