I figured that since I had done profiles on the other two preferred walk-ons (OL Connor Grooms and FB Michael Pearson) that I should go ahead and prepare one for Nero as well. Last week, I ran across this note in the Abilene Reporter about how Cisco RB Jamal Nero would be a preferred walk-on at Texas Tech and for a preferred walk-on, this isn't a bad get.

I'm not thinking that this is going to be a huge deal, but I do think that this is a fairly talented player that has had some injuries issues, but because of those injuries, this may have cost Nero an opportunity at a four year university. First things first, I thought I'd shed a little bit about Nero's history. Nero was named 1st team all district in 4-5A in 2008, which would have been Nero's senior year. As you'll note in his Rivals profile which is from high school (as is his ESPN profile), his statistics don't jump off the page, a bit over 1,000 yards as a junior and a bit under 1,000 yards as a senior.

He was interested in a handful of schools, but you would think that he'd get some sort of scholarship offer, but that never happened. I think I've been doing this long enough to know that if a player is reasonably talented, but doesn't get an offer from a school, the problem is most likely grades. Really, really bad grades. The other one interesting note was that Nero was included in the recruiting pamphlet provided by recruiting guru Will Lyles. I don't think this means anything other than Nero was included in a pamphlet.

The Player Speaks

I haven't been able to find anything, so you're out of luck.

Scouting Report

Nero's highlight film (you can also watch him in high school) doesn't necessarily stand out to me. He's okay. Not great, just not a lot of shake in the bake if you know what I mean. He's fine catching the ball out of the backfield and he looks fluid doing that. He can be a hard runner and I do like his size. I did find this bit from December from JCFootball, which had this about Nero, which includes an injury in 2010 and that it has taken him some time to get back:

RB Jamal Nero - "Through five games when he was a freshman back in 2010, he was leading the nation in rushing, but then he injured his knee and he was out for the rest of the year. He still had a great year, but there were times when you could see he wasn't fully back to 100% health and that is probably why some teams haven't offered him yet. I know that the Texas Tech coaches have talked to him and there are a few other schools looking at him, but he can move on right now and we want to find him a place where he can help someone out right away."

I've got two different clips in his profile, but the 2nd clip is from Nero's Hudl profile and much better video. If you're going to watch it, then that's where I would go.

Nero averaged about 75 yards rushing a game on only 16 carries and he essentially did this two years in a row. He led Cisco in rushing and there really wasn't any other competition while he was at Cisco. If Nero did have grade issues, then I'm glad that he took advantage of an opportunity to work on his grades at Cisco and then get an opportunity at Texas Tech, where there will be an opportunity to get some carries this spring.

Jamal, welcome to Texas Tech and Git Your Guns Up!

This is most likely the last 2012 Texas Tech football recruiting post. The rest of the winter and summer months will focus on spring practice, which will start later this month and the Red vs. Black Spring Game. I haven't mentioned each and every player, but I've done that in each profile that I've done. You can find the 2012 football recruiting page here and keep in mind that DTN has a section that was solely devoted to the 2012 class.

Handling It the Right Way

It's always nice when players don't flip on National Signing Day and for Texas Tech, they had a pleasant surprise in ATH Casey Gladney flipping from Alabama to Texas Tech, but I very much preferred the way that things happened at Texas Tech for the most part. Texas Tech did lose three commits, but it happened earlier in the year and there were concerns as to whether or not this would cause the class to fall apart. Halapoulivaati Vaitai flipped to TCU, Christian Okafor flipped to California and Marcus Johnson flipped to Texas, but it all happened in December and I'm thankful that it happened this way.

I appreciate the fact that these players decided what was best for them, even if it wasn't with Texas Tech, well before National Signing Day. It allows the staff to use that scholarship on another player and it also allows the staff to not just hand out a scholarship on NSD when a player flips at the last minute. It allows all parties to recover. It also means that Okafor, Vaitai and Johnson weren't about creating some sort of NSD drama and I appreciate that they were mature enough to give the staff notice of their de-commitment.

This is the way it should be and NSD shouldn't be full of drama.

