After recording a phenomenal 274 tackles during his sophomore and junior seasons, Texas Tech strong safety Kevin Curtis considered foregoing his senior season for the NFL.

But each time he weighed the pros and cons of the move, leaving early always lost out to leaving a legacy.

"Everything worked out where it was a great situation for me to come back," said Curtis, one of the nation's top-tackling defensive backs.

"Coming back gave me a chance to get my degree and win a Big 12 championship. That's something this school has never experienced. I can play pro football later, but this is the last chance I'll ever have to do something truly memorable at Texas Tech."

Curtis, who also finished eighth on the team last year in scoring with one touchdown and a safety, is the only returning starter in the Raiders' secondary. But he is also the one player Tech's defense most needed to return.

As his close friend, quarterback Kliff Kingsbury, points out, Curtis is much more than a tackling machine or big-play specialist.

"He's not the rah-rah type guy, but he's a great player and a tremendous leader by his example," Kingsbury said. "He's a guy that can be a coach on the field and make everyone around him better. It really helps me just getting to go against him in practice because he's all over the place.

"If you complete a pass against him, you've done something special. Besides all of that, he's an even better person than he is a player. That's saying quite a bit."

Indeed, the polite and well-spoken Curtis is easy to like. Except, of course, if you happen to be an opposing ball carrier.

In that case, Curtis is a relentless headhunter, who has a remarkable knack for always being around the football.

Is the best yet to come?

"I believe it can be a very special season," he said. "That's why it was a pretty easy decision to come back."

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