Texas Recruiting Notes 2020

[Goodman 3283]

Maybe something is in the slot wr/rb hybrid water.

• 2018: Rondale Moore, Justin Watkins
• 2019: Peyton Powell, Demariyon Houston
• 2020: Mookie

[Barry_McCokiner 160]

Mookie never felt right to me.  IDK.  Sad to see him go, but I guess we move on  We have a lot of skill position talent,imo. 

[Barry_McCokiner 160]

1 hour ago, 6th Street said:

I'm more surprised that Illinois has a football recruiting website 

And that said site has a lounge

[closetojumping 65435]

5 minutes ago, Barry_McCokiner said:

Mookie never felt right to me.  IDK.  Sad to see him go, but I guess we move on  We have a lot of skill position talent,imo. 

Wait, he’s gone and rationalized out, now ? Okay, thanks. 

My view is that this is very early for Illinois to blow their wad, but hey, they paid Beason’s family upfront and it worked out, so maybe that is the Cooper game as well. Someone should have told us though.

Can you imagine trading four years of certain failure for $80,000? People think that’s a lot of money, but it’s less than a waiter would make during that period. 

Edited March 8, 2019 by closetojumping

[Cairn Horn88 8502]

Son of former Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith, EJ Smith, is considered one of the top running back recruits in the 2020 class.  Smith also has scholarship offers from Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State and USC, among other programs. 

Are we interested?   Is he a 4*?

[Gil Bang 26241]

20 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Wait, he’s gone and rationalized out, now ? Okay, thanks. 

My view is that this is very early for Illinois to blow their wad, but hey, they paid Beason’s family upfront and it worked out, so maybe that is the Cooper game as well. Someone should have told us though.

Can you imagine trading four years of certain failure for $80,000? People think that’s a lot of money, but it’s less than a waiter would make during that period. 

It's a whole bunch of money if you don't have a lot.  

You can catch up on the mortgage (or pay it off), fix the car (or replace it), etc.  

I know nothing about this situation, but I've been broke before, and $8,000 would be huge. Forget $80,000

[campcrunk 2551]

Since when does Illinois care enough about football to cheat? It would be like if Kansas randomly started buying players. Not saying that this is what's going on here (although it's pretty clearly what happened with Beason), but this is REALLY weird even with his teammates there. That place is a football dumpster fire. Always has been and likely always will be. 

Surely Mookie has to realize that Lovie won't even be there in a few years, right?

[satyanash 15610]

23 minutes ago, Cairn Horn88 said:

Son of former Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith, EJ Smith, is considered one of the top running back recruits in the 2020 class.  Smith also has scholarship offers from Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State and USC, among other programs. 

Are we interested?   Is he a 4*?

Zach Smith is our one-and-only RB1, and we can't credibly recruit EJ as a RB2 when plenty of other programs are going after him as a RB1 and would take him as the sole RB in their class.

[satyanash 15610]

EJ after dark: Movement with Texas commit Mookie Cooper?

— Is Texas in danger of losing four-star athlete commit Mookie Cooper? From what I have been able to gather, the answer to that question is yes. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Cooper part ways with Texas soon. Now, we can never speak in absolutes in recruiting, and Texas is certainly fighting to keep him, but it’s trending the wrong way fast. Remember, Cooper just committed last month, so this is a surprising development.

— Cooper visited Illinois over the weekend. At first, we didn’t think too much of it, and it didn’t seem like there was a ton of worry on the Texas side. However, we mentioned that the situation wasn’t one to brush off. After all, Cooper has former teammates on the team, including 2019 signees Shammond Cooper and Isaiah Williams. Cooper’s former high school head coach, Cory Patterson, is an assistant there as well. And Illinois presents an opportunity for him to stay closer to home.

— I switched my Crystal Ball pick on Ryan Watts from Texas to foggy. UT really made an impression on Watts on his recent junior day visit, but I’m hearing more and more Oklahoma buzz in this recruitment. Watts plans to visit OU for the spring game, and Texas needs to find a way to get him to hold off on a decision if it wants to reel him in.

— A big reason OU is becoming a more popular option for Watts is the fact that the Sooners are out in front for four-star athlete Jahari Rogers. Oklahoma will also host Rogers for the spring game, and it appears the Sooners are in a good spot to get him to shut it down early. Texas is still in the mix in this recruitment, but the Longhorns may end up finishing second for Rogers, who is an OU legacy.

[Machinator 32103]

2 minutes ago, campcrunk said:

Since when does Illinois care enough about football to cheat? It would be like if Kansas randomly started buying players. Not saying that this is what's going on here (although it's pretty clearly what happened with Beason), but this is REALLY weird even with his teammates there. That place is a football dumpster fire. Always has been and likely always will be. 

