Hardly overlooked was the fact Brewer’s grandfather, Charlie Brewer, and his father, Robert Brewer, are former Texas Longhorns quarterbacks.

But in coming to Lubbock, Michael Brewer won’t necessarily escape his standard bearers.

In 1999, Charlie Brewer, a Lubbock High legend, was named the quarterback on the A-J All-City All-Century football team and to the South Plains’ Top 100 Athletes of all-time list.

“I’ve seen all of his old photos and his old playbooks and his ring,’’ Michael Brewer said. “He loves Lubbock, thinks it’s a great town. He’s really fired up that I’m going to be at Texas Tech.’’

Still just a junior in high school, Michael Brewer already has a lot in common with his grandfather: Just as Charlie Brewer quarterbacked Lubbock High to a 13-0 state championship season in 1951 — the first of back-to-back titles for the Westerners — Michael quarterbacked Class 4A Lake Travis to a 16-0 state championship season last year.

Brewer, who said he is 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, posted attention-getting statistics last season for the Cavaliers. He threw for 4,450 yards on 256-of-367 passing, and his touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio was 43-7.

That won him 10 scholarship offers, the others coming from Texas, Baylor, Kansas, Arizona State, Clemson, Tulsa, Rice, East Carolina and Auburn. But Brewer’s first offer came from Tech in week six of last season.

“I was interested right off the bat,’’ he said.

He promptly visited campus the week of the Tech-Texas A&M game. After the Red Raiders’ coaching change, Brewer visited again for a junior day.

“When I visited, it was everything I expected and more,’’ he said. “I kind of fell in love with Lubbock and Texas Tech, and I’m real excited to be a Red Raider.’’

Brewer plans to graduate high school in December and enroll at Tech in January.

After Tech fired former coach Mike Leach, Brewer said new head coach Tommy Tuberville and offensive coordinator Neal Brown came to watch him throw and confirmed his scholarship offer remained in place. He didn’t need much time to warm up to the new coaches.

Brewer said among the pluses to joining Tech is that Brown’s offense is similar to what he’s been running at Lake Travis.

“I’ve briefly seen just a little bit of film on some of the stuff they’re going to be running,’’ he said. “It’s a really fast-paced, no-huddle, hurry-up offense. Running the ball. Throwing the ball all around the field. Rolling out. Running the quarterback — not a lot, but just enough.’’

Brewer also seems well-suited for Brown’s offense in the latter regard. He carried the ball 114 times for 615 yards and 23 touchdowns last season.

“I’m a pass-first and then run-second guy,’’ he said. “But if necessary, I can run the ball.’’

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Brewer completed 256 of 367 passes for 4,450 yards and 43 touchdowns last season, throwing seven interceptions. His Class 4A team went 16-0, scoring 50 or more points in 11 games. Brewer also rushed for 615 yards and 23 touchdowns on 114 carries.

He is a grandson of Charlie Brewer, who quarterback Lubbock High’s 1951 state championship team, and a son of Robert Brewer, a former Texas quarterback who scored the winning touchdown in the 1982 Cotton Bowl.

Michael Brewer is listed at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds.

He also had been recruited by Tulsa, Texas, Rice, Auburn, East Carolina, Baylor, Kansas and Arizona State.

Ellison coach Buddy McBryde said Hocutt is 6-foot, 258 pounds and has been timed at 4.6 seconds for the 40-yard sprint.

“He’s very big, very athletic, an extremely strong player,’’ McBryde said.

Hocutt played inside linebacker in a 4-4 defense and fullback in a wing-T offense. Ellison coaches started him on both sides of the ball, though not at the same time.

McBryde said Hocutt played most of last season at linebacker, averaging six solo tackles per game, but moved to fullback for the last three games. In those three games, McBryde said Hocutt rushed for about 70 yards against Belton, about 110 yards against Killeen Shoemaker and 180 yards against College Station A&M Consolidated.

McBryde said Hocutt was brought up to the varsity for the last six or seven games of his freshman year. As a sophomore, he was named defensive newcomer of the year in the district. Those two seasons, he was a teammate of Daniel Cobb, who signed with Tech last February and redshirted in 2009.

Next season, Ellison coaches plan to use Hocutt at fullback.

The Eagles finished 4-6 last season.

McBryde said Texas, Oklahoma State and TCU also had shown interest in Hocutt, but Tech was the first program to offer him a scholarship.

“What he liked about them that impressed them was they faxed us the offer and that kind of was a surprise to him, and wanted him to call,’’ McBryde said. “But then they mailed another one with a hand-written address. That seemed to impress him. As soon as he got it (Monday), last night he committed.’’

Oral commitments are non-binding.

Hocutt is the second recruit to pledge to the Red Raiders for the February 2011 class. The other pledge is from Lakeland, Fla., wide receiver Javares McRoy, whose brother, Ben McRoy, signed with the Red Raiders last month.

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Tech has already self-imposed penalties in football that included giving up one scholarship for 2010 and reducing the number of campus visits to four fewer recruits than the program’s average over the last four years. New Tech coach Tommy Tuberville recruited under those restrictions in the month leading up to Wednesday’s national signing day.

The case remains open with the NCAA, which could accept Tech’s self-imposed punishment or add sanctions.

Tech faculty representative Brian Shannon, who has communicated with NCAA and Big 12 Conference officials regarding the case, said the violations involved two coaches in men’s golf, three former coaches in softball and “quite a few” football coaches, which he then estimated to be about 10.

