Texas Tech continues recruiting flurry, adds seventh verbal in May

The recruiting efforts of Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury and offensive coordinator Eric Morris have paid big dividends in the month of May. Starting with the verbal commitment of cornerback Neiman Armstrong on May 4, the Red Raiders have added seven commitments to their haul in May coming up with 11 commits total thus far for the 2016 class.

After DeSoto High School (Texas) cornerback Neiman Armstrong committed wide receiver Antoine Cox-Wesley (Steele High School) and quarterback Jett Duffey (Lake Ridge) both committed on the 13th. Tech then picked up their second running back in the class, scat-back Bryson Denley, a teammate of Cox-Wesley, on the 15th.

With the recruiting momentum gaining traction, Kingsbury and company added their second wide receiver of the class Derrick Willies on the 19th, along with wide receiver DeQuan Bowman (Hutchinson C.C.) and defensive tackle Mychealon Thomas (Butler County C.C.), all from the junior college ranks with Thomas’ commitment coming on Thursday.

Bowman maybe the prized recruit out of the seven added to the class in May. The New Jersey native is expected to add immediate experience to the roster when he matriculates and is expected to stretch defenses vertically with his 4.36 40-yard dash speed. During his freshman season at Hutchinson he caught 31 passes for 525 yards with four touchdowns.

Willies is another standout giving the Red Raiders a red zone threat with his size, listed at 6’4”, 205 pounds.

The biggest verbal commitment, pun intended, with the highest ceiling could be undervalued defensive tackle Mychealon Thomas. Thomas, listed at 6’1”, 324 pounds, is a true defensive tackle that could work as a nose guard in a 3-4 alignment.

Quarterback Jett Duffey fits the mold of dual-threat quarterback to a “T”. He passed for 2,259 yards with 20 touchdowns during his junior season adding another 1,103 yards on the ground with an additional 19 scores.

Texas Tech 2016 Verbal Commit List

CB Neiman Armstrong, 6’1”, 180 lbs, DeSoto HS, DeSoto, Texas

DT Mychealon Thomas, 6’1”, 324 lbs, Butler County CC, El Dorado, Kansas

OL Emoree Giddens, 6’5”, 265 lbs, Coronado HS, Lubbock, Texas

OL Giovanni Pancotti, 6’6”, 290 lbs, Episcopal HS, Bellaire, Texas

QB Jett Duffey, 6’0”, 180 lbs, Lake Ridge HS, Mansfield, Texas

RB Byrson Denley, 5’9”, 170 lbs, Steele HS, Cibolo, Texas

RB Da’Leon Ward, 5’10”, 180 lbs, Skyline HS, Dallas, Texas

TE Donte Coleman, 6’4”, 220 lbs, West Mesquite HS, Mesquite, Texas

WR DeQuan Bowman, 5’11”, 180 lbs, Hutchinson CC, Hutchinson, Kansas

WR Antoine Cox-Wesley, 6’4”, 175 lbs, Steele HS, Cibolo, Texas

WR Derrick Willies, 6’4”, 210 lbs, Trinity Valley CC, Athens, Texas

 

Written by Ryan Wright

Photo credit: twitter.com; DeQuan Bowman looks for a running land for Hutchinson.