Texas Tech head coach Matt Wells announced Monday the hiring of three new staff members as part a reshuffling of responsibilities for the football program's recruiting staff and an increased-investment into analyst positions.

For the recruiting staff, Preston Pehrson has assumed the Director of Player Personnel role where he will coordinate Texas Tech's efforts in attracting potential student-athletes. Pehrson, now entering his third season on staff, was previously the Director of Recruiting, a position that will now be filled by Eron Hodges, who joins the Red Raiders following three seasons at Purdue.

Christina DeRuyter, also in her third year with the program, will continue to serve as Director of On-Campus Recruiting but will now take on an additional role of Assistant Director of Football Operations. Ashton Washington has been tabbed to the recruiting staff as Director of Recruiting Operations and Creative Content where she will assist in virtual visits and the outbound marketing aspects of Texas Tech's recruiting operation.

"We're excited to welcome Eron and Ashton to our Red Raider family," Wells said. "Both bring significant expertise to our recruiting department and will form a great team with both Preston (Pehrson) and Christina (DeRuyter) in their expanded roles."

In addition to the hiring of both Hodges and Washington, Wells has named longtime NFL and collegiate coach Art Valero as a senior analyst for the Red Raiders. This is one of two analyst positions Texas Tech has added for the 2021 season with one additional hire to be made in the coming months.

"Coach Valero is an accomplished and well-respected football coach who we are thrilled to add to our staff," Wells said. "My relationship with Coach dates back to Logan, Utah, when I was a quarterback there and he was our offensive line coach. He has gone on to a Super Bowl title and many more wins in a great career since then, so he was an ideal candidate for this important position."

Below are bios on each of Texas Tech's new staff members.

Eron Hodges – Director of Recruiting
Hodges arrives in Lubbock following three seasons as the Director of Player Personnel for Purdue where he helped compile a pair of top-30 recruiting classes for the Boilermakers during his tenure.

In only his first year, Purdue's 2019 class was ranked 25th nationally by both 247Sports and ESPN as well as 26th by Rivals, marking its highest-rated class in over a decade. Purdue was able to follow with another strong signing class a year later, finishing at No. 30 in the Rivals team rankings and No. 32 by 247Sports.

Hodges joined the Boilermakers after previously serving as an assistant director of player personnel for two seasons at Ohio State. It was one of two stints on the Ohio State staff for Hodges, who originally joined the Buckeyes as a recruiting analyst in 2015 after previously serving as a strength and conditioning coach during the 2013 offseason.

In between, Hodges spent the 2013-14 seasons as a graduate assistant at Kent State where he worked with the linebackers. He began his career in collegiate athletics as an Olympic sports strength and conditioning coach at Notre Dame in 2011 and subsequently was linebackers coach at Valparaiso (2012).

Hodges, who served four years in the U.S. Navy out of high school, earned a bachelor's degree in exercise science from Illinois State in 2012 and a master's degree in sports management from Kent State in 2015.

Hodges competed in football and track and field at the College of DuPage where he was a member of the NJCAA national champion 4x100-meter relay team. He has a daughter, Eryn.


Art Valero – Senior Analyst
Valero, a veteran coach at both the college and NFL levels, will serve as a senior analyst for the football staff, assisting with advance scouting of opponents for the Red Raider defense as well as tracking tendencies.

Valero joins the Red Raiders with more than 30 years in coaching, including 10 seasons in the NFL, most recently as the assistant offensive line coach for the Tennessee Titans in 2011. He previously served as the offensive line coach for the Seattle Seahawks in 2010 and prior to that, as the assistant head coach and running backs coach for the St. Louis Rams in 2008 and assistant offensive line coach in 2009.

Valero's most notable stint came during his six seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under head coach Jon Gruden. He was tabbed to his first NFL position in 2002, coaching the tight ends for a Buccaneers organization that went on to win Super Bowl XXXVII versus the Oakland Raiders. He transitioned to coaching the running backs for the 2004-07 seasons, adding an assistant head coach title for his final two years.

Under his direction, Buccaneers running back Carnell (Cadillac) Williams earned NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2005 after rushing for a team rookie-record 1,178 yards. In 2007, his unit amassed the sixth-best rushing total in franchise history with 1,872 yards. Over his six total seasons, Tampa Bay won the NFC South three times.

Prior to his tenure in the NFL, Valero coached at the college level for 21 years, primarily working with the offensive line. He spent four years at Louisville (1998-01) as the assistant head coach and offensive line coach, a similar role he also held at both Utah State (1995-97) and Idaho (1990-94). Valero added offensive coordinator responsibilities during his final season at Idaho in 1994 as he helped guide the Vandals to the league highs for total offense, scoring and rushing.

His tenure at Utah State coincided with the final two years of Matt Wells' playing career as a student-athlete with the Aggies. Valero arrived as the offensive line coach prior to Wells' junior season in 1995 as the Aggies went on to win the Big West Conference title only a year later.

Valero began his coaching career at his alma mater, Boise State, from 1981-82 and followed with coaching stops at Iowa State (1983), Long Beach State (1984-86) and New Mexico (1987-89), all as offensive line coach. Following his stint in the NFL, he returned to the college game as the offensive line coach at Colorado State from 2013-14 and Wisconsin-Stevens Point from 2019-20.

Valero was a two-time letterwinner along the offensive line at Boise State from 1979-80 where he helped the Broncos to the NCAA I-AA national championship his final season. Valero earned his degree in sociology and psychology from Boise State in 1981.

He and his wife, Alicia, have five children, sons Kyle and Brandon, and daughters Kimberly, Alexa and Cami.

Ashton Washington – Director of Recruiting Operations and Creative Content
Washington returns to her home state as part of the Texas Tech recruiting staff following one season as the Director of High School Relations at the University of Illinois.

Prior to her hire, Washington participated in the NFL Women's Careers in Football Forum that allows participants to discuss opportunities in professional football with league executives, head coaches, industry experts and hiring managers. The 2021 virtual panel included three NFL owners, seven general managers and various head coaches such as Bill Belichick and Bruce Arians.

Washington joined the Illini after serving as a business and gameday operations specialist for the XFL's Houston Roughnecks during the league's 2020 season. With the Roughnecks, Washington helped managed business operations, logistics, facility operations and gameday operations. She also served as the business team's primary liaison to the Director of Football Operations to communicate and coordinate necessary logistics.

A native of Houston, Washington began her career in football as the Director of Operations/Recruiting for The Old Coach, a media outlet dedicated to statewide coverage of Texas high school football. Washington was the head of social media for the company, helping build a strong reputation with parents, coaches and student-athletes across the state.

Washington earned her bachelor's degree in mass communications from Huston-Tillotson University in 2019 where she was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.