“I don’t know what the NCAA is ultimately going to conclude on this,” said Shannon, a Tech law professor.

Tech athletic director Gerald Myers referred most questions about the case to Shannon, who said the irregularities were uncovered last
February by Tech’s athletic compliance staff in a routine review of phone records. After an internal investigation, Tech sent a lengthy report to the NCAA and the Big 12 in July that included the self-imposed penalties.

“A lot of things in the report identified mitigating factors,’’ Shannon said. “Of course, the NCAA is the ultimate decision maker.’’

Shannon said he hasn’t been given a time frame for a resolution.

“The process, I am learning, is not really fast,” he said. “We reported it. We imposed some self-imposed penalties. Most of those have already been served.”

After being contacted by the Avalanche-Journal, Tech released a statement reiterating its commitment to internal reviews of NCAA regulations.

“Texas Tech remains committed to compliance with NCAA rules,” president Guy Bailey said in the press release.

Text-messaging recruits was banned in August 2007 after high school students complained that incessant text messages from college coaches cost them personal time and money because of increased cell-phone charges.

Initially, 34 schools called for the ban to be overturned, but it was upheld at the NCAA convention in January 2008.

Asked to what extent the investigation might have played in the firing of former Tech coach Mike Leach on Dec. 30, Myers said, “None.”

Shannon said nearly all the football coaches involved no longer work for Tech. From Leach’s staff, offensive line coach Matt Moore was the only on-field assistant that Tuberville retained. Shannon said he believed Moore had sent “about four” text messages after the ban.

Former Tech defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill was hired as head coach at East Carolina, and he subsequently took four of Leach’s former assistants with him. Two Leach assistants retired and special teams coach Eric Russell landed a job at Tennessee.

McNeill interviewed to be the Red Raiders’ head coach after Leach was fired.

Asked whether the pending case played a role in the decision to hire Tuberville rather than retain the majority of last year’s staff, Myers said, “No, because I didn’t even know (an estimated 10 football coaches) were involved until you mentioned it. Somebody might have (sent only) one text message, but no.”

Tuberville was hired on Jan. 9.

“I told him that this was ongoing,” Myers said. “I don’t know exactly when I told him. I told him early, though. He didn’t seem to be bothered by it.”

One penalty involved the restriction on the number of recruits that could be accorded paid campus visits.

The NCAA limits campus visits to 56 recruits per year. Tech had been averaging 44 visitors a year the last four years, Shannon said, and volunteered to cap visits at 40 for the recruiting year that just ended this week. A self-imposed penalty of 48 visits, for example, might be viewed as no penalty at all with Tech normally not approaching the limit of 56.

“I think the intent was to show that this was a reduction,” Shannon said.

He said “comparable” sanctions have been self-imposed on men’s golf and softball. He said each team will give up a fraction of one scholarship and “some limitation or reduction in official paid visits in both.”

Former Tech softball coach Teresa Wilson left in October 2008 and was followed for one season by former Tech assistant Amy Suiter.
Shannon said the three sports were the only ones found to have the irregularities.

“The review was tied to looking at phone records,” Shannon said. “No violations were discovered in any of the other 14 sports.”

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Other than being hired on Jan. 9, Tommy Tuberville’s most significant day as Texas Tech football coach came Wednesday when he and his staff landed 22 players during his first national signing day with the Red Raiders.

Tuberville’s staff will start to put their stamp on the team with winter workouts this month and spring practice beginning in March.

Among the myriad topics covered on signing day, here are six of the most interesting questions Tuberville addressed.

• How will Tech coaches manage the small number of scholarships available next year?
Tuberville didn’t obsess over filling every spot Wednesday. He stopped recruiting a few of Mike Leach’s commitments because the team has only 13 scholarship seniors for 2010. Tuberville said he’d like to have more like 20 scholarships because of the depth of talent in Texas high schools next fall. It could work out that way because of the 25 new players, Tuberville said it’s likely only 18 to 20 will meet initial eligibility requirements.

Running back Delans Griffin, offensive lineman Aleon Calhoun and defensive end Lawrence Cayou are among those who might be detoured to a junior college. Tuberville said he believes every player he signs can earn a degree at Tech. But everywhere he’s coached, he said he’s benefited by placing non-qualifiers in junior colleges with plans to re-sign them two years later.

“Each one of my coaches, they’ve got to find at least one great player that they can put in a juco,” Tuberville said. “You do that with seven, eight, nine of those a year, you can win a lot of games (down the road) like that.”

• Once the new coaches stop recruiting on the fly, what will some of their recruiting tenets be?
Tuberville said every one of his assistants will be assigned to a part of Texas. Beyond that, there will have to be a high level of agreement on a recruit’s value.

The evaluation will go up the chain of command, which only starts with an assistant who sees a player he likes in his geographic area.

“They will evaluate the players,” Tuberville said. “They’ll take it to the position coach, then the coordinator, then me. So four coaches will have to OK a player for us to recruit him. With that evaluation process, I think we’ll have a lot of success.”

Tuberville said he wants the majority of Tech’s signing classes to be Texas players, but Wednesday probably won’t be the last time the Red Raiders sign four players from Florida. Defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson is a Miami native, and Tuberville is well connected there from his eight years as an assistant at the University of Miami and his 14 years as a head coach in the Southeastern Conference.

Tuberville believes far more players get overlooked in Florida than in Texas.

