Life challenges

Dauphine, Texas Tech's first commit of the 2015 recruiting cycle, was not a widely-known prospect when he pledged to the Red Raiders in Feb. 2014. The 6-foot, 180-pound prospect wasn't a full-time starter at Port Arthur Memorial in 2013 and, at that point, Lamar was the only other program that had offered. He didn't stay under the radar for very long. Houston and Washington State offered, then Arizona State, Baylor, TCU and Texas A&M followed. Even Michigan, under newly hired Jim Harbaugh, made a late run. In the end, Dauphine took a few visits but decided to stick with his commitment to Texas Tech.

QUOTABLE:

"First and foremost, Corey has done a great job off the football field. He has really done a great job academically which makes me extremely excited and extremely happy. If they can't perform in school, then they aren't going to be worth a crap for us on the football field. He has gained about 15-18 pounds of muscle and is about 198 pounds right now. Hopefully Coach (Wes) Kittley isn't too upset about that. He has been over there getting beat up on the scout team, and we have been getting great reports from them that he has been playing physical which is what we want out of our running backs. All in all in every team situation and every scrimmage that we have had, he has flashed. We've seen that explosiveness already. We are excited about his potential."

-- Texas Tech running back coach Mike Jinks

WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2016: Dauphine is up to 198 pounds after arriving on campus at 180 and , most importantly, hasn't lost any of his speed. His running style is interesting because, while he has what Jinks calls "elite, world class" speed, Dauphine also initiates contact. In fact, he might do that a bit too much right now. Dauphine, like most freshmen, is still adjusting to this level. I'm as curious as anyone to see how he fits into the running back rotation next season along with Justin Stockton, Demarcus Felton and Da'Leon Ward. I'm also anxious to see him run for Wes Kittley's track and field program this spring, because he will make some serious noise on that front if he can stay healthy. -- Chris Level

Former Texas Tech running back Corey Dauphine announced that he decided to transfer to Tulane.

The 6-foot, 194-pound tailback redshirted his first season at Texas Tech in 2015 and announced that he was transferring in October after a coaching change.

Dauphine came out of high school as a four-star recruit in 2014, according to 247Sports, but only had two carries for 27 yards and a touchdown while at Texas Tech. He will have to sit out the 2017 season because of NCAA transfer rules.

He rushed for 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns on 179 carries during his senior season at Memorial High School (Texas) in 2014. Dauphine said he chose Tulane because of its educational prowess and run-heavy offense were a good fit for him. "I felt it was a great school to finish up at academic- and athletic-wise," Dauphine said. "Texas Tech didn't run the ball a lot, but I will get more opportunities (at Tulane).

“They didn’t really give me a reason,” he said. “I asked one of the coaches, and he just told me to keep working hard, I’m a good back, I’m a great back. But he (implied) I wasn’t a good fit for the offense, that I’m more of a power back.”

The possibilities in Fritz’s offense, which led the nation in rushing at Georgia Southern in 2014 and 2015, are tantalizing. For now, Dauphine is a practice warrior while seniors Dontrell Hilliard and Sherman Badie, sophomore Darius Bradwell and freshman Stephon Huderson vie for playing time. Next year, Dauphine expects a huge role, reminiscent of his senior year at Port Arthur.

“The major reason I came here was they run the ball and the opportunity for playing time,” he said. “They’ve got two running backs about to leave, and then it’s going to be time for me to step up and be a leader. They are going to have a lot in store for me and will try to find ways to use me. This offense fits me perfectly.”

Dauphine agrees with the Texas Tech coach who labeled him a power back, given his 6-foot, 200-pound frame, but he also likes the way the Wave has used him as a receiver at times while running him inside and outside.

The practices have been fun, keeping his mind off the 13-month separation from his first real action. He already has talked to Green Wave basketball player Jordan Cornish about the excruciating wait ahead of him as a Division I transfer. To this point, Dauphine is making the most of every day. “I just try to motivate my teammates and keep them going,” he said. “I’ll do whatever I need to do on the scout team. I’ll help them as much as I can.”