Size at Cornerback

I mentioned this in Casey Gladney's recruiting profile, which is the thought that I like having 6-1/180 sized cornerbacks with the speed combination as there weren't really any of those types of cornerbacks on the roster. Tre' Porter is the only cornerback currently on the roster over 6-0 and that's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, if you take a look at the two JUCO cornerbacks, they're both under 6-0 and they're going to be expected to play right now. Olaoluwa Falemi is 5-11 and Bruce Jones is 5-9, but at the very least they have experience on their side. With Thierry Nguema (6-0/175), La'Darius Newbold (6-1/180) and most likely Casey Gladney (6-1/180) you have three good-sized cornerbacks that should help in going against some of the bigger receivers in the conference.

I was actually concerned prior to signing day about the overall lack of depth at defensive back considering how much this team struggled defending the pass and now there are some options. I'm not necessarily expecting Nguema, Newbold or Gladney to start or even play this year and Tuberville commented about Gladney that he has the measurables to play immediately and I think that's true of Newbold and Nguema. They all probably lack a bit of technique to play right away, which is why the staff signed Jones and Falemi. They're the ones that are most likely going to get immediate playing time.

I'd also add that I thought that the defensive back situation was fairly loaded and there were a lot of returning players that we haven't even see the field. I think I really liked what I saw with Cornelius Douglas and Happiness Osunde, but just about everyone else struggled, including Porter, who seemed disinterested more times than not. Cornerback is a position of need.

Shoring Up At Least One Linebacker

Another dismal part of the 2011 defense was the linebackers. There were bright spots as Sam Eugovoen and Blake Dees both saw time last year, but they were true freshmen and I think they were overwhelmed. With a year of conditioning, I think that will help tremendously, but they weren't ready. It didn't help that the defensive line wasn't taking care of their job, but either way, Dees and Eugovoen weren't ready. Cqulin Hubert and Daniel Cobb were incredibly hit or miss. There was little consistency to what they offered on the field.

With a guy like Will Smith I think Texas Tech is getting a three-down linebacker, a guy that shouldn't have to come off the field. Smith was part of an excellent linebacker trio (one linebacker signed with Nebraska and the other signed with Baylor) in the JUCO ranks, but he offers good size and good speed according to his film.

Chris Payne offers a hybrid type of player, but that was understandable considering his size. Payne is obviously undersized, but he produces and I think it's a tough thing to say that a player has a certain intangible, but this is a situation where Payne did produce on the JUCO level and he excelled. I don't know that Payne starts, but he'll play because I think he'll be needed for third downs because he offers some range, size and speed that I don't think that other players on this team offers.

So much more after the jump.

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RECRUITING ON THE HIGH PLAINS Measurables MICHAEL PEARSON Position: FB Ht: 5'11" | Wt: 255 lbs | Forty: 4.70 JUCO: Pierce C.C. (Woodland Hills, CA) DTN Profile Video: Clip 1 Rivals | Scout N/A | ESPN | 24/7 Sports N/A Cumulative Ranking: INC Rankings Rivals | , 5.3 Rivals Rating Scout | N/R ESPN | N/R 24/7 Sports | N/R

This is an interesting pick-up, especially for a team that lacks a true fullback, other than Omar Ontiveros, who I thought did a pretty good job when asked to play. As you'll note from the scouting report and the video below, I'm pretty sure that the height and weight listed are accurate, which means that he's an absolute ton of bricks and seeing his special teams play, that's an accurate statement.

This isn't a need, and given the fact that Pearson is a preferred walk-on, there's little to no risk as he doesn't take a roster spot and he apparently loves to play special teams. Those are pluses in my book as special teams is often overlooked (insert jokes here).

The biggest problem with Pearson is that he's very much an unknown, other than the Rivals profile, with a rating of 5.3, which means that he's essentially a role player and that's probably accurate, but teams need role players that do their job..