“(Texas) has probably the least diamonds in the rough,” he said, “because the coaching is so good in this state, the popularity of football is so huge, that these high school coaches, if they see a player, they’re going to get him out in junior high or 10th grade year or ninth grade year, and (colleges) are going to know a lot more about them.”

Just as Spike Dykes signed a lightly recruited Zach Thomas and Mike Leach signed an afterthought of a prospect named Wes Welker, Tuberville said he had no competition landing surefire Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis for the University of Miami.

Tuberville said more good athletes in Florida wind up not playing football until their junior or senior year.

“That’s the reason you have a few more guys in that area that might be unknown,” he said. “The evaluation process is just so hard down there. But we will spend the time with the coaches in that area to be able to find the diamonds in the rough, so to speak.”

• Which freshmen could play next season?
Tuberville said Shawn Corker from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., might be able to crack a deep receiving corps, just because he’s that talented.

“He catches almost everything thrown at him, but he can make plays after he catches it,” Tuberville said.

He also mentioned cornerbacks Tre’Vante Porter and Phillip Warren and defensive end Jackson Richards. All the defensive ends Tech graduated helps Richards’ chance of playing early.

Tuberville said he loves Warren’s intangibles, and likes Porter’s obvious talent.

“It’s hard to find 6-foot corners with his athletic ability,” Tuberville said, “and the thing he can do very well is play man coverage. He plays well out of his backpedal, he’s got great hip flexion, and I think he’s got a chance.”

• Where does Scott Smith project?
The 6-foot-7, 275-pound Smith has never played defensive tackle, and he’s not about to start now, according to Tuberville. He could even play as a stand-up pass rusher in the team’s 3-4 front.

“We don’t want anyone lining up outside of him (in pass protection),” Tuberville said. “With what teams are doing now (in spread passing offenses), you need height on the outside where they can get their hands up. He’s got a lot of ability.”

Smith is scheduled to join the team in late spring or early summer. Though he signed at mid-term, Smith did not enroll in January, because he was unnerved by the Tech coaching change. However, the papers he signed in December are binding, and Tuberville said he’s comfortable that Smith will show up as planned.

• How will Tech’s philosophy regarding offensive linemen change?
In Mike Leach’s system, coaches were comfortable using linemen 6-foot-5 to 6-7 across the board if they were available. Leach used tall linemen such as Toby Cecil at center and Louis Vasquez and Brandon Carter at guard.

Tuberville will tweak that. He said he wants to reevaluate the offensive line.

“We have some huge guys, and I like 6-7, 6-8 guys that can block,” he said. “But I think sometimes you might have to look at a little bit shorter offensive linemen for center and the guards, where they can be more athletic in what we’re going to do in our running game.”

• Who’s playing “Guess My Position?”
Ben McRoy and Lavaughn Whigham, most notably. The Leach staff projected McRoy as an inside receiver. Tuberville didn’t rule out that plan. But in thinking-out-loud fashion, he said he wasn’t sure McRoy couldn’t be a Big 12 running back, even though he comes in at 5-9 and 163 pounds.

Running back was McRoy’s primary position during his senior season at Lakeland, Fla., High School. He rushed for 872 yards at 8.8 yards per carry.

“I think he’s a little bit like Dexter McCluster, the young man from Ole Miss,” Tuberville said. “He can make you miss. He’s exciting to watch.”

Tech coaches think the 6-1, 180-pound Whigham could play just about anywhere but quarterback or on the line. Tuberville mentioned cornerback, safety, wide receiver and even linebacker if the Miami, Fla., Southridge product puts on weight.

“He might be the best athlete out of these 25 (signees) in terms of just pure athletic ability,” Tuberville said. “He’s raw. He was a standout in everything that he did. … We don’t know where he’s going to play, but he’s going to play somewhere.”

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Sam McElroy, the head football coach at Tarleton State the last five years, has been hired by Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville to coach the Red Raiders’ interior defensive linemen.

McElroy, 45, will replace defensive line coach Charlie Sadler. A Tech spokesman said Tuberville wanted Sadler to stay on in his current position, but Sadler decided in the last two weeks to retire.

McElroy, a Corsicana native, led Tarleton to five consecutive winning seasons with an overall record of 40-15. The Texans were 10-3 in 2009, losing to top-ranked Central Washington in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. He also was a defensive assistant for two years at North Texas and for seven years at Sam Houston State.

Early in his career, McElroy had staff positions at Baylor, Texas State and Navarro Junior College before taking high school head coaching jobs at Tyler Gorman and Alto.

Tuberville’s on-field staff is complete with nine assistants. In hiring, he said he put a premium on recruiting ability.

“I can hire a lot of people that can put Xs and Os on the board,’’ Tuberville said. “We’re going to have recruiters here. Guys that enjoy recruiting, that No. 1 can evaluate, and that No. 2, can do a great job of representing Texas Tech and selling what we have here.

“There’s not one guy that I can say, ‘He’s a little bit weak in recruiting.’ That’s not going to happen with us. You have to have nine very good ones.’’

Tuberville said he looked for a good offensive coordinator and a good defensive coordinator, “and everybody else, I looked at recruiting first.’’

Other than offensive coordinator Neal Brown and defensive coordinator James Willis, Tech has not announced any of the new assistants. However, Tuberville outlined their assignments Wednesday in his national signing day news conference.

McElroy will coach nose tackles and defensive tackles, Willis will tutor inside linebackers, and Robert Prunty will oversee outside linebackers. Travaris Robinson will coach defensive backs with help from graduate assistant Duane Price, who was a safety and a cornerback during his Tech playing career.

