How is Texas Tech Out-Recruiting Texas? Inside Tech’s Plan to Build a Big 12 Superpower

Follow Chris Level at Locked On Texas Tech: https://www.youtube.com/@UCPkBv_tzDQTqWM0rp5Ac7-g 

Chris Level of Locked On Texas Tech joins the show to break down how Joey McGuire and the Red Raiders are positioning themselves for long-term success in the new Big 12. We discuss the Brendan Sorsby uncertainty, Will Hammond’s injury timeline, how Texas Tech may have to adjust offensively, and why the Red Raiders still have the roster pieces to compete at the top of the conference.

Then we get into the bigger story: Texas Tech’s high school recruiting surge. The Red Raiders are landing elite talent in the state of Texas, beating out programs like Texas and Oregon, and entering recruiting battles they rarely won in the past. Is Texas Tech becoming the new power player in Texas recruiting? And is this the foundation for Big 12 dominance moving forward?

Chris explains why this class is uncharted territory for Texas Tech, how the Red Raiders have changed their roster-building strategy, and why the rest of the state may be taking notice.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back. It is open for business. I'm John Kurtz, joined now by the host of Locked On, Texas Tech, among many other things. Texas Tech Radio Network. You hear them all over that. It's Chris Level joining me here to uh to talk about the Red Raiders, which first of all I appreciate it, Chris, taking the time to join me. It's a lot going on uh in in Lubbock these days. Part of the reason I want to bring you on is because uh tech continues to just kill it on the high school recruiting front. And I feel like that's an area most people are not talking about enough with everything that's happening at Texas Tech right now. But you know, we were just kicking this around off air. Like how how hectic has everything been in your world and around Lubbock since the uh Brendan Soresby news broke a couple of weeks ago.

SPEAKER_01 0:40

Well, John, thanks for having me on. I appreciate it. Appreciate the the work that you do and and all those things. Um yeah, it's it's uh it's been an interesting dynamic in the last couple weeks. Um, I think you felt like you were either the or or clearly one of the Big 12 favorites trying to defend a conference championship from a year ago, and you'd answered most of the questions that you needed to answer in the portal and with recruiting and all the things. You felt good about your roster. And the biggest question obviously was okay, once Will Hammond went down last year, and you know, and and Barron playing injured last year, and then you just had the Orange Bull experience where you just offense just it just wasn't it wasn't what it needed to be on that kind of stage when you're that far along against that kind of competition, and so you you felt like you had a uh an answer in Brendan Soresby that was it minimum, he was just gonna be good. Now he could have been really good, he could have been exceptional, and all of that, and now you're you're just not sure what you're looking at right now. Um and so yeah, it's uh it's caused uh a lot of confusion. Uh I I was joking with you. I feel like that everybody around here is is we're not, and I'm not a legal expert, uh, right, and all these things, and NCAA rules expert and all that, but uh and then uh an ACL recovery expert uh with uh with Will Hammond, uh, because it's like these stories are running, you know, uh side by side, and it's like one led to the other. And but Will Hammond's injury is the whole reason why we're sitting here talking about Brendan Sorsby to begin with, because I don't think if if Will Hammond doesn't get hurt, then he would have been the quarterback and away you go. But uh but because he got hurt, Brendan Sorsby is somebody that they went after, and so I don't know what we're looking at. I don't know when we're gonna get an answer, but you're right, it's kind of changed the dynamic of the league race, certainly at this point, looking ahead to uh the upcoming fall.

SPEAKER_00 2:44

I I'm glad to hear you say that about Will Hammond, actually, because you know, I mean, I I I went all in on Hammond after I saw him torch Utah at the the end of that game last year when he gets thrown into action there and just I mean was great 200 plus total yards, three incompletions, three touchdowns, like or a couple of touchdowns anyway. I mean, he he looked awesome and it looked to me like a guy that has a really high ceiling. So you think like Texas Tech believes enough in Hammond that had he been healthy, he he is capable of being that guy.

SPEAKER_01 3:13

And he will be uh I I feel good in saying he'll be a multi-year starter here, would would be the plane. Yeah. So that um yeah, that this will be his team uh for the foreseeable future. And they've obviously got some guys uh behind him that I think that they think they think are really good. But Will Hammond is everything you would ever want about a student athlete. You know, typically quarterbacks are wired differently, they're old souls, uh, they're they're processors, they are leaders, they are he's every bit of that. And had he not gone down with just a fluke kind of cut on that turf field, I mean, again, we're we're not Brendan Soresby's issues or somebody else's problem right now, um, whether that have been Miami or Tennessee or LSU or wherever he would have ended up, but you wouldn't have you wouldn't have gone the route of bringing in a quarterback via the portal to start, because they did bring in one as kind of an insurance policy in Kirk Francis. And obviously that insurance policy may be about to be cashed in uh because I think uh he could be uh he could be in line to start game one. We just don't know yet.

