Tech gets three linebackers that can help them right away
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Louisiana Tech failed to sign many high school linebackers before Skip Holtz and his staff arrived in Ruston. This year, they added three and one grayshirt.
Not only did Tech sign three linebackers, they signed one in each linebacker position -- weakside, middle and strongside.
"I'm really excited about the the three kids we signed this year," Tech defensive coordinator Blake Baker said. "All three of them have something we look for, really across the board defensively, is kids that can run and kids that will hit and those are two things that are hard to coach and sometimes you can't coach them."
Collin Scott picked up a ton of attention down the stretch but held firm to the Bulldogs. Scott played at Texas football powerhouse Manvel High School.
"He is a kid who like I just mention is fast and physical. He had a great year his senior year, he was a captain on that team, which was loaded with four and five star guys," Baker said. "That says a lot about his character and he was in the top 10 percent in the classroom. So he definitely brings a maturity aspect to the room and we are looking forward to seeing what he can do here next year."
Brandon Durman will enroll at Tech for the Spring Quarter in March and have the opportunity to participate in Spring Football.
"He's got a big body," Baker said of Durman. "He's 6-1, 6-2, 235lbs and he was first team all-state at the 6-A level in Texas, which is really hard to do. There's a lot of good football players in that state and he's out of Tyler Lee which is a dominant high school program year in and year out in East Texas."
Bossier City Parkway linebacker Dante Williams will be a strongside linebacker for Tech and his physicality will be a real asset at that position.
"He's a local kid from Parway in Bossier City," Baker siad. "(He's) 6-1, 214lbs already. He runs the open four in track so he can run and he's physical. What we love about him is that he does not gather on contact. He will run through contact."
All three linebackers Baker says have the ability to help Tech right away.
"Really, all three of them, academically are exceptional. All three of them can be counted in to come in and play early, and really they dictate that as far as how quick they can pick up the defense and, obviously injuries."
Baker could not comment on grayshirt Donald Freeman, but Freeman held early offers from the SEC and ACC before tearing his ACL early in his senior season. Tech receivers coach Joe Sloan stuck with him when all the others did not and the 3.7 GPA strongside linebacker decided Tech was the place for him. Freeman will join the Bulldogs next winter and be able to go through spring practice in 2016. Stay tuned to BleedTechBlue.com as we will have a story with Freeman in the coming days.