COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Tech LB Stice happy to be back home in West Texas

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Luke Stice always knew he would come back home to West Texas.

Although he enjoyed his three years as a walk-on fullback and special teams standout with the University of Houston football team, he knew that transferring to Texas Tech for his final year would be a possibility.

So with a redshirt season still available, he took it in 2015 and sat out his final year at Houston. Then the ball started rolling on his desire to come back to God’s country, as Stice affectionately calls West Texas.

One of the first people he talked to about the decision was his old friend and his former teammate at Lee, current Tech junior defensive lineman Talor Nunez.

“Talor has been one of my closest teammates since junior high and high school and he was one of the first guys I talked to about the possibility of having an opportunity here,” Stice said. “Once it started looking like this was going to be the place where I would play my final year, everything just kind of fell into place.”

An added bonus was that he has some familiarity with Tech defensive coordinator David Gibbs and linebackers coach Zac Spavital from their days with the Cougars.

Then in December he announced on his Twitter account that he would transferring to Texas Tech and would be playing linebacker, the position he played with the Rebels and became the 2011 District 3-5A Defensive MVP.

Now he’s competing for a starting job as the weakside or middle linebacker as the Red Raiders are going through camp in preparation for the Sept. 3 season opener against Stephen F. Austin at Jones AT&T Stadium.

“It’s been a great deal for me coming back out to West Texas,” said Stice as he got emotional at one point. “To make the full circle and come back here for the last year of my eligibility and be around a great group of guys that I have become close to in the last seven months, it’s a real special opportunity and I’m excited for what ahead for this team.”

Former LEE Rebel Luke Stice (37) huddles with teammates as they participate in kickoff drils in Saturday's scrimmage at Grande Stadium. Former LEE Rebel Luke Stice (37) huddles with teammates as they participate in kickoff drils in Saturday's scrimmage at Grande Stadium. Photo: Wade H Clay Buy photo Photo: Wade H Clay Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Tech LB Stice happy to be back home in West Texas 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Leaving Houston behind

Stice said there are no regrets leaving Houston as he believes he had a great deal of closure before making his decision to transfer.

He finished up with the majority of the 2012 freshman class he came in with, and he graduated with a degree in Kinesiology.

“It took a lot of praying, it took a lot of things falling into place,” he said. “I just honestly thank God for this opportunity. You can’t explain it, but the way things have fallen into place has been really been special for me. To tell you the truth, it’s really been a special process throughout this entire deal.”

Stice went through spring practices with the Red Raiders and was with the team when it scrimmaged at Grande Communications Stadium in April.

But the fact that he was finally a Red Raider didn’t hit Stice until he sat down with the parents of the late Jacob Power, a former teammate at Lee who was killed in a car accident after their senior year. Stice wore Power’s No. 37 at Houston and will continue to wear the number at Tech in his honor.

“I met his parents and I showed them the Texas Tech schedule and I just wanted to see if there were any games they could catch,” Stice said. “They both got real emotional and we talked about that night how special it was for me being out in West Texas. After I talked to them about and it showed how much it meant to them, it kind of sunk in that we’re doing this and we have a chance to do something special for Texas Tech.”

Bundle of energy

When the Texas Tech coaches talk about Stice, the first thing they mention is the energy he brings every day.

“Luke Stice is new to our program but has really been a leader for us, even though he just got here,” said Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury during his press conference just before the start of camp. “(The) defense tends to lean towards him for energy and any kind of emotion.”

Added Spavital: “He’s been great, especially with the young group of linebackers that we’ve got. He just brings that maturity, that work ethic and that leadership role that you can’t ask for anything more from that aspect. He’s been an asset in so many different ways.”

Nunez is very familiar with Stice’s enthusiasm. He’s seen it many times before and said it can infectious.

“He is the hardest working guy I’ve ever known in my life, and that’s even an understatement with how hard he works,” Nunez said. “He’s in the facility longer than anybody else, working on his technique, drills, stretching, taking care of his body. He has the best attitude I have ever known as a person. Every single day it is and whatever day he comes in and it’s, ‘championship Monday’ or ‘championship Tuesday’, or ‘championship Wednesday.’ That’s his attitude every single day.”

And remember, this is not coming from a player who was highly recruited out of high school or even someone on an athletic scholarship. Stice said that’s just him and knows that being someone others can look up to.

“If I can inspire my teammates in any way to raise them to a high level, as well as making me a better player, is something I look forward to,” said Stice, who’s listed at 6-feet, 230 pounds. “Knowing this is my last year at Texas Tech, I’m definitely going to do anything I can to help my team be successful and make the most of this season.

“I take pride is having that West Texas work ethic, as they call it. My old man has been preaching since I was born that attitude and effort are the only two things you can control, and that’s exactly what I try to do.”

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