SPEAKER_00 4:22

To me, my thought on Texas Tech coming into the year was I mean, you know, last year's defense, that was not just a good defense, that was a like historically good defense that Texas Tech had. So my thought was all right, so the plan I would think is offense gets two orders of magnitude better to offset the defense taking like a one order of magnitude step back. And now with the quarterback thing, obviously that's in flux. But I mean, do you think that's a pretty fair characterization of what the idea was going to be for tech this year?

SPEAKER_01 4:53

I think you're you're right on. Um, I think the offense probably was going to be better than the defense this year, and and it it's it's impossible to think that your defense could be as good as last year just because, as you mentioned, the word historic, and that's true. Um, and I also don't think they have the number two pick in the draft uh on their team, much less on on defense. But their defense is still going to be very good. And like from Texas Tech standards, it could still be one of the best anybody's seen around here in a long time. And you factor that with who they will have to go against, or maybe better yet, who they don't have to go against in the Big 12 race. Um they could be as good, if not better, in stopping the run. I just they they won't have the dynamic pass rush. It will have to come from some different, but I I do think to your point, I think that they had red zone issues last year. Brendan Soresby would have solved some of that just simply because he can run it. And that's the that Barron just really he couldn't do it. He had a broken bone in his leg uh after the opener last year and then played with it all and and and it just that wasn't a component of what you could dial up, uh go go unscripted, if you will. Um but uh but they they should be in a position to do ultimately what Joey McGuire wants to do here is he wants to run the ball and play defense. And yeah, they're gonna throw it, but it's not like it was when Mike was here, and um even when you know David Yost was the OC or some of the some of the things that you've had in the past, uh that they they they were gonna be built to run the football this year, and they still are, and they may just have to lean on that a bit more than than anybody would have thought to acclimate whatever the quarterback situation would be. Um, and we're just not sure what that's gonna look like. But their their offensive line brought bring back three starters, one of the portal guys from two years ago in Hunter Zembrano, which was one of the top uh offensive linemen in the portal two years ago, redshirted last year because of an injury, and now he's back. And then one of the unheralded uh additions in this past portal class was a kid named Jordan Church, who was one of the best run blockers in the portal. Those should be the two starting guards, Zembrano and Church. So those are the two non-starters, but they both started or have started plenty of college games. So that that group is just built to lean on people. And you get Cam Dickey and Jacoby Williams uh uh back, and then Quentin Joyner, who was uh maybe one of the highlights of their class from two years ago, is so three kind of starting type running backs. So that's not to be long-winded, but that's kind of what I think they will be leaning on as they try to maneuver their way through whatever quarterback issues they may have.

SPEAKER_00 7:46

You know, I guess I really should have followed up on this earlier with the Hammond discussion, but I do you feel like there's a chance he can be back for week one? I mean, it seems like there's been a little more increased optimism on that. Like what where do you where are you at on that?

SPEAKER_01 7:57

Yeah, I mean, uh nobody ultimately knows. I don't, I just think that's wishful thinking. I think that while I can't rule that out, I think that that's more of a oh late September, early October time frame. Um, and and again, back on the being an ACL recovery expert, right? We all know this. Every injury is different, every player is different with the rehab, and it depends on what position you're playing and all the things, but they're not gonna put him out there unless he's ready. And and and can do because the thing about Will, what makes him so good is his ability to extend plays and run the ball, and like they're just not gonna put him out there unless he's ready to do that, in my opinion. Um, so I I I think that I I would I would hesitate to try to nail down look, he's ahead of schedule. That's what's been reported. We we know this. But you know, when are you cleared versus when are you good to go to actually play in a meaningful football game is those are different things. But I do think it is very realistic that he could be, you know, could he play in that Houston game? Could he play in the the week after or the week, you know, like again, late September, early October. I think that that is realistic. I just think week one is very optimistic. So I I think that for the first two to four games, this is a Kirk Francis, Lloyd Jones quarterback combo that uh will be taking the field, and we'll see kind of what comes from that.

