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Texas Tech football: Red Raiders land 3-star DE E’Maurion Banks

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 07: Texas Tech's Masked Rider rides on the field after a touchdown during the second half of the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the UTEP Miners on September 07, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 07: Texas Tech's Masked Rider rides on the field after a touchdown during the second half of the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the UTEP Miners on September 07, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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Wednesday, the Texas Tech football team landed a verbal commitment from DE E’Maurion Banks, the first defensive recruit to commit in the 2021 class.

There might be quite a bit of traffic on the highways between Lubbock and Wichita Falls in the next few years, especially on the weekends.  That’s because Matt Wells and the Texas Tech football program are making a habit of landing some of the top talent in Wichita Falls.

Having already added 2021 TE Jed Castles, Tech has now landed a commitment from 2021 DE E’Maurion Banks.  The 6-foot-4, 260-pound target is Tech’s first defensive commit in the current recruiting class.

Making his announcement via Twitter, he becomes Tech’s sixth verbal commitment in the class of 2021.  According to 247Sports, Tech currently has the No. 25 class in the nation and No. 5 class in the Big 12.  Though that could change daily, it’s an indication that Wells has gotten off to a strong start in his attempts to finally end this program’s recent recruiting woes with his second actual class (not counting the 2019 transition class).

https://twitter.com/DoodaBanks8/status/1253065755677130752?s=20

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Speaking of 247Sports, they list Banks as the No. 36 strongside defensive end in the nation and the No. 68 overall player in Texas.  He holds an impressive offer list including such schools as Oklahoma, Baylor, Arizona, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Virginia Tech, and a host of other Power 5 programs.

"“Well I’ve been there three or four times, and every time I was there it felt like home,” Banks told Jonathan Hull of the Wichita Falls Times Record. “I felt like with the virus, and (Tech) being my No. 1 school, it was the right time.”"

Last year, Branks registered 13 sacks in a breakout junior year.  But unfortunately, his season was cut short by a knee injury in the playoffs.  The injury required offseason surgery but he told Hull that he should be ready to go for his senior season.

He also indicated to Hull that Castles, his current and future teammate, was integral in recruiting him to Tech.  And there could be more players from Wichita Falls’ Rider High School headed to Lubbock in this class.  Tech has offered Rider’s 3-star dual-threat QB Jacob Rodriguez a scholarship and though the program already has 4-star QB Behren Morton from Eastland in the fold, the Red Raiders are thought to be near the top of Rodriguez’s list.

Rodriguez is the No. 58 player in Texas right now and should he also come to Tech, he would continue the program’s trend of picking up some of the state’s top talent.  Right now, every member of Tech’s recruiting class is in the top 123 in the state with all but two being in the top 100.

This is going to be the most critical recruiting class of Matt Wells’ tenure.  Years of poor recruiting at the end of the Kingsbury era and the beginning of the Wells era have put the program behind others in the Big 12 and nationally in terms of both top-end talent as well as quality depth.

If that is going to turn around, Tech has to start landing more players of Banks’ caliber, especially on defense.  What’s more, many of those players are going to need to contribute right away, again, especially on defense.

The all-time "rest of Texas" Red Raider football team. dark. Next

By the time Wells will be held accountable by AD Kirby Hocutt for the program that he’s built, the 2021 class should comprise the backbone of the roster.  If it continues along its current trajectory, it could wind up being the class that helps Red Raider football turn the corner.

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