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Texas Tech football picks up commitment from JUCO LB

By Matthew Conner

LAWRENCE, KS - OCTOBER 7: The Texas Tech Red Raiders mascot entertains during a game against the Kansas Jayhawks in the first quarter at Memorial Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
LAWRENCE, KS - OCTOBER 7: The Texas Tech Red Raiders mascot entertains during a game against the Kansas Jayhawks in the first quarter at Memorial Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /
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On the eve of the early signing window, the Texas Tech football program picked up a verbal commitment from JUCO LB Krishon Merriweather.

Matt Wells and the Texas Tech football program continue to add veteran depth in the second level of the Red Raider defense.  After already adding Michigan State grad transfer Brandon Bouyer-Randle earlier this month, Tuesday the Red Raiders picked up a verbal commitment from JUCO LB Krishon Merriweather.

The 6-foot, 230-pounder is an inside linebacker who might be an option to take over the middle linebacking chores with All-American Jordyn Brooks now having graduated.  This season, he racked up 153 tackles which makes him one of the most productive JUCO LBs in the nation.

Rated a 3-star prospect and the No. 3 JUCO inside LB in the nation, the Hazlewood, Missouri native had offers from Oklahoma State, Louisiana (formerly Louisiana-Lafayette), Marshall, Toledo, Purdue, and UMASS among others.  But now, the Garden City Community College product is ready to call Lubbock home.

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The second-team NJCAA All-American gave his pledge to the Red Raiders just days after taking an official visit to Stillwater making this an important win over a Big 12 rival for Matt Wells and Co.  Hopefully, he can help to solidify the middle of the Red Raider defense and allow senior Riko Jeffers to remain at outside LB where he performed well in 2019.

Averaging 13.9 tackles per game, he had six games with double-digit tackles this fall.  That included a season-high 21 against Iowa Central C.C. as one of his three 20-tackle games.

The only other linebacker currently in the 2020 recruiting class for the Red Raiders is Derrick Lewis II from Schertz, Texas.  He’s a 6-foot-1, 210-pound 3-star prospect who doesn’t seem likely to factor into Tech’s two-deep immediately.

That’s why the program has waded rather heavily into the transfer market at the LB spot.  Tech was fortunate to have Brooks and Jeffers patrolling the middle of the defense this season and if that side of the ball is going to take a step forward in 2020, it seems like transfers are going to have to help reinforce the linebacking ranks.

In recent years, the Red Raiders have done a good in identifying JUCO transfers that could contribute at that position.  In 2017, Kliff Kingsbury brought in Tony Jones, a 3-star outside LB from Butler C.C. and he managed to register 70 tackles and eight sacks in his two years as a Red Raider.

Another standout JUCO LB to play for the Red Raiders in the last decade was Will Smith who had 175 tackles and four sacks from 2012-13.  As a senior, he came up with 120 tackles, including 10.5 per loss, and was named the Holiday Bowl defensive MVP.

Smith is the type of player that the Red Raiders can only hope Merriweather develops into.  If the newest JUCO LB to join the Texas Tech football program can become the next standout Tech middle LB, he will be a significant building block in Matt Wells’ restoration project in Lubbock.

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