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Texas Tech football: Two important Red Raider commits remain unsigned

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 05: The Masked Rider, mascot of the Texas Tech Red Raiders, leads the team onto the field before the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Oklahoma State Cowboys on October 05, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 05: The Masked Rider, mascot of the Texas Tech Red Raiders, leads the team onto the field before the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Oklahoma State Cowboys on October 05, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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Though the majority of the Texas Tech football program’s 2020 recruiting class has signed their letters of intent, two potential difference-makers remain unsigned.

The biggest difference between this year’s early signing window and last year’s for the Texas Tech football program is that unlike a year ago when around half of Tech’s class was put together after Christmas, this year Matt Wells and his staff have already put 19 members of a class expected to be around 25 players into the barn.

But there are two long-time verbal commits that did not sign with the Red Raiders on Wednesday and who aren’t expected to make their decisions final until February.  And both are potential difference-makers for this program.

The most important of the two targets that remain in limbo is Philip Blidi of Portales, New Mexico.  The No. 33 strong-side defensive end in the nation and No. 2 player in The Land of Enchantment, he committed to the Red Raiders in August.

The 6-foot-4, 255-pound prospect is a key target because he’s the only high school prospect in Tech’s 2020 class who projects to play end for the Red Raiders at this time.  Though L.B. Moore from Amarillo may eventually get big enough to be an end, he will start out as at the “Raider” position which is a mix of a defensive end and outside linebacker primarily tasked with rushing the passer.

Blidi could be like another Broderick Washington or Tony Bradford Jr. by playing the 5 technique for the Red Raiders, a spot that is in need of serious help from a depth standpoint if nothing else.  Fortunately, the Red Raiders have signed 280-pound JUCO end Devin Drew to help in that regard.

One reason that Blidi might be still weighing his options is that he’s picked up offers from UCLA, and Utah since he committed to the Red Raiders.  His unusual personal situation, he lives at the New Mexico Children’s’ Home, has made him an under-the-radar prospect because he wasn’t able to participate in the usual circuit of recruiting events where many of today’s top targets are able to pick up offers and gain attention.

In fact, he was in Lubbock for a track event last spring when he caught the eye of the Red Raiders and since then, Tech has been the overwhelming leader for his services, even as UT came sniffing around this summer.  Now, it appears that the Red Raiders will have to fend off suitors for another couple of months and given that Blidid is originally from New Jersey and doesn’t seem to have deep traditional ties to the Eastern New Mexico/West Texas area, it is fair to wonder if geography will play as much of a factor for Tech in this recruiting battle as we might expect at first glance.

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If Tech can’t keep Blidi in the fold, it’s going to be a significant loss and the second-straight year the Red Raiders have lost their top defensive end target after having him committed for much of the recruiting cycle.  Last February, 4-star DE Stephen Parker wound up signing with Kansas despite being committed to the Red Raiders for over a year.

The Red Raiders need to bolster the depth and upgrade the talent along the defensive line in order to become more competitive in the Big 12 and to do that, keeping a player like Blidi in the mix is imperative.  Less critical but still important is the other recruiting battle that remains ongoing after Wednesday’s signing frenzy, Quin Bright.

The inside receiver from Cedar Hill, Texas recently announced on Twitter that he was keeping his options open.  An explosive 3-star athlete with speed for days, he has been committed to Tech since June but he is still entertaining offers from schools such as Arkansas, Arizona, Baylor, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, and others.

Given that he’s from the Dallas area, it is worth keeping an eye on Baylor because of the proximity to Bright’s hometown.  Over the years, we’ve seen a number of Metroplex players, especially receivers, decide to play at places such as TCU or Baylor rather than coming out to Lubbock where they are hours away from their family.

TCU got Jalen Reagor to stay home in 2017 despite the fact that his father is Texas Tech legend Montae Reagor.  Likewise, Baylor beat the Red Raiders out for K.D. Cannon in 2014 because he wanted to stay closer to his hometown of Mount Pleasant, Texas.

Bright could be a huge pickup for Tech because he would potentially be an explosive option in the slot.  But he isn’t quite as critical to this class as Blidi because Tech has already signed a fantastic wide receiver class.

That includes another inside receiver, Myles Price from The Colony, Texas.  Still, having a player of Bright’s exceptional explosiveness is something that this program needs because in 2019 the roster lacked the type of overall speed that could make defenses pay for playing press man coverage.

Though the 2020 class is 80% complete after the opening of this week’s early signing window, there remains work to be done.  Tech will need to add some players along both sides of the line of scrimmage and in the secondary.

Most of those additions will come from the JUCO and grad transfer ranks but keep an eye on Blidi and Bright.  These are two players that this program needs to land in February because they both could become significant contributors at the college level.

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