In the case of Cameron Valentine, sometimes it’s just better to not overthink things.
After he picked up an offer from Texas Tech following a recent visit to Lubbock, that drew rave reviews, the three-star defensive end needed little more than two weeks to make up his mind and announce his commitment to the Red Raiders on Monday morning.
Valentine made his commitment public among teammates after a morning strength and conditioning session. He informed Tech’s staff over the weekend that he was committing today.
“I didn’t let it out because I wanted to make the announcement with my team there,” he said. “I wanted to tell them personally where I am going, so I could include them in the experience instead of just posting it on Twitter and having them find out that way.”
A couple of factors all played big roles in him coming to his decision but after his recent visit, he said that his opinion of the coaches was the most critical. He said his parents agreed with him that the campus and assistants were all what they were hoping for in an opportunity to play college football.
“I just like how the coaches handle themselves,” he said. “They’re all chill, they’re all cool, but I can see in them that they have that fire that when it comes down to it, they get after it. That’s how my coaches are at my school and I really like that feel that they gave.”
The Red Raiders have been scrutinized in recent seasons as a defensive unit that has struggled to consistently get stops. Valentine said that he thinks he’s the type of player that the team needs to help build towards shaking those issues.
Right now, he could project primarily as a pass-rusher off the line or could come off the edge standing up. Once he gets on campus, he thinks the staff will look to bulk him up so he can focus more on playing as a down lineman.
“They’re going to try and add 20 pounds to me,” he said. “If that happens and I can keep the same kind of speed I have now, they’re going to try and put me out on the field as soon as they can.”
If has as successful at retaining that speed as he hopes, Texas Tech could be getting a special talent. Even though he missed almost half of his junior season to injury, he still caught opposing quarterbacks five times.
“As you can see in my high school film, I’m explosive,” he said. “I always run to the ball, give 110-percent, most people tell you, but I think my film shows it. I always study film all the time and I have a real attention to detail. I just go the extra mile to do everything I’m supposed to do even better.”
After last season, there have been some whispers that head coach Kliff Kingsbury might be operating on a shorter leash this year. Valentine said that he’s mindful of what could take place this fall if the team doesn’t show the sort of improvement expected of it, but isn’t looking to decommit unless he has significant questions about the direction of the program.
“My recruitment is still open, but I am going to try to stick with Tech,” he said. “Considering what could happen with the coaches, that would help me make my decision a little bit better. I’m not looking to decommit if I were to just pick up an offer from a bigger program, but the coaches did play a big role in me going there.”
In the meantime, he’s enjoying not having to worry about the recruiting process as the summer gets underway. He said he has no firm plans to head back to Lubbock at the moment, but will try to this summer if he can get it worked out.
Valentine said that he’s now going to work to connect Tech with three-star defensive back teammate Christian Young and is looking forward to the possibility of hitting the ground running for the Red Raiders next fall.
“They’re a team that feels like I can come right in and play,” he said. “That’s another thing that was big for me. I’m not looking to go to a team and sit the bench. I want to make a difference and they really feel like I am a guy that can make that difference.”