Tuberville also confirmed his offensive staff assignments: Brown (quarterbacks), Chad Scott (running backs), Matt Moore (linemen), Sonny Cumbie (inside receivers) and Tommy Mainord (wide receivers). Cumbie was recently promoted from the offense’s graduate assistant, so that position is open.

“I’m going to be head special teams coach — and get ready,’’ Tuberville said with a chuckle.

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Here are thumbnail sketches on football players that signed with Texas Tech on Wednesday:

Ryan's Scotty Young (10) during a playoff football game against Guyer, Saturday, December 5, 2009 at C.H. Collins Athletic Complex in Denton.

SCOTTY YOUNG, 6-3, 190, QB, Denton Ryan: Member of A-J Fabulous 44 and Parade Magazine all-America team. … Threw for 65 touchdowns his junior year and 64 touchdowns his senior season, missing the state record of 67 set by former Tech quarterback Graham Harrell at Ennis. … During senior season, completed 287 of 475 passes for 4,500 yards, helping team go 12-2. … Threw for 4,495 yards for a 9-4 team as a junior. … Received first scholarship offer from Tech, and picked up later offers from Arizona, SMU, Baylor and Houston. Notre Dame and Arizona State also recruited him after Tech’s coaching change.

DELANS GRIFFIN, 5-10, 178, RB, Clinton, Okla.: Ranked among nation’s top 25 running backs by SuperPrep and Rivals.com and No. 6 prospect in Oklahoma by Rivals.com. … Carried 109 times for 939 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior, despite injury problems. … As a junior, ran for 1,962 yards, piled up 40 touchdowns rushing, receiving and returning kicks and was an all-state punter averaging almost 41 yards. … Had varsity career totals of 404 carries, 3,712 yards and 70 total touchdowns, including 57 rushing. … Rushed for 700 yards as a sophomore for unbeaten Class 3A state champion. … Said he also received scholarship offers from Tulsa, Arizona, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri and Colorado. … State champion in the 100 meters. … First name is pronounced “De-LANCE.’’

BEN MCROY, 5-9, 163, IR-RB, Lakeland, Fla.: Played running back, receiver, cornerback and returned kicks during four-year varsity career. … Played primarily cornerback as a junior and primarily running back as a senior. … Helped team to 13-1 record and Class 5A state semifinals as a senior. Carried 99 times for 872 yards and five touchdowns and caught three passes for 101 yards and three TDs. … Said he received scholarship offers from South Florida, Central Florida, Kansas State, Florida International, Middle Tennessee, Alabama State and Georgia Southern.

SHAWN CORKER, 6-1, 189, WR, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Cardinal Gibbons: Caught 58 passes for 741 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior and had 33 catches for 912 yards and 14 TDs as a junior. … Said he had 35 scholarship offers and narrowed his choices to Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Miami and Florida. Other prominent offers were from Michigan, Tennessee, Purdue, Mississippi, Auburn and South Carolina. … Qualified for state track meet in the 200 meters and sprint relay as a sophomore.

ALEON CALHOUN, 6-6, 330, OT, Navasota: Played left tackle on Class 3A team that went 9-4, 10-1 and 9-3 the last three years, losing twice in the playoffs to eventual state champions. … Ranked as the No. 17 offensive tackle in the nation by recruiting analyst Tom Lemming. … Also offered scholarships by Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Southern Mississippi and Texas A&M.

BEAU CARPENTER, 6-7, 275, OT, Sulphur Springs: Member of A-J state Top 100 recruiting list. … Three-year varsity player for Class 4A team that won state his junior year. … As a senior, was credited with a 91-percent blocking grade, 49 pancake blocks and one sack allowed. … Played right tackle for a Class 4A team that finished 10-4, losing in a regional final. … Said he was offered scholarships by Oklahoma State, SMU, Kansas, Northwestern, Northwestern State, Missouri, Minnesota, Rice, Harvard, Houston and New Mexico. … Said he also was contacted by Oklahoma, Arkansas and Miami (Fla.) between the time Mike Leach was fired on Dec. 30 and the time Carpenter enrolled on Jan. 13.

JAMES POLK, 6-7, 290, OT, Alief Elsik: Graded above 90 percent in eight games as a senior. … Didn’t allow a sack in team’s 245 pass attempts. … Credited with 25 pancake blocks. … Also had scholarship offers from Grambling, Texas-El Paso, Kansas and Mississippi State. … Father, James Polk Sr., listed at 6-11, was an all-conference defensive linemen on Eddie Robinson’s Grambling teams in the 1980s, playing for the Tigers’ famed “Trees of Terror’’ defense.

DARTWAN BUSH, 6-1, 255, DE, Clute Brazoswood: First-team all-Greater Houston honoree and Class 5A second-team all-state by The Associated Press Sports Editors. … Unanimous choice by eight coaches as player of the year in District 24-5A. … Credited with 81 tackles, 30 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, five fumbles caused and four batted passes. … Team went 10-4, advancing to Class 5A Division I regional final. … Also recruited by Houston, TCU, North Texas, Baylor, Colorado, Iowa State and Nebraska.

