The Texas Tech basketball program may be in the middle of the 2024-25 season but Monday night, the Red Raiders made a significant move for the 2025-26 season. According to multiple sources, head coach Grant McCasland and Co. picked up a commitment from 6-foot-11 Canadian big man Marial Akuentok.
The Fort Erie, Ontario native is a 4-star prospect according to 247Sports.com. He's rated the No. 127 overall player and the No. 23 center in the class of 2024.
Because Akuentok signed late in the recruiting cycle, after the season had begun, he will enroll at Texas Tech for the Spring 2025 semester. However, he will sit out and count this season as a redshirt.
Akuentok holds offers from Kansas State, West Virginia, Arizona State, and Oregon. However, after a recent visit to Lubbock, he's become the latest high school player to commit to the Red Raiders.
NEWS: 2025 F Marial Akuentok has committed to Texas Tech and Grant McCasland, source told @LeagueRDY.
— Sam Kayser - 24/7 High School Hoops (@247HSHoops) January 7, 2025
Akuentok is a high-level defender at 6-11 who plays with an impressive motor on both ends of the floor. A major shot-blocking presence who impacts a ton of shots around the… pic.twitter.com/T5mKMK7DIG
Under McCasland, Texas Tech has put more of its recruiting emphasis on the transfer portal than on the high school ranks. In McCasland's first signing class, the 2023 class, Tech inked six transfers but only two high school prospects, current Red Raider sophomore Eemeli Yalaho and guard Drew Steffe, the latter of whom left the program after one semester.
Most recently, in the class of 2024, Tech brought in four transfers and only two high schoolers (prior to Akuentok's arrival that is). The two scholarship prep players that the Red Raiders inked last offseason have had very different seasons thus far.
Point guard Christian Anderson is playing almost 25.9 minutes per game and putting up 8.7 points, 2.5 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, guard Leon Horner has appeared in only seven games averaging just 0.3 points and 0.6 rebounds per game.
Now, the program has added Akuentok to the mix and he could fill an important role for the Red Raiders down the road. Players with his size and athleticism are tough to come by and it is always critical to add those types of pieces to the puzzle whenever possible.
Though Red Raider fans won't get to see Akuentok in action until next season, his arrival should come with quite a bit of excitement. Hopefully, he becomes the next standout big man in Lubbock.