Texas Tech Recruiting: Players That Exceeded Expectations

Texas Tech recruits that exceeded expectations. 

Sep 13, 2014; Lubbock, TX, USA; A general view of the Jones AT&T Stadium against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

People that follow college football recruiting put a lot of stock into the star rankings of each recruit. These rankings are complied by so-called experts based on a myriad of criteria. To rank a team’s entire class, the number of stars for all recruits are added up, and either totaled or averaged out depending on a particular recruiting service’s method. But as we know, all-to-often the star ranking a player has on signing day is not indicative of the type of player that he will become.

In this three-part series, we will examine the players who played beyond their initial star ranking; the highly rated players that turned into busts, and 2015 Tech signees who might out-perform the number of stars next to their name.

The overachievers:

Texas Tech has developed a reputation for taking lightly recruited players and developing them into All-Americans or All-Conference performers. Here are four examples.