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Texas Tech football: The incredible miss rate of Tech’s top 10 all-time recruits

By Matthew Conner

BATON ROUGE, LA - SEPTEMBER 08: Breiden Fehoko #91 of the LSU Tigers celebrates a sack during the first half against the Southeastern Louisiana Lions at Tiger Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LA - SEPTEMBER 08: Breiden Fehoko #91 of the LSU Tigers celebrates a sack during the first half against the Southeastern Louisiana Lions at Tiger Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

No. 3: Michael Starts

Speaking of defensive tackles that we were all obsessed with, when 4-star prospect Michael Starts signed with Tech in 2012, he was supposed to be a player that the defense would be built around.  What helped the Red Raiders land the Waco native was that most programs were recruiting him to be an offensive lineman while he wanted to play defense.

So when he committed to Tech, many thought it was a huge win for Tommy Tuberville. Unfortunately, off the field issues doomed the No. 101 player in his class.

As a true freshman, he was able to make just three tackles in what was a let down of a debut.  Then, he quit the team in the offseason between the 2012-13 seasons when Kliff Kingsbury replaced Tommy Tuberville.  But for a brief moment in 2014, it seemed like Starts might return.

In May of that year, Kingsbury said that he might be open to the idea of the 310-pound tackle rejoining the Red Raiders after a year at Navarro Junior College.  The head coach even admitted to speaking to Starts about the steps he needed to follow to be welcomed back to Tech.

It never happened.  In fact, I could find no stats for Starts after the 2013 season so it appears that his football career ended after his time in the JUCO ranks.  That was not supposed to happen for a U.S. Army All-American who was thought at one time to be a player that would finally help the Red Raiders put their long-running defensive woes behind them.

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