Surely Mookie has to realize that Lovie won't even be there in a few years, right?

We saw what Rondale did for Purdue (granted, Brohm is a better coach than Lovie). If Mookie is the talent we think he is, he's the kind of guy who could single handedly drag them from dumpster fire to mediocrity.

[Rholl 220]

12 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

It's a whole bunch of money if you don't have a lot.  

You can catch up on the mortgage (or pay it off), fix the car (or replace it), etc.  

I know nothing about this situation, but I've been broke before, and $8,000 would be huge. Forget $80,000

except..... the guy who is doing the playing for this payoff gets $0.   “Son I know you wanted to go to Austin and compete for a National Championship..... but I took some cash so you have to go to this shitty program that might win 10 games the whole time you are there!!!   But thanks for being good at football”

[Tree Fidy 1207]

Wait, he’s gone and rationalized out, now ? Okay, thanks. 
My view is that this is very early for Illinois to blow their wad, but hey, they paid Beason’s family upfront and it worked out, so maybe that is the Cooper game as well. Someone should have told us though.
Can you imagine trading four years of certain failure for $80,000? People think that’s a lot of money, but it’s less than a waiter would make during that period. 

This is 100% correct!

[Tex Pete 21489]

9 minutes ago, satyanash said:

Zach Smith is our one-and-only RB1

Who? The old WR coach from Ohio State? No fucking way!

[Tree Fidy 1207]

It's a whole bunch of money if you don't have a lot.  
You can catch up on the mortgage (or pay it off), fix the car (or replace it), etc.  
I know nothing about this situation, but I've been broke before, and $8,000 would be huge. Forget $80,000

You earned a degree from UT and this is your take? STFU and stop exhibiting behavior of those from that diploma mill inSheep U.

[campcrunk 2551]

1 minute ago, Machinator said:

We saw what Rondale did for Purdue (granted, Brohm is a better coach than Lovie). If Mookie is the talent we think he is, he's the kind of guy who could single handedly drag them from dumpster fire to mediocrity.

I'm sure that's what they're selling him on, but at least the offense at Purdue was innovative and and they could sell him a trendy new coach with an improved record. Lovie at Illinois is just hopeless. During Lovie's tenure, I think Illinois has gone 3-9, 2-10, and 4-8 (maybe I'm adding a year there when he wasn't around).  Sure, Purdue's 2017 record wasn't amazing, but at least they could sell improvement and a cool offense. What the hell does Illinois have outside of "we'll get the ball 75% of the time or more because the rest of our team is god awful?" Never mind that their new QB will be someone who couldn't beat out AJ "53.9 completion percentage" Bush.

[CastHorn 902]

https://youtu.be/hWfM4DjUJlE

For all you olds that support Kate, she don’t fuck with y’all.  

[Gardner Barnes 1579]

For all you olds that support Kate, she don’t fuck with y’all.  

Stop being a bitch. Kate makes recruits happen

Like any hot as fuck woman - she is a pain in the ass.

But she is still hot as fuck.

[South Austin 53228]

4 hours ago, satyanash said:

Zach Smith is our one-and-only RB1

I’m sure he’ll be popular with the ladies on campus.

[Barry_McCokiner 160]

6 hours ago, closetojumping said:

Wait, he’s gone and rationalized out, now ? Okay, thanks. 

My view is that this is very early for Illinois to blow their wad, but hey, they paid Beason’s family upfront and it worked out, so maybe that is the Cooper game as well. Someone should have told us though.

Can you imagine trading four years of certain failure for $80,000? People think that’s a lot of money, but it’s less than a waiter would make during that period. 

No need to thank me 

Edited March 8, 2019 by Barry_McCokiner

[Bigbend1812 13059]

Well cross him off then. 

[XOVERX 5]

8 hours ago, Enchubben said:

I honestly can’t remember the last time Illinois fielded a good team. Any notable NFL players or college greats in the last decade from there?  Wonder what the pitch is other than stay at home?

To the best of my recollection, Illinois was decent for a couple of years just before we hired John Mackovic away from them.

[texifornia 59017]

6 hours ago, Tree Fidy said:

You earned a degree from UT and this is your take? STFU and stop exhibiting behavior of those from that diploma mill inSheep U.

He was right though. For someone who is dead broke, $80,000 can feel life changing (even if we know that it's really not that much money long-term).

[texifornia 59017]

6 minutes ago, XOVERX said:

To the best of my recollection, Illinois was decent for a couple of years just before we hired John Mackovic away from them.

