Wonderings: Texas Tech's 2017 JUCO class won't - and can't - be like 2014's

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Bringing up the odd mishmash of an acronym that is JUCO can make many a Red Raider fan shudder, and for good reason.

Ofa Mohetau. Brandon SeSay. Myles Wade. Scott Smith. Leon Mackey. Marcus Kennard. Javon Bell. Dorian Crawford. Tyler Middleton. Andre Ross. Shaq Davis. Dom Robertson. Marcus Smith. Josh Keys. Rika Levi. These are all names of junior college players, many of them highly talented and touted, expected to be major contributors that either never lived up to their potential or flat out didn't make it in Lubbock.

Bluntly: Things have rarely come up roses for Tech in the junior college market over the last decade, and it's entirely understandable that football fans on the South Plains are a hair jaded about JUCO prospects. It's fair.

And the Texas Tech coaching staff joined the ranks of the jaded after the 2014 recruiting class, too. Of the seven JUCO prospects signed in the class, O-lineman Shaq Davis never made it to campus, O-lineman Dom Robertson and safety Josh Keys were encouraged to find other places to take their talents, and defensive linemen Marcus Smith, Brandon Thorpe, Keland McElrath, and Rika Levi were never more than role players, and inconsistent ones at that.

As a result, huge holes on the roster formed, specifically defensively and on the offensive line. Tech paid, and handsomely, for those holes over the last two seasons.

So, like the fans of his program, Kliff Kingsbury put the kibosh on JUCO-heavy classes after the 2014 class disaster. Tech football was just flat out not in a position to take gambles on maybe players in volume at specific positions.

But get ready to hold the phone, as the Red Raiders are going to take roughly a handful of mid-term signees from the junior college ranks to try and fill some gaps in this class.

And I have zero problems with that. So before you go to gnashing, let me explain.

First, let's look at the junior college players Tech's brought on board since that 2014 class. In 2015, they added offensive lineman Paul Stawarz, a player that filled a need for long term depth on the offensive line with three years of eligibility left, and cornerback Paul Banks, a prospect that defensive coordinator David Gibbs and linebackers coach Zac Spavital had recruited out of high school and were very familiar with.

In the last class, Tech took outside receiver Derrick Willies, a player who transferred from Iowa simply to find a better fit, inside receiver DaQuan Bowman, a guy with three years to play two they were able to redshirt and let develop this season, and defensive tackle Mych Thomas, a prospect that outside receivers coach Emmett Jones knew from his time at Dallas Skyline.

Unlike many JUCO signees of the past, all of those players had one of several things in common: They had previous connections to coaches currently on staff, they had more than two years to develop, or they simply transferred from an other school to find a new opportunity. Not a single one was a wild card with a short window, which is the usual recipe for disaster when it comes to JUCO prospects. And so far, Stawarz was a starter at guard most of the season, Thomas was a key backup, and Willies and Banks have been solid pieces with upside when healthy.

Now, look at Tech's current junior college commitments for 2017. Quarterback McLane Carter is a prospect Kingsbury offered a preferred walk-on spot out of high school. Running backs coach DeShaun Foster recruited tailback commit Tyree Range out of high school in California. Cornerbacks coach Karl Scott was recommended safety commit Vaughnte Dorsey by someone he coached with that happens to coach Dorsey now.

None of them are short window wild cards, and as a result, you're cutting down on the volatility that comes with the territory that is junior college recruiting.

Add to that the fact that David Gibbs and his defensive staff are about as thorough as it comes when vetting prospects on the field, and your risks for misses with other takes from the JUCO ranks on that side of the ball go down, too.

And unlike The 2014 class, Tech isn't mortgaging the future here. They're simply taking one player at a few different position groups to help fill a few gaps, specifically at safety, quarterback, running back, safety, linebacker, and possibly a pass rusher.

Taking one player at each of those positions isn't betting the farm, especially considering the huge high school numbers Tech took on the defensive side of the ball last fall and will continue to take this year, specifically in the secondary this class and front seven last class.

Still not convinced? I want you to guess how many transfers, junior college or otherwise, that Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, and Kansas State currently have on their roster. Keep in mind these are the four teams that finished in the top four in the Big 12 this fall. So you probably estimated anywhere from 5 to 10 or 12 or so, just like me.

Now that we've all taken a big fat L, let's look at the real numbers:

Big 12 champion Oklahoma? 21 of them, including Heisman finalist DeDe Westbrook.

How about second place Oklahoma State? 23, including disruptive defensive tackle DeQuinton Osborne and linebacker Jordan Burton who was AP first team All-Big 12 last year.

10-2 West Virginia? 23 as well, with starting QB Skyler Howard, starting tailback Justin Crawford, and AP All-Big 12 corner Rasul Douglas.

And fourth place K-State? 22, with cornerback D.J. Reed being AP All-Big 12 corner, starting offensive linemen Abdul Beecham and Terrale Johnson, and leading receiver Byron Pringle.

All four had solid to great seasons, and all four have shown that you do more than dabble in the JUCO and transfer market and find success.

There's a right way to go about it, and I believe Texas Tech will for the 2017 class.

-The NBA is the best it's been top to bottom in years, and much of that is thanks to it's growing middle class, as Kevin O'Conner of the Ringer points out. This is also my pleasant distraction from the crippling depression of reality that is being a Mavs fan watching Dirk's career end with a whimper. YAY SPORTS.

-Like fun facts? Are you a raging history or geography nerd like myself? Well, you're in luck today, my friends.

-Unless you've been living under a bridge or in the pokey, you've likely heard about this little old Star Wars film called Rogue One coming out in less than two weeks. The first 30 minutes of it have been screened for a number of critics already, and as The Verge points out, the film likely will be the swing Star Wars' future into success or failure.

-If coffee is for closers only, Tim Tadlock's got the biggest pot brewing on the block, as Texas Tech baseball just signed their fourth consecutive top 25 class.

-This week in Florida Man: Drunk Florida Man calls 911 after he's denied tacos, something I think we call sympathize with.

Ah bowl season. That magical time of year where four teams play games that actually matter while 76 others get a free trip to destinations of wildly varying levels of satisfaction or the lack thereof. So, if I were a college football player, which bowl games would I like to participate in, and why? Here's my top five in this week's edition of power rankings.

5. The Alamo Bowl - Hey, there are lots of worse places (Montgomery, Alabama, for example) to spend a bowl trip than San Antonio, especially because the Alamodome is a fun place to play and it's almost always a barn burner of a game since it's Pac-12 vs. Big 12. Also, you get an Apple Watch and a $110 Best Buy gift card in the bowl suite. Yup, sign me up.

4. The Holiday Bowl - San Diego in late December? Uh, yessir. Also, the Holiday Bowl usually treats the teams and media right, so I'm all down to clown on the West Coast for a few days in one of the best cities in the country.

3. The Bahamas Bowl - It's in the Bahamas. Also, it's sponsored by Popeye's, one of the greatest American treasures of our time. Cajun fried chicken and the beach? That's both the best and worst combination you could ask for.

2. The Sugar Bowl - Being in the Sugar Bowl is a win-win scenario. Trying to win the game and have a fun week? Check. You and your coaches don't give a flying rip about the game and want to go on a bender? Hey, you still get a fun week. The beauty of New Orleans, my friends.

1. The Rose Bowl - It's the Master's of college football. Of all the non-playoff games you could actually play in, this is really the only one that still has some real reverence and meaning to it. It's our most sacred bowl game. Plus, you're in LA and you'll undoubtedly get treated like a king by the Bowl reps. Easily number one.