Texas Tech football: DE Nelson Mbanasor decides not to transfer
Tuesday, defensive end Nelson Mbanasor met with the new Texas Tech football coaching staff and subsequently decided to remain a Red Raider just weeks after announcing his intention to leave the program.
Before new Texas Tech football head coach Matt Wells and his staff hit the recruiting trail this week, they won an important recruiting battle within their own locker room. After meeting with the new staff on Tuesday, defensive end Nelson Mbanasor told Jarrett Johnson of Inside the Red Raiders that he will remain at Texas Tech.
Just two weeks ago, Mbanasor announced that he intended to leave the program potentially leaving the Red Raiders dangerously thin along the defensive line next year. He saw action in only six games as a redshirt freshman this year registering nine total tackles and a pass deflection but many consider him a potential building-block on the defensive front.
And next year, Mbanasor could be a perfect fit in new defensive coordinator Keith Patterson’s 3-3-5 defense. Weighing 280-pounds but possessing excellent agility and quickness, he is the ideal type of lineman to plug into a three-man front.
Had Tech lost its only defensive line signing from the 2017 class, it would have further depleted a position group already left thin by the graduation of Tony Jones, Kolin Hill and Preston Gordon. What’s more, Texas Tech recently los its top 2019 recruit when 4-star DE Steven Parker decomitted late last week.
Mbanasor was no slouch himself as a recruit. Coming out of Pflugerville, he was rated the No. 111 player in Texas in the class of 2017 and the No. 34 overall weak side defensive end according to 247Sports.com. In addition to Texas Tech, he held offers from Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Illinois, Colorado, Colorado State, Duke, Houston, Indiana, Kanas, Purdue and Air Force among others.
In recent years, the Red Raiders have not received much production from the defensive ends they have signed to letters of intent. In 2016, Tech added ends Noah Jones and Houston Miller and thus far, neither has recorded a sack nor have they been able to crack the defensive line rotation.
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After signing Mbanasor in 2017, Tech inked only one defensive end in 2018, John Scott who did not play as a freshman. Thus, it is even more critical that Mbanasor remain part of the program. The Kingsbury staff struggled to bring in capable defensive ends leaving that spot on the field dangerously thin so keeping the most promising young pass rusher on the roster is a huge win for the new staff.