Nearly half the freshmen the Texas Tech football program landed on the December national signing day enrolled at mid-year and were in school when the university’s spring semester started Jan. 15. The nine freshmen can go through winter workouts and be part of the action when spring practice starts March 10.
The traditional February signing day coming up on Feb. 5 figures to be a quiet one at Tech. The Red Raiders have no remaining unsigned pledges for the class of 2025.
And because Joey McGuire’s staff and The Matador Club collective have thrown heavy resources at the NCAA transfer portal, landing 17 players in college football free agency, the Red Raiders are well beyond next year’s anticipated roster limit.
If a federal judge gives final approval in April to the House v. NCAA settlement proposal, teams will be capped at 105 players next season. Tech currently projects to be at 124, counting freshmen who signed in December but won’t arrive until after the spring semester.
More: How Texas Tech football’s top-ranked portal class pushes 20-plus onto roster bubble
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Here’s a rundown of the freshmen signees who made it to campus early.
∎ Lloyd Jones III, 6-4, 205, QB, Hitchcock: In a four-year varsity career, Jones passed for 8,164 yards and 107 touchdowns and rushed for 1,685 yards and 29 TDs. In an injury-shortened senior season, he threw for 1,682 yards and 24 TDs and ran for another seven scores.
∎ Holden Phillips, 6-1, 200, QB, Frenship: Phillips led Texas high schoolers in passing touchdowns (57) this past season, according to MaxPreps, and finished second in the state in yards passing (4,453). In early December, Tech rushed to get him aboard mid-year as a walk-on with quarterback Behren Morton undergoing shoulder surgery and Cameran Brown and Jake Strong transferring.
∎ Michael Dever, 6-1, 175, WR, Lubbock-Cooper: Dever caught 67 passes for 1,180 yards and 17 touchdowns this season, helping the Pirates finish 8-4. McGuire said he could be an inside or outside receiver. He was a state-meet qualifier in the high jump after clearing a personal record 6 feet, 8 inches in regional.
∎ Leyton Stone, 6-3, 185, WR, Frenship: The son of Texas Tech soccer coach Tom Stone racked up 70 catches for 1,488 yards and a state-leading 29 touchdowns as a senior. In three varsity seasons, he caught 228 passes for 4,323 yards and 66 TDs.
∎ Preztynn Harrison, 6-5, 210, TE, Mineral Wells: Harrison earned first-team all-district recognition each of the past two years. As a junior, he caught 17 passes for 374 yards and eight touchdowns.
∎ Connor Carty, 6-4, 290, OG, Prosper: Carty was the last player Texas Tech landed on signing day and one of the most coveted. He’d been committed to Texas A&M since mid-April, had also visited Oklahoma, Texas, Penn State and Southern Cal and was offered scholarships by Oregon, LSU and Ole Miss.
∎ Patrick McMath, 6-4, 260, C, Katy: McMath was second-team all-district as a sophomore on a team that finished 14-1, then earned first-team all-district recognition on teams that went 10-2 his junior year and 11-2 his senior year. McMath, primarily a tackle previously, is converting to center for Tech.
∎ Brock Golwas, 6-1, 225, LB, Flower Mound Marcus: Golwas was credited with 90 tackles, including six sacks, for a 6-4 team.
∎ Deante Lindsay, 6-1, 170, CB, Ada, Oklahoma: Lindsay caught 53 passes for 987 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior, helping Ada win its first district championship since 2017. Tech recruited him to play cornerback, and he had 53 tackles and an interception last season. Lindsay finished second in the Oklahoma Class 4A state meet in the 300-meter hurdles and fourth in the 110 hurdles.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: National signing day: Which Texas Tech freshmen are already on campus?
