The Texas Tech coaches hosted a big group of visitors this weekend, and RedRaiderSports caught up with several to get their thoughts on Raiderland and more.
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"I was shown the weight room, outdoor fields, locker room, team room, and other very nice facilities. Viewing it all was a highlight for me. In addition to that talking to Coach Yates was a major moment for me since I play Defensive Back."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"I spoke with Coach Yates who was a very insightful man. In addition to Coach Yates, I spoke with the strength and condition Coaches and Staff such as Coach Barilow, Coach Hall and others. All provided great energy and great excited towards the program."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"I do not have any connections at Tech. However all the players showed great hospitality towards me and other visitors."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"I currently don’t have any other visits planned."
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"The visit was great. We toured the whole campus and got to see the best features about Tech and what makes it unique. We also got to speak to the coaching staff and get to know in more depth about them. The highlight of my day was probably of course the photo shoot but also forming connections with the staff and showing my face and building relationships with the coaches and staff."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"I got to meet all of the coaches, They really take pride in not letting anyone not showing their face if that makes sense and they really show they care about knowing all of the players and kids who come in and out the facility and program.
The overall message that they were teaching to us is that they care much more about our futures and careers than just football."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"I don’t really have any connections to Tech but i know of one player that used to go to my old high school rival Mason Tharp but other then that I don’t."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"I don’t have any visits as of right not planned but as time goes I will probably have a few soon."
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"We got to eat lunch at the cash. Food was great. Afterwards they took us on a campus tour. Then we sat in the meeting room and they gave us a presentation about what they do at Tech and academics. We got to see the weight room and they gave us a presentation about what their strength program was and also got to see the indoor facility. They gave us a presentation about what Tech is about and about academics. Also went to the weight room and got a presentation about there lifting program and saw the indoor facility. I'd say the highlights of the day were the pictures and meeting with Coach McGuire."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"The coaches that I talked to were Coach McGuire, Coach Blanchard and Coach Hamby. The overall message they gave me was that they want me to go there but they will support any decision I make."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"The only person I know know from Tech is a good friend of mine in high school that is a freshman this year at Tech."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"I currently do not have any other visits scheduled."
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"We walked around the facility visiting their weight room, locker room, practice facilities, etc."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"We mainly talked to Coach Yates who led us through the visit and than talked to the strength and conditioning coaches later."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"No, I don’t know anyone on the team. No players nor coaches personally."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"My next few weeks are free and i do not plan on attending any other visits yet..."
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"After a 9 hour drive we got in and we were met by the coaches. We got on the bus to hit the nutrition center and got down on some great BBQ and visited a few of the facilities around the campus. After this we went back to the meeting grounds and got our measurements, after this we walked around and saw the weight room, indoor facility and more. After this we put on that good looking red and black. The highlight of it all was talking to coach Yates and all the free game he gave us in the meetings."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"All the coaches had great messages but coach McGuire's message to us and all the parents felt very real and how he was talking about how this college stuff works and his energy!!"
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"As of right now I don’t know any players personally but I hope to one day."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"I have Texas A&M next weekend and that’s all."
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"The visit was amazing. Texas Tech is a great place with some of the best facilities and fan base around. I was able to tour the campus and athletic facilities. My main focus was to compete in the HS Classic but I also wanted gain more insight into Texas Tech’s Football and Track programs."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"Me and the coaches weren’t able to connect this go round but I look forward to connecting with them in the near future."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"Wide receiver Jalen McCoslin is a friend of mine and I have heard great things about Texas Tech."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"I will be visiting The University of Oklahoma and The University of Texas in the near future."
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"The visit started off this morning at 11 with every coach coming up to me and personally introducing themselves. Then we got a tour of where players will be eating all their meals and coach McGuire talked to us about the importance in team meals and bonding time with your teammates. After that we went and toured one of the business buildings and the student center then we hopped back on the bus headed back to the facility to be measured and coach McGuire talked to us. They showed us the weight room, indoor, and track. Everything at Tech is just awesome. Finally we finished off with a photo shoot and a meeting with our position coach. My favorite part of it was definitely listening to coach McGuire’s wisdom and the photo shoot."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"The coaches I got to talk to were all of them. They made sure I had met every single one and the greatest thing about it was that they were super genuine. The message I got out of all of them is this place is a family they aren’t going to treat you like they don’t care about you ever."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"I do not have any connections to Tech beside friends that just go to school there and I’ve been a fan all my life."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"I do not have have any upcoming visits planned so far. I am blessed that Tech actually took the time and gave me a chance, but hopefully there are more in the future."
