TERRANCE BULLITT AND DANIEL COBB

Position: Safeties

Height/weight: Bullitt 6-2, 181; Cobb 6-1, 206

Bullitt

In high school: Bullitt was credited with 121 tackles and two interceptions last season at Garland Naaman Forest. He chose Tech from a list of 17 scholarship offers, including Wisconsin, Arizona, Notre Dame and Oklahoma State. Cobb was a four-year varsity starter at Killeen Ellison, the first three at safety and last year at tailback. He led the team in tackles as a sophomore and junior and rushed for 1,277 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior. He picked Tech over Georgia Tech, Houston and Nebraska.

At the moment: From the three safeties Tech signed in February, Will Ford was quickest to emerge, taking a role as the starting nickel back as a true freshman. But safeties coach Carlos Mainord says he loves the makeup of Bullitt and Cobb, too.

Cobb

“I think they’re both really dedicated football guys,” Mainord said this week. “I know Cobb was when he came out of high school and being from a military family, he’s really a great young man. And Bullitt, coming from his background, with his dad playing ball (at Texas A&M) and his brother playing ball (at Texas A&M and in the NFL), they’re both special in those ways, and that’ll really help them as they come along.”

The two are physically different. Cobb, with his more compact, muscular build, would be the better in run support right now.

“Bullitt will have to put on a little more weight, be a little stronger (in the upper body),” Mainord said. “Cobb will have to continue to work on his speed. But I think they both can be good players. They’re both smart guys, and I think they can be good players.”

At the moment, it’s hard to put one much above the other.

“Without them actually being in ball games, it would be hard to say right now,” Mainord said. “I’d say they’re equal right now.”

Compiled by Don Williams

MYLES WADE

Position: Nose tackle

Height/weight: 6-2, 340

In high school/junior college: Coming out of Portland (Ore.) Central Catholic, Wade was ranked among the top 10 defensive tackle recruits in the nation in 2007. He signed with Oregon, but failed to meet freshman eligibility requirements. He wound up playing one season at Arizona Western College, where he was credited with 54 tackles and 31/2 sacks.

At the moment: In recent years, Tech defensive players such as Dwayne Slay and Brandon Sharpe started slowly after transferring from junior colleges but made big impacts in their senior seasons. With his pedigree, maybe Wade can do something similar with his last two years.

This week, defensive line coach Charlie Sadler said, “The common denominator with Dwayne Slay and with Brandon is they had really good talent and were somewhat limited in their play early just because of not knowing the system. Myles is a guy who has talent, and once he gets the system down, there’s no reason for him not to have a breakout year starting next year.”

Wade is being trained exclusively at nose tackle, where Colby Whitlock will be a returning senior starter next season. The tackles rotation will lose Richard Jones and Victor Hunter, who are seniors this year.

Wade came to Tech with no redshirt year available. Unable to crack the rotation, he’s played in only two games this season, getting credit for two tackles.

Wade still takes part in the team’s weekly Thursday scrimmage for young players. But his snaps are limited in those because coaches want him to be fresh in case he’s needed in a game on Saturday.

“Probably the thing he’s progressed the most on is his pass-rushing technique and abilities,” Sadler said. “He’s still working on the run fits, trying to improve on a daily basis on that. But there’s a marked improvement from the time he got here to now. A lot of that has to do with the fact he’s learned the calls and he’s not as hesitant as he was early.”

Compiled by Don Williams

On Wednesday, both assured themselves they’d be teammates in college as well, keeping together one of the more productive batteries in area high school baseball as both signed national letters of intent with Texas Tech.

“I’ve been talking about it forever and it’s finally here,” said Randolph, a catcher who committed to Tech last November. “I’m glad I finally signed. I always went to the games and wanted to play for them. We always talked about (playing together at Tech), even when we were 12 and on the same all-star team. So it’s awesome.”

Scott, a pitcher and third baseman for the Mustangs, said he hopes to concentrate on the pitching side of the game with aspirations of advancing to the next level.

“I’m going for both, but that’s probably what I’ll end up doing is being a pitcher,” Scott said. “It’s awesome not having to switch catchers. I love it. Just having a catcher that also hits and provides runs for me, that’s going to be great.”

