Wes Welker played at Texas Tech and was one of the most prolific punt returners in College Football history. He defined a new type of receiver that live inside and was on the forefront of the spread offense air raid revolution with his QBs Kliff Kingsbury and BJ Symons. He went to the NFL and played in Super Bowls and caught a ton of passes from Tom Brady, then he went to Denver and won a Super Bowl with Peyton Manning.

During Welker's time in the NFL he had five 1,000 yard seasons and was a five-time pro bowler. He added two more 1,000 yard seasons at Texas Tech and set the NCAA record for most punt returns for touchdowns.

With all that success it's weird to think about Wes Welker in high school. The undersized running back, yes he played running back in high school, who was entirely too small to fit into the offenses being run in the late 90's. It seems ridiculous now but hardly anybody was recruiting the small town kid out of Oklahoma City.

In fact, Texas Tech wasn't even offering Welker. The Red Raider legend didn't get a Texas Tech offer until after some other recruit backed out after signing day. So where was Wes Welker getting action from when no one else was calling? Some guy named Matt Wells at Navy.

Here's what Wes Welker said as highlighted in the Texas Tech Media Guide:

Texas Tech Media Guide via TexasTech.com
Texas Tech Media Guide via TexasTech.com
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That's right, 20 years ago the current Texas Tech head coach Matt Wells was coaching at Navy, his first job after playing at Utah State, trying to find the perfect wing back for that patented Navy flex bone, which would have highlighted Welker. Even back then Wells had a keen eye for finding the diamonds in the rough, something that Red Raider fans hope he's bringing to Lubbock.

It's a recruiting trait you also saw during his tenure at Utah State recently putting 2-star Darwin Thompson and 2-star Dax Ramond into the NFL and leaving Jordan Love, another 2-star prospect, there in Logan, Utah to contend for a Heisman Trophy.

Who is the next Wes Welker that Matt Wells is going to discover? Hopefully this time he gets him on campus.

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