The Player Speaks

I've already posted this once, but I'll post this again, Pearson was on with Level and Dickens on Double T 104.3 and he's got an interesting story. Pearson is a very motivated individual and he's also a guy that probably appreciates the value of a scholarship. Pearson was a team captain for his Pierce C.C. team last year and he's also 22 years old according to his video. That means that he's probably more mature than most kids coming from the JUCO ranks and he's well thought of by his teammates. One other thing is that his height and weight reminds me of a comic book character, Juggernaut. At the end of the video, he says his nickname is "The Animal", but I kinda like Juggernaut. And yes, my wife thinks its sad that I'm familiar with comic book characters.

Scouting Report

Pearson seemingly plays on every special teams squad, although his film is mainly made up of kickoff and punt coverage. I don't know that there's much for me to add other than what the video offers. There is one play where he's lined up on the line of scrimmage and the opposing team is punting. He sprints through the line of scrimmage and takes on the three defenders in front of the opposing punter and moves all three of them backwards. There are just a few plays where he's playing fullback and again, he is always moving the opponent in a positive direction. I do really like how Pearson is excitable and I think that's an incredibly important part of the game.

MIKE PEARSON LA PIERCE COLLEGE 2011 HIGHLIGHTS (via JERZBUL33)

Mike, welcome to Texas Tech and Git Your Guns Up!

The 2012 Class

Everything is after the jump. Cumulative ranking explanation here. Cumulative ranking data here. Quick and easy explanation:

The idea is to take all of the data from all of the recruiting services and put it into just one number. Thus, the idea is that a grade of 68 or 69 is a thee-star player, while a ranking of 83 or 84 is a four-star player. Anything in between those numbers or lower means that the player most likely has a lower grade with one service or another. For example, Quinton White is thought of by all the recruiting experts as a solid three-star player. While a player like Clayton Nicholas is mostly a three-star player but ESPN does give him a four-star grade, so his grade is a bit higher.

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RECRUITING ON THE HIGH PLAINS Measurables CASEY GLADNEY Position: ATH Ht: 6'1" | Wt: 180 lbs | Forty: 4.45 High School: Columbia (Columbia, SC) DTN Profile Video: Clip 1 | Clip 2 Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 24/7 Sports Cumulative Ranking: 74.2 Rankings Rivals | , 5.5 Rivals Rating Scout | ESPN | , 80 Grade 24/7 Sports | , 89 Rating

This was the surprise commitment from Wednesday and it's one of those pleasant surprises, but there's a reason why Gladney flipped from Alabama to Texas Tech. When Gladney initially committed to Alabama, it was with the caveat that Gladney would need to work in order to qualify. That is apparently still the case, and there's certainly nothing wrong with taking a chance on a kid might qualify. Add to this situation and the SEC is now limiting their recruiting classes to 25 and I'm guessing that a school like Alabama cannot take a chance on signing a player that has a very good chance of not qualifying academically. Texas Tech, obviously still can, and the mere fact that Alabama thought that Gladney had value very early is a nice indicator of his potential. I wouldn't expect any news on Gladney qualifying until after summer school.

As you'll note, I've listed Gladney as an athlete as he played both receiver and defensive back in high school. On NSD, OC Neal Brown talked a bit about what he could do on offense and then Tuberville talked about him on defense. And don't chalk this up to confusion on the staff's part, at least that's not what I think, but rather I think that he has that sort of potential to be an impact athlete on either side of the ball.

The Player Speaks

When Gladney committed, per the St. Andrews Patch, he said that he has a chance to qualify:

"Gladney said he expects to be on the field in his first season at Texas Tech.

'I've got a positive chance to qualify and I'm ready to go,' he said. "

Like a lot of kids, he said he expects to be on the field, but there's a long list of players that are in front of him. Gladney also admitted that he knew he has faults:

"I know I'm going to have my downfalls," he said, "but I'm going to play hard on the field and study hard in the classroom."

Scouting Report

Per the LAJ, I thought I'd offer up what OC Neal Brown had to say on NSD:

"He was committed to Alabama through the whole process," Brown said, "versatile athlete, can play either side of the ball. If we get to use him, which hopefully we can, he’s a long kid who plays outside receiver, has got really good ball skills and really good speed for his size. He’s explosive. So a guy that can make a lot of plays in our system."

