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Texas Tech football: Unpleasant streaks that need to end in 2020

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 19: Jones AT&T Stadium is pictured before the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Iowa State Cyclones on October 19, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 19: Jones AT&T Stadium is pictured before the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Iowa State Cyclones on October 19, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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Head coach Matt Wells of the Texas Tech Red Raiders exits the team bus  (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Head coach Matt Wells of the Texas Tech Red Raiders exits the team bus  (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

5-straight years in the bottom half of Big 12 recruiting rankings

Off the field, Wells needs to end another streak.  He needs his next recruiting class to be at least in the top half of the conference’s standings, something that Tech hasn’t managed since the 2015 class.

Technically, this streak can’t be officially ended until February of 2021 when the traditional signing day for football recruits arrives.  But the December signing window is now the main period when recruits sign with their schools of choice and when that rolls around this year, we will have a great idea as to where Tech’s class sits.

It’s imperative that Tech finally starts to recruit on par with its conference rivals.  That’s because in the last five classes, the highest a Tech class has been ranked nationally is just No. 44 in 2016, which was good for sixth in the conference, and in the last three recruiting classes, Tech has fared no better than seventh.

The good news is that the 2021 class is off to an encouraging start.  With eight players already committed, Tech sits at No. 28 nationally and No. 5 in the Big 12.  That includes a run of six players that have committed since the start of April.

But aside from just winning on signing day, Tech needs its 2021 class to pan out long term.  The initial rankings must not be as hollow as the 2015 class’ ranking proved to be.

That group, which was No. 32 nationally and No. 3 in the Big 12, proved to be Kliff Kingsbury’s undoing.  Of the 19 players that signed that year, only six turned out to be starters who finished their careers in Lubbock.  Meanwhile, busts like Corey Dauphine, Breiden Fehoko, Quan Shorts, Connor Dyer, and Christian Taylor all came up short of validating the hype that accompanied their signing.

Here’s hoping the 2021 class doesn’t follow suit.  It looks like this will be the best class Wells has brought in so far and could be the highest-ranked class for Tech since 2015 and if that holds true, it will be a sign that better days may be ahead.

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