SPEAKER_00 9:32

Well, we talk so much about obviously the quarterbacks and then the portal class for good reason, right? I mean, top five basically consensus portal classes each of the last two years. But man, if you're not paying attention to what's going on in the high school recruiting front, I mean that that to me is what's really impressive, also about what Texas Tech is doing right now, and I think it's smart, you know. I mean, there's so much more of an emphasis on the portal now, you can probably even get a discount on some guys in the high school ranks because there's not quite as much emphasis on it. Maybe that's more true in basketball than football, but just take me through. I mean, six of the top 20, depending on where you're looking. I think on three, you'd you'd have six of the top 20 players in the state of Texas right now committed to tech at this point. Another one that you added yesterday in in Julian Caldwell, like how unprecedented is what Texas Tech is doing right now, at least for tech, but maybe overall in the state of Texas right now.

SPEAKER_01 10:25

Yeah, uh uncharted territory as far as like uh having what the number two class in the country right now, and just like and again, it it's I don't think this is gonna be a big recruiting class, but like the quality, if they have chosen correctly, if it if they've identified correctly on some of the guys they're bringing in here, these are these are players that uh are, I mean, I think you mentioned it, I mean, these are some of the top players in the country. Um, five out of the top 100. I mean, you know, so this is, you know, and and it's it's certain positions, it's I mean, Joey often says, if if we're gonna pay big dollars, pay for big people. Well, but this high school class has spilled over into offensive skill, quarterback, a running back, two wide outs uh that are all I mean, you you're beating out. I mean, like Julian Caldwell, he just mentioned from Argyle. I mean, you know, this it was Texas and Oregon. His parents went to Texas, and I can't tell you how many times in the years I've been doing this where you had a player that was really good, his parents say went to Texas Tech, and you're like, oh, we got an in there, and then he ends up going to uh going to Texas, you know. So this was just this is opposite, but um yeah, I think I think they've changed their philosophy a bit in that it kind of started with Felix Ojo a year ago, in that if they can find the right high school prospect that the high-end one uh the the the the big time blue chip, they would rather invest in that and then get them three years, even though you may be younger, than trying to pay for a a big ticket item out in the portal. Okay. Um so but but yeah, they're they're they're doing well here. Now you got to hang on to them. Uh, but it's it's the it's the defensive line, though, that were what should really show up. Jalen Brewster, and there's a couple of defensive ends, and you know that that's just where I think they feel like if you are really good there, it just makes your entire football team that much better. But to your point, this is kind of spilled over into a lot of the offensive skill positions as well.

SPEAKER_00 12:27

How's how's it being taken by the other Texas schools right now? Like how much does tech really upset the Apple cart with the the high school recruiting there?

SPEAKER_01 12:35

Well, I I think uh I think there's there's some chatter. Uh, they won't be able to hold on to him or secure the the signature and you won't get them in the school, or or hey, that we didn't want that guy, or or they're not uh we we like this other guy better, you know, because I mean there's there's uh there's other good receivers in this state or in the country, and and it's just all about how you've chosen here. But it's pretty clear that you, yeah, you're you're entering into uh uh a chat that you previously weren't in, and it it's you're not necessarily welcomed. And you know, I I've uh it's that's been fascinating because any one of these guys, you know, your Jalen Brewster's, your Cave on Bryants, your Julian Caldwell's, um, you know, Benny Easter, man, there's there's a bunch of names that any one of these guys would have been arguably the top player in any recruiting class over the last 20 to 25 years, and now they're all part of the same class. Um, and that's just uh that's some uncharted territory. But yeah, because a lot of these guys are in state, it you know, uh the Longhorns and Aggies and whoever else, it's it's uh it's a different time that we're in. But again, we'll see if you can hold on to them all. And I think I think you'll probably be able to, yes.

SPEAKER_00 13:48

Yeah, it's a challenge for sure.

SPEAKER_01 13:49

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 13:50

Going back, I mean, there's been a lot going on this offseason, right? It wasn't that long ago we had Cody Campbell and Bret Yormark going back and forth over the Houston game, which is now gonna be on a Friday, right? TCU's uh, you know, you got the Thanksgiving game going on there. Is there still some some animosity? Like how much how much is that is that lingering between I I guess I say Texas Tech in the Big 12, but Cody Campbell, Texas Tech, it's so hard to decipher what the fans feel versus what Cody Campbell feels versus what Texas Tech's coaching staff and administration feels. Like can you can you break that down for me, what the relationship's like with the Big 12?

