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Texas Tech Football Offers California QB And Illinois DT

By Matthew Conner

Nov 5, 2016; Lubbock, TX, USA; The Texas Tech Red Raiders mascot on the field before the game with the University of Texas Longhorns at Jones AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 5, 2016; Lubbock, TX, USA; The Texas Tech Red Raiders mascot on the field before the game with the University of Texas Longhorns at Jones AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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As the Texas Tech football coaching staff continues to work the recruiting trail, they have extended offers to two high-profile out-of-state prospects.

For decades, the Texas Tech football program concentrated solely on recruiting Texas and the surrounding states.  However, in the past two decades, teams from around America have invaded the Lone Star State to pilfer some of the top high school prospects away from the Red Raiders and their Texas bunkmates.

Thus it only makes sense for Kliff Kingsbury and his staff to turn the tables and look to other parts of the nation to stock their own roster.  Texas Tech extended scholarship offers this week to two top out-of-state prospects, Clovis, California quarterback Adrian Martinez and Chicago, Illinois defensive tackle Gavin McCabe.

Martinez is a 4-star prospect according to 247Sports.com . He stands 6-feet-2 and weighs 198-pounds and is rated by 247sports.com as the No. 7 dual-threat quarterback in America.

Landing Martinez will be difficult for Texas Tech.  He has offers from some of the top programs in the country.  Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Louisville, Oregon, West Virginia and Washington are among the myriad of schools chasing after the talented prospect.

Martinez originally committed to California but has since reopened his recruitment.  He recently visited Tennessee for the Volunteers’ spring game and seemed to be highly impressed with the fans in Knoxville.

"“…40,000 people showed up to their spring game. A spring game. It put things in perspective how much their fans care about football and what University of Tennessee means to them.” He told the “Fresno Bee”."

Martinez is recovering from surgery on his right shoulder but that has not slowed the interest he has generated.  “The Bee” speculates that he could narrow his choices to a top-5 or even make a new verbal commitment this summer.  That makes it seem a bit far-fetched to think that Texas Tech will have enough time to develop a relationship with him and convince him to come to Lubbock.

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There seems to be more interest in Texas Tech from the other national prospect to receive an offer from the Red Raiders, Gavin McCabe.

The Chicagoland defensive tackle was pleasantly surprise to hear from the Texas Tech coaches.  In fact, he was the one to initiate contact with the defensive staff.

"“I was looking through my Twitter followers and I saw the defensive line coach. So, I had sent him a quick direct message on Twitter. I wasn’t expecting a response right away because it is Texas Tech and they don’t really recruit the Chicago area, but I was surprised when he responded.” He told Rivals.com ."

It appears that the allure of playing football in Texas is appealing to the 3-star prospect.

"“Going to a school like Texas Tech in a state like Texas where football is the big dog, that would be awesome and something I would definitely consider,” he said."

Right now, it seems the Arkansas Razorbacks are in the lead for McCabe.  He took an unofficial visit to Fayetteville in April.   Other programs to have offered McCabe include Boston College, Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, Washington State and West Virginia.

Fortunately, it seems like McCabe is looking to make a trip to the South Plains as well.  The 6-foot-3, 255-pound defender seems high on the Red Raiders.

"“The things I have seen and heard about Texas Tech it seems like it is a great university. It is a great football program, obviously, and they perform really well in the Big 12. If I had an opportunity to I definitely would love to take a visit.” He told Rivals.com ."

The influx of carpetbaggers from schools outside of Texas has changed the recruiting game for local schools.  The Red Raiders have made a priority of developing new recruiting pipelines in areas of the country that once were never considered worth the time.

Next: Can Texas Tech Keep Big-Time 2019 DE Committed?

As the football coaching staff continues their attempt to expand the Texas Tech recruiting footprint, it will be interesting to see if their efforts far from home pay off.  Going after top national recruits may seem like a pipe dream to many Texas Tech fans but the reward could be well worth the effort.

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