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10 things to know about Texas Tech CB Adrian Frye, including his incredible hands and recent position switch

Frye was named one of the best defenders in the Big 12 as a freshman, but slipped as a sophomore.

Here are 10 things to know about Texas Tech cornerback Adrian Frye:

1. The Basics

Born: Jan. 21, 2000

Height: 6-0

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Weight: 195 pounds

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High school: Eisenhower High School in Houston

2. Well-decorated freshman season

In 2018, Frye quickly became one of the best defensive players in the Big 12 as a true freshman. The Football Writers Association of America named Frye a Freshman All-American. He was also named first-team All-Big 12 by Big 12 coaches and the Associated Press.

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3. Former track athlete

In high school, Frye was a member of the track team, competing in the 200, triple jump, and hurdles. According to athletic.net, Frye ran a 22.40 as a senior in the 200. As a senior, Frye advanced to the regional round in the 300-meter hurdles and 4x400 meter relay.

4. Excellent footwork

Frye has a penchant for dancing in the locker room after practice, which his teammate Reginald Turner II showed when he tweeted out this video this past fall.

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Looks like Frye has excellent footwork on and off the field.

5. Under-the-radar recruit

Coming out of Eisenhower High School in 2018, Frye was a three-star prospect and the 224th-best prospect in Texas, according to 247. Frye had offers from Colgate, Grambling State, Louisiana-Monroe and McNeese State.

6. League leader

As a freshman, Frye led the Big 12 in interceptions with five, which was the 10th most in the FBS in 2018. That was despite Frye missing three games due to injury and not even starting the entire season.

Against Lamar, his first collegiate game, Frye picked off a pair of passes and took one of them 48 yards for a touchdown.

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7. Position switch

Last year, Texas Tech defensive coordinator Keith Patterson decided to switch Frye to safety, despite an excellent freshman year at corner. The change did not go well and Frye received heavy criticism as his interceptions and pass deflection numbers both dropped by 80 percent.

8. Switched again

After last season’s struggles at safety, Frye is moving back to cornerback. In Frye’s 11 starts last season, nine came as a safety and two came at corner. Coach Matt Wells said it was his decision to move Frye back to corner and that switching back and forth between positions was “not ideal” and that Frye agreed with the decision.

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9. Punt returning

As a sophomore, Frye returned punts for the first time in his collegiate career. It makes sense to give a former track star more opportunities to make plays with the ball, especially when he averaged 11 yards per interception as a freshman.

He returned just four punts for a total of 21 yards in his first year playing special teams.

10. Incredible hands

One of the reasons Frye tallied so many interceptions as a freshman was because of his incredible hands. There are several videos from practice depicting Frye’s penchant for picks, but this interception against Kansas State best captures Frye’s ridiculous hands.

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