Red Raiders Football Makes Top 20 in SI's 2023 Recruiting Classes
The 2022 college football season is barely a month away, and focus is shifting to the early stages of the 2023 recruiting cycle.
Programs have completed official visits in June and received verbal commitments in July. Flipping the calendar to August means football is almost back.
Sports Illustrated offered their recruiting rankings now that the summer dust has settled, and the pictures begin to clear for each program.
John Garcia Jr. with SI said he noticed an acceleration in the volume of recruiting for many programs, as most programs have at least a dozen commitments. There are eight with 20 or more. He noted that last August, only half as many teams had already hit the 20-pledge mark before the end of July.
But volume doesn't necessarily affect rankings, as SI's rankings focus more on "premier position prospects, including quarterbacks, offensive tackles, pass rushers, and cornerbacks."
Garcia Jr. also wrote that "general quality at the top of the class and also positional units being constructed together while addressing team needs" also counts heavily.
So where are the Texas Tech Red Raiders in new coach Joey McGuire's first season at the helm?
SI ranks Tech at No. 19, just ahead of Oregon and just behind North Carolina:
19. Texas Tech
Verbal commitments:
23
Premium position pledges:
5
Joey McGuire surged early in the recruiting cycle and still holds the bulk of his first full class intact, filled with Texans, to date. The trenches are filled to the brim while offensive skill players are also coming in droves, including five pass catchers already committed. Chris Palfreeman is the only receiver being brought in under 6', but he also happens to be one of the fastest football players in the state.
Maybe as expected, Alabama is No. 1 with 17 verbal commitments and 8 premium pledges. The top-ranked Big 12 team is Texas at No. 4 with 20 verbal commitments and 7 premium position pledges.
Other Big 12 teams ranked highly include Oklahoma at No. 7, future Big 12 member Cincinnati ranks at No. 15, and Baylor at No. 16.
The class recruiting rankings will be updated by SI each month through National Signing Day in February.
Follow along with the RedRaiderReview.com recruiting tracker and commitment chart all season long.
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