In the 2018 football recruiting cycle, Texas Tech was credited with 17 recruits, which were ranked as a whole the 10th best class (read: the worst) in the Big 12. The class, without ever playing a down, was widely dismissed and believed to be terrible and indicative of Kliff Kingsbury's downward path.

Nevermind the lack of available scholarships or high volume of red-shirts becoming available on the roster. The public just saw the "10th ranked class" and went with it.

Fast forward to fall camp, and through preferred walk-ons, and other means, Texas Tech has 24 true freshmen listed on the roster. Some of these freshman are lightly recruited, like former Lubbock-Cooper standout Jake Kirkpatrick.

Others are legit 3-star prospects like Case Gatlin, an outside linebacker from IMG Academy who is 6'4" and 220 pounds, but didn't count toward the total class.

Now some of these freshmen, maybe even Kirkpatrick and Gatlin, might never be heard from. Others, like Caden Leggett, are already getting called out by the head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

Unprompted, Kingsbury goes into how impressed he is with Leggett in the above video. "He's a big target, He's physical. He thinks he's the best player on the field," Kinsgbury said, adding that he "has a great attitude and kinda vibe about him every time he goes out there. I've been pleased with him and how he's competed with these tough DBs."

That's pretty high praise for a walk-on receiver, especially with seven other true and red-shirt freshman receivers on campus.

When you dig a little into who Caden Leggett, you'll see his numbers from his senior year, which are electric with over 1,500 yards and 22 receiving touchdowns. It's surprising he didn't latch on anywhere with a scholarship. "It worked out that he wanted to be a Red Raider, but he should've gotten a D1 scholarship somewhere," Kingsbury said.

Here are some Caden Leggett highlights for your enjoyment:

The 6'1", 185-pound walk-on will surely get some time on the field with the new red-shirt rule allowing players to play in up to four games without forfeiting the ability to use a red-shirt. Coach Kingsbury listed him as vying for reps behind TJ Vasher, who is poised for a monster year after flashing last season.

I'm always trying to find a professional comparison for guys after I watch some tape on them, and this is probably a leap, and Aaron Rodgers isn't on Texas Tech's campus, but I can see a little bit of Jordy Nelson's game in Leggett's high school tape.

Hopefully, we can see a lot of Jordy Nelson in Caden Leggett's game moving forward, and Alan Bowman is the next Aaron Rodgers.

See interviews from Texas Tech's 2018 football media day

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