SCOTT SMITH, 6-7, 275, DE, Butler, Kan., College: Ranked by Rivals.com as No. 1 junior college defensive line recruit in nation and No. 4 juco recruit overall. … Projected as a standup defensive end/outside linebacker by Tech coach Tommy Tuberville. … Was credited with 74 tackles last season, including 261/2 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. … Also had 11 quarterback pressures, four fumble recoveries and two pass breakups. … Said he also was offered scholarships by Arkansas, UCLA and Baylor. … Tech would be fourth college stop. Also has been at Pac-10 Conference programs California, where he signed out of high school, and Arizona. … Attended St. Louis High School in Honolulu.

LAWRENCE CAYOU, 6-4, 245, DE, New Orleans, La., McDonogh 35: Credited with 17 sacks as a senior and returned a fumble for a touchdown in a playoff game. … Honorable mention Class 4A all-state as a junior. … Also had a scholarship offer from SMU.
Defensive coordinator James Willis says: “Lawrence is a steal, a diamond in the rough for this class. He possesses a combination of speed and size that is very rare and hard to find.’’

COBY COLEMAN, 6-2, 283, DT, Frankston: All-District 19-2A at both tight end and defensive tackle during his junior year, when he had 52 tackles and 10 behind the line. … Injured midway through senior season. … Ranked No. 98 recruit in state by Rivals.com. … Also recruited by Stephen F. Austin and Louisiana Tech. … Nephew of former pro baseball outfielder Paul Coleman, who was sixth overall selection in 1989 major league draft.

MIKE JONES, 6-2, 267, DT, Sugar Land Kempner: One of 10 finalists for the Touchdown Club of Houston defensive player of the year award. … Credited with 59 tackles, including 12 behind the line and 71/2 sacks. … Three-year varsity player who played offensive tackle as a sophomore before moving to defensive tackle for last two years. Had 68 tackles and five sacks as a junior. … Committed to Fordham in mid-January before changing mind. Said he also was offered scholarships by Houston, Texas-El Paso, Texas-San Antonio and Louisiana-Lafayette.

DONALD LANGLEY, 6-2, 295, DT, Copiah-Lincoln, Miss., College: A blue-chip recruit out of high school, he spent his freshman and redshirt freshman seasons at Tennessee, but played in only two games. … Credited with 10 sacks in eight games in sophomore season at Copiah-Lincoln. Said he was offered scholarships by North Carolina, Michigan State, Louisiana Tech and Georgia. … Was considered a national top 100 recruit coming out of Germantown, Md., Seneca Valley High School. Said he had 55 scholarship offers and took recruiting visits to Oklahoma, Texas, Michigan, Penn State and Tennessee.

JACKSON RICHARDS, 6-3, 247, DE, Southlake Carroll: Member of A-J Fabulous 44. … Ranked as No. 3 defensive end in Texas by Texas Football magazine winter edition. … Helped team to an 11-2 record as a senior, making 53 tackles, nine sacks and five forced fumbles. … Made 40 tackles and 14 sacks as a junior. … Also received scholarship offers from Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas State, LSU, North Carolina, Texas A&M and UCLA.

LAWRENCE RUMPH, 6-3, 270, DE, Navarro College/Keller Fossil Ridge: Can play either defensive end or defensive tackle. … Also was recruited by Kansas State, Missouri, Arizona, Baylor, Oklahoma State, San Diego State, Baylor and Utah. … Credited with 35 tackles, seven for loss and two sacks as a Navarro freshman. … Credited with 70 tackles and 16 sacks as a high school senior. … Brother of former Tech and South Plains College basketball player Alana Rumph.

JOE CARMICAL, 6-2, 231, ILB, Monticello, Ark.: Passed for 1,193 yards and 19 touchdowns and ran for 1,237 yards and 20 TDs playing quarterback for a state championship team. Class 5A team finished 14-0. … Played linebacker only during senior year, but projected as a linebacker by Tech. … State champion shot putter with throw of 54 feet, 3 inches. … Said he also had scholarship offers from Marshall, Central Arkansas and Arkansas State and interest from North Carolina and Kansas.

CQULIN HUBERT, 6-3, 230, OLB, Aldine Eisenhower: Two-time all-District 19-5A honoree. … Credited with six sacks as a senior for a 6-5 team. … Originally committed to Iowa State. Also had scholarship offers from Kansas State, Louisiana-Monroe, New Mexico State, Tulsa and Utah State. … First name is pronounced “CUE-lin.’’

ZACH WINBUSH, 6-2, 205, OLB, Schertz Clemens: Credited with 116 tackles as a senior, notching double-digit totals in eight games. … Also carried the ball 18 times, averaging 13.8 yards, and scoring eight touchdowns. … Three-year starter and two-time All-District 27-4A. … As a junior, made 108 tackles for team that reached second round of Class 4A Division II playoffs. … Said he also was offered a scholarship by Missouri and received attention from Texas A&M, Baylor, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas and Kansas State before he committed to Tech in March.

URELL JOHNSON, 6-0, 176, CB, New Orleans Walker: Missed senior season with a partially torn ligament, for which he underwent surgery in July. … Made three interceptions as a junior. … Started at safety as a sophomore for a Class 4A state semifinal team. … Said he also was offered scholarships by Virginia, Tennessee, Illinois, Louisiana Tech, Southern Mississippi, Kansas State, Nebraska, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico State, Baylor and Tulsa. … State champion in the indoor and outdoor long jump with efforts of 23 feet-plus.
Defensive coordinator James Willis says: “Urell is a very explosive athlete. He is unique in that he has a bigger body type, but excels in coverage. He is an outstanding football player and tremendous track athlete.’’