And also per the LAJ, Tuberville thinks highly of Gladney:

Tuberville called Gladney "an exact replica" of San Francisco 49ers Pro Bowl cornerback Carlos Rogers, whom he coached at Auburn.

"Gladney is one of those same guys," Tuberville said. "He could probably come in tomorrow and be a starter or backup for us at corner with his athletic ability and his height."

I think that Gladney represents really good value (I hate talking about a human being like this, but I'll continue) as he has the same types of measurables as guys like LaDarius Newbold and Thierry Nguema, around 6-1/180 and can run a 4.40 (obviously a fake 40-yard dash time, but that's what's reported). Newbold was considered one of the players that needed to sign with Texas Tech to be considered a successful class and I think it's encouraging that Gladney is a similar player in terms of size and speed. The size and speed combination are not necessarily common qualities for cornerbacks, at least for Texas Tech and as I think back on the current roster, the only cornerback that is over six feet is Tre Porter. Now, there are potentially three cornerbacks with some height. Gladney is a long athlete and he does have a long stride on the video that makes me think that Tuberville's assessment is accurate:

Casey Gladney (via mansfief100)

And when Tuberville says that he can be a starter, I think that Tuberville is saying is that he has the athletic ability to start right now, which I think he does, but I don't think that he probably has the technique to start. Not only that, with a kid that struggles with grades, I've somewhat thought that it might take a bit of time to adjust to the college life and it might be smart to just focus on academics for a while.

Casey, welcome to Texas Tech and Git Your Guns Up!

The 2012 Class

After the jump.

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Consider this your open thread for the 2:15 pm press conference with head coach Tommy Tuberville. If you can listen at work or at home, feel free to help the rest of us who can't listen with any commentary.

Thought I would go ahead and open up the discussion. Copy and paste the questions into a comment.

1. WHICH HIGH SCHOOL OFFENSIVE SIGNEE ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT AND WHY?

2. WHICH HIGH SCHOOL DEFENSIVE SIGNEE ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT AND WHY?

3. WHICH JUCO OFFENSIVE SIGNEE ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT AND WHY?

4. WHICH JUCO DEFENSIVE SIGNEE ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT AND WHY?

5. GIVE YOUR OVERALL GRADE WITH AN EXPLANATION FOR THE CLASS.

And make sure and vote in the poll because polls are fun.

Shout out to DTN reader Brent for the photo. I've been sent additional photos, to go along with the theme of the new logo. Very much appreciated.

Consider this to be your open thread for the morning.

Just to catch up, here are your previous updates as well as everything that I've written about the 2012 class, including every profile for every commit (which are also linked down below in each individual profile), but here are some of the more recent posts:

• Red Raider Gridiron | Texas Tech Football Recruiting Update
• Texas Tech Football | January Recruiting Update
• Marginalizing Recruiting Data and Cumulative Recruiting Rankings
• 2012 Texas Tech Football Commits

Resources

The best source of immediate information is Twitter. I know that some of you may scoff at the idea of Twitter, but for days like National Signing Day, it's incredibly valuable. So here are the Texas Tech resources as well as some national resources:

• DTN's Texas Tech Twitter List | These are Texas Tech related folks that allow me to follow them. You can also follow some search terms from Twitter (this is one of my secrets, so it doesn't go past this post, okay?), although you typically have to read through a lot of noise, including "texastech", "wreckem" and "gunsup". One more note, I think it's bad form and improper to Tweet with these high school players, so please don't.
  
• Texas Tech's NSD Webcast | The official site is running a webcast from 8:00 am to 11:00 am with a camera in the "War Room" and well as coach and player interviews (you can see the list here). You can also find a link to the video here and be warned that this site is prone to sometimes run very slow and can be tough to watch.
• SB Nation's Bud Elliott has compiled a ton of content on just about every program. You can also follow Elliott on Twitter as well.

I will be putting up another open thread at 2:00 pm as that's when head coach Tommy Tuberville will be holding a pres conference. I'm also putting a Twitter widget for DTN's Texas Tech Twitter List and if things go correctly, it should update automatically.