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"As a player my highlight was taking pictures but the thing that stood out to me the most was how massive the campus was and how nice the football training facility was and how they are going to build on top of that already nice facility."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"I probably talked to Kirk Bryant and Joey McGuire the most, the overall message was how we’re going to get taken care of when we are here and how the strong and tough the culture is going to be."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"I had already known Joey McGuire for some time, my dad and coach McGuire have talked from time to time since they both have mutual friends in Texas high school coaching. My dad is my offensive line coach at my high school. And as of knowing players, I know JUCO Cisco transfer James Grando, he used to play at my high school. I also know DE Syncere Massey, he's big friend of mine we used to go to school together, and I also know Landon Hullaby."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"I plan on attending some spring practices but that’s about it."
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"The visit was nice, got to see what Tech was really about. The best part was getting to see the media room and weight room."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"I got to speak with coach Yates and the message was even though you may be good grades are what is most important."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"Yeah, I know players that play there."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"I have no more visits at the moment."
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"I got to meet a lot of the coaches and I learned that all of them care about me no matter how good of a football player I am and it was truly special."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"I got to talk to it seems like every coach. And every single on of them wanted me there and cared a lot of about and felt welcoming for sure."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"My connections to Texas Tech aren’t much but my head coach is very good friends with a lot of the staff as he battled them in HS back in the day as they explained. I also have both my brothers at Texas Tech and my parents met here so I’ve always loved the Texas Tech Red Raiders no matter what the sport is."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"For as of now I do have some visits with other colleges that include football. But nothing compares to Texas Tech and I will always love this program no matter what I do with my future."
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"First coach Yates explained how they will be building a new facility in the upcoming years. He then took us inside the building into the locker-room, then the weight room, then picture room, next the film room, and finally the training room. Highlight of it was seeing all the players and seeing them get work in."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"We mostly stuck with Coach Yates and he expressed an importance on being good in the classroom and also making big plays."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"I do not have any connections to any of the players, however, one of my friends that came along did know one of the players and said hi. My head coach actually made the connection to Coach Perry. Now I have them on Twitter."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"No, I do not, however I am hoping I can make some future visits to some colleges. I'm always open to travel wherever."
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"At todays Texas Tech visit coach Marcel Yates took us around the locker room and football field and I had the honor to meet the strength and conditioning coaches and sit in the team room."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"I got to talk to Coach Yates, the DB coach he was telling us about how grades and staying focused is a huge factor in playing division 1 football."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"My friends parents had a few connections to the school."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"I don’t have any upcoming visits that I know of but I’m open to getting a lot more!"
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"Check in was first then we went to lunch at the Cash Nutrition Center which was super nice. Then we took a tour around campus. Then Coach McGuire talked to us. After that we got to explore the weight room and training room. Next we got to take photos. Lastly, we got talk to our position coach."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"I got to talk to Coach Jones and Coach Hamby mainly but there were many coaches all around that were very welcoming and made the experience awesome. Coach McGuire's speech was very optimistic with everything he was doing within the program. The staff made you feel like you were already apart of the team."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"I do not have any connections with Texas Tech other than some friends that go to school there."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"I currently do not have any upcoming visits right now."
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"The visit was amazing, we got to tour the facility, the campus, talk to each of the coaches, and do a photo shoot at the end. The highlight of the day was probably the photo shoot and meeting coach McGuire."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"I got to talk to just about every coach on the staff, the athletic training staff, the strength staff, and the overall message from the staff to me was that they treat everyone like family, which I love because there is nothing better than a team of brothers."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"No, I do not have any connections to Texas Tech, I just liked the program and wanted to see for myself."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"I do not have any upcoming visits."
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"The visit was very nice, we got to tour the entire campus. The highlights for me were the photoshoot and the atmosphere Texas Tech and its staff had as a whole."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"I got to visit with every coach and the overall message I got was that Tech is a family and very competitive."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"I didn’t have any connections to anyone there but I felt like it was very easy to build relationships with coaches."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"Unfortunately not. Out of any college I’ve been to Tech has by far been my favorite. I could without a doubt see myself playing here in a year."