SPEAKER_01 14:25

Yeah, I mean, I I uh I think uh I think Cody uh had had he he was I think I don't want to put words in his mouth. I've known Cody a long time since he was a player here, and I I I I would surmise that he was frustrated like a lot of people in that you're gonna have to make a choice on a Friday night if you're a parent of a high school football player. And I think he was coming from it coming at it from a parent's perspective if if as much as anything. Um and and we can make the argument, I know you probably have, where in that game on a Saturday could have been big noon. Why are we not pushing for that? Why couldn't it, why couldn't we have showcased it on a on a Saturday compared to what the rest of the schedule was going to be? But again, the flip side is every school in this conference agreed to all these non-Saturday games and everybody's gonna be a part of it and and and all that. So it just happened to be when when you uh when it was your number to get called uh for that one. But you ask about animosity. I mean, they were they were sitting next to each other at the White House, what, like a week before or two weeks before? I genuinely think that there is a friendship there, uh a trust there. Uh I think each appreciates the other. There is no real animosity. I think it just got a bit spicy. And if anything, maybe they had a good laugh over it because uh um you know that there were there was some commentary sent back and forth with obviously Cody's Twitter account and then what the Big 12 Office release, but I don't think that there's any any true uh frustration or animosity. Just voicing their displeasure maybe is the best way to phrase that.

SPEAKER_00 16:06

Yeah, and I mean for me, some of the stuff with the fans, I feel like goes back to the tortilla stuff, even right? Yeah, there's just been a lot that's that's happened like over the last year, and tech's dealing with the new reality, right, of being the big dog. And that's that's ruffled some feathers clearly with with everybody in the conference. This is just me observing the environment that I see online, right? Which is not always real life, but that's it just feels like everyone's dealing with new roles here. Texas Tech has not been in this position and now emphatically is there within the the span of like 365 days.

SPEAKER_01 16:41

Yeah, and and I I think uh I think that you used to in the in the in the previous version of the Big 12, everybody that was in the league was looking at Texas mainly and and Oklahoma to a certain extent, saying they get whatever they want, um that they they get special well, whether that was true or perceived, whatever. Um and so I think there's some perception that maybe tech is getting that. I don't BYU maybe get I don't who knows. Um and this was a case where you didn't you didn't exactly get what you wanted. You know, like you you you you didn't. Uh and so but it it's it's uh it makes for for people like us that are talking about this stuff when when when the chairman of the board of regents goes after the commissioner publicly, it it it it it's entertaining, if anything. But like Cody's on so many of those committees, President Skuvenic is on so many of those committees, um Dusty Womble is on so many of the committees that are subcommittees that kind of help run the league and advise Commissioner Yormark and all that. And each each whether it be the league or Texas Tech specifically, the success of each is kind of intertwined, and you have every reason to try to do what's best for your own entity, and in some ways that's the same thing, but it it just I guess you got to this route on playing on a Friday night, maybe just not the way that um you know that that Cody would have preferred. But yeah, I I I think it it is a new role that you're trying to and it and it's I don't know, it's a bit awkward in in a way. You know, this is not this is this has all happened for you. I feel like you skipped some steps. Yeah, you you know, uh, but but I don't think you're going anywhere, um, especially football, and I think men's basketball is kind of where the the focus is and softball to a certain extent, but I think you're you're understanding that there's a next wave coming, a next realignment coming, next something coming, and you're trying to put your best foot forward and and uh make yourself as relevant as possible if things were to go sideways or or make the Big 12 as good as you can. I mean, what however you want to phrase that, but um yeah, certainly spicy times uh when you've got people calling out uh the commissioner on uh and and he's having to answer uh because there's certain people that call him out and you know he's not you know he doesn't need feel the need to have to respond, but he he did in kind uh with that one.

SPEAKER_00 19:13

We started a second ago there to go where I was gonna go next, which is like I mean, I see people saying, like, oh, you know, Texas Tech, you know, just wants to be in the SEC or the Big Ten or whatever. And I'm like, well, look, I mean, everybody does, first of all. And second of all, tech is obviously trying to position itself best for whatever's next. It might be a super league, it might be something totally different, we don't really know. What do you see like what what in Lubbock is the expectation for for what's what's gonna come next? What's the ultimate aspirational goal for tech right now with everything that's happening?

