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Kliff Kingsbury Still Searching For A 2018 Quarterback

By Matthew Conner

Sep 17, 2016; Lubbock, TX, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Kliff Kingsbury before the game with the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Jones AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Lubbock, TX, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Kliff Kingsbury before the game with the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Jones AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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As the summer recruiting season hits the middle of June, Texas Tech is still without a quarterback commitment for the 2018 class.  Should Red Raider fans be concerned and who does Kingsbury seem to be targeting at the most important position on the field?

Throughout his career as a head coach and offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury has come to be known as a quarterback whisperer.  But this year the man who has coached NFL draftee’s Patrick Mahomes, Davis Webb, and Johnny Manziel is struggling to find a high school quarterback to join the Texas Tech 2018 recruiting class.

It is unusual for Kingsbury to go this deep into a recruiting cycle without having his quarterback in place.  2017 quarterback signee Xavier Martin (who was recently moved to inside receiver) gave his verbal pledge to Texas Tech in July of 2015, nineteen months before his signing day.

2016 quarterback Jett Duffey was on board with Kingsbury in May of 2015, nine months prior to his class’ signing day.  Likewise, Mahomes was verbally committed to Tech for ten months prior to signing his letter of intent in 2014.

This year, Kingsbury has extended offers to at least six prospects that have decided to play elsewhere.  And it’s no secret why the Texas Tech staff is struggling to land a top signal-caller this year.

Everyone knows that Kingsbury is on the hot seat entering 2017.  After missing out on postseason play in two of the past three seasons, he almost certainly must return the Red Raiders to a bowl game in order to keep his job.

That provides rival coaches with an easy pitch to use against Kingsbury on the recruiting trail.  In fact, it appears that the only other coach in the Big 12 with an uncertain future is 77-year-old Bill Snyder at Kansas state who is battling health concerns .

Recruits are shying away from Texas Tech, despite the fact that Kingsbury’s most recent quarterback, Mahomes, was a top10 NFL draft pick in April.  No position on the roster is more interconnected with the head coach than the quarterback so recruits want to be confident in the fact that the coach they commit to will be around for the duration of their collegiate careers.

So the Red Raiders’ search continues as a quarterback prospect is set to visit Lubbock this weekend.  Alan Bowman from Grapevine, Texas is drawing interest from the Tech coaches and is taking a close look at the program.

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Bowman would be a departure from the type of quarterbacks Kingsbury has recruited since coming to Texas Tech.   Unlike Mahomes, Duffey and Xavier Martin, he is a pocket passer like Graham Harrell and Davis Webb.  Kingsbury prefers the versatility of mobile quarterbacks but those players appear to be off the board already.

Bowman is a 6-foot-3, 202-pound three-star pro-style passer.  The two-year starter completed 67% of his passes for 3,240 yards and 42 touchdowns as a junior.  He has offers from Cincinnati, Houston, and San Diego while Arkansas, Michigan, Missouri, Northwestern and Vanderbilt have shown interest according to 247sports.com.

It is not ideal for Tech to be this far into the recruiting cycle without a quarterback commit.  Often, quarterbacks are among the first to commit because teams only take one per class.  Those QBs often assume a leadership role among their fellow recruits and begin to contact other players to persuade them to join them.  That is not happening yet for the Red Raiders while many Big 12 rivals make headlines by landing big-name quarterbacks.

Next: Texas Tech Had Decent Success Against Bob Stoops

However, fans must not panic.  Kingsbury has shown the tendency to be patient on the recruiting trail and as he goes further down the list of possible recruits he would be wise to carefully evaluate each player he offers.  As the summer recruiting circuit moves ahead, keep an eye on the visitors Tech brings to campus because the next Red Raider quarterback is likely to be in that group.

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