In college football, nothing is more difficult than predicting how a high school offensive lineman will develop, because judging how a young prospect with that build will simultaneously gain weight and become more agile is far from an exact science.
So putting numbers on the offensive line position is key, and Texas Tech has begun doing just that in its 2025 recruiting, securing verbal commitments from three high school offensive linemen last week.
The latest is Elias Guillen, of Rapid City, South Dakota. The 6-foot-5, 295-pound prospect announced his intentions to join the Red Raiders on social media Monday afternoon.
I am excited to announce that I am 100% committed to Texas Tech University.Joey McGuire Clay McGuire Follow translation: Follow Texas Tech FB #WreckEm🌵 pic.twitter.com/G6gMmj8pIr
— Elias Gillen 🌵 (@elias_gillen) June 24, 2024
Rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports.com, Guillen is the No. 2 player in the state of South Dakota and the No. 111 interior offensive lineman in his class.
Guillen holds offers from Texas Tech, Akron, Eastern Michigan, South Dakota State and North Dakota. He traveled to Lubbock last weekend for his official visit and is ready to commit to the Red Raisers.
Guillen is the 16th Texas Tech commit in the class of 2025. The Red Raiders currently rank 30th in the nation in enrollment.
Replenishing the offensive line each year is crucial for Joey McGuire and his team. For example, the starting offensive line in 2024 could include up to four players with only one year of eligibility remaining. Additionally, five offensive linemen this season are in their fourth year.
Under McGuire’s direction, the Red Raiders have rebuilt their offensive line by using high school talent while also attempting to fill holes with transfer students. Over the past three recruiting classes, Tech has added 17 offensive linemen to the program (including transfer students), a sign of the Red Raiders’ struggles to assemble a quality offensive line since McGuire took over.
Hopefully, that will start to change soon, because Tech will never be an elite team unless its offensive line plays better, and if the Red Raiders can find success with these young offensive line prospects, it will do wonders for what McGuire is building on the South Plains.