DESMOND MARTIN, 6-0, 178, S, Round Rock Stony Point: Member of A-J state Top 100 recruiting list. … Made 43 tackles, one interception and six pass breakups as a senior. … All-District 16-5A. … Had 70 tackles and 15 pass breakups as a junior. … Also offered scholarships by Missouri, North Texas, Tulsa and Texas-El Paso.

RUSSELL POLK, 5-11, 200, S, Dallas Carter: All-District 11-4A. … Credited with 78 tackles and four interceptions as a junior. … Also had scholarship offers from Nebraska and Texas-El Paso.
Defensive coordinator James Willis says: “Russell is a fierce tackler and has great cover ability. Russell was the field general for Carter High School and a leader in the secondary.’’

TRE’VANTE PORTER, 6-0, 185, CB, Midwest City, Okla., Carl Albert: Top player for Oklahoma Class 5A team that lost in state final his junior year and won state title his senior year. … Three-year starter on both offense and defense. Has played cornerback, safety, wide receiver, running back and kick returner. … Projected as a cornerback by Tech. … As a senior, credited with 115 tackles and two interceptions. On offense, he rushed for 652 yards and eight touchdowns and caught passes for 665 yards and 11 TDs. … Credited with 96 tackles and four interceptions as a junior. … Said he also had scholarship offers from Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Arizona, Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska, Colorado, Toledo, Louisville and Vanderbilt.

BRANDON SMITH, 6-1, 175, Raceland, La., Central Lafourche: Credited with 27 tackles, two interceptions and seven pass breakups as a senior. … All-District 8-5A and honorable mention all-state. … Helped team go 7-4 and return to playoffs for first time in eight years. … Received scholarship offer from Florida International and inquiries from Memphis, Mississippi State and LSU after he committed to Tech.

PHILLIP WARREN, 5-9, 175, CB, Miami, Fla., Southridge: Played running back, cornerback and punter for Class 6A team that went 10-1. … Credited with 20 solo, 44 assists, 10 sacks and a fumble recovery. … Carried 30 times for 275 yards and three touchdowns. … Also offered scholarships by Marshall, Northern Illinois and Southern Mississippi.

LAVAUGHN WHIGHAM, 6-1, 180, WR-DB, Miami, Fla., Southridge: Played both ways for Class 6A team that went 10-1. … Caught 10 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown and was credited with four solo tackles, 29 assists and one interception that he returned for a TD. … Originally committed to Central Michigan. Also offered scholarships by Marshall, Northern Illinois, Louisville and Southern Mississippi.

Full Signing Day Coverage

Texas Tech football coaches used to be accused of recruiting for offense at the expense of defense.

Not anymore. Not with Tommy Tuberville in charge.

The Red Raiders reeled in 22 new players Wednesday, the first day of college football’s national signing period, 16 of whom come from the defensive side. Add in three mid-term signees, and the numbers are seven on offense and 18 defense.

“There’s a reason for that: We need more defensive players,” Tuberville said, noting he inherited 27 scholarship players on defense and 31 on offense. “The one area that we really needed players was defensive linemen, and we signed eight. I’ve told people for years: You can throw (recruiting star rankings) all out, and grade the defensive linemen that you recruited. And if they’re good football players, you’re going to win more games.

Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville has the Red Raiders turning the page. He pulled in a signing class Wednesday with a heavy emphasis on defense. (Zach Long/Avalanche-Journal)

“Every player is valuable, but it’s so hard to find defensive players that can play defensive line, that can run and play major-college football. So we went after an abundance of them.”

Tuberville also made it clear he puts a premium on off-field character and speed.

“This entire team will be built on speed as long as I’m here,” he said. “Speed will win games for us. I don’t look at the height. I don’t look at the weight. I look at how fast they can run and how quick they are. If they have a couple of those qualities, this football team will get better and better.”

On paper, at least, defensive coordinator James Willis got a windfall of eight new defensive linemen, three linebackers and perhaps as many as seven defensive backs, depending on how the Raiders decide to use two-way Miami, Fla., signee Lavaughn Whigham.

The disparity wasn’t totally by design. Late in the game, the Raiders got some favorable breaks with defensive recruits and two defections from offensive players.

Defensive backs Urell Johnson and Tre’Vante Porter, who looked at other schools after the Dec. 30 firing of Mike Leach, ultimately returned to the Tech fold. And on signing day, the Raiders pulled Aldine Eisenhower linebacker Cqulin Hubert away from a commitment to Iowa State and signed previously uncommitted defensive end Lawrence Cayou from New Orleans.

The tilt toward defense notwithstanding, the new staff held on to the most high-profile recruit that Leach had attracted: Parade Magazine all-America quarterback Scotty Young from Denton Ryan.

Even Young had to pass muster with offensive coordinator Neal Brown, Tuberville said, as the new staff did its own evaluations. But after checking out Young, Tuberville said they saw what Leach saw.

“I like his release, I like the way he gets rid of the football, and he’s very competitive, which is a very good attribute for a college quarterback to have,” Tuberville said. “Just visiting with him, he’s a very mature young man that I think will be a heck of a quarterback for us.”

The day started on a down note, though, when highly sought wide receiver Kadron Boone signed with LSU. The Ocala, Fla., star made a non-binding oral commitment to Tech in August. But when Leach was fired, Boone began looking elsewhere.

