Texas Tech Football facilities already seeing ROI with recruits

The journey has been a slowly sustained process, but with the new athletics facilities at Texas Tech almost completed, the football program might already be seeing a return on investment.

During Texas Tech’s Mike Leach Era, the push began for the Athletics Department to update its facilities in order to be able to compete with the upgrade trend. Texas Tech has come a long way since his departure in 2009, and while Tech still has room to improve, it appears as if the investments are finally paying off.

Throughout the building process for the Sports Performance Center, some fans have appeared largely unimpressed at the necessity to facilitate an indoor practice football. The majority of the pushback is that games aren’t played indoors, so teams should be facing all the elements, and learning how to perform through adversity in practice settings. While that’s accurate in the face of snow, wind, and certain rain, if there’s lightning in the area, games are always delayed.

The NCAA takes lightning so seriously, its even included a “Lightning Safety” page on its website, to train athletics departments, and fans on why it’s so important.

"“Because lightning can strike up to 10 miles from a storm, you should seek safe shelter as soon as you hear thunder or see lightning. Get to a safe location if the time between the lightning flash and the rumble of thunder is 30 seconds or less.”"

While game-time weather delays are inevitable if officials deem storms as threatening to overall safety, that same decision needs to be available to coaches during practices. During inclement weather in the past, Texas Tech Football has had to cancel practices entirely. Some programs will go as far as moving practices into parking garages, but it limits plays, and significantly reduces players’ range of motion. For a team like Tech that relies so heavily on passing, the absolute last thing you want are its receivers catching passes on top of cement.

For Texas Tech to finally have an option to move practice indoors when its dusty (respiratory issues), or the weather is unsafe, as opposed to canceling time with players that’s already so scarce to begin with, the facility could be the difference-maker in recruiting, especially because it demonstrates a full commitment to the program.

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When three-star 2018 pro-style quarterback Alan Bowman verbally committed to Texas Tech over Father’s Day week, I noticed a level of maturity that mirrored former Tech gunslinger Patrick Mahomes.

Bowman spoke of Tech as destination where he’d have an opportunity to compete, but he also mentioned something that fans can be sure other recruits are paying attention to, as well; particularly those who might not have had the opportunity to visit yet.

“I feel in love with Lubbock, and with all of the money and commitment the university has into the football program was a huge factor,” Bowman said in an interview with Scout.com. “I knew as soon as I left Lubbock that that was where I wanted to go, and why wait? If you know,  you know.”

For years, recruits have viewed Lubbock as a city that lacks a certain sparkle blue chip players want. If a player is talented enough to go to a Power 5, they’re looking at Los Angeles, Tempe, Miami, Austin… cities that not only inspire the grind, but look pretty, too. Call it what you will, it takes a very special kind of athlete to be attracted to a destination where they can focus without distractions.

With the Sports Performance Center scheduled to open in September, for the first time, recruits have something tangible to go off of when weighing options. It’s one thing for administrators and boosters to pledge support on projects, but it’s quite another when players can actually see it.

When the facilities open, players will be live streaming, posting Snapchats, Instagrams, and Tweets for the world to see. Every single time those images are put in front of recruits considering Lubbock, Tech is seeing a return on its investment, and receiving organic exposure which cuts marketing expenses.

This is the new trend in recruiting, and if done correctly, don’t be surprised to see more and more recruits commit with Bowman’s same enthusiasm.