Here are 15 prospects Texas Tech football should target for 2026 recruiting class

Posted by author February 19, 2025 Football

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Coach Joey McGuire and his staff are connected to a lot of highly rated high-school juniors to build out the class of 2026.
Several of the Red Raiders’ top targets are ranked among the top 100 in Texas and the top 300 in the nation by 247Sports.
Among the prospects are Prosper offensive lineman Bryce Gilmore, Frenship receiver Chase Campbell, Midland offensive guard Pulelei’ite Primus and Billings, Montana, tight end Matt Ludwig.

On the 247Sports composite index, the Texas Tech football team’s 17 newcomers from the NCAA transfer portal rank No. 3 in the nation and the Red Raiders‘ 19 freshmen from the December national signing day make up the 48th-ranked class.

Recruiting never ends — it takes only NCAA-mandated pauses — and Tech coach Joey McGuire and his personnel staff already have five commitments for the class of 2026 that can sign in December.

Who should the Red Raiders target to fill out the remaining spots? Here’s a list of high school juniors who many teams would love to have. Some are national top-300 prospects on the 247Sports composite and most are rated among the top 100 in Texas.

This is by no means, of course, a comprehensive list. Tech has made offers to more than 160 prospects, according to recruiting services. These are some of the most appealing.

∎ Bryce Gilmore, 6-4, 270, OT, Prosper: Gilmore last week announced Tech among his top six college choices, along with Arizona State, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Penn State and Vanderbilt.

∎ Chase Campbell, 6-1, 180, WR, Frenship: Playing 10 miles west of Jones AT&T Stadium, Campbell caught 81 passes for 1,497 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2024, numbers nearly identical to what he put up in 2023. His Frenship teammates, quarterback Holden Phillips and wide receiver Leyton Stone, joined the Red Raiders in January. His mother, Deedee Brown-Campbell, is Tech senior associate athletics director/senior woman administrator.

∎ Pulelei’ite Primus, 6-4, 326, OG, Midland: Another recruit from Texas Tech territory, Primus this week narrowed his list of considerations to 13 schools. On his spring visits list are Texas Tech, Arizona State, Utah, Southern Cal and Stanford.

∎ Matt Ludwig, 6-4, 230, TE, Billings (Montana) West: From more than 20 scholarship offers, Ludwig has zeroed in on Michigan, Texas Tech, Georgia and Tennessee. He caught 53 passes for 822 yards and four touchdowns this season.

∎ Bowe Bentley, 6-2, 200, QB, Celina: Bentley led Celina to a 16-0 record and a state championship, passing for 3,211 yards and 47 touchdowns and rushing for 923 yards and 16 TDs.

∎ Keilan Chavies, 5-10, 180, RB, Hutto: Though his junior-year stats were modest — 780 yards rushing, 15 catches for 261 yards and 10 total touchdowns — Chavies is a consensus state top-100 recruit with scholarship offers from 10 power conference programs. Tech QB Will Hammond was his teammate at Hutto.

∎ Cardae Mack, 5-9, 195, QB-RB, Atascocita: Mack was an all-Greater Houston honoree after he sparked a 12-2 team with 1,918 yards and 22 touchdowns rushing and 1,864 yards and 18 TDs passing. He was a Texas Tech junior-day visitor in January.

∎ Davian Groce, 6-1, 190, RB-WR, Frisco Lone Star: Groce, an all-purpose player with near-equal production rushing and receiving, is the No. 4 prospect in Texas on the 247Sports composite. Groce and wide receiver Bryson Jones, who signed with Tech in December, helped Lone Star go 12-2.

∎ Aljour Miles II, 6-1, 200, WR, Kaufman: Miles caught 81 passes for 1,437 yards and 14 touchdowns this past season and has attracted 25 scholarship offers. In May and June, he’s set up visits to SMU, Kansas, Texas Tech, Southern Cal and Oklahoma.

∎ Aaron Bradshaw, 6-3, 185, S, North Crowley: Bradshaw had four interceptions for North Crowley’s 16-0 team that won the Class 6A Division I state championship team. He’s scheduled to visit Texas Tech in June, and his size/speed combo has netted him offers from Texas, Texas A&M, LSU, Arizona State, Colorado and West Virginia.

∎ Felix Ojo, 6-6, 275, OT, Mansfield Lake Ridge: Caleb Rogers blazed a path for Mansfield Lake Ridge offensive linemen at Texas Tech, starting 55 games for the Red Raiders. Ojo’s a national top-100 prospect being pursued by Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas, Oregon, Penn State and Georgia.

∎ Daryl Campbell, 6-2, 300, DT, Katy Paetow: Campbell is ranked the No. 62 prospect in Texas by Rivals. He’s been on campus at Wisconsin, Texas Tech and SMU and has spring visits scheduled at Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt, Houston, Tech, North Carolina and SMU.

∎ Jerald Mays, 6-4, 285, OL, Pflugerville Weiss: Mays’ modest recruiting-service ratings might be due an upgrade as he’s picked up scholarship offers from 20 programs. Miami, Ole Miss, Oregon, SMU and USC are among his suitors, and he’s seen the Tech campus multiple times.

∎ Jonathan Hatton Jr., 6-0, 205, RB, Cibolo Steele: From the high school that gave Texas Tech Justin Stockton, Terence Steele and Antoine Wesley, Hatton is No. 10 in Texas and No. 64 in the nation on the 247Sports composite. The leaders for his services appear to be Oklahoma, Ohio State, Alabama and Tennessee.

∎ Kosi Okpala, 6-2, 210, LB, Katy Mayde Creek: Okpala, a Tech junior-day visitor in January 2024, is No. 28 in Texas and No. 218 in the country on the 247Sports composite. He was credited with 55 tackles, including 17 tackles for loss and five sacks this past season.