Randolph stayed true to the commitment made almost a year ago, not looking at other schools. Scott came along later in the process and drew interest from a pair of Tech’s Big 12 Conference foes in Baylor and Kansas State as well as Houston, but his desire to stay close to his family and play in his hometown led him to the Red Raiders.

They’ll be joined by a crosstown rival as well. Monterey outfielder Ryan Reagor signed a letter as a preferred walk-on for the Red Raiders, also realizing a lifelong dream to compete for the home team.

“It’s awesome,” Reagor said. “Tech has been the school I’ve always rooted for since the third grade when I started caring about sports. To get a chance there for four years is awesome. It’s a great day.”

Texas Tech will likely not release its entire list of signees for the fall until later in the week after all the letters have been received.

Randolph, a switch hitter, has been a two-year starter for the Mustangs. As a junior he hit .422 with two home runs and 31 RBIs with nine doubles and two triples to earn Avalanche-Journal All-City and All-South Plains second-team honors.

Scott will enter his fourth season as a starter at Coronado. On the mound in 2009 he was 6-1 with a 4.24 ERA, striking out 47 batters in 361/3 innings. At the plate he hit .406 with two home runs, 23 RBIs and 32 runs scored. He was an A-J first-team All-City and All-South Plains selection.

“It’s a neat situation for them,” Coronado head coach Jimmy Webster said of both players signing with Tech. “Both these guys love the game and they’re both obviously good at it. They’ve grown up together in the same neighborhood, and they kind of have that mentality of working well together.

“One thing recently that has added to their abilities is the competitive level they bring. They’re both very good athletes … and I think that’s something that people see is how athletic they are and how they can do some things that some other people are not able to do at the level they’re looking for them to be at.”

As a junior, Reagor hit .288 with six doubles, a home run, a triple, 10 RBIs with 26 runs scored.

(Staff writer Adam Zuvanich contributed to this report.)

To comment on this story:

george.watson@lubbockonline.com l 766-2166

courtney.linehan@lubbockonline.com l 766-8735

Outler says it was never that way with Texas Tech.

“Coach Pat (Knight) was so laid-back, so relaxed, so honest,” Outler said. “He was the only coach who was recruiting me like that.”

Outler, a 6-foot-3 guard from Bellaire High School, was one of three players to sign with Texas Tech on Wednesday. They will become just the second class Knight has recruited as head coach.

It’s a diverse group, with prep school point guard Javarez Willis and junior
college forward Paul Cooper also signing letters of intent. While Outler is the only one whose paperwork has been completely processed — Cooper and Willis do not live with their parents, and therefore had to ship their LOIs home for signatures before they could be sent to Tech — both Willis and Cooper faxed their signatures to the basketball office.

Tech will not make any official announcement on individual signees until all three have been cleared by compliance. But Knight said he’s happy with the group as a whole.
“We got who we wanted,” he said. “We wanted a small guard, a big guard and a post player, and we got exactly what we wanted.”

Outler, who averaged about 15 points as a junior, said he was heavily recruited by Texas A&M during his freshman and sophomore seasons and seriously considered becoming an Aggie. He chose to wait out the recruiting process, and said he’s glad he did.

He narrowed his list to Tech and Texas Christian, but called TCU during his official visit to Lubbock and said he was no longer interested.

Now he’s happy to officially be a Division I athlete.

“Signing on that line puts you on a different level of kids, so that was exciting.”

Willis, a 6-foot point guard, committed last year but didn’t meet NCAA academic requirements. This year he is enrolled at the Christian Life Center Academy, where he said the entire starting lineup and several reserves from the prep school’s team are signing Division I scholarship offers this week.

He said it has helped his basketball, because every day he competes against a higher level of athlete than he encountered in high school. But he knows the transition to the Big 12 will still be daunting.

“It’s still different when you get to college,” he said. “It’s still even harder. The people now, we are just potential D-I players.

“It helps us get a little taste of college, but it’s still a whole other level when you get there.”

Cooper, the third member of the class, will only have two years as a Red Raider. He was a junior college teammate of current Tech forward Brad Reese, and has helped Gulf Coast Community College to a 2-0 start so far this season.

