Kliff Kingsbury just landed arguably the biggest commit in his two years as Texas Tech coach.
Jarrett Stidham (Stephenville, Texas/Stephenville), the nation’s top-ranked dual-threat QB and the No. 24 prospect in the ESPN Junior 300, committed to Kingsbury and the Red Raiders on Friday night. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound, four-star quarterback chose Texas Tech over offers from Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, Oregon, Alabama and a host of other programs.
It looks like a perfect match as Stidham is one of those players who can truly benefit from Kingsbury’s tutelage. As talented as Stidham is, he’s still played only one varsity season at quarterback. Stidham won a state title as a sophomore playing wide receiver.
His junior year wasn’t a fluke, however. Stidham recorded nearly 2,700 passing yards, 1,000 rushing yards and 46 combined touchdowns, and expectations are very high for his senior season.
Many thought Stidham might choose Baylor, Oregon or Kentucky instead of Texas Tech. Being from Stephenville, he has ties with both Art Briles and Kendal Briles at Baylor. Art Briles was once the head coach at Stephenville, and Kendal played high school ball for his father. Stidham originally is from Kentucky, and some thought he’d look to return to the Bluegrass State -- even though Kentucky didn’t make his top 10 last month. As for Oregon, Stidham’s always been a fan of the high-octane offense and the program’s success in the Pac-12.
But when it was time for Stidham to make a decision, he chose to play for a head coach who once was a record-setting quarterback who threw for nearly 12,000 yards and more than 90 touchdowns for his college career. In addition to competing against current starter Davis Webb and 2014 signee Patrick Mahomes, Stidham, if nothing else, will have a chance to learn from the person he’ll chase.
As happy as Stidham is, the Texas Tech coaching staff is equally ecstatic -- if not more. Stidham became the second Red Raiders pledge of the 2015 class, joining running back Corey Dauphine (Port Arthur, Texas/Memorial), and Stidham’s verbal could parlay into more solid offensive players wanting to play in Lubbock.