Top Players

It's hard for me to narrow this down to just a handful of players because I do think that there is so much need at just about every position. Again, I'm in the camp that thinks that there was/is some talent deficiency at Texas Tech, there's also been some bad coaching too, but I do think there needs to be a talent upgrade for a lot of spots. It would be tough to argue that the defensive line position and the receiver position offer some significant upgrades in talent.

The defensive line commits, Michael Starts, Anthony Smith and J.J. Bynum, now J.J. Loller (he's going to be referred to as both Bynum and Loller in this post as I don't have time to change all of the prior stuff I've done, as well as Lee Adams, give a much maligned defensive line some much needed size. The starting defensive tackles for Texas Tech were undersized and certainly underperformed, evidenced by the awful overall defensive numbers. And the worst part about this situation is that there are only four defensive tackles that return, three of which played significantly in 2010 and one that redshirted.

It's easy to see how any one of these players will have an opportunity to make a difference because there is an opportunity to be had. Starts is the biggest target and had Texas been willing to offer, and they have have in retrospect, Starts to play at defensive tackle, then he might be a Longhorn commit, but Texas Tech offered Starts as a defensive player and that could pay huge dividends for Texas Tech. Again, TTU can at least offer the opportunity of early playing time. Smith and Loller are there to plug holes in the defensive line and I actually think that either one could play sooner than Starts because I think that Smith is a one-gap or two-gap nose guard and I'd bet that Loller is willing to play that spot too, while Starts may be a bit tall for that spot. Adams can have the opportunity to play at a lighter weight for a defensive tackle, at maybe 265, or he can shed a few pounds and find some time at defensive end. There are options.

LAJ's Don Williams spoke with Smith and Loller who talked a bit about how they both played running back, but I think the emphasis should be on the fact that not only do Smith and Loller have size, they are also apparently strong. Here's the bit on Loller:

Tech coaches no doubt are counting on the pair of young defensive tackles to be part of the long-term solution. Both are known for their strength. Bynum placed second as a state-meet powerlifter last year and has bests this season of a 755-pound squat lift, 400-pound bench press and 610-pound dead lift. He said the state record in the squat is 800 pounds.

A&M Consolidated coach David Raffield said Bynum translated the weight-room strength to the field in the fall. He made 60 tackles, 10 for losses. In addition to being a unanimous, first-team all-district choice for the third year in a row, he was honored as Class 5A third-team all-state by the Texas Sports Writers Association.

“J.J. had a tremendous senior season,” Raffield said. “He wreaked total havoc on offenses around District 12-(5A).”

And on Smith:

Smith wowed scouts at a Nike football combine early last year in Houston, where he posted a record 49-foot power ball throw. In that event, an athlete launches a 6.6-pound ball from chest level while on his knees.

At least a dozen Division I schools were willing to overlook the fact Smith is short. He’s strong, displays surprising quickness — he said his best 40-yard dash time is 4.85 seconds — and considers down-in, down-out effort his best asset.

“I’m an undersized, quote-unquote, defensive lineman, not the typical 6-4, 6-5 guy,” Smith said. “You really don’t find one 6-1, 300 with the motor. That’s what gives me the drive, being an underdog. I’m not the tallest, longest dude. I’ve got to make up for that with my drive.”

The receiver spot is such a coup because of the possibility of immediate help in WR Javon Bell, a JUCO All-American for two years, and generally thought of as a 4-star player, plus the addition of uber-athletes Reginald Davis and Dominique Wheeler, who are also highly rated 4-star prospects who mainly played quarterback in high school, but can really play just about anywhere on the field. I did find this interview with Reginald Davis and Tyler's 99.3 Bryan Houston's Sports Radio.

I'd also be a bit remiss in not adding Sadale Foster, a JUCO inside receiver and returner extraordinaire. I don't think that Foster is a "top player", but because of the lack of depth at running back, as mentioned below, and the fact that Foster is already on campus, Foster will get time at running back, returner and receiver. This team is in dire need of a punt returner. He can and will be asked to do quite a bit, and could be one of those unheralded players that has been so versatile that he's creates a niche for himself.

