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Texas Tech football portal haul hits 14 with Purdue's Tarrion Grant, UNC's Howard Sampson
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- Texas Tech football portal haul hits 14 with Purdue's Tarrion Grant, UNC's Howard Sampson
(This story was updated to correct a misspelling.)
The Texas Tech football team continued its torrid pace of acquisitions via the NCAA transfer portal , getting three commitments in quick succession Wednesday afternoon.
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Purdue cornerback Tarrion Grant and North Carolina offensive tackle Howard Sampson , less than an hour apart, both told On3Sports they had committed to Texas Tech . That came after University of Houston defensive tackle Anthony Holmes Jr. committed to the Red Raiders , according to an announcement by The Matador Club, the donor collective that supports Tech athletes.
The NCAA transfer portal opened Dec. 9, and the Red Raiders have used that avenue to land 14 players in the past eight days.
Tech coach Joey McGuire has now gone well beyond his stated plan to add 10 to 12 players via the portal, and the Red Raiders are probably not done. They still need an experienced running back, a kicker to help fill the void left by departing senior Gino Garcia and could use help at the edge-rush positions.
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Grant, listed by Purdue at 6-foot-2 and 187 pounds, played in 11 games this season as a true freshman and was credited with 13 tackles and two pass breakups. Coming out of high school, he was ranked the No. 1 prospect in Tennessee on the 247Sports composite index and was a consensus national top-100 recruit. According to recruiting services, he also was offered scholarships by Alabama , Oregon , Michigan , LSU , Tennessee and Miami, among others.
Sampson, listed by North Carolina at 6-8 and 325, went to Humble High School. He started his college career at North Texas , getting into two games each his freshman and redshirt freshman seasons.
Since transferring to North Carolina, Sampson started all 12 games as a sophomore this season at left tackle. He blocked for Doak Walker Award finalist Omarion Hampton , who's rushed for 1,660 yards and 15 touchdowns. North Carolina is 6-6, preparing to play Connecticut on Dec. 28 in the Fenway Bowl.
North Carolina Tar Heels running back Omarion Hampton (28) celebrates with Tar Heels offensive lineman Howard Sampson (79) after scoring a touchdown against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half at Scott Stadium.
Tech is next-to-last in the FBS this season in pass defense, allowing 305.3 yards per game. The Red Raiders have added five defensive backs from the portal, Grant being the fourth cornerback.
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Tech's most prominent departures via the portal include offensive tackles Ty Buchanan and Dalton Merryman, who started seven and six games, respectively, this season. Merryman has committed to Houston, and Buchanan has yet to announce a new school.
Tech has added three defensive tackles, three offensive linemen and one each at quarterback, wide receiver, tight end and safety.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech football portal haul hits 14 with Purdue corner, UNC tackle
