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Texas Tech football: ACC defensive back transferring to Red Raiders

ByMatthew Conner|
Nov 2, 2019; Winston-Salem, NC, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons wide receiver Sage Surratt (14) catches a pass against North Carolina State Wolfpack cornerback Malik Dunlap (24) in the first quarter at BB&T Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 2, 2019; Winston-Salem, NC, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons wide receiver Sage Surratt (14) catches a pass against North Carolina State Wolfpack cornerback Malik Dunlap (24) in the first quarter at BB&T Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Friday, the Texas Tech football program picked up a commitment from Malik Dunlap, a defensive back who played at NC State this season.

Texas Tech football head coach Matt Wells isn’t going to change his recruiting strategy now that’s he’s on the hottest of seats.  In fact, he’s likely to double-down on his practice of leaning heavily on the transfer portal to fortify his roster.

Though the ink isn’t even dry on the 2020 college football season, Wells and Co. have already made an addition via the NCAA’s version of free agency.  Friday, former NC State defensive back Malik Dunlap announced on social media that he has committed to play for the Red Raiders in 2021.

The news came on the same day that senior safety Eric Monroe (a former LSU transfer) announced his intention to return for next season as well.  Those two developments are important for a program that has no defensive backs committed in the 2021 signing class as of right now.

Dunlap is a 6-foot-4, 220-pound player who could fit in at either safety or corner.  For what it’s worth, he was primarily a corner for the Wolfpack this past season.

He was credited with 20 tackles, one sack, and six pass breakups.  That’s decent productivity from a player in the transfer portal as it seems that most who are seeking greener pastures are players who can’t find a way to get on the field.

It is important to note that Dunlap is not a grad transfer.  In fact, he still has three years of eligibility remaining  Thus, he will need to either file a waiver for immediate eligibility or hope that the NCAA votes to allow all players a one-time transfer without penalty as is expected next summer.

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But what’s more interesting to consider is just how heavily Wells is going to rely on transfers to try to save his job in 2021.  It makes sense from his perspective as he doesn’t have time to wait for high school signees to develop into key contributors given that is he doesn’t produce a winning season next fall, he’s almost certain to get the ax.  But even if his job were secure, he’d be dabbling heavily in the transfer market.

From the moment he stepped on campus in Lubbock, Wells has jumped into the transfer pool with both feet.  In his first offseason, he added the likes of Zech McPhearson, R.J. Turner, Ja’Marcus Ingram, McLane Mannix, Armand Shyne, and Evan Rambo.  And prior to this year, he brought into the program Colin Schooler, Brandle Bouyer-Randle, Tyree Wilson, Josh Burger, Henry Colombi, Eric Monroe, Jacob Morgenstern, Chadarius Townsend, and others.

But is this in the best interest of the program?  Is continually signing small high school classes only to use transfers as stop-gaps the way to build a program?   Many Red Raider fans are leery of the idea.  What’s more, those same fans are leery of Wells and whether or not he’s got Tech’s long-term interests in mind given his tenuous grip on his job.

Regardless, that is what Wells is going to do and now that his head is on the chopping block, we might see him bring in more transfers than ever before.  That process has already begun with Malik Dunlap and it’s almost certain to be a constant theme of this offseason.

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