It’s been weeks since Abner Dubar visited Lubbock for an unofficial visit with his mother, but the feeling of home never left him.
Dubar gave a commitment to the Texas Tech staff on Wednesday afternoon, securing his spot in the Red Raiders’ 2020 recruiting class. He picked Tech over Illinois State and just nine days removed from receiving the Big 12 offer.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
“They wowed me when I first visited there. I liked the campus and the feel of it, the weight room, the facilities. It was great. I really liked my relationship with the coaches, especially (safeties) Coach Kerry Cooks and (cornerbacks) Coach Juice Brown. I’ve been talking about it with my mom and she liked the idea of it. She was happy with it and we liked it there.”
“I told my mom I was thinking about committing. I like it and Coach Cooks talked to her about it a lot. She liked what he was telling her and the overall atmosphere.”
“Coach Cooks was the first guy to believe in me. He was talking about all the different ways he would utilize me in their defense and how he sees me playing multiple positions on defense like nickel and cover safety.”
“I wanted to stay in Texas and not go too far away from home. I like the competition there (in the Big 12) and I never back away from competition, so it was a good fit.”
“I’m not gonna completely shut it down (my recruitment), but I’m committed. When I got off the phone with Coach Juice, he was excited. He said I’m a big part of the family and how they’re trying to change the culture there at Texas Tech.”
RIVALS REACTION
At 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, Dubar brings a lot of versatility to the Texas Tech secondary. He’ll enter as a safety, but Coach Juice and Coach Cooks are going to take advantage of his physicality and good agility and plug him in at the nickel, too, which is essential for Big 12 secondaries.
Illinois State was the only other offer for Dubar, and while he is committed to the Red Raiders he is still open to new offers as they come in. However, it’s a good first step for Cooks and first-year coach Matt Wells to lock in a big piece from Texas early on in the Class of 2020.
