Texas Tech receiver Tramain Swindall is digging his way out of the hole he’d put himself in.

Swindall will suit up and probably see some playing time Saturday against Rice, inside receivers coach Lincoln Riley said Thursday.

Swindall

Swindall didn’t even suit up for last week’s opener against North Dakota, a surprise considering he caught 46 passes for nearly 600 yards last season.

“He’s practiced a lot harder and a lot better (this week),’’ Riley said. “You see a sense of urgency with him that we didn’t see in camp. I think anytime you’re a guy that’s played some and you get demoted to scout team for three weeks, all of a sudden your effort and intensity and all that magically seems to pick up.

“With him, it definitely has. You can tell he’s definitely more into it this week. He’ll be ready to go.’’

Sophomore Adam James and redshirt freshman Cornelius Douglas, who had bumped Swindall to third team at “H’’ inside receiver in the late stages of preseason practice, filled that spot against North Dakota. James caught two passes for 24 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown, and Douglas had two catches for 11 yards.

One of the three players will be bumped out of the playing rotation this week, because Tech normally plays only two receivers at each spot.

Riley said he’d wait until the end of practice this week to decide on a starter and declined to say who will drop to third.

“The two that practice the best each week are going to be the two,’’ he said. “The third guy’s going to be sitting there waiting on an opportunity, basically.’’

Though they don’t have to, the Red Raiders generally suit up only 70 players for home games. That’s to prepare for road trips in the Big 12 Conference, which puts a 70-player limit on travel rosters.

Last week, Swindall wasn’t even among the 70.

Tech hosts Rice at 6 p.m. Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium.

Not torn

Matt Baldwin became a familiar name to Texas Tech fans last winter, representing Tech coach Mike Leach in contentious contract negotiations with the university. Baldwin attended Rice from 1996 through 2000, where he was the Owls’ starting center for three years during the Ken Hatfield era.

So what has Baldwin told Leach regarding this week’s game against Rice?

“Score as many points as you can,’’ said Baldwin, an IMG agent based in Minnesota. “At this point in my lifetime, it’s all about my clients. I love my alma mater and everything, but when it comes down to a client playing against them, I’m going to root for (the client) every time.’’

Baldwin plans to be on the Tech sideline next week in Austin when the Red Raiders square off with Texas.

After the protracted negotiations that culminated in February with Leach signing a five-year, $12.7-million contract, Baldwin said Leach’s demeanor now is “great, focused, ready to win. He’s in season mode.”

“I just think (the contract) is one less thing he has to think about,’’ Baldwin said. “It definitely helps on the recruiting trail. All the issues it was causing are now moot.’’

Recruiting update

Tech’s two oral commitments this week give the Red Raiders 19 pledges for their 2010 class. With Tech likely to sign 24 or 25 players, that leaves five or six spots to fill.

Dallas Madison offensive lineman Javius Townsend (6-foot-4, 300 pounds), who committed to Tech on Tuesday, and Navarro College’s Lawrence Rumph (6-3, 270), who has played both defensive end and defensive tackle, are expected to visit campus this weekend.

According to the Rivals.com recruiting service, Rumph has scholarship offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Southern Mississippi, but not yet from Tech. He was a high-school teammate of Tech defensive tackle Chris Perry at Keller Fossil Ridge and was credited with 16 sacks as a senior.

The Red Raiders figure to take one more offensive lineman, three or four defensive linemen and a linebacker. It’s also likely they’d take another wide receiver if a highly regarded one such as James Wright from Belle Chasse, La., or Darius White from Fort Worth Dunbar were to settle on the Red Raiders.

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