Texas Tech Football Recruiting: Linebacker Riko Jeffers Signs LOI

From the Dallas suburb of Sachse, TX comes one of the best 2017 linebackers in the state of Texas, Riko Jeffers.

At 6-foot-2 and 230–pounds, Jeffers could be the second coming of Texas Tech linebacker Jordyn Brooks.  In 2016, Brooks earned All-Conference honors as a true freshman after leading the team in tackles.

Like Brooks, Riko Jeffers will arrive on campus  with the size and athleticism needed to instantly compete in the Big 12.

The Red Raiders have struggled to find linebackers with the size necessary to neutralize powerful  running backs.  In recent seasons, big backs like Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine, Texas’ Chris Warren III and D’Onta Foreman, Louisiana State’s Leonard Fournette, Arkansas’ Jonathan Williams and Arizona State’s Kalen Ballage have all had monster games as they bullied undersized Texas Tech defenses.

Ranked as the No. 29 inside linebacker prospect in the nation and 108th overall prospect in Texas by 247Sports.com the highly-decorated defender picked Texas Tech over Kansas State. Jeffers verbally pledged his commitment to Texas Tech in October revealing his decision at a pre-game pep rally in front of his entire school.

Jeffers was part of a Sachse team that made a deep run in the Texas high school playoffs.  Along the way, he was named district defensive MVP.

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Riko Jeffers is the type of prospect Texas Tech has sorely needed to land at the linebacker spot over the last decade.  While the team appears to have more depth at linebacker in 2017 than in recent memory, look for Jeffers to eventually pair with Brooks to form a stout duo in the middle of the Red Raiders’ defensive front seven.  This is a player that could challenge for a spot in the defensive rotation as a true freshman and be part of the long-awaited turnaround of Texas Tech’s defense.

In addition to Texas Tech and Kansas State, Jeffers also received scholarship offers from Boise State, Colorado, Houston, Oklahoma State and Washington State.

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