Sports

Jalen Brewster’s First High School Football Game At Buford Raises Questions About Texas Tech’s Promises

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Jalen Brewster Buford High School Running back Texas Tech LSU recruiting promise offense carries
Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Texas Tech Athletics

Jalen Brewster made his debut for Buford High School during a Thursday night win over Miami Central. The Texas Tech commit also got a few carries at running back out of the Wildcat formation.

Will the Red Raiders use him as a ball-carrier?

One of the most contentious recruitments in college football came down to two programs. There is a good chance that both schools had to promise him a few touches on offense!

Jalen Brewster made his debut with the Buford High School football team.

Most major recruiting networks consider Jalen Brewster to be the top-ranked prospect in the recruiting Class of 2027. The 6-foot-3, 302-pound defensive lineman hails from Cedar Hill, Texas. He played the first three years of his high school football career for the Longhorns. The consensus five-star recruit recently transferred to Buford High School in Georgia for his senior year.

High school athletes are able to profit from NIL in Georgia, unlike Texas, so I assume the move is money related but the exact reason has not been confirmed. It could also stem from a desire to play for a championship program. I don’t know.

For whatever reason, Brewster transferred across state lines for the remainder of the season. He made his debut for the Wolves on Thursday night.

No. 5-ranked Buford defeated No. 21-ranked Miami Central by a final score of 18-7 to move to 3-0. Its star defensive lineman finished with one tackle, a couple of quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery.

Although it was not the most impactful debut for Brewster, his presence on the defensive line forces the offense to include him in the game plan. He was double teamed throughout most of the evening.

Did Texas Tech promise carries to the top-ranked college football recruit?

Jalen Brewster actually began his high school football career at running back. He moved to defensive tackle as a sophomore. Coaches still like to use him out of the backfield in short-yardage situations. He averaged 6.7 yards per carry with nine total touchdowns during his second and third years of high school football.

Buford tried to use Brewster on 4th-and-1 during the first half. The Wolves lined him up in the Wildcat formation.

Unfortunately, the play was called dead for offsides and Buford was forced to punt.

This got me thinking…

Jalen Brewster committed to Texas Tech in 2025. He later reaffirmed his commitment last month after a hard push from the LSU Tigers. Did the Red Raiders promise to give him touches as a ball-carrier?

Lane Kiffin loves to use big athletes as a running back in short-yardage situation. 320-pound defensive lineman J.J. Pegues scored more touchdowns than EA Sports’ cover athlete at Ole Miss and rivaled Travis Hunter as the most versatile athlete at the NFL Combine.

I would not be surprised if Kiffin promised Brewster the ball on offense if he chose LSU. I wonder if Texas Tech did the same. The Red Raiders gave a few carries to linebacker Jacob Rodriguez. It would be even more fun with the 300-pound defensive lineman.