They made the Rose Bowl under Ron Zook in 2008 with Juice Williams at QB and Rashard Mendenhall at RB.

[XOVERX 5]

1 minute ago, texifornia said:

They made the Rose Bowl under Ron Zook in 2008 with Juice Williams at QB and Rashard Mendenhall at RB.

Yup, that's right. So, Illinois fields a decent team around once a decade.

I guess Mookie feels like he can help build the next flash in the pan. And maybe he can.

If Mookie bails, best to him, and, if he's going to bail, thanks for doing it early.

[Bevo14 8468]

7 minutes ago, texifornia said:

They made the Rose Bowl under Ron Zook in 2008 with Juice Williams at QB and Rashard Mendenhall at RB.

The juice is loose!

[Dbeasy 15596]

Illinois is a cautionary tale for failing to address issues in a football program. They were a powerhouse in the early 20th century. Being a large state school with a rich football heritage, they, like Minnesota, should have never have dropped into the abyss. But they did, and once in it, they were never able to get out. Sad.

[Elmer_Fudd 22994]

Didn't realize Illinois lost to Charlie Strong and USF last year.  

[Post Oak 20568]

If someone needs to take the lead on the Ty Jordan recruitment i'll do it

[satyanash 15610]

44 minutes ago, texifornia said:

They made the Rose Bowl under Ron Zook in 2008 with Juice Williams at QB and Rashard Mendenhall at RB.

That 2007 season was basically one gigantic anomaly in the history of college football. Juice looked virtually unstoppable at times against #1 Ohio State.

[closetojumping 65435]

7 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

It's a whole bunch of money if you don't have a lot.  

You can catch up on the mortgage (or pay it off), fix the car (or replace it), etc.  

I know nothing about this situation, but I've been broke before, and $8,000 would be huge. Forget $80,000

Huh? There is a difference between broke and poor, and you seem like you don’t understand that. Someone poor doesn’t have a fucking mortgage and they’re not using a windfall to repair their hoopty. 

I never said $80k wouldn’t be a lot to someone. I put an amount like that in context and asked a rhetorical question. No shit it’s a lot of money to someone without means. It’s a lot of money to any of us here unless you claim 8+digit status. 

[Not a Sock 2366]

80k makes sense I mean paying a player 10,000 for every win during their college career sounds like a hell of a deal.

[Elmer_Fudd 22994]

Illinois 247 mod has an update if anyone has it.

[victory88 5765]

it's so early, I wouldn't worry about this.  Let him go watch 40k fans at one of their games and then let him experience DKR during LSU.  He's too good to end up at Illinois.  We'll have to keep recruiting him all the way through.  Good thing is our staff isn't built like pussies. 

[Doc Sam Beckett 5908]

12 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Illinois 247 mod has an update if anyone has it.

 

 

Movement with “The Movement”?

Mookie Cooper wore a hoodie over his head to Sunday’s Illinois basketball game. The top-100 prospect politely declined to speak with Illini Inquirer’s Isaac Trotter at halftime. The Texas commit seemingly didn’t want to broadcast his visit on Sunday.

But a famous teenager like Mookie Cooper doesn't go undetected — and Illinois certainly didn’t want his visit to go under the radar. The Illini staff was pumped to get an offense-changing prospect on campus so quickly after he committed to a college football blue blood. They are even more pumped with the aftermath of the visit.

While he declined an interview, Cooper has publicly acknowledged the visit by posting pictures in an Illinois jersey on both his Instagram and Twitter. The Twitter picture has received more than 2,000 likes and 140 retweets. He changed his Twitter profile picture from a picture of him in a Texas jersey to a plainer No. 5 logo. He removed "Texas commit" from his profile.

Usually, fans are the ones who get sucked into these things — and sometimes they mean absolutely nothing — but this time, even Illinois thinks these social-media happenings mean something.

I wondered most how Texas would react to the visit. I guess they’ve been pretty quiet and as of Tuesday afternoon hadn’t talked to Mookie since the Illini visit. I hear that's a really good thing for Illinois. Again, not to go down the Twitter rabbit hole, but an Illinois source pointed me toward other Mookie Cooper posts. Brandon Gregory, the Cardinal Ritter head coach, posted on Tuesday, “To my guys that are being recruited, entertain who is entertaining you. If you have to waste your time and money to go on a visit to get an offer that's cool , they may not be truly interested in you. Its up to them to offer and RECRUIT u to spark an interest to get u on campus.” Cooper quote-tweeted it with: “100 100.”

