A sizable number of freshmen will join the Texas Tech football program in 2010, but Beau Carpenter will be the first to campus.

Carpenter, a 6-foot-7, 275-pound offensive tackle from Sulphur Springs, said he signed a financial aid agreement with Tech on Wednesday. With his high school coursework completed, he plans to move to Lubbock shortly before spring-semester classes start on Jan. 13.

“It’s definitely the place I’ve wanted to go ever since I started getting recruited,’’ Carpenter said. “It’s a similar offense, and when I visited I fell in love with it. It’s a great place with an amazing fan base, and I really love the town.’’

Sulphur Springs tackle Beau Carpenter (62) blocks a Denison player during the Wildcats’ Class 4A Division II regional final loss to Denison on Dec. 5. Carpenter signed with Texas Tech on Wednesday and will enroll at mid-term. (Photo provided by SulpHur SPRINGS NEWS-TELEGRAM)

Wednesday was the first day of the signing period for mid-term enrollees. Tech also is hoping to sign junior-college defensive linemen Donald Langley and Scott Smith, but as of 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, Tech had not received faxed paperwork from either.

Carpenter played right tackle this season for a team that went 10-4, advancing four rounds deep in the playoffs. He said Tech offensive line coach Matt Moore has indicated he’d like to see him at left tackle.

Carpenter said when his high school coaches attended the annual Tech coaches’ clinic during his junior year, they came back with word that Moore liked his frame and potential. Carpenter just needed to gain weight — he played at around 225 pounds his junior year. He’s put on 50 pounds since and evidently kept the attributes needed to be a major-college lineman.

“I’ve been told I have a lot of good natural (traits) for an offensive lineman,’’ he said. “I have a good low pad level, I have real good feet and quick feet, and they like how I get after people. I’m really aggressive on the field.’’

In addition to signing on Wednesday, Carpenter also received honorable mention on the Associated Press Sports Editors Class 4A all-state team. Carpenter was a three-year varsity player, and Sulphur Springs won state his junior year.

Most newcomers will sign on Feb. 3, the first day of the signing period for those who graduate in May.

Carpenter said he was offered scholarships by Oklahoma State, SMU, Kansas, Northwestern, Northwestern State (La.), Missouri, Minnesota, Rice, Harvard, Houston and New Mexico.

But he pledged to Tech in June and then waited patiently until the day came to sign.

“Once I made my decision to commit to Tech, that’s where I wanted to go,’’ he said.

Tech is hoping to add the two juco defensive linemen to their list of mid-term signees.

Langley is a 6-2, 295-pound defensive tackle from Copiah-Lincoln (Miss.) Community College who has orally committed to the Red Raiders. Smith is a 6-7, 275-pound defensive lineman from Butler (Kan.) Community College who was deciding between Tech and Arkansas, which he visited over the weekend. Both started their careers at Division I programs, Langley at Tennessee and Smith at California.

Smith, who went to high school in Hawaii, is ranked by the Rivals.com recruiting service as the top juco defensive line recruit in the nation and the No. 4 prospect overall. This season at Butler, he was credited with 74 tackles, including 261/2 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. Also on his stat line were 11 quarterback pressures, four fumble recoveries and two pass breakups.

Another defensive line prospect Tech has scheduled to visit this weekend committed elsewhere on Wednesday. Bryon Bennett from Madison, Miss., Central pledged to Mississippi, according to Rivals.com.
Bennett (6-3, 265) had 65 tackles and 101/2 sacks this season.

Also scheduled to visit Tech this weekend are Madison Central defensive lineman Carlton Martin (6-3, 270), Hewitt Midway safety Ahmad Dixon (6-1, 190), Honululu linebacker V.J. Fehoko (5-11, 215) and Dallas Parish Episcopal defensive lineman Eric Humphrey (6-4, 272). Dixon, who is committed to Baylor, is ranked No. 15 on ESPN.com’s top 150 national recruits.

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