SPEAKER_01 19:43

Yeah, John, I think it's a great question. I think I think that there's and and you know this, um, because you you've been around this league for a bit, but that there's some PTSD from say four or five years ago when you weren't weren't sure you you're about to be lumped into a league with New Mexico and New Mexico State, and you know, I mean what you know fill in the blank. I mean, the the some version of the Mountain West or whatever, you just weren't real sure what was going to happen. The hateful eight, if you will, were like uh, you know, and and and now what we we all know something is likely to change in the next three to five years with the new media, all the media rights deals coming up. Anyone that would would suggest they know exactly what will happen, I just I wouldn't buy into that. I think that you are simply trying to make sure that this is largely a football conversation. It always was all the realignment stuff. I love basketball, I love some of these other sports that that we support and and are entertained by, but this is a football conversation. And football around here for a decade was not very good. And and they just made the conscious decision, okay, these are the rules, and we we we just are not too far removed from not even being sure what league we were going to be in. We have got to ensure that this football program can put its best foot forward and it's got to compete nationally, and that's where so much of the focus and the resources uh and and the people in place, that's why they they're willing to uh you know pay James Blanchard to stay here and to pay coordinators well into the millions of dollars. This is not really the case around here many times. And they they wanted to invest in structure, you know, like$250 million on a South End zone. Whatever comes into play, but that that's with that in mind. And I don't think they know, I don't think anybody's sitting around wanting to be in the SEC or the Big Ten is as much as it is if something shakes and there's uh uh some people get relegated that you're you're you're on the right side of that, whatever that may look like. But I think that they're very pro Big 12 here and would be hoping that the everybody around the Big 12, like the rising tide.

SPEAKER_00 22:25

But I I was a little surprised to see that included in that, and I believe Cody Campbell is is on that. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a part of that was that there would be like really strict no-cap circumvention, which more or less would be like you have a salary cap. And it was for coaches and players, by the way, which is very interesting. Now I have no idea if any of that could ever hold up, if you know legally how that would all work, but is that like what what does that do to Texas Tech? I guess my surprise there is like I would have figured Cody Campbell would be fighting against that, right? If you're Texas Tech right now, you don't want you want to be able to circumvent the cap, and everybody is. Um, but that that's one of the big things that tech is is taking advantage of right now. I guess your reaction to seeing that within the last week.

SPEAKER_01 23:08

Yeah, well one, I think you're right. I I don't know how much of that will ever hold up um unless you we can get into unions and you know the the whole the whole dynamic of collective bargaining and all those kinds of things, um, and the employee and non-employee status, all that stuff. Because yeah, the NFL does it well, but they've they've got you know that they they they handle their business a bit differently. Yeah. Um I I I think Cody comes at it from a I think they're willing to do this until that you figure out the next round of whatever's gonna happen. I don't know if everybody even around here is just saying, yeah, let's just spend as much money as we can for forever. I don't know if if everybody's like that this is a look, they're willing to to play ball. I think that they have some of them individually have put their money where their mouths is, it's not just Cody. Um, but you get the you get the donor fatigue thing coming into play, and people just look at it and go, this is not sustainable, you know, and so I think that's where their heart is coming from on something like that or their opinion. Because uh I'll even say that like there's a lot of reports out there about basketball roster costs, and I don't think Texas Tech is gonna be in the top 20 or 30 of that. I think they're gonna have a very competitive team and all that, but they're not they're not breaking the bank at all. They're just you know, I'm not saying they're putting their foot down or anything, but that they just the costs have grown, and I think they're they're maybe more willing to like dump money into football right now, as opposed to let's keep up with the growing cost of basketball. So there's a limit on all this stuff. Um, but I think that's where Cody and company would be coming from with that opinion. But again, I I think to your point, I don't I doubt that that will ever hold up.

SPEAKER_00 25:02

Well, very interesting because I think someone needs to save everybody from themselves. That's exactly with all the spending, whether you're Texas Tech or your Michigan and Larry Ellison, I mean whoever it is, right? So uh good stuff. Hey, Chris, I really appreciate you taking the time to join me. You guys go make sure you follow locked on uh Texas Tech. Anything else that that you want to promote, Chris, while I have you here?

SPEAKER_01 25:23

No, man, I I appreciate you having me on. Um, but yeah, we'll uh we'll try to keep things busy in uh Lubbock, Texas, uh, because uh that hasn't been a uh a uh a quiet off season for sure. So I'm not sure what uh is around the corner, but uh we'll uh we'll keep cussing and discussing just like you will, I'm sure. So um, but yeah, appreciate you having me on and uh we'll talk next time.