One more thing that I think you'll enjoy is that RRS.com talked with a handful of high school coachess from each of the commits. I won't blockquote any, but just encourage you to take some time and read all of them.

Remaining Targets

Tuberville has said that there may still be three or four players that they are looking at, but realistically, they only have one spot available as the team is at 24 commits. That certainly doesn't mean that a player cannot or will not de-commit, but for right now, I think there's only one spot available and I think that Tuberville is targeting a running back, namely Damien Williams.

Williams is a JUCO running back from Arizona Western College and has been offered by a handful of schools, but apparently it is down to Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech. Texas Tech may give Williams the best opportunity to play immediately as Texas Tech has one healthy scholarship running back going into spring practice, Kenny Williams, and only has one running back, Quinton White, in the 2012 class. Additionally, both OU and Arkansas have two highly rated running backs in their classes already. At Texas Tech, Williams would have a somewhat immediate opportunity, and would have been even better if he could have qualified for the spring semester. I think the lean for Williams is to OU.

As to other options, I think that if Williams doesn't sign then maybe Tuberville will sign players that might not qualify. I mentioned last week that there were rumblings last week current Alabama commit WR Casey Gladney and his high school teammate, QB/LB Ky Tyler. This is an incredible long-shot and would be a surprise, but if they did sign, obviously, there are questions about whether or not they would qualify.

Profiles and the 2012 recruiting table are all after the jump.

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RECRUITING ON THE HIGH PLAINS Measurables OLAOLUWA FALEMI Position: CB Ht: 5'11" | Wt: 170 lbs | Forty: 4.40 JUCO: Los Angeles Harbor C.C. (Wilmington, CA) DTN Profile Video: Clip 1 Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 24/7 Sports N/A Cumulative Ranking: Incomplete Rankings Rivals | , 5.5 Rivals Rating Scout | ESPN | N/R 24/7 Sports | , 70 24/7 Sports Rating

This just might be the first commit for new defensive back's coach, John Lovett. According to Falemi's Rival's profile, Lovett is responsible for recruiting Texas Tech's newest commit, Olaoluwa Falemi, also known as Ola, and talks a bit about Lovett initially contacting him last week. So I find this a bit interesting in that this is a guy that Lovett targeted, and the other interesting thing is that I couldn't find where Falemi was being offered by any other major college and affirms that in his statements below. He was certainly interested in some other schools, but I couldn't find any verification that the feeling was mutual.

The Player Speaks

Falemi spoke with LAJ's Don Williams about his trip to Lubbock this weekend and Williams also spoke with Falemi's defensive coordinator in JUCO:

“Ola has come a long way,” L.A. Harbor defensive coordinator Reuben Ale said. “His first year here, he was a part-time starter. This past year, he just blossomed. He really did some great things for us. He was our top cover corner.

“He led our special teams in tackles as well. He never came out of the game (defensively). Super kid, super athlete. He’s going to do some good things at the next level.”

Falemi also says that Morgan St. and Idaho were offering, so there's that.

DMN's Mike Graham spoke with Falemi who says that he expects to start:

"I was just waiting for a phone call, and Texas Tech hit me up," Falemi told RedRaiderSports.com. "(Secondary) coach John Lovett called me, he saw my tape, he needed a corner to come in and play and start. He found my highlight tape and he told me he wanted me and needed me here."

"They expect me to come in and fight for a starting job," Falemi told RedRaiderSports.com. "I'm a JUCO player, I'm coming into start but, at the same time, I have to fight for the position. They said it's up for grabs. They said I have the talent to start, I just have to come here and show it."

Scouting Report

In checking out Falemi's video on Hudl (see the link on the box on the right, Falemi is actually playing some pretty nice cornerback. A lot of man coverage and a lot of plays on special teams. At cornerback, Falemi looks fairly adept, however, the problem is that I don't have any idea as to the competition. In fact, most JUCO's are listed in the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletics Association), but Los Angeles Harbor C.C. is no where to be found. You can see his season statistics for 2011 and he was third on the team in tackles with 60 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1 INT and 4 passes broken-up. Again, the problem is that there's not telling how good the competition is in this particular instance.

