We are now less than a month away from one of the most important periods on the college football calendar, the early signing window. Enacted in 2017, this three-day period, which takes annually takes place the week prior to Christmas, has changed the world of college football recruiting.
Whereas the traditional signing day in February used to be the day that college football fans obsessed over as the day when the next wave of talent would officially join the program, now, the vast majority of the recruits will sign in the early period this year.
Thus, the December window is now the most important period on the recruiting calendar. And as that time period approaches, there is plenty of work for Matt Wells and his coaching staff to do.
Right now, Tech has only eleven players verbally committed in the class of 2021. The class is ranked just 71st overall and 9th in the Big 12 which would make it the second-lowest class the program has signed in the last decade.
But there is good news. The average rating per recruit in this class is 0.8646, which is the highest since 2011. That’s because the top-end talent among the group is of rather high quality, especially on offense.
So let’s look at how Tech could improve this class by the time the December 18-20 signing period arrives. Here are the key recruits that Texas Tech football fans need to keep an eye on.
Immediate help at offensive tackle
One recruiting battle that we will soon learn the outcome of is the fight for JUCO offensive tackle Caleb Etienne. The 6-foot-8, 310-pounder is the no. 2 JUCO tackle in America according to 247Sports.com.
He’s got offers from the likes of Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Oregon, South Carolina, and Houston. It is believed that the Cowboys are in the lead in this race but Tech and Houston were announced last month as being in Etienne’s top 3 as well.
The Red Raiders are going to add help at tackle this offseason and almost certainly, it will come from the JUCO ranks or the transfer portal as an immediate upgrade at tackle for 2021 is a must. Thus, Etienne may be the most important target left on Tech’s board.
Though both starting tackles, Josh Burger and Ethan Carde, could return next year, that doesn’t mean that the offensive line is set at those positions. That’s because neither has proven strong enough to be a difference-maker or a multi-year starter and if 2021 is going to be a step forward, the protection along the offensive front has to improve.
Despite the fact that the Red Raiders have two high school tackles committed in this year’s class, immediate improvement isn’t likely to come from true freshmen as the vast majority of first-year offensive linemen are not ready to start the moment they step on campus. Therefore, Etienne looks like the best option to provide that type of improvement so keep an eye on this target on November 26th when he is set to make his decision known.