Division II Sack Artist Announces Commitment to Texas Tech After Standout Sophomore Season
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The No. 5 Texas Tech Red Raiders still have one regular-season game left on their schedule, but they have already landed their first commitment from the 2025-26 transfer portal cycle. However, it comes from an established sack artist at the Division II level.
Amarie Fleming, an edge rusher for the Allen Yellow Jackets, announced on X on Thursday, Nov. 20, that he was committed to the Red Raiders after an "amazing conversation." He revealed his entry into the transfer portal just one day earlier on Wednesday, Nov. 19, proving that he was a hot name in the cycle.
With two remaining years of eligibility and the potential for a redshirt, Fleming joins Texas Tech over offers from programs like Eastern Illinois, Gardner-Webb, Kennesaw State, Southeastern Missouri, and Arkansas State.
After an AMAZING conversation, I'm blessed to announce an my COMMITMENT to the Texas Tech University! pic.twitter.com/vJapBrBNfq
— Amarie Fleming (#1 EDGE in D2) (@amarieflem6) November 21, 2025
Fleming dominated in 2025 with the Yellow Jackets. He accrued 14.5 sacks, second among Division II players, and 18 tackles for loss, tied for fifth, according to the NCAA's website. He did this in just 11 games, finishing as a first-team All-SIAC defensive lineman.
He was described as having a "relentless motor and uncoachable edge" by Allen University's director of sports information and communications, Phil Jackson. Jackson said Fleming "solidified his reputation as one of the most feared defenders in HBCU [historically Black colleges and universities] football" with his all-conference nomination.
Coming out of high school, Fleming was an under-recruited prospect from Mayo, Fla. He attended Lafayette High School before starting his college football career in Columbia, S.C.
After a 1.5-sack freshman season, Fleming received offers from Delaware and Missouri S&T; he returned for his sophomore year and became an impact defender, leveraging the success into a Division I opportunity.
With the Red Raiders. Fleming will have an immediate path to playing time if he is ready for the jump to FBS competition. Texas Tech boasted one of the most fearsome fronts in the nation in 2025, but the team will be poached across the line of scrimmage before the start of the 2026 season.
Edge rushers Romello Height and David Bailey are expected to be early-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, and senior interior linemen Lee Hunter and Skyler Gill-Howard are expected to join them at the next level, along with several rotational players.
Bailey has emerged as one of the top defensive players in the nation, leading the FBS in total sacks and tied for second in total tackles for loss heading into Week 13. His improved run defense has proven Tech's ability to develop high-end talent, especially with defensive coordinator Shiel Wood leading the show.
Wood had built a reputation for quickly transforming defenses, and he turned Tech's into one of the most elite units in the country. Bailey and linebacker Jacob Rodriguez were named finalists for the Lombardi Award, given to the nation's best player at or near the line of scrimmage.
Texas Tech's front seven will have a new look at the start of next season, with new bodies expected to come via the transfer portal and the 2026 recruiting class. Five-star recruit LaDamion Guyton reclassified from the Class of 2027 to 2026 and is expected to be a cornerstone of the defense's future.
Fleming will have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of other recent successful transfers, including some from non-Division I programs, like Gill-Howard, who played at Division II Upper Iowa. With the leadership and teaching of Wood and defensive line coach Zarnell Fitch, the Red Raiders will surely be ready to retool for another run in 2026.
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Jordan Epp is a journalist who graduated from Texas A&M in 2022 and is passionate about telling stories, sharing news, and finding ways to entertain people through the medium of sports. He has formerly worked as a writer and editor at The Battalion and The Eagle, covering football in College Station, Texas, and served as the managing editor for PFSN.
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