The 6-foot-8, 260-pound power forward gives Tech a much needed big body in the post; he said knowing that helped him know it would be a good choice.

“I liked that when I came in for practice I could see the position I’d play for them,” Cooper said. “I could see where I fit into their system.”
To comment on this story:
courtney.linehan@lubbockonline.com 766-8735
terry.greenberg@lubbockonline.com 766-8700

The Coronado senior wants to compete with the best, beat the best and, ultimately, be the best.

That’s why Wofford chose to play collegiate tennis at Tennessee, which finished the 2009 spring season as the 10th-ranked women’s team in the nation.

“It’s definitely going to be tougher, but that’s what I wanted,” Wofford said Wednesday, shortly after signing her national letter of intent. “If I can’t be the best, I don’t really want to try. That’s what I’m going for.”

Wofford, who said her long-term goals are to win national championships with the Lady Volunteers and play professionally, has what it takes if her high school career is any indication. She won a Class 5A state championship in girls doubles as a freshman — teaming up with current Texas Tech player Kelsy Garland — and earlier this month helped lead Coronado to the team tennis state tournament for the first time since 2003.

Wofford has lost only two singles matches and one doubles match in three years of high school competition.

“She’s going to be great, absolutely,” said Coronado head coach David Denham, who tabbed Wofford as the most physically gifted player he’s coached. “… She’s a well-rounded player, and she has unbelievable potential to grow even better.”

Denham described Wofford as having a rare combination of power and finesse, saying she’s an “all-court player that can beat you at the net or beat you at the baseline.” The coach said she also can adjust to opponents on the fly and has a perfectionist’s mentality.

“Even as a freshman, she’d wait until practice was over and come back out and run behind the scenes where she didn’t have to be noticed,” Denham said. “She would do a lot of things behind the scenes because she wanted to get better, she wanted to get stronger, she wanted to work on her weaknesses. Honestly, her work ethic is above and beyond most.”

Wofford said it feels good to know her hard work has paid off, and that the recruiting process is finally over. She took a break from high school tennis as a junior, instead competing in United States Tennis Association events so she could increase her national profile and improve her chances of being noticed by collegiate programs.
Consider it a game plan well executed, and a dream come true.

“It really is,” Wofford said. “It’s amazing to look back on it and know that I’ve stressed so much. I worked real hard and had fun, but I did a lot of stressing to get to this point. And this is exactly what I wanted, so I’m just happy.”

Tyler Pearson, Rice baseball
Kent Meador has been Monterey’s baseball coach only since July, and he’s had Tyler Pearson in offseason workouts for less than a week.

But Meador can already see why the senior catcher was an attractive prospect to Rice, where Pearson is headed after signing his national letter of intent on Wednesday.

“I’ve had him three days now, and shoot, he’s got the tools,” Meador said. “He can throw — he’s got a plus arm — and he just has a good concept of what he’s doing. And he swings the bat and has got a lot of power. He’s got the tools, no question about it.”

Pearson, who was a first-team selection on The Avalanche-Journal’s All-South Plains Class 5A-4A team as a junior last year, said he’s thankful for the opportunity and “excited” to play for the Owls and head coach Wayne Graham. Pearson also hopes to make an immediate impact for a program that has seven College World Series appearances and a national championship since 1997.

Pearson is coming off a season in which he batted .371 with 17 extra-base hits and 32 RBIs, and he gunned down 20 potential base-stealers.

“I think I have a chance my freshman year (to play), to tell you the truth,” Pearson said. “I’m going to have to work hard, of course, but I think that there’s a chance.”

Meador said a solid work ethic is already in place, thanks in large part to Pearson’s family. His father, Todd, is Monterey’s head football coach.

“We just tried to keep him grounded, stay humble and work hard, and if you put yourself in the right position, good things will eventually happen to you,” Todd Pearson said. “Whether it’s this or something else, something will come of that.”

Devin Griffin, North Carolina State women’s basketball
Devin Griffin found what she was looking for half a continent away. The versatile Coronado senior signed with North Carolina State, to whom she had made an oral commitment in early October.

She said NC State had all the ingredients.

