BY DON WILLIAMS

AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

Graham Harrell provided one of the shining moments in Texas Tech football history, calmly directing an 88-second scoring drive to knock off No. 1 Texas last season.

A few years down the road, the Red Raiders might have the guy in place to do just the same. Jacob Karam secured his college football future last June, accepting a scholarship offer from Tech. Then the Friendswood quarterback went out and led his Class 4A team to a state semifinal in 2008, throwing for 38 touchdowns and almost 3,300 yards.

“He fits what Tech has had as quarterbacks,’’ said Randy Rodgers, an Austin-based recruiting analyst who once coached at the universities of Illinois and Texas. “Jacob has a strong arm. I thought he was one of the better guys in the state in the two-minute drill.

“He turned into a real team leader this year, as opposed to, I think, he was somewhat of a gunslinger as a quarterback as a junior.’’

Karam is part of the annual Avalanche-Journal Fabulous 44 list of the state’s top college prospects. On national signing day, he won’t be the only good get for Tech. The Red Raiders have oral commitments from 11 members of the A-J state Top 100 list, including six off the Fab 44. The standards for a Tech class in recent years came in 2006, when the Raiders signed a record 17 A-J state Top 100 recruits with four off the Fab 44, and in 1997, when Tech landed 13 from the Top 100 with a record seven Fab 44s.

Karam’s not the top quarterback prospect in Texas this year. Rodgers says that distinction could go to any of three QBs: Garrett Gilbert from Austin Lake Travis if you want a pro-style passer, Russell Shepard from Houston Cypress Ridge if you prefer an athletic playmaker and Tyrik Rollison from Sulphur Springs if you want a combination of the two. Gilbert is headed to Texas, Shepard to LSU and Rollison possibly to Kansas State or Auburn.

Gilbert is a son of former NFL quarterback Gale Gilbert, the only man to play on five straight Super Bowl teams — four with Buffalo, one with San Diego, all losers. Gale Gilbert was a career backup.
His son doesn’t look like a clipboard holder.

“You could make the argument he’s the best player in the state of Texas, the best prospect,’’ Rodgers said.

On the defensive side, that distinction might go to Lufkin defensive tackle Jamarkus McFarland, who’ll take his ample skills to Oklahoma.

“He could play for anybody in the country,’’ Rodgers said. “He can be an immediate starter at Oklahoma, or he’ll be in the rotation. He’ll be good enough to play right away.’’

Also among the bluest of blue chips is Frenship offensive lineman Mason Walters. Rodgers notes not only that Walters has everything colleges seek, but hints that he could play on Sundays.

“Tremendous height. Wing span. He’s athletic. He’s smart,’’ Rodgers said. “He is so athletic and has the kind of prototype body that the NFL guys look for — who can be a left tackle, who’s athletic enough to protect a quarterback’s blind side.’’

Walters is one of only 16 recruits in Texas to whom longtime talent scout Max Emfinger gives his top, six-star rating. While Walters is the unanimous No. 1 offensive line prospect in Texas among Rodgers, Emfinger and Rivals.com, Tech pledges Kyle Clark from Denton Guyer and Joel Gray from Lewisville Hebron are ranked 2-3 at the position in Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine’s season-in-review winter edition.

Rodgers praises Clark’s “nasty temperament’’ and thinks Gray, a lanky left tackle, has just scratched the surface of his ability.

“Joel Gray will probably be a better college player than he was a high school player,’’ Rodgers said. “He had some injuries in high school. If those don’t linger, he’s a really good prospect. He’s got some toughness. He’s played hurt. He’s got really good size.’’

Tech’s other prospects off the Fab 44 are Wichita Falls Rider’s Eric Ward, ranked the No. 2 wide receiver in the Texas Football winter edition; Mansfield Timberview running back Eric Stephens, ranked the No. 21 overall player in the state by Rivals.com; and Abilene Cooper defensive back Will Ford, ranked the state’s No. 4 safety in the Texas Football winter edition and the state’s No. 35 overall player by Emfinger.

Tech pried Ward and Ford away from their original commitments to Oklahoma. Tech coaches don’t have to sweat Ward’s decision — he enrolled at mid-term.

“I like Eric Ward a lot,’’ Rodgers said. “I think that was a big steal for Tech to pry him away from Oklahoma. He’s a terrific blocker, a tough guy, can also return punts and kickoffs.’’

For Tech, Ford is part of a talented haul of DBs, a catch that also includes Top 100 safeties Daniel Cobb from Killeen Ellison and Terrance Bullitt from Garland Naaman Forest.

As usual, the state of Texas has abundant talent to go around. The Lone Star state, once considered no place to search for quarterbacks, has become just the opposite with the proliferation of summer camps and 7-on-7 passing tournaments. Rodgers marvels that recently there were 22 schoolboy QBs from Texas committed to major colleges and at least seven more with Division I offers.

He said the kids in this crop owe a tip of the hat to their predecessors — Texas-bred standouts such as Harrell, Chase Daniel at Missouri, Colt McCoy at Texas, Matthew Stafford at Georgia, Brian Johnson at Utah and Todd Reesing at Kansas.

“That’s incredible that there’s 30 Texas high school quarterbacks headed to Division I,’’ Rodgers said. “I think one of the reasons is that Texas high school quarterbacks who have been recruited in the last five years, so many of them have become stars.’’

Nine running backs dot the Fab 44, the most of any position. Rodgers said the ones who stand out to him are Stanford-bound Stepfan Taylor from Mansfield, Missouri-bound Kendial Lawrence from Rockwall Heath and Kansas State pledge John Hubert from Hewitt Midway.
Rodgers likes Taylor as the best all-around.

“Excellent runner, terrific receiver out of the backfield and really good at blocking the blitz,’’ Rodgers said. “I compare him as a Priest Holmes kind of player in his ability to do all kinds of skills.’’

Rodgers views Lawrence and Hubert — both shorter than 5-10 — as the top speed backs. As a senior, Hubert scored 41 touchdowns and broke LaDainian Tomlinson’s Waco city record with 2,853 rushing yards. At Kansas State, he might be seen as the next Darren Sproles.

Lawrence had similar senior-year numbers: 2,679 rushing yards and 43 touchdowns. He could keep defenses honest, running out of Missouri’s spread offense.

“I don’t think anybody in the state scored as many from long range as he did,’’ Rodgers said.

But there’s a variety of opinion on who tops the list of best backs. Texas pledge Chris Whaley, Texas A&M bound Christine Michael and Dexter Pratt, who switched from LSU to Oklahoma State, are ranked among the top 15 players in Texas by Rivals.com and among the top 11 by Emfinger.

According to Rodgers, it’s not as fruitful a year for linebackers. Nebraska commitment Chris Williams, Oklahoma pledge Tom Wort and Arkansas bound Austin Moss comprise the Fab 44 linebackers.

“There’s nobody in that group that I see getting on the field and playing a significant role as a true freshman,’’ Rodgers said. “They’re good football players. The one common denominator is they’re very productive. (But) I don’t think there’s a Sergio Kindle in this bunch.’’