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Recruiting Storylines

We’re now only two weeks away from National Signing Day, meaning the Red Raider coaching staff – like all their peers – are out on the road recruiting, trying to convince new prospects to don the red and black or sitting down on in-homes with current commits to solidify their pledge.

So, now that we’ve hit the real home stretch in the 2016 recruiting cycle, let’s take a closer look at the major storylines for Texas Tech football as we approach signing day.

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Holding onto commits

Kliff Kingsbury and his coaching staff have been in an extremely unusual situation over the last few months with the 2016 recruiting class. Sure, schools always have a big class of 26 to 30 prospects every few cycles, and it’s a great time to really build depth where you need it most.

The Red Raiders, however, have had more than 20 prospects committed since early August, something that just doesn’t happen in this day and age of recruiting. Therefore, the Tech staff has mostly been focused on playing the role of cattle wrangler here for the entire fall. Keeping that many prospects corralled is almost impossible, but the Kliff’s assistants have impressively done so.

They’ve kept crucial defensive commits such as LB Jordyn Brooks, S Kevin Moore, and DT Nick McCann in the fold, and key offensive weapons for the future like JUCO signee and WR Derrick Willies, long outside pass catcher TJ Vasher, and talented RB DaLeon Ward are all still on board.

That remains the primary directive here as we approach NSD.

The biggest official visit weekend of the year

Every coaching staff in college football tries to pinpoint a set of dates before signing day where they can host a big number of visitors to make the final push with their soon-to-be signing class, and the Red Raiders have opted for January 22nd, this weekend.

Essentially the entire recruiting class will be out in West Texas, including the aforementioned Brooks, Ward, and McCann, defensive linemen Houston Miller, Ivory Jackson, Joe Wallace and Noah Jones, OTs such as Gio Pancotti and Zach Adams, and skill players like CBs Desmon Smith and DaMarcus Fields.

Uncommitted Southlake (Texas) Carroll wide receiver Zach Farrar will officially visit, too, and Tech would love to add him as another big pass catcher on the edge.

They aren’t the only visitors, however. Many of Tech’s 2017 commits will make the trek and visit unofficially as well, including Rivals100 OL Jack Anderson, QB Xavier Martin, WR Jalen Reagor, and uncommitted linemen Dawson Deaton and Will Farrar.

It will be a weekend where many future teammates will bond and spend quality time together, and if you’re Tech, you hope it makes everyone feel good about being a Red Raider while possibly adding a few new pieces to the red and black bandwagon as well.

Wrangling in Zach Farrar

As mentioned, Southlake Carroll big-body pass catcher Zach Farrar will be in Lubbock this weekend for an official visit, coming off the heels of his official to Mississippi State last weekend and preceding a potential visit to Stillwater to check out Oklahoma State next weekend on the 29th. The receiver put the Red Raiders in the top four along with the Bulldogs, Cowboys, and Washington Huskies, and this is Tech's chance to shine and impress the DFW area receiver.

If you're a Texas Tech fan, you likely feel good about the fact that Jett Duffey, a friend of Farrar's, is now on campus as an early enrollee and will likely be the ring-leader for the many prospects out in West Texas this weekend. This recruiting class has become a tight-knit bunch, and Duffey has a lot to do with that.

On top of that, you would assume that Farrar will likely check out the Tech baseball program, as he's wanting to continue to play that and football in college. That means Tech head baseball caoch Tim Tadlock - inarguably one of the best recruiters in the country - will do his part to recruit the WR as well.

With all those factors combined, Texas Tech will, at the very least, be very hard for Farrar to dismiss.

Finishing out the class

Seeing as the Red Raiders already have an essentially full class, there are only three, maybe four, open spots left to fill before signing day. So, who are some of the prospects left out there for Tech to try and pull late?

Obviously, things start with Zach Farrar, but there are also a number of other players on the radar, including Pennsylvania native offensive lineman Yasir Durant, who will visit Lubbock next weekend, January 29th. Tech's in the final three for Durant with San Diego State and Rutgers, and seeing as the Red Raiders get the final official, he's certainly a prospect that could sign with Kliff Kingsbury's program on NSD.

Other players on the radar still include South Oak Cliff DE/OLB Marvin Terry, Southlake Carroll ATH LilJordan Humphrey who just replaced Cal with Tech in his top two, Houston CB commit Ka'Darian Smith, and others.

There also will likely be a number of unknown prospects that Tech slides in late on with the addition of new assistants such as running backs Coach Jabbar Juluke and special teams coach Joe Robinson.

Texas Tech only has a few open slots left in the class, and there are clearly a number of different players that could end up signing with the Red Raiders in two weeks.

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