Texas Tech had an eventful day in the recruitment department after earning the commitments of both Quarterback Stephen Cannon and IOL Jerald “JJ” Mays. Both players were announced by Hayes Fawcett within a few hours of each other, making it an eventful night for fans of the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech’s Most Recent Double Haul
Cannon, a 3-star recruit from Benedictine Military School, started his first season with the High School this year. The quarterback’s main strengths include impressive throw power and extreme efficiency in the pocket.
BREAKING: Class of 2026 QB Stephen Cannon has Committed to Texas Tech, he tells me for @on3recruits
The 6’3 200 QB from Savannah, GA chose the Red Raiders over Georgia Tech, App State, UCF, & Wake Forest
“I’m home!!! WRECK ’EM!!!”https://t.co/oNwdIOU67Z pic.twitter.com/GuteXXRcpN
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 8, 2025
While Cannon had offers from multiple programs, including UCF, South Florida, and Virginia, the Quarterback revealed when speaking to ON3 why he chose to sign for the Red Raiders.
“It’s the fit and the offense and the community,” Cannon said. “I think my play style fits what they run at Texas Tech. They talked me through my plan and how they see me coming in and my plan for the future and also the people there.”
“The facilities are amazing, and stadium and everything is great, but even if that wasn’t there the coaches and people in the community are amazing and that’s the main reason I chose Texas Tech.”
In an impressive double haul, Texas Tech also managed to land the signature of Mays, a 3-star interior offensive lineman from Weiss.
“I had a great time at Texas Tech,” Mays told ON3, when questioned on why he chose the Red Raiders over other offers from the likes of SMU. “I see them on an upwards trajectory, and I love the coaching staff; the practice had great energy.”
Texas Tech Adds to Already Stacked Recruitment Class
With their most recent Double pickup with Cannon and Mays, Texas Tech has managed to shoot up in the Big 12 Rankings for this year’s recruitment window, going from 8th to 6th.
Picking up a string of solid three-star talents, including the likes of Krush Johnson, Ayden Johnson, Card Nolan, Maddox Quiller, and Luke Bell, their standout recruit of this year’s class is a 4-star talent from East View.
Linebacker Tieson Ejiawoko, who’s currently ranked as the second-best linebacker prospect in all of Texas, is not set to turn eighteen until eight months after his enrollment, making him one of the best commitments Texas Tech could possibly have gotten.
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Ejiawoko posted on Twitter welcoming his future teammate, JJ Mays, to the program with the caption, “He knew where home was #wreckem”
With the new sets of commitments, the Red Raiders’ newest quarterback has let fans of the program know they should be excited for what is to come in the future.
“As you can see, everybody is talking about Texas Tech right now, “It’s definitely a program on the rise even more than we are right now, and I think we’re on track to win a lot of championships in the near future,” Cannon promised, speaking to ON3 after he committed to the program
Texas Tech will be preparing for their season opener over the next few months, with the Red Raiders set to take on Arkansas at the end of August.
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