Later in the day, he posted, “genuine, consistent love... I don’t want it if it’s fake.” Again, I usually don’t try to inflate the meaning of sometimes-random Twitter posts, but a source told me they aren’t random. They are in reference to Texas’ silence.

And the relationship angle is how Illinois wins this. Texas wins more games. Texas has the premier program. Tom Hermanhad a big season last year. The burnt orange is a better brand than the latest shade of orange that Illinois is using, even through some recent Longhorns struggles. McConnaughey is still roaming their sidelines L-I-V-I-N the dream. The Illini got Ron Swanson in a recorded message screaming on the Jumbotron. Not as Hollywood.

But the relationships the Illini have with Cooper goes beyond flash and bright lights. Cooper has known Illini assistant Cory Patterson from the day he first put on shoulder pads. He’s been coached by Patterson for about a decade. His mother — who won’t push Mookie either way; she’s just proud of her boy, as she should be — grew up with Patterson in the tough streets of St. Louis, so there’s an inherent trust there. Illini signee Isaiah Williams is like “an older brother” to Cooper, a source said. Shammond Cooper (no relation) is also pushing Mookie to Illinois and visited on Sunday along with Williams and Mookie. Illinois has made Mookie a top priority for two years.

The Longhorns made Mookie a priority for about the last year and got his commitment early. But Texas also can find another Mookie Cooper pretty quickly.

But that commitment isn’t likely to last long, according to multiple sources. How hard will they fight to keep him if he’s already visiting Illinois? The Illini will make Mookie a priority for the next nine months, and they never viewed his commitment to Texas as the end of his recruitment. Far from it. In fact, some think Illinois could flip him soon.

Though some wonder if it’d be better in the long run if the Illini hide in the weeds and not have every other blue blood chasing them until the December signing period. Personally, I think you push for a verbal to try and gain some momentum in recruiting and then hold on for dear life this summer and fall.

Of course, Texas is probably going to win a lot of games this fall. Herman’s job is not in jeopardy. Lovie Smith’s potentially facing a make-or-break year. Illinois probably won’t sign Cooper unless they win games this fall and make a bowl game.

But after Cooper’s latest visit, Illinois thinks that if it takes care of business on the field that it has the edge and pull in every other aspect in order to sign an offense-changing prospect to headline the Class of 2020.

Two Trinity Catholic sources talked to me about Mookie after the visit. One said the weekend was a "good start" for Illinois. Another told me "they will have a good chance at Mookie."

Illinois is in a strong position with Cooper right now. If he decommits publicly from Texas, I'll put in a Crystal Ball for the Illini. Regardless, based on what I’ve been told from several sources, I now see the Illini as the favorite for Cooper.

I’ve watched Trinity Catholic several times. Isaiah Williams is an electric playmaker. Shammond Cooper is going to be a really good college linebacker. Marcus Washington has NFL potential as a long, athletic wide receiver. But Mookie Cooper has a different gear and might be the best prospect of all of them.

If Illinois eventually does secure Cooper, “The Movement” — and Cory Patterson— will have lived up to all the hype.

 

 

[RGBIII 23017]

9 minutes ago, Doc Sam Beckett said:

 

 

  Hide contents

 

Movement with “The Movement”?

Mookie Cooper wore a hoodie over his head to Sunday’s Illinois basketball game. The top-100 prospect politely declined to speak with Illini Inquirer’s Isaac Trotter at halftime. The Texas commit seemingly didn’t want to broadcast his visit on Sunday.

But a famous teenager like Mookie Cooper doesn't go undetected — and Illinois certainly didn’t want his visit to go under the radar. The Illini staff was pumped to get an offense-changing prospect on campus so quickly after he committed to a college football blue blood. They are even more pumped with the aftermath of the visit.

While he declined an interview, Cooper has publicly acknowledged the visit by posting pictures in an Illinois jersey on both his Instagram and Twitter. The Twitter picture has received more than 2,000 likes and 140 retweets. He changed his Twitter profile picture from a picture of him in a Texas jersey to a plainer No. 5 logo. He removed "Texas commit" from his profile.

Usually, fans are the ones who get sucked into these things — and sometimes they mean absolutely nothing — but this time, even Illinois thinks these social-media happenings mean something.

I wondered most how Texas would react to the visit. I guess they’ve been pretty quiet and as of Tuesday afternoon hadn’t talked to Mookie since the Illini visit. I hear that's a really good thing for Illinois. Again, not to go down the Twitter rabbit hole, but an Illinois source pointed me toward other Mookie Cooper posts. Brandon Gregory, the Cardinal Ritter head coach, posted on Tuesday, “To my guys that are being recruited, entertain who is entertaining you. If you have to waste your time and money to go on a visit to get an offer that's cool , they may not be truly interested in you. Its up to them to offer and RECRUIT u to spark an interest to get u on campus.” Cooper quote-tweeted it with: “100 100.”

