Texas Tech just won a recruiting battle it had no business winning. Austin Attalah, a 6'7, 305-pound offensive tackle and the No. 14 overall prospect in the Rivals300 for the 2028 class, announced Monday he's committing to the Red Raiders over Texas and USC, according to Rivals' Hayes Fawcett.
BREAKING: Elite 2028 OT Austin Attalah has Committed to Texas Tech, he tells me for @Rivals The 6’7 305 OT from San Bernardino, CA chose the Red Raiders over USC and Texas He’s ranked as the No. 14 Recruit in the 2028 Rivals300 🌵 t.co/O6e6ThH6Je
This isn't a fringe flip or a program settling for a consolation prize. Per 247Sports' composite, Attalah is the No. 27 overall player in the country, the No. 3 tackle nationally, and the top-ranked player in California — a state Texas Tech has zero business winning battles in against blue bloods like USC and Texas. He plays his high school ball at Orange Lutheran, the same California pipeline that's produced a steady stream of high-major offensive line talent.
The Red Raiders now have their 5th five-star commit ever, joining names like defensive lineman Jalen Brewster and receiver Micah Hudson on that short list — and every single one of them signed on under head coach Joey McGuire. That's the real story here. McGuire has turned Lubbock into a legitimate recruiting destination instead of a stopover for players who couldn't crack the Texas or USC boards.
Attalah is also just Texas Tech's second commitment in the 2028 cycle, joining three-star punter Luc Normans, but the two of them together already have the Red Raiders sitting at the No. 12 class in the country and the best class in the Big 12 — this far out from signing day, with a junior year still to be played. Attalah reportedly said his goal is to win the Outland Trophy, the award given annually to the best interior lineman in college football, which tells you the kind of ceiling people around the program think he has.
For USC and Texas, this one stings a little more than a typical miss. Both programs have the built-in advantages — location, resources, championship pedigree — that are supposed to close out five-star offensive linemen against a Big 12 program. Instead, Texas Tech beat them at their own game, and it's another data point in a trend of McGuire's staff landing players who would've been unthinkable gets in Lubbock a few years ago.