Texas Tech football: The most underrated players of the Mike Leach era

S Vincent Meeks

While just about everyone remembers the legendary 2005 season that safety Dwayne Slay had, his partner at the back of the Red Raider secondary was no slouch that year.  In fact, Vincent Meeks had a more prolonged impact on the program than his more famous teammate given that he was a four-year starter whereas Slay was just a one-year phenomenon.

Recruited as a running back, the Rockwall native moved to safety just four games into his Red Raider career and he earned his first start in week eleven of the 2002 season against Oklahoma State.  By the time his career ended in 2005, he ranked sixth in Tech history with 11 interceptions, a ranking he now shares with Douglas Coleman.

He earned some form of All-Conference recognition each of his last three years in Lubbock.  As a senior, he was a second-team selection but was overshadowed by the insane season that Slay put forth.

Meeks’ signature moment came in the 2004 Holiday Bowl win over No. 4 Cal and future NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers. With Tech trailing 14-10 in the second quarter, Meeks picked off a pass to alter the course of the game.  Tech would score 21 unanswered points to take a lead that was never truly threatened and Meeks would finish the game with eight tackles to earn Defensive MVP recognition.

Bowl games were when Meeks shined.  In the 2002 Tangerine Bowl, he picked off Clemson’s Charlie Whitehurst near the end of the first half and returned the ball 23 yards to lead to a Red Raider field goal which gave Tech a 34-2 lead at the break.  In the end, Tech would triumph 55-15 over the Tigers, something that seems unthinkable in the modern age of college football as the two programs have gone in vastly different directions in the last decade.

Sometimes, playing next to a legendary figure is both a blessing and a curse.  It can make your life easier but it can also prevent you from earning the recognition that you might otherwise receive.  That was the case for Vincent Meeks in his senior year when he was overshadowed by Slay but that doesn’t change the fact that he was one of the best defensive backs of the Leach era.