This weekend, the Texas Tech football team picked up a verbal commitment from Kobie McKinzie, a Lubbock product and the top 2022 linebacker in Texas.
While the majority of the Texas Tech football program’s focus this weekend was on the junior day event being held for dozens of prospects in the class of 2020, the biggest news was made by a high school freshman. Lubbock Cooper defensive star Kobe McKinzie has already given his verbal commitment to Matt Wells and the Red Raider coaching staff despite still having three more years of high school football ahead of him. The standout linebacker was a participant in this weekend’s recruiting event where he gave his pledge to his hometown school.
While it might seem a bit preposterous for Tech (or any program) to be recruiting 14 and 15-year-old kids, McKinzie could potentially be a once-in-a-generation talent making it wise for Tech to build a relationship with him early. Already 6-foot-2, 225-pounds, he is being hailed by some as the best high school prospect to come from the Lubbock area in decades.
Last fall, McKinzie played outside linebacker for a dominant Lubbock Cooper team that went undefeated through the regular season. According to the “Lubbock Avalanche-Journal”, he recorded 45 tackles, two sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception in his first high school season.
It is nice for Texas Tech to finally benefit from its location on the recruiting trail for once. For years, Tech has had to overcome its geographic placement, far from the main recruiting centers of the state, to try to convince players from Dallas, Houston and other areas to give West Texas a shot.
And unfortunately, in recent seasons, numerous West Texas prospects have gone elsewhere to play college football. For instance, James Washington from tiny Stamfod, TX (147 miles east of Lubbock) went to Oklahoma State where he ended his career as a unanimous All-American wide receiver and winner of the Biletnikoff Award in 2017. Oklahoma State also managed to pry Amarillo defensive tackle James Castleman away from the Red Raiders and he went on to be a key multi-year starter in Stillwater.
Of course, in the 2000’s Texas managed to pull Odessa Permian wide receiver Roy Williams and Midland Lee running back Cedric Benson out of Tech’s back yard and each went on to illustrious collegiate careers. Those four prospects are some of the most successful West Texas players to haunt Texas Tech but there have been plenty more.
But Matt Wells seems to be putting a greater emphasis on local talent. In his first signing class, he brought in OL Trevor Roberson from Wellington, OT Landon Peterson from Odessa and QB Maverick McIvor from San Angelo.
Now, he has been able to secure a verbal commitment from McKinzie, who already holds an offer from SMU and Oklahoma State and who is certain to be one of the most coveted recruits in the state. Although he is far from a finished product, his size alone must have colleges drooling.
If 247Sports has McKinzie’s weight correct (some are suggesting that he may be already over 230 pounds), he already weighs as much as 2018 Red Raider outside linebacker Tony Jones, a senior who was second on the team with 4.0 sacks last fall. What’s more, as a freshman in high school, he is already bigger than (or as big as) former Texas Tech linebackers like Micah Awe (220 pounds), Will Smith (224 pounds), Sam Eguavoen (225 pounds) and Branden Jackson (225 pounds).
Certainly, there is a long way until Texas Tech football fans can see Kobie McKenzie with a Double-T on his helmet. But those in Lubbock won’t have to wait that long to see him in red and black because for the next three years, the bell-cow of Tech’s 2022 class will be rocking his current and future school’s colors just twelve miles south of where he intends to play college football.