Since the West Virginia game, Texas Tech has struggled to
run the football consistently.
Part of the reason is attributed to the players that have been lost to injury,
notably TE Jace Amaro and
FB Omar Ontiveros.
Tech head coach Tommy Tuberville has said in recent weeks
that they will look to add depth at TE and FB with the signing class of 2013.
The Red Raiders are in the top 5 of the top Junior College
TE in the country, 6’6’’ 250 lb Beau Sandland.
Sandland’s top 5
are Arizona State, Miami, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech.
“They are all pretty much even,” said Sandland,
who caught 3 passes for 20 yards and a TD Saturday to conclude Pierce’s 9-2
season.
Now that the season is over for Pierce, Sandland
will travel the two weekends after Thanksgiving with a trip to Miami the
weekend of Nov. 30 and Texas Tech December 7-9 before Junior College signing
day on December 19th.
Sandland took visits before the
season to OU and Nebraska and visited Ole Miss during Pierce’s bye week.
What is Sandland looking for from
a college program?
“Playing time,” said the native Californian. “I’ve only got two years to prove myself
and can’t afford to spend them sitting behind someone.”
In addition to playing time, he also wants a system that
throws the ball, good campus, and a position coach who he enjoys working with,
which in this case is the coach who is talking to him most frequently; inside
wide recievers coach Sonny Cumbie.
Tech fans may think that the presence of Jace
Amaro may hurt the Red Raiders’ chances of signing Sandland, but that’s not quite the case.
“That might affect my decision, but they’ve (Tech coaches)
told me they want have us both on the field together in 2 tight sets, as well
as maybe even splitting us both out at the same time,” said Sandland.
“I think we could complement each other.”
Tech breaking in a new quarterback in 2013 might be a factor
in Sandland’s decision as well.
“I’ve heard good things about (Michael Brewer),” Sandland said. “I’ll look at that a little more closely
after all of my visits are finished.”
Sandland will be a spring semester
enrollee for the team that signs him. The California native had 24 catches for
267 yards and 3 TDs this season, which included a 65 yard non-scoring grab. His
most productive game came in October versus LA Valley
where he hauled in 9 catches for 60 yards and a score.