Two more yesterday:
+ Georgia Tech OLB Romello Height (6-3/240): Height has been rumored for quite some time, and he has allegedly finally committed. Finished with 34 tackles, 1 interception, 6.5 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, 4 quarterback hurries, and 2 forced fumbles last year for the Ramblin’ Wreck.
+ USC RB Quinten Joyner (5-11/216): I believe that Joyner originally went to high school at Manor, the same high school as Tahj Brooks. Joyner was a true freshman for the Trojans and he had 478 yards on 63 carries, 7.59 yards a carry, with 3 touchdowns, while he also caught 12 passes for 89 yards, 7.42 yards a catch and a touchdown. I’ve taken off the Maryland running back from the rumored and unconfirmed list as I cannot imagine that there would be two running backs taken.
CONFIRMED (16):
+ OT Howard Sampson (6-8/325) North Carolina
+ OT Hunter Zambrano (6-5/305) Illinois State
+ OT Will Jados (6-8/307) Miami (Ohio)
+ WR Reggie Virgil (6-4/190) Miami (Ohio)
+ TE Terrance Carter, Jr. (6-2/239) Louisiana
+ RB Quinten Joyner (5-11/216) USC
+ QB Mitch Griffis (5-11/193) Wake Forest
+ DT Skyler Gill-Howard (6-2/285) Northern Illinois
+ DT Lee Hunter (6-4/320) UCF
+ DT Anthony Holmes, Jr. (6-2/295) Houston
+ OLB Romello Height (6-3/240) Georgia Tech
+ CB Brice Pollock (6-1/190) Mississippi State
+ CB Amier Boyd-Matthews (6-1/180) UTEP
+ CB Tarrion Grant (6-2/197) Purdue
+ DB Dontae Balfour (6-2/185) Charlotte
+ S Cole Wisniewski (6-4/218) North Dakota State
RUMORED & UNCONFIRMED: At this point, I’m thinking that this group is probably not going to happen. Still left on the list is a kicker that McGuire envisioned.
+ Ole Miss Micah Pettus (6-7/360): A long-time starter for Ole Miss, he was allegedly dismissed from the team after the Egg Bowl.
HIGH SCHOOL:
+ Frenship QB Holden Phillips (6-1/190)
Current transfer portal team rankings:
Rivals: 2 (2 in Big 12)
24/7 Sports: 1 (1 in Big 12)
On3: 2 (1 in Big 12)
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Nathan Giese on the recent CNBC and AthleticDirectorU survey that ranked the top 75 schools in terms of value and Texas Tech comes in at No. 33, the highest ranked Big 12 team:
The SEC, Big Ten, and ACC dominate the top 32 spots in the overall rankings. Coming in at No. 33, Texas Tech is the highest-ranked team in the Big 12, with a valuation of $619 million and revenue of $147 million for the fiscal year 2023.
Following Texas Tech in the rankings among Big 12 schools are Kansas (37), TCU (39), Arizona (41), Baylor (44), Oklahoma State (46), Iowa State (48), Colorado (55), Utah (56), Kansas State (57), West Virginia (60), BYU (64), Arizona State (68), Cincinnati (69) and UCF (70).
The difference between Texas Tech and Kansas, separated by four spots, is $66 million in valuation and $19 million in revenue for the year.
On average, the Big 12 ranks fourth among the power conferences in total value, coming in at $6.7 billion, which equates to $420 million per school. The SEC leads the way at $13.3 billion, followed by the Big Ten at $13.2 billion and ACC at $9.6 billion.
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Don Williams on the contract details for new offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich:
The contract years run from Feb. 1 through Jan. 31. Leftwich is scheduled to make $1 million in the first year, $1.1 million in the second year and $1.2 million in the third. The breakdown on the three years consists of $300,000 annually in base salary and $700,000, $800,000 and $900,000, respectively, in rights fees for outside athletics-related income.
Head coach Joey McGuire met with the media he couldn’t address the transfers, but did discuss a lot of things and was appreciative of the fans and the Matador Club for getting behind this team and program. He also stressed the importance of winning this game against Arkansas and I’d love for this program to win 9 games.