Texas Tech football: 4-star Midland WR Loic Fouonji commits to Red Raiders

Monday, the Texas Tech football team picked up a verbal commitment from 4-star wide receiver Loic Fouonji, one of the top players in Texas.

Several months ago, we discussed five West Texas or local prospects that the Texas Tech football program needed to prioritize.  As of Monday, the Red Raiders are 5 for 5 with the players on that list.

The final player of that group and perhaps the most prized as well, Loic Fouonji from Midland, gave his verbal commitment to the Red Raiders on Monday and that’s a huge win for Matt Wells on the recruiting trail. The 4-star wide receiver from Midland Lee High School is rated by 247Sports as the 53 WR in the class of 2020 and the No. 45 player in Texas.

It is believed he was down to Tech, Texas, SMU, Oklahoma State, and Arizona as his top choices with most considering Texas the biggest threat to the Red Raiders.  In addition, he also holds offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Colorado, Kansas, Indiana, USC, and A&M.

A couple of weeks ago when the Texas Tech basketball program landed its top 2020 target, Micah Peavy from Duncanville, we talked about how much it says about a player when the head coach of a program takes over that player’s recruitment as Chris Beard did with the 6-7 top 40 player in the nation.

The same can be said of Fouonji, who was impressed with how much attention he received from Wells. According to a Tweet by Matt Clare of Rivals.com, that was something that helped put Texas Tech over the top in this key recruiting battle.

"“It is unique to have the head coach (Matt Wells) so involved in my recruitment, he has stressed how much they want me to join the program and has made me feel like a priority,” Fouonji said."

The 6-foot-4, 195-pounder already has the size to compete at the Big 12 level.  For his career, he’s caught 137 passes for 2,735 yards and 40 touchdowns.  That includes 68 receptions for 1,465 yards and 22 scores in what has been a prolific senior season.  After taking down Arlington Lamar last week, Lee now faces Southlake Carroll in Abilene on Saturday with the winner headed to the state quarterfinals.

But whenever his days at Lee are over, he will immediately be competing for playing time as a Red Raider.  In fact, this is a player who could be a major contributor next season.

"Gabe Brooks of 247Sports has this scouting report: “Outstanding height and length for a receiver. Lean build but plenty of space to add bulk in college. Consistent hands catcher in the short-to-intermediate game. Flashes impressive burst off the line, especially for a long-strider. Gets on top of defensive backs in a hurry.Shows very good top-end speed as evidenced by 21.42 200-meter time. Big-play threat in vertical passing game. Outstanding production with huge yards per catch numbers. Height and catch radius to win balls in the red zone. Will need to fill out frame to maximize play strength against college competition. Good athlete but can improve lateral fluidity, particularly in short area. Bona fide high-major receiver prospect with long-term ceiling to become all-conference player with NFL Draft potential.”More from Wreck'Em RedTexas Tech football: Red Raider fans need to know about these MountaineersTexas Tech football: Red Raiders land first commit for class of 2025Texas Tech football: Why have the Red Raiders struggled on the road under McGuire?Texas Tech football: Why the Red Raiders can compete for a Big 12 titleTexas Tech football: Plenty of questions remain as conference play arrives"

What stands out about Brooks’ evaluation is the note about Fouonji’s speed.  The current Texas Tech receiving corps lacks game-breaking speed on the outside and is set to lose senior R.J. Turner, this year’s best big-play threat.

Next year, the Red Raiders will have current junior T.J. Vasher back (assuming he remains in good standing with his coaches after being suspended for the West Virginia and TCU games) as well as redshirt freshman Erik Ezukanma, both of whom are not exactly burners but who are big targets capable of making tough catches in traffic.

Thus, either Fouonji on Texas Tech’s other 4-star 2020 WR commit Ja’Lynn Polk from Lufkin, could play an important role next year.  That duo is part of a fantastic class of receivers Tech has landed in the current recruiting cycle which includes Myles Price from The Colony and Quin Bright from Cedar Hill, two inside receivers, and 3-star outside receiver J.J. Sparkman from Longview.

The Red Raiders currently sit at No. 4 in the Big 12 and No. 39 overall in regards to the 2020 recruiting class rankings.  And with Fouonji now in the mix, the next class of Red Raider receivers just went from one of the best in recent years to possibly the best in program history on paper.