“The atmosphere, the gym, the players,’’ Griffin said. “Just when I got there, that welcoming feeling. You could tell they were very loving and like a family, like I have here at Coronado.’’

Griffin didn’t want to disrupt her Lady Mustangs family, so she brought the college decision to a close before her senior season.

“I didn’t want to have to worry about it through the season and take away from my teammates and our big goal,’’ said Griffin, whose Coronado teammates encircled her as she signed her letter of intent Wednesday afternoon.

The 5-foot-9 Griffin averaged 19.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game last season, helping Coronado to a District 2-5A championship and the regional quarterfinals. She said she’s not sure what position NC State will have her play, but Coronado coach Shirlene Hughes said it doesn’t matter.

“She can play point guard, she can post up, and she can shoot the ball from the wing as well as create offensively,’’ Hughes said. “She’s fast. She reads well. She can see past the defense and anticipate. For us, hopefully she’ll kind of carry us through the season. For her as a player, she’s going to get better and be a plus for the ACC, I believe.’’

Griffin’s mother, Tami Wilson, and her older sisters, Darrice and Teddy Griffin, all played for Texas Tech. Devin Griffin said she was offered a scholarship by the Lady Raiders this summer, but Tech coaches needed to know quickly whether she’d accept.

“They were excited about me, so they wanted me to commit right then and there,’’ Griffin said. “But I knew I needed a little bit more time to get my mind together and figure out the rest of the recruiting process. I didn’t want to jump into anything too quickly.’’

She was won over by new NC State coach Kellie Harper who, as Kellie Jolly, was a standout guard on Tennessee teams that won three national championships from 1996-98.

“She’s gotten national championships, so she knows what it takes,’’ Griffin said. “I can’t wait to go and get all that knowledge from her.’’

(Assistant sports editor George Watson and staff writer Don Williams contributed to this report.)

To comment on this story:
adam.zuvanich@lubbockonline.com 766-8733
courtney.linehan@lubbockonline.com 766-8735

“She said, ‘Hi, I’m Antiesha Brown, and one day I’m going to be a Lady Raider,’ ” Curry said. “We have a lot of kids who will say that or will say ‘I want to play for you,’ and I’ll say, ‘OK, I hope you do; keep working hard.’

Monterey High senior Haley Schneider signs her letter of intent to play basketball at Texas Tech while her monther, and Monterey High head girl's basketball coach, Jill, watches Wednesday afternoon. At far right Tyler Pearson signs his letter of intent to play baseball at Rice University while his parents watch. (John A. Bowersmith/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)

“She reminded me of that and said, ‘I backed that up, didn’t I, coach? I said ‘You sure did, Antiesha.’ ”

Curry added four new faces to her team on Wednesday, the official start of college basketball’s early signing period. Beginning her fourth season as head coach, Curry said her staff has now established strong recruiting ties throughout Texas and the Southwest.

The Lady Raiders didn’t have to look far for one of the four newcomers. Monterey center Haley Schneider made her commitment official in a ceremony today outside the school’s gym. While Schneider said she wanted to remain close to home and therefor only seriously considered Tech and Wayland Baptist, she admits recruiting was a positive experience.

“Getting all those scholarship offers I was like,
‘Wow, all these college coaches want me so I must be really good,’ ” Schneider said. “And it’s not just because I’m 6-5. It was exciting.”

Curry said Schneider will give Tech size in the middle, sharing the center position with sophomore Kaylan Talley. Women’s basketball is moving in a direction that favors exceptionally tall athletes, and Schneider’s basketball heritage (her mom, Jill, is the Monterey coach) and Tech loyalties (her grandparents already own season tickets) only add to her appeal.

“She brings so much to the table as far as what she’s about with her character and her integrity,” Curry said. “I love her character, her love and passion for the game.”
Joining Schneider in the front court will be Mesquite forward Kelsi Baker, the 12th-ranked power forward in the country according to HoopGurlz.com. Curry called Baker an “impact player,” saying the two-time District 12-5A MVP became one of Tech’s top targets as soon as the staff arrived in Lubbock.

While she was recruited by teams from around the country, Baker always remained interested in the Lady Raiders.

Curry said she will immediately contribute on the court.

