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Texas Tech football: Red Raiders land elite high school DB

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 26: The Texas Tech Red Raiders' helmet is pictured before the college football game against the Texas Longhorns on September 26, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 26: The Texas Tech Red Raiders' helmet is pictured before the college football game against the Texas Longhorns on September 26, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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In the early days of Joey McGuire’s tenure as Texas Tech football head coach, there was a flood of activity on the recruiting front.  So much so that at one point, McGuire had the nation’s No.2 class for the 2023 cycle.

However, that momentum slowed a bit over the summer months as Tech picked up only five verbal commitments during the time of the year when many of the nation’s top players make their college choice.  That was a concern to some Red Raider fans who had quickly grown spoiled by McGuire’s instant recruiting success (for instance, he landed six verbal commitments in April alone).

But much of Tech’s slowdown on the recruiting trail was due to the fact that the 2023 class is nearing completion.  With 23 players already in the mix prior to Thursday, McGuire and his staff can afford to be picky with the remainder of their available spots.

Still, when a special player wants to join your program, you make sure he is welcomed and that’s what happened on Thursday night when 4-star defensive back Jordan Sanford announced his intentions to become a Red Raider.

https://twitter.com/jordanxsanford/status/1555388408465432577?s=20&t=tu1uTnfVmuiJ4jiMyNMo8A

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Arlington, Texas native is rated by 247Sports.com as the No. 23 safety in his class and the No. 46 overall player in Texas.  That makes him the third-highest-ranked commitment in Tech’s current class behind edge rusher Isaiah Crawford from Post, Texas, and safety Brenden Jordan from Mansfield, Texas.

As for Sanford, the No. 266 player in the nation for 2023, he holds offers from the likes of Northwestern, Oklahoma State, SMU, Washington, Arizona State, Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Louisville, Michigan, Nebraska, TCU, Utah, and others.  In June, he visited Washington and was considered a heavy lean toward the Huskies but McGuire and his coaching staff were able to win this important recruiting battle.

It’s critical for Tech to restock the ranks at defensive back in this class because the 2022 Red Raiders given that Adrian Frye and Marquis Waters, two of this year’s presumed starters, are set to exhaust their eligibility this season.

It was also important for Tech to add another star recruit to the defensive backfield after seeing 4-star recruit Calvin Simpson-Hunt flip from Tech to Ohio State earlier this summer.  His loss was a significant blow to Tech’s recruiting class but Sanford’s addition helps offset that recruiting loss.

Currently, the Red Raiders have the No. 17 recruiting class in the nation according to 247Sports.com.  That has Tech at No. 4 in the Big 12 behind Texas, OU, and Baylor.

Included in that Red Raider class are three defensive backs, all of which are ranked in the top 65 players nationally at their individual positions.  It’s proof that Joey McGuire’s recruiting class is shaping up to be one of the strongest in the history of Texas Tech football, even if the commitments aren’t coming in as rapidly as they did a few months ago.

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