Today is Riverside C.C. (Calif.) running back Tyree Range's 19th birthday and the standout prospect decided to celebrate by announcing his commitment to Texas Tech.
Range first started hearing from the Red Raiders when new running backs coach DeShaun Foster arrived this past off-season.
"I first met Coach Foster when he recruited me out of high school in 2015," Range said. "He was at UCLA and we kept in touch, then Coach Foster reached out to me after he got the job at Texas Tech. At first, they weren't going to take a running back in my class, but last week Coach Foster told me that he finally got Coach (Kliff) Kingsbury's approval.
"Coach called me a week ago and told me that he was coming to watch us practice during their bye week. We were talking and he told me that my offer would be official after he visited. Once I knew the offer from Texas Tech was official, then I decided to commit on my birthday. I actually verbally committed to Coach Foster a while ago and had told him that I would commit when the offer came through."
Range is a bigger back at 6-foot-1, 225-pounds and provides the Texas Tech coaches with another weapon on offense for short yardage situations.
"Coach Foster wants bigger running backs and I'm very excited about the opportunity at Texas Tech," Range said. "We run a very similar offense here at Riverside and I'm ready to see what I can do in that offense. I haven't watched all of the games, but I have watched the highlights and it's an unreal offense.
"We haven't really talked about playing time, but Coach Foster mentioned that he needs backs that can come in, put in the work, and begin helping the team. We have a great relationship going back three years, plus I'm getting to work with a former NFL running back who knows all about the D1 level."
Every college recruits the junior college level differently, some offer targets in the off-season and others wait to see highlights from the first half of the season before offering.
Range holds five total offers, including the newest offer from Texas Tech, and a handful of programs are waiting to watch his senior film.
"LSU, Georgia, and Syracuse all want to see my film from the season," Range said. "The coaches keep in contact with me and show interest, but it's hard to tell which program is the closest to offering. I did take unofficial visits to Arizona and LSU earlier this summer. Cal and Louisiana Tech are my most recent offers, aside from the Texas Tech offer.
"Coach Foster and I talked about setting up my visit to Texas Tech, but they actually have an away game during our bye week on Oct. 8th. I might have to wait until December to take my official visit. We are still trying to work out the dates."
Due to his injury out of high school, Range took a grayshirt and plans to graduate this December with four years to play three at the D1 level.
"I'm planning to graduate this December, but it's not all setup yet," Range said. "That is the plan now and it will depend on my credits. I'm taking additional online courses now and should be good, but I will know later in the semester.
"I had a knee injury and was still recovering out of high school, so I decided to take a grayshirt my first year of junior college. I will have four years left to play three years of eligibility."
Currently unrated, Range has 19 carries for 115 yards and a touchdown this season. He chose the Red Raiders over offers from Cal, Louisiana Tech, UAB, Wyoming, and Louisiana-Lafayette.
