Lufkin’s KeKe Coutee Commits To Texas Tech

Texas Tech made a big splash in East Texas on Thursday with the pickup of Lufkin's KeKe Coutee.

The senior receiver and extremely dangerous kick return man announced via his personal Twitter account he intends to sign with the Red Raiders next month.

Coutee wrapped his final high school season as East Texas' eighth-leading receiver in terms of receptions with 56 catches in just 11 games and recorded 764 yards as well as nine offensive touchdowns.

It's a big win for Texas Tech.

Coutee initially committed to Mack Brown's Texas staff, but he reopened his recruiting process after the head coach's retirement. The Lufkin star also had offers from Louisville, Oklahoma and Tulsa.

The commitment marked Texas Tech's second from an East Texan in the 2015 recruiting class. The Panthers' biggest playmaker will join forces with Longview's Broderick Washington, an offensive tackle Kliff Kingsbury's staff envisions as a defensive lineman on the next level.

The two players have shared a lot of history during their high school playing careers, including two head-to-head games this past season.

Coutee and company opened the 2014 campaign with a 44-14 win against Longview. The receiver scored on a 36-yard reception early in the second quarter and then recorded an 86-yard punt return score with no time left to close the half to put the game away.

Longview got the last laugh, however. The Lobos topped the Panthers with a two-point conversion in the final minute for a 43-42 win in the bi-district round of the Class 5A Division I playoffs.

Coutee had 116 yards of offense and the opening touchdown in his final game.

Together, Coutee and Washington will join four East Texans that have already seen action with the Texas Tech program -- receivers Dylan Cantrell (Whitehouse) and Reginald Davis (Tenaha), quarterback Patrick Mahomes (Whitehouse) and linebacker Pete Robertson (Longview).

Former Chapel Hill safety Joseph Clark also will join the Red Raiders. He signed with the program last year but sat out the 2014 season while recovering from extensive knee surgeries after a compound injury sustained in high school.

Like Coutee and Washington, Clark has the ability to redshirt in college.

With good speed and excellent coordination as well as spacial awareness, Coutee consistently turned short dink and straight line passes into long gains from his inside receiver position. He torched punt units that out kicked the coverage and tended to get nice gains even with traffic in the area.

Coutee will be one of at least three senior Lufkin players headed to FBS programs. Offensive lineman Erik McCoy is committed to Texas A&M and fellow receiver Terry Mark intends to attend Houston on scholarship.

The trio can sign with their respective programs on Feb. 4.

2015 East Texas Football Players With Division I FBS Offers

• Jarion Anderson, WR, Texas High, 5-11, 165 – committed to Tulsa (1)
• Rodney Bendy, WR, John Tyler, 6-4, 180 – committed to North Texas; additional offer from ULM (2)
• William Brown, DL, Texas High, 6-3, 259 – offers from Arkansas State, Texas State (2)
• Kris Boyd, ATH, Gilmer, 6-0, 180 — offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Cal, Florida State, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech (14)
• Chaston Brooks, ATH, Tatum, 6-0, 183 -- offer from New Mexico State (1)
• Nate Brooks, DB, Whitehouse, 6-0, 150 — committed to North Texas; additional offer from Louisiana Tech (2)
• Nick Cain, ATH, John Tyler, 5-10, 165 — committed to ULM (1)
• Key’Vantanie “KeKe” Coutee, ATH, Lufkin, 5-10, 160 — committed to Texas Tech; additional offers from Louisville, Oklahoma, Texas, Tulsa (5)
• Justin Dunning, S, Whitehouse, 6-4, 200 — committed to Texas A&M; additional offers from Arizona State, Baylor, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt (11)
• Brandon Durman, LB, Tyler Lee, 6-2, 230 – committed to Louisiana Tech (1)
• Chandler Eiland, QB, Canton, 6-0, 178 – committed to ULM (1)
• Roney Elam, CB/S, Newton, 6-3, 175 — committed to Texas A&M; additional offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, LSU, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech (10)
• Jeff Gladney, ATH, New Boston, 6-0, 174 – committed to TCU; additional offers from North Texas, Northern Illinois, Rice, Texas State, Tulsa, UTSA (7)
• JaMycal Hasty, RB, Longview, 5-9, 181 — committed to Baylor; additional offers from Houston, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Oregon, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech (9)
• Tyrone Hunt, DE, Arp, 6-4, 230 – committed to UTSA (1)
• Marcalas Johnson, Arp, 5-10, 181 – offer from Colorado State (1)
• Kevrin Justice, RB, Kilgore, 6-0, 177 — committed to Houston (1)
• Jaylon Lane, CB, Nacogdoches, 6-2, 185 — offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Boise State, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia State, Houston, Kentucky, Louisiana Tech, Louisville, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Missouri, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Penn State, Purdue, South Alabama, Syracuse, TCU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas State, Texas Tech, UCLA, ULL, Utah State, Wake Forest, Washington State (38)
• Blake Lynch, ATH, Gilmer, 6-3, 193 — committed to Baylor; additional offers from Clemson, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, TCU (6)
• Daylon Mack, DT, Gladewater, 6-1, 330 –  offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, SMU, Stanford, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, USC (21)
• Terry Mark, WR, Lufkin, 6-1, 180 — committed to Houston (1)
• Erik McCoy, OL, Lufkin, 6-4, 297 — committed to Texas A&M; additional offers from Arkansas State, Houston, Kansas, New Mexico State, North Texas, Oklahoma State, ULL (8)
• Samuel Miller, DE, Canton, 6-3, 220 – committed to North Texas; additional offers from Arkansas State, Houston, Kansas State, Memphis, Nevada, Oregon State, Texas State, ULM, UTEP, UTSA (11)
• Chett Munden, OL, Marshall, 6-6, 303 — committed to North Texas; additional offer from ULM (2)
• Larry Pryor, S, Sulphur Springs, 6-1, 185 — committed to Texas A&M; additional offers from Arkansas, Baylor, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech (10)
• Jassavia Reese, DE, John Tyler, 6-4, 227 -- offer from New Mexico State (1)
• Kyshaun Smith, S/LB, Tatum, 6-2, 178 — offers from Houston, Memphis, North Texas, Texas State (4)
• Chris Spikes, WR, Jasper, 6-3, 175 — offer from Houston (1)
• Javon Thomas, RB, Texas High, 6-3, 211 – committed to Tulsa; additional offers from Navy, New Mexico, Rice, Toledo, ULM (6)
• Jackson Tyner, QB, Edgewood, 6-5, 220 – committed to Rice (1)
• Isaac Warren, DB, John Tyler, 6-1, 189 — offers from Arizona State, Purdue, UTEP (3)
• Broderick Washington, OL/DL, Longview, 6-3, 285 — committed to Texas Tech; additional offers from Arkansas State, Houston, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico, North Texas, ULL, UTSA (8)
• Matthew Weeks, OT, Tyler Lee, 6-6, 274 — offer from SMU (1)