On special teams, Falemi looks like a go-getter, more than willing to be a gunner on special teams and go make some plays. The more I think about this, the more that this feels like a guy that can fill in some gaps in a handful of spots, much like IR/RB/PR/KR Sadale Foster, from cornerback to being a special teams coverage maven.

I've given Falemi an "Incomplete" as of right now. As you may or may not know, these cumulative rankings are dependent on at least a couple of these services actually rate the player and right now, Falemi is only rated by Rivals, so he gets an incomplete for now.

Olaoluwa, welcome to Texas Tech and Git Your Guns Up!

The recruiting table is after the jump.

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RECRUITING ON THE SOUTH PLAINS Measurables CONNOR GROOMS Position: OL Ht: 6'4" | Wt: 280 lbs | Forty: 5.00 High School: Robert E. Lee (Tyler, TX) DTN Profile Video: Clip 1 Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 24/7 Sports Cumulative Ranking: 67.2 Rankings Rivals | , 5.5 Rivals Rating Scout | ESPN | | 79 Grade 24/7 Sports | | 81 24/7 Sports Rating

This is actually a pretty nice pick-up for Texas Tech, and as this has been widely reported, Connor Grooms will be attending Texas Tech as a preferred walk-on, with the possibility of receiving a scholarship should he be able to make a contribution on the two-deep or get onto the field sooner rather than later.

The reason why I think this is actually a pretty good deal for Texas Tech is that Texas Tech had two offensive linemen de-commit, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who flipped to TCU and Christian Okafor, who flipped to California. Per Rivals, Vaitai was rated as a 3-star player with a Rivals Rating (RR) of 5.7 and Okafor was rated as a 3-star player with a RR of 5.6.

There's no doubt that Vaitai and Okafor are more highly rated players with bigger offer lists, which is usually a good indicator of what other colleges thing about a player, but Grooms isn't that far off in terms of overall ranking or overall talent evaluation and for now, Grooms doesn't take up a scholarship spot. Add to that a Grooms' family of Red Raiders and I like this quite a bit.

The Player Speaks

Both RRS.com and RP.com both has stories on Grooms and he essentially said that he has a ton of family that's previously attended Texas Tech:

"Both of my dad's parents, both of my parents and one of my brothers have graduated from there, and then I have one brother who's a freshman there right now," Grooms said. "It kind of runs in the family. It feels like home, I've been going out there forever. It's really been my dream (to play for Tech)."

Grooms said that he still had offers from Houston, Memphis, Kansas, Louisiana Tech and took an official visit to La.Tech, but decided that it wasn't Texas Tech:

"They really wanted me to come there," he said. "I went on an official visit. It wasn't Texas Tech, it didn't feel like home."

Scouting Report

The Scout profile actually has a bit of a profile on Grooms and says this about his game:

Solid sized, needs to fill out some more though. Also needs to add strength. Moves well and can make blocks away from the line. Needs to complete the blocks and put his man in the dirt.

From the film in the video link (I could only find it on ESPN) I think that's probably a fair assessment. I thought that Grooms was fairly athletic, he moved his feet well, especially since he probably doesn't project as a left tackle, but played there in high school. He seemed capable of just running some speed rushers out of the play, although there wasn't much form to that. I found it interesting that Grooms was named as part of the 2010 All-Smoaky team:

Tackle: Conner Grooms, Tyler Lee, 6-4, 280, Jr., Never graded below 80% in any game, 88% for the season, 12-pancake blocks

However, I didn't see where he made that team in 2011. Not sure what happened.

In 2010, Dave Campbell's said that Grooms was one of the top tight ends in the state and had his weight at 245 so I'm thinking that although the 280 weight is being widely reported (all four scouting services) it wouldn't surprise me if it was some where in between. I also haven't been able to find any receiving numbers from his junior year. In 2011, Dave Campbell's did say that Grooms was part of the state's top 300 players.

Connor, welcome to Texas Tech and Git Your Guns Up!

The recruiting table is after the jump.

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