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"Throughout the visit I got to go on a campus tour, I got to see the weight room, the athletic food center, film rooms and I got to have some one on one talks with my position coaches. The highlight was probably taking pictures."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"I talked to pretty much every coach and the overall message was Texas Tech is a family and their brand of football is hard, strong West Texas football."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"My whole family went to Tech so I’m connected in that way and my cousin goes there right now."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"I do not plan on going to any visits in the next couple of weeks."
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"The visit was amazing! We started off eating lunch at the athletic nutrition center, then we went on a tour of the campus and got to see the new Rawls Business College and the SUB building. After we visiting the campus we went back to the athletic center where coach (Joey) McGuire talked to us, then we had our individual position coach meeting and finished with a photo shoot! The highlights from today were definitely getting to meet all the coaches and the pictures."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"I talked to pretty much all of the coaches but mainly coach (Zarnell) Fitch and coach McGuire. The overall message I would say is once you come to Tech you're part of a family that'll take care of you and love you no matter what."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"My only connection to Tech is that my parents both graduated from Tech!"
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"I do not have any other visit plans currently."
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"It was a really comprehensive visit. We met with academics, strength training and individual meetings. The photo shoot was the highlight of my day because just putting on the Texas Tech gear really hit home."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"First coach I talked to was coach (Joey) McGuire. What a awesome man, his energy is contagious. Then I meet with coach (Stephen) Hamby and coach (Josh) Cochran. The overall message at Tech was protect the family."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"No."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"I will be going to SMU, Tulsa, Houston and Kansas State."
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"It was awesome. We toured the campus and facilities and met most of the coaching staff. Really enjoyed the staff and getting to know them."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"Toured with coach Cochran and spoke with coach McGuire, along with coach Barilow and several other strength coaches. They have lots of momentum and good things are happening down there."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"My cousin just transferred from SMU and I know several others on the team."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"None in the next couple of weeks."
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"Great Visit! Started out with good BBQ for lunch, campus tour, message from coach and academic meeting, football facility tour, photo shoot and then meet with coach Jones. Highlight of the day was the football facility tour and talking to coach McGuire."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"Coach McGuire, coach Fitch, coach Jones, coach Yates, coach Blanchard. Their message was to keep working hard."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"No connections."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"Oklahoma State and UTSA."
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"We started at the training facility were we got our name tags and met all the coaches, every coach made sure they came up to you and your family. From there we went to the Cash where we ate lunch and had some bomb BBQ! After that we toured the campus, making stops at the Rawls business center and the SUB. From there we went back to the training facility were coach McGuire, academics advisors, athletic trainers, and the strength and conditioning had their presentations! From there we went into team meetings where I went to defensive one with one of the greatest defensive line coaches in the nation, coach Zarnell Fitch. To finish the visit we ended with a photo shoot where I wore number 75!"
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"My highlight of the day was eating lunch with coach Fitch. He explained to me and my family what he looked for in a player, background as a coach, and his background of playing in the collegiate and professional league."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"I have no ties to Texas Tech football. I do not know anyone on the team."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"I have no visits coming up."
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"The visit was incredible, we got to see the entire campus and really got an in depth experience of the football life there at Texas Tech. The highlights of the visit had to have been talking to Coach Jones, eating at the Cash, taking recruiting pictures, and learning about the football life of a Texas Tech player."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"I got to talk to Coach Jones about my position on the field (Inside-WR), and how the offense really runs through us. The overall message I would say I got was that here at Texas Tech, the coaches were going to do everything in their power to get us ready for the next level, and win some championships while doing it."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"Currently I do no have any connections that are on the team."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"As of now I do not have any visits for the next few weeks, hopefully I will be able to get back to Texas Tech on an official visit very soon."
Take us through the visit, what did you get to do? What were the highlights of the day for you?
"The visit was great we got to go on a tour and see a lot of cool and useful things."
Which coaches did you get to talk to and what was the overall message from the staff to you?
"I talked to all the coaches and the overall message was they wanted what’s best for us no matter the situation."
Do you have any connections to Texas Tech, know any players on the team, etc?
"No, I don’t know any of the players."
Do you have any other upcoming visit plans the next few weeks?
"So far no, I don’t have any upcoming visits."