“I love how hard she plays on both ends of the floor,” Curry said. “She’s an in-betweener who is so deceiving and quick. She loves to take charges more than any kid I’ve ever signed. She loves the defensive and as much as she does the offensive end, and that’s unique.”

While the coaches prioritized recruiting within Texas, Curry also wanted to expand the potential talent pool to include neighboring states. That’s where Ebony Walker came in. Walker is a 6-foot-2 forward from Albuquerque, N.M., who averaged 16.2 points and 8.7 rebounds as a junior. She was named first-team all-state, all-district and all-metro, as well as the metro player of the year.

Curry called Walker an all-around athlete who runs the floor well, has a good post presence but can also shoot 3-pointers.

Signing her, Curry said, will lead to other recruiting possibilities in her area.
“She’s a great get for us because there’s quite a bit of talent in Albuquerque, so to be able to go in there and get her to come be a Lady Raider is really good for us.”
To comment on this story:
(Assistant Sports Editor George Watson contributed to this report)
courtney.linehan@lubbockonline.com 766-8735
terry.greenberg@lubbockonline.com 766-8700

Position: Defensive end

Hyder

Height/weight: 6-3, 260

In high school: Hyder was a jack of all trades at Austin LBJ. He played linebacker and punted and also spent time at tight end and even wide receiver. He started on varsity for four years and topped 100 tackles in each of his last two. Hyder also was a standout basketball player. He received scholarship offers from Iowa State, Minnesota, Utah, Texas-El Paso, Cincinnati, New Mexico and Toledo.

At the moment: Because Hyder has a big frame and growth potential, he’s spent most of the fall at left defensive end, where anchoring against the run is important.

“I’ve been pleased with the progression he’s made,” defensive line coach Charlie Sadler said Thursday. “You can see it in these Thursday night scrimmages (for young players). I think his effort has gotten better. His technique is better.”

When Hyder signed with Tech back in February, defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill said Hyder runs well enough that he might fit as the team’s walk-around “joker” pass rusher. But the joker usually lines up at linebacker depth, and Sadler said Hyder might outgrow that possibility if he hasn’t already.

Now he strikes Sadler as more of a front-four type. That might be the case even more so once Hyder spends an off-season under strength and conditioning coach Bennie Wylie.

“The thing about him is considering the fact he played basketball all the way through high school along with football, he never really had much opportunity to be in the weight room,” Sadler said. “But even early, he showed he has a lot of natural strength. With Bennie’s help, he could wind up being a really strong guy.”

Compiled by Don Williams

It landed in his mailbox Tuesday, and the big offensive lineman from Olive Branch, Miss., made an oral commitment to Tech a little later Tuesday.

What swayed him so quickly?

“How my mom feels about it, how my coaches felt about the school and of course how I felt,’’ Lawson said Wednesday. “I like the winning tradition.’’

Lawson said he is 6-foot-6 and has dropped into the 305- to 310-pound range after starting the season at 330. He plays offensive guard for Olive Branch, a city just south of Memphis, Tenn., and projects as a guard or tackle for the Red Raiders. The Conquistadors are 7-2 in Mississippi’s Class 6A and finished 10-3 last year with a second-round playoff loss.

Before that, Lawson went to school in Jackson, Miss., where he was born and spent most of his childhood. He said he started at guard for Jackson Terry High School his sophomore year and was a backup defensive lineman last season in his first year at Olive Branch.

Lawson committed to Tech without having been to Lubbock. His official visit is scheduled the weekend of the Raiders’ Nov. 21 game against Oklahoma. Lawson said he liked what he’s heard about Tech’s game-day atmosphere and wouldn’t mind seeing some tortilla throwing.

“I’m just ready to go to a game and see how that environment is and how they do things down there,’’ Lawson said.

The offer from Tech was Lawson’s first on paper, but he said at one time LSU and Auburn coaches also indicated he had offers from them. The one from LSU came from Tigers coach Les Miles when Lawson attended a Tigers summer football camp.

“I’d say LSU was more of an offer than Auburn would be,’’ Lawson said. “Auburn hasn’t been talking to me lately.’’

