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Texas Tech football misses out on 4-Star DE Jahkeem Green

By Matthew Conner

STILLWATER, OK - SEPTEMBER 25: The Texas Tech Red Raiders flag flies outside the stadium before the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys September 25, 2014 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Cowboys defeated the Red Raiders 45-35. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
STILLWATER, OK - SEPTEMBER 25: The Texas Tech Red Raiders flag flies outside the stadium before the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys September 25, 2014 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Cowboys defeated the Red Raiders 45-35. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /
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Wednesday, the Texas Tech football program missed out on an opportunity to add a possible impact piece for 2019 when JUCO defensive tackle Jahkeem Green committed to Nebraska.

Though the Texas Tech football team is about to begin August practices, the Red Raiders were still looking to add one final piece to the 2019 team in JUCO defensive tackle Jahkeem Green.  But the 4-star prospect announced Wednesday that he was enrolling at Nebraska, the program to which he has been committed for several months.

Though the 6-foot-4, 300-pounder verbally committed to the Huskers back in April, he had still been entertaining other programs.  In fact, he took an official visit to Lubbock this summer and many believed that Tech had a great shot at bringing him into the fold.

Prior to last season, Green had committed to South Carolina, his home state school, but an SEC rule prevented him from joining the Gamecocks because he took an online math course through a JUCO that was not the one at which he played.

The No. 2 JUCO defensive tackle in the country, Green registered 117 total tackles in his JUCO career.  That included 3 sacks and 15 tackles for loss.

He would have been a nice addition for the Red Raiders who are low on depth behind senior nose tackle Broderick Washington.  Junior Nick McCann looks like the logical backup but the 310-pounder has just 29 career tackles in two seasons.

Redshirt freshman Jayon Hutchings has seen action in only three games making two stops.  But the 295-pounder might be on the field some this year being as he is the only other natural nose tackle on the roster.

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Of course, Tech is a bit shorthanded at the position because junior Joe Wallace entered the transfer portal this spring.  The Dallas native was suspended this spring and never returned to the program.  He appeared in all 12 games last year making 37 tackles as he and Washington formed a solid defensive tackle duo.

Wallace was one of four players suspended by Matt Wells in March.  Of that group, only junior corner DaMarcus Fields earned his way back into the head coach’s good graces.  Along with Wallace, running back Da’Leon Ward and receiver Corey Fulcher also left the program.

Wells has said that stopping the run is going to be his defense’s top goal.  That will mean the defensive line will have to be able to keep the linebackers free from blockers.  And in the 3-3-5 scheme which has only three defensive linemen, the nose tackle needs to be a player that often commands a double-team from the center and a guard.

Now, new defensive line coach Paul Randolph will have to get his young linemen ready to take some of the load off of Washington’s shoulders.  According to his bio on the Texas Tech football website, Randolph coached five All-PAC 12 defensive linemen while as an assistant at Arizona St. from 201-15.

Next. Ranking the defensive position groups. dark

If he can turn Washington into an all-conference player and help coach his backup tackles into useful rotation pieces, missing out on Green will not be as impactful as it might seem right now.  However, it would have been nice to add more depth at one of the Red Raiders’ more questionable positions.

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