Texas Tech football: 3-star Oklahoma defensive lineman flips to Red Raiders

Tuesday, 3-star defensive lineman Isaac Smith committed to the Texas Tech football program after previously being a commit with another FBS program.

Texas Tech head coach Matt Wells’ hot streak on the recruiting trail continued Tuesday when he and his coaching staff flipped 3-star defensive lineman Isaac Smith from Tulsa to the Red Raiders.  That makes the third high school player in the class of 2021 to give a verbal pledge to Wells’ program in the last two weeks.

The Wagoner, Oklahoma product is rated by 247Sports as the No. 26 player in his state and the No. 100 weakside defensive end in the nation.  But interestingly, Tech and Tulsa are the only schools to have offered him thus far.

"“Tonight, after tons of consideration, mom tears, talking with my family, I have made the final decision to further my academic and athletic career at Texas Tech University!!” he posted on Twitter."

The 6-foot-5, 235-pounder is one of the most productive defensive ends in Oklahoma.  Last fall, he racked up an impressive 122 tackles, and this year, he’s already made 47 stops with six being sacks.

A talented athlete, Smith also plays tight end for his high school team.  That could suggest that he has the nimble footwork required to be an elite pass-rusher at the Big 12 level.

This development bolsters what was already an extremely strong defensive end class for Tech in 2021.  Smith is the third end that Tech has landed thus far and though he’s one of the top defensive players in Oklahoma, he’s the lowest-rated of the three.

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Wichita Falls DE E’maurion Banks, a 6-foot-4, 260-pound prospect committed to the Red Raiders back in April.  He’s rated as the No. 41 strongside defensive end in the nation and the No. 85 player in Texas.

Meanwhile, Charles Esters from Cedar Hill is a 6-foot-3, 230-pound lineman who gave his pledge to the Red Raiders just one day after Banks did.  Rated as the  No. 71 strongside DE in the nation, he’s the No. 169 player in Texas.

This latest commitment puts the Red Raiders at 11 commits in the class of 2021.  While the class remains just the No. 9 class in the Big 12, it is up to No. 69 in the nation after being rated in the 90s just weeks ago.

A wave of new commitments has helped boost this class’ standing.  It began with massive 315-pound offensive tackle Jacoby Jackson on October 15th and continued with explosive running back Cam’Ron Valdez on October 22nd.

Now, Isaac Smith is also set to become a Red Raider and he will add even more depth to the Red Raiders’ defensive line haul.  So when you combine this recruiting upswing with Saturday’s victory over West Virginia, it’s safe to say that this is the type of two-week spean that Wells and Co. have desperately needed.