“They did a great job,’’ Trinity Catholic coach John Brantley said of Tech’s staff. “He had built up a great relationship with coach Leach. It’s not that he lost interest, but (Tech’s passing offense) is what caught his attention. That’s what got him interested in Texas Tech to begin with. Once that happened, he put his thought processes elsewhere.’’

Boone is ranked among the nation’s top 150 recruits by ESPN.com and Rivals.com.

He toured Tech in early September, then spent January taking his maximum number of official visits to check out other schools: Georgia, Louisville, West Virginia and, last weekend, LSU.

“Wherever you go last, that tends to be the place you remember,’’ Brantley said.

Tech also lost offensive lineman Eric Lawson from Olive Branch, Miss., to Mississippi State.

While those two were leaving the Tech class, new arrivals were replacing them.

Hubert, a first-team all-District 19-5A selection the last two years, visited Tech over the weekend and signed with the Red Raiders on Wednesday.

“He’s good sized, and he can run,’’ said Eisenhower coach Ray Evans, adding that Hubert is 6-foot-3 and in the 230- to 235-pound range. “We played him down at defensive end last year, then about midseason last year we put him at outside linebacker, because he can drop back and cover. He can run you down. He can cover a lot of ground.’’

Cayou is another intriguing prospect, coming off a senior season with 17 sacks.

New defensive coordinator James Willis called Cayou a steal and a diamond in the rough.

“He possesses a combination of speed and size that is very rare and hard to find,” Willis said.

Something Leach’s staff had been doing that Tuberville’s will keep doing is recruiting Florida. Tech landed four players from there: Miami Southridge defensive backs Phillip Warren and Whigham, Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons wide receiver Shawn Corker and Lakeland inside receiver Ben McRoy.

Tuberville said he has spent much of his career recruiting in Florida. He believes there is so much talent in the state that, inevitably, many good prospects fall through the cracks. Warren, for example, doesn’t even have a Rivals.com star ranking, but Tuberville singled him out as a player who deserved more recruiting attention.

Tuberville said Warren has marginal speed for a cornerback — he estimated in the 4.5- to 4.6-second range — but he loved his football smarts.

“He kind of reminds me of a kid I coached that’s a rookie this year with the Indianapolis Colts named Jerraud Powers,’’ Tuberville said. “Same size. Same makeup. Same build. And he’s very knowledgeable of the game, and he loves to play. I think he has a great chance.’’

Tech’s holding on to McRoy was doubly significant because his younger brother, Javares McRoy, is considered one of the top wide receiver prospects in the nation for next year. The McRoy brothers have indicated a desire to go to the same school.

Eleven in-state prospects also were signed, including Young and Southlake Carroll defensive end Jackson Richards, both members of The Avalanche-Journal Fabulous 44 list of Texas’ top recruits, and Round Rock Stony Point defensive back Desmond Martin, a member of the A-J state Top 100.

While Tech lost a couple of out-of-state recruits perhaps to the coaching change, Tuberville pulled in two out-of-state defensive backs who had wavered. Urell Johnson from New Orleans Walker looked at Colorado and Illinois after the Leach firing, and Porter from Carl Albert High School in Midwest City, Okla., re-opened his recruitment, attracting an offer from Oklahoma and a final-weekend visit invitation from Arizona.

But Johnson and Porter ultimately stuck with Tech. So did linebacker Joe Carmical from Monticello, Ark., running back Delans Griffin from Clinton, Okla., and defensive back Brandon Smith from Raceland, La., Central Lafourche.

Tuberville said some of the new defensive backs could play next season.

“It’s not that difficult to play corner on this level as a freshman,” he said, “as long as you don’t make it too difficult.”

The Red Raiders were hoping to add some late sizzle to the class by picking off some more out-of-state recruits. But linebacker Darrin Kitchens chose Florida, defensive end J.R. Ferguson opted for LSU and running back Lucky Radley signed with Utah.

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Whigham and Warren, defensive backs who helped Miami’s Southridge High School to a 10-1 season last year, were the last players to commit to Texas Tech going into the national signing period, which begins today. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Whigham was a wide receiver-cornerback for his high school team, and the 5-9, 180-pound Warren was an all-purpose player.

Their coach said both were given the impression Tech wants them as defensive backs.

“I think what sold them was the Big 12, knowing that they’re going to go up against some of the top wide receivers in the nation, year in and year out, and have a chance to compete for a national championship, year in and year out,’’ Southridge coach Patrick Burrows said. “I guess media exposure would be (a) third (reason).’’

Burrows said his charges also found it appealing that Tech had won nine or more games in four of the last five seasons.

“They won’t have to rebuild something; they’ll be able to enhance something,’’ Burrows said. “That kind of intrigued them.’’

The players that former Tech coach Mike Leach and new coach Tommy Tuberville lassoed will be able to send in their binding letters of intent starting at 7 a.m. today. Tech has 22 scholarships available, though it remains to be seen whether the new staff will sign that many. Having only 13 scholarship seniors in 2010, coaches could opt to leave a slot or two open for more flexibility.

Tuberville’s staff did their own evaluations of the pledge class they inherited in January and stopped recruiting a few.

In addition to players already committed, Tech remained in the running for a few prospects who were uncommitted as of Tuesday. Chief among them is Hargrave Military Academy defensive end J.R. Ferguson, whose head coach, Robert Prunty, was hired to the Tech staff last week. Ferguson (6-3, 275) is ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 31 recruit in the nation, regardless of position.

