Vasher continues the Rider legacy at Tech

Six years ago, Texas Tech fans learned about Wichita Falls (Texas) Rider four-star wide receiver Eric Ward. Few realized just how good he'd be on the football field at that point, though. He became one of the few elite pass catchers in Red Raider history, and now he's returned to his alma mater, coaching the very position he played.

Things have come full circle with Ward both on and off the field, as Wichita Falls Rider receiver T.J. Vasher - who is coached by Ward - has decided to follow in the elder wideout's footsteps by committing to Texas Tech on Friday night.

The former Red Raider great is excited that Vasher has decided to don the red and black at the next level, but it's still a bit strange, as he remembers the six-foot-five receiver around the Rider football program as a youngster.

"That's exciting for him man, and it's actually exciting for me to get to coach him. It's weird to tell you the truth, cause I remember when he was a little kid, drying off the footballs and handing them to the referees. He's the type of kid that always wanted your gloves after the game, and now I'm his coach. He's going to go to the same school, my alma mater, and he's going to do good things there. So I'm excited for him."

As his coach, Ward has certainly built a strong relationship with Vasher, stronger than most coaches because of their bond from the past and relative closeness in age. The former Tech X receiver thinks highly of his player, too.

"I think highly of him as his coach, and we're more like friends. It's like big brother, little brother since I'm not too much older than him. I'm actually coaching him with fresh skills that he can go out there and use. He already has the intangibles, but I think what I can teach him will make him that much better as a player."

So, what are the Red Raiders getting in Vasher?

"He's the type of guy that can stretch the field in the vertical game, but personally I always tell him that no one can stop you but yourself, and I want to make it that much more present to him so that he can get in the habit," said Ward. "He's already making it a habit, so I want him to get that killer instinct to where no one is going to stop him. I want him to get that confidence to where he's never going to be stopped, because he's going to be more physical than them. He's already six-five, and he's still young, and I'm not even sure he's done growing, so I'm just teaching him what's going to correlate to the college level."

Being that Ward played under Kliff Kingsbury and the current staff at Tech, he knows a thing or two about the current state of the program, letting Vasher know what to expect from his future coaching staff.

"I just told him that they were genuine guys that I enjoyed playing under them. They were straightforward, and they're going to teach you what you need to know to be successful in that offense. They're also going to teach you life skills to be a person as a grown man after college. They stress the importance of education so you can have a career. They want you to be more than just an athlete. They want you to be a good person that can have goals after football."

And since Ward gets to see the rangy, long wideout on a daily basis, he obviously has a pretty good idea of the type of football player Vasher can be at the next level. And according to the former physical Red Raider, the youngster should be a good one.

"I think he can be as good as he sets his mind to be, and he has a great mindset, is highly coachable, so I would say that the sky is the limit for that kid. That's him in a nutshell. He trusts me, and he knows that I want him to be successful. He trusts in the process, and he works hard at what he does, and he's an exceptional basketball player, and that's going to correlate over to the football field as well. Ball control, body position, all that stuff, he already has it. The main thing he needs to work on is getting that killer instinct, and then he'll be alright."

Overall, Ward is simply thrilled for Vasher and can't wait to see him run up and down the field at Jones AT&T Stadium on Saturdays down the road.

"I'm very excited for him, and I'm very anxious to see how he goes out there and just uses his skills I've taught him, how he's going to take the things and skills I've taught him and convert him to his own and be successful with it. I'm anxious to see how it's going to pan out."