When he took over the Texas Tech football program 25 months ago, Joey McGuire confronted a stigma that many Red Raiders coaches are forced to face: You can't recruit to West Texas. The remote location is just too much to overcome.

McGuire dove into the job undeterred, and recruits have been buying what he's selling.

"I'll say it again: We don't make excuses," McGuire said.

On Wednesday's early signing day, Texas Tech put the finishing touches on its second consecutive class ranked among the top 30 in the nation on the 247Sports composite recruiting rankings. Tech's talent collection last year came in at No. 28; this year's sits, for the moment, at No. 23. That could change, given that a few recruits will sign Thursday or Friday — or even in the traditional, but increasingly barren, February signing period.

Two straight national top-30 classes haven't shown up in Lubbock since 2011 and 2012, when Tommy Tuberville's staff signed classes ranked No. 19 and No. 28. The 2011 class had eight future NFL players.

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A much-needed talent upgrade for Texas Tech football

McGuire rejects the charge that recruits won't make it to Lubbock, given that some of his former Cedar Hill High School players went to Ole Miss, Oregon and Southern California.

"They found a way out there," McGuire said, "and so when people say it's tough to get to Lubbock, Texas, it's really easy to get to Lubbock, Texas. It's a lot easier to get to Lubbock, Texas, than it is to get to Stillwater, to get to Norman, to get to places like that."

Just need to give 'em a reason. Three straight winning seasons, three resounding bowl victories, and the Red Raiders are opening recruits' eyes again.

Once the Tech staff's gotten prospects in, they've managed to convert their share of the most coveted into Red Raiders. That includes, this year, that rare Red Raider who could have named his school. Temple Lake Belton wide receiver Micah Hudson, the state's No. 1 prospect and the nation's No. 7, is the headliner. For comparison, Lloyd Hill was No. 2 in the state and No. 6 in the nation coming out of Odessa Permian.

There was no redshirting Hill, and McGuire said there'll be no redshirting Hudson, as if there were even a question.

"I've been around some freaky dudes in high school," McGuire said, "and I've never seen anybody like him. ... He's got some CeeDee Lamb-esque type body control."

Not only speed, but length a hallmark of Texas Tech football class

McGuire also got someone to throw Hudson the ball, Elite 11 quarterback Will Hammond from Hutto. He's a state top-50 recruit. With room to shop for a little of everything, Tech filled its cart with five offensive linemen, five secondary players, four pass catchers, three defensive end-outside linebacker types and two running backs.

The components of this class keep fulfilling the vision McGuire and general manager James Blanchard put forth from the start. They're plus athletes, several documented by their track and field credentials.

"One thing you can see real quick on film," McGuire said, "is we signed a very athletic class, we signed an explosive class and we have a lot of really long football players."

Four of the new offensive linemen are 6-foot-7 or 6-6. The Pearland Dawson defensive end duo of Charles Anderson and Eddy Smith are in the 6-6 range. Maurice Rodriques, a 6-7, 320-pound tackle, "has longer arms than Tyree Wilson and Myles Cole," McGuire said. Three of the DBs are listed 6-3 or 6-2.

We've said before for Tech to steer out of a decade-long tailspin, upgrading talent was a must. These last couple of classes have the Red Raiders on the right track.

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This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Unpacking Texas Tech football 2024 recruiting class — and what it brings