A coach at Taft High School in Woodland Hills, Calif., told the A-J on Tuesday that running back Lucky Radley (5-9, 185) was deciding among Utah, Tech and North Carolina. Linebacker Darrin Kitchens (6-3, 215) from Homestead, Fla., was down to Florida or Tech, according to a story in Tuesday’s Miami Herald.

Tech made a late run at Cqulin Hubert, an all-District 19-5A linebacker from Aldine Eisenhower. He visited Lubbock over the weekend, but Eisenhower coach Ray Evans said Tuesday it appears Hubert will stick with his commitment to Iowa State.

Radley and Kitchens also visited the Tech campus over the weekend.

The Southridge pair were on the same visit and cast their lot with the Red Raiders. Whigham had been committed to Central Michigan, and Burrows said Warren almost committed to Marshall during the recruiting process. Southern Mississippi and Northern Illinois also recruited both.

Other than lacking height, Warren brings a lot to the table, his coach said.

“Phillip Warren is a great man-to-man cover corner,’’ Burrows said. “He was a workout warrior for us — the strongest kid, pound for pound on the team, and one of the fastest kids as well. He was a great man-press cornerback that was very good in run support as well. We did a lot of things with him.’’

In fact, Warren’s job description ranged from punter, which he did regularly, to pass rusher, when circumstances called for it. He was credited with 10 sacks among the 64 tackles he was in on.

“His best attribute was he had very good acceleration,’’ Burrows said, “so at times I blitzed him off the edge. He was very productive. I used him everywhere.’’

Burrows said Warren compensated for his short stature with a 38-inch vertical leap. That’s not an issue for Whigham, who has a taller, leaner build. Whigham was in 33 tackles and returned his only interception more than 100 yards for a touchdown, but his coach said opposing quarterbacks tended to avoid his side.

“I think he’s going to have great success,’’ Burrows said. “He has long arms and a good vertical leap. (At cornerback), he was basically a rangy wide receiver that can tackle. A lot of opponents knew that if they did throw the ball to him, he was going to pick it off — not just break it up, but pick it off.’’

Tech’s highest-rated in-state pledges are Denton Ryan quarterback Scotty Young, Southlake Carroll defensive end Jackson Richards — both members of The A-J Fabulous 44 — and Round Rock Stony Point defensive back Desmond Martin and Sulphur Springs offensive tackle Beau Carpenter, members of the A-J state Top 100. Carpenter enrolled at mid-term.

Adding to the hoped-for haul are Midwest City, Okla., defensive back Tre’Vante Porter and Ocala, Fla., wide receiver Kadron Boone, the latter listed by ESPN.com among the top 150 recruits in the nation.

But the Red Raiders are having to keep their fingers crossed for Boone. He committed to Tech in August, but after the coaching change, Boone spent January using the rest of his allotted five official visits. He made stops at Louisville, Georgia, West Virginia and LSU.

TEXAS TECH COMMITMENTS

The following players have signed with or made oral commitments to Texas Tech. An asterisk (*) signifies a member of The A-J Fabulous 44 list of the state’s premier recruits. A grid (#) indicates a member of The A-J state Top 100 recruiting list. The national signing period for spring semester graduates begins Wednesday.

Signed at midterm: #Beau Carpenter, 6-7, 275, OT, Sulphur Springs; Donald Langley, 6-2, 295, DT, Copiah-Lincoln (Miss.) College/Germantown, Md., Seneca Valley HS; Scott Smith, 6-7, 275, DE, Butler (Kan.) Community College/Honolulu St. Louis HS.

Oral commitments: *Scotty Young, 6-3, 190, QB, Denton Ryan; Delans Griffin, 5-10, 178, RB, Clinton, Okla.; Kadron Boone, 6-1, 190, WR, Ocala (Fla.) Trinity Catholic; Shawn Corker, 6-1, 189, WR, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons; Ben McRoy, 5-9, 163, IR, Lakeland, Fla.; Lavaughn Whigham, 6-1, 175, WR-CB-S, Miami (Fla.) Southridge; Aleon Calhoun, 6-6, 330, OT, Navasota; Eric Lawson, 6-6, 310, OG-OT, Olive Branch, Miss.; James Polk, 6-7, 290, OT, Alief Elsik; Dartwan Bush, 6-1, 255, DE, Clute Brazoswood; *Jackson Richards, 6-3, 247, DE, Southlake Carroll; Lawrence Rumph, 6-3, 270, DE, Navarro College/Keller Fossil Ridge; Coby Coleman, 6-2, 290, DT, Frankston; Mike Jones, 6-2, 267, DT, Sugar Land Kempner; Joe Carmical, 6-2, 231, ILB, Monticello, Ark.; Zach Winbush, 6-2, 205, LB, Schertz Clemens; Urell Johnson, 6-0, 175, CB, New Orleans (La.) Walker; Phillip Warren, 5-9, 180, CB, Miami (Fla.) Southridge; #Desmond Martin, 6-0, 178, DB, Round Rock Stony Point; Russell Polk, 5-11, 190, S, Dallas Carter; Tre’Vante Porter, 6-0, 185, DB, Midwest City (Okla.) Carl Albert; Brandon Smith, 6-0, 175, DB, Raceland (La.) Central Lafourche.

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Jones is a 6-foot-2, 255-pound defensive tackle. As a senior last season, he was credited with 59 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 71/2 sacks, three caused fumbles and another fumble recovered. He also was first-team all-District 23-5A.

Jones could not be reached for comment.

Boise State and Louisiana-Lafayette were among other schools pursuing him.