Lawson said he took an unofficial visit to last week’s Alabama-Tennessee game as an invitee of the Crimson Tide.

Lawson said he’s not sure if he would visit other schools, but considers his commitment solid.

“I like the vibe I’m getting from the coaches and the staff at Texas Tech,’’ he said.

In the meantime, he’s doing what he can to be a better offensive lineman and a better college prospect. That’s the idea behind his slimming.

“I had been trying to lose the weight,’’ he said, “because my coach told me it’d be better if I lost a little bit so I can get a little faster.’’

Lawson said he has a core-curriculum grade-point average of 2.77 and scored a 16 on the ACT when he took it last year.

The Raiders have non-binding oral commitments from 21 players and plan to take five more. They’d like four more defensive linemen and a cornerback or other skill-position player.

Three players, all already pledged to Tech, are scheduled to visit this weekend. They are Dallas Pinkston running back Aaron Spikes and defensive backs Desmond Martin from Round Rock Stony Point and Russell Polk from Dallas Carter.

 To comment on this story:
don.williams@lubbockonline.com l 766-8734
courtney.linehan@lubbockonline.com l 766-8735

Position: Offensive guard

Height/weight: 6-5, 285

In high school: Clark played a key role in one of the state’s biggest turnaround stories, helping Denton Guyer go from 0-10 and 1-9 seasons to a 12-3 record last year. He was one of the state’s most highly recruited linemen, receiving scholarship offers from the likes of Florida, Oklahoma, LSU, Nebraska, Mississippi and Arkansas.

At the moment: Clark has been training all season at left guard. His strength is one of the attributes that’s impressed Tech line coach Matt Moore from day one.

Moore said Clark might be pound-for-pound the strongest of the team’s young linemen.

“He’s kind of like (sophomore guard) Lonnie Edwards was when he first got here,” Moore said. “He’s not a big, heavy O-lineman. He’s kind of thin, but he’s muscled up and he’s strong. He’s a weight-room guy.”

Clark’s team at Guyer averaged 281 rushing yards per game, so coming to Tech has required him to make an adjustment to much more pass blocking.

“Pass (protection) stuff is something he’s had to work on,” Moore said, “but he’ll be fine. That’s why we redshirt them, to give them time to learn how to do all that stuff.”

Moore said true freshmen linemen Clark, left tackle Joel Gray and right tackle LaAdrian Waddle are doing a good job on scout team of providing the Tech defense game preparation each week.

“Kyle’s coming off the ball well, playing physical,” Moore said. “He’s got a bright future here, I believe.”

Compiled by Don Williams

Position: Inside receiver

Height/weight: 5-11, 175

Celestie

In high school: Celestie was a productive all-purpose player last season for a 12-1 state semifinalist at Barbe High School in Lake Charles, La. He caught a school-record 72 passes for 855 yards, rushed for 880 yards and scored 24 touchdowns. During his junior year, Celestie was a starting tailback who rushed for 987 yards and caught 43 passes for 654 yards.

At the moment: This week, Celestie is wearing jersey No. 83, because his scout-team assignment is to emulate Kansas State’s Brandon Banks. The 5-foot-7 Banks is the Wildcats’ leading receiver and returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in one game this season.

That’s the type of player Celestie was in high school.

Celestie has spent his first couple of months at Tech being an “H” inside receiver, but Tech coaches don’t want to be too quick to pigeonhole him.

“He just brings so much versatility,” inside receivers coach Lincoln Riley said this week. “He can play all four receiver positions. He’s going to be able to help special teams. He’ll be able to help with the return game. There’s a lot of positions he’s going to have a chance to play.”

Riley said Celestie shows good lateral quickness and power for his size.

Aside from his physical skills, Celestie has shown two other traits that have made a positive impression on coaches. Riley said Celestie seems to be happy and in a good frame of mind to practice every day. Also, he doesn’t keep repeating the same mistakes.

“He didn’t do a ton of (inside receiver) in high school,” Riley said, “but he picked it up fast because he’s just a smart guy. He’s an attentive guy. He really pays attention to detail and remembers things. He was raw because he never really got to settle in at one position in high school, but you could tell he’s really explosive with the ball in his hands and knew things.”

Compiled by Don Williams