AUSTIN, Texas — Joey McGuire has a type. Since taking the Texas Tech job in November of 2021, the Red Raiders have prioritized athletes with size and explosive physical traits. One of the easiest ways to identify these types of athletes is by looking at results in track and field. In the state of Texas, track meets are verified with FAT (Fully Automatic Time) giving the most accurate results possible. While targeting athletes with these types of credentials isn’t full proof, it’s served to make the Red Raiders a more athletic team on the field. McGuire spoke about this philosophy during last summer’s Texas High School Coaches Convention.
“We’re a developmental program,” McGuire said. “So we always want to miss, if we’re going to miss, on length and speed. We want multi-sport athletes. We’re always looking to see. I don’t know if we have a kid in this class that didn’t play a second sport. You know, I can’t think of one. I mean, you are always looking for these traits, and so they have to put out some good tape. But we’re always looking at what the kid’s floor is and what his ceiling is. And there’s some kids that are coming out of high school, but they’ve already hit their ceiling. And if they’ve already hit their ceiling, man, they have to jump off tape. It’s got to be a no-brainer.
“Phil Snow used to say all the time, if that’s just it, it’s going to be an exception, because this is a sport that you’ve got to continue to grow these players in develop them. If they’ve already hit their ceiling, and that’s what you’re gonna get, that better be worth what you’re going to get whenever you recruit them and get them on your campus. So, we’re always going to be looking for length, you’re looking for speed, you’re looking for multi-sport athletes. One of the things we always ask an offensive lineman is can you dunk? Yeah, OK, send us a video. You’re probably gonna get looked at a little bit more at Texas Tech. So, we’re always looking for that those numbers and the verified things that we can get from anywhere, whether it be track or whether it be any of the combines.”
With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that Texas Tech commits and signees had a big presence at the UIL State Track and Field championships in Austin. Through the first two days of competition, nearly every event featured a Red Raider recruit, and many of them walked away with hardware. After signing one of the fastest classes in the country in 2023, Texas Tech will bring in a new haul of athletes with verified speed and explosive credentials in 2024 and 2025. Here’s how they fared through the first two days of competition.
El Campo (Texas) ATH Oliver Miles (2024 signee)
A three-sport star who competes in football, basketball and track, Miles won silver in the boys 4A triple jump with a personal best of 48-2.50.
Hitchcock (Texas) QB Lloyd Jones (2025 commit)
Jones didn’t finish on the medal stand, but he ran on the third leg of Hitchcock’s 4×100 team that reached the finals, finishing 7th.
Albany (Texas) ATH Adam Hill (2024 preferred walk on)
Hill found the podium multiple times winning silver in the 2A shotput with a throw of 53-0.25. Though Hill was disqualified from the 110m hurdles after a false start, he took gold in the 2A 300m hurdles.
Bastrop (Texas) CB Ramonz Adams (2025 commit)
Adams won silver in the 5A triple jump with a 46-9.75.
Killeen (Texas) Shoemaker S Malik Esquerra
Esquerra put on a dominant performance in the 5A 110m hurdles winning gold with a time of 13.72. Esquerra also placed third taking home the bronze medal in the 300m hurdles with a time of 37.17.
Beckville (Texas) RB J’Koby Williams
Williams took the top spot in the 2A 110m hurdles with a time of 14.19. Williams also ran first leg on Beckville’s 4×200 team that finished with the bronze.