Later in the day, he posted, “genuine, consistent love... I don’t want it if it’s fake.” Again, I usually don’t try to inflate the meaning of sometimes-random Twitter posts, but a source told me they aren’t random. They are in reference to Texas’ silence.

And the relationship angle is how Illinois wins this. Texas wins more games. Texas has the premier program. Tom Hermanhad a big season last year. The burnt orange is a better brand than the latest shade of orange that Illinois is using, even through some recent Longhorns struggles. McConnaughey is still roaming their sidelines L-I-V-I-N the dream. The Illini got Ron Swanson in a recorded message screaming on the Jumbotron. Not as Hollywood.

But the relationships the Illini have with Cooper goes beyond flash and bright lights. Cooper has known Illini assistant Cory Patterson from the day he first put on shoulder pads. He’s been coached by Patterson for about a decade. His mother — who won’t push Mookie either way; she’s just proud of her boy, as she should be — grew up with Patterson in the tough streets of St. Louis, so there’s an inherent trust there. Illini signee Isaiah Williams is like “an older brother” to Cooper, a source said. Shammond Cooper (no relation) is also pushing Mookie to Illinois and visited on Sunday along with Williams and Mookie. Illinois has made Mookie a top priority for two years.

The Longhorns made Mookie a priority for about the last year and got his commitment early. But Texas also can find another Mookie Cooper pretty quickly.

But that commitment isn’t likely to last long, according to multiple sources. How hard will they fight to keep him if he’s already visiting Illinois? The Illini will make Mookie a priority for the next nine months, and they never viewed his commitment to Texas as the end of his recruitment. Far from it. In fact, some think Illinois could flip him soon.

Though some wonder if it’d be better in the long run if the Illini hide in the weeds and not have every other blue blood chasing them until the December signing period. Personally, I think you push for a verbal to try and gain some momentum in recruiting and then hold on for dear life this summer and fall.

Of course, Texas is probably going to win a lot of games this fall. Herman’s job is not in jeopardy. Lovie Smith’s potentially facing a make-or-break year. Illinois probably won’t sign Cooper unless they win games this fall and make a bowl game.

But after Cooper’s latest visit, Illinois thinks that if it takes care of business on the field that it has the edge and pull in every other aspect in order to sign an offense-changing prospect to headline the Class of 2020.

Two Trinity Catholic sources talked to me about Mookie after the visit. One said the weekend was a "good start" for Illinois. Another told me "they will have a good chance at Mookie."

Illinois is in a strong position with Cooper right now. If he decommits publicly from Texas, I'll put in a Crystal Ball for the Illini. Regardless, based on what I’ve been told from several sources, I now see the Illini as the favorite for Cooper.

I’ve watched Trinity Catholic several times. Isaiah Williams is an electric playmaker. Shammond Cooper is going to be a really good college linebacker. Marcus Washington has NFL potential as a long, athletic wide receiver. But Mookie Cooper has a different gear and might be the best prospect of all of them.

If Illinois eventually does secure Cooper, “The Movement” — and Cory Patterson— will have lived up to all the hype.

 

 

 

Lotta 9.95er sunshine pumping in there. Doesn’t sound like he’s getting that info from Mookie so how would he know what his tweets meant and how Texas hasn’t been in contact. You don’t think BC has been in contact even though he’s tweeting shit out about the situation...

[CBHorn 441]

8 hours ago, satyanash said:

Zach Smith is our one-and-only RB1, and we can't credibly recruit EJ as a RB2 when plenty of other programs are going after him as a RB1 and would take him as the sole RB in their class.

Whoa. You think Herman can get that commitment?  That would be the most surprising flip ever!

[Machinator 32103]

48 minutes ago, Doc Sam Beckett said:

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Movement with “The Movement”?

Mookie Cooper wore a hoodie over his head to Sunday’s Illinois basketball game. The top-100 prospect politely declined to speak with Illini Inquirer’s Isaac Trotter at halftime. The Texas commit seemingly didn’t want to broadcast his visit on Sunday.

But a famous teenager like Mookie Cooper doesn't go undetected — and Illinois certainly didn’t want his visit to go under the radar. The Illini staff was pumped to get an offense-changing prospect on campus so quickly after he committed to a college football blue blood. They are even more pumped with the aftermath of the visit.

While he declined an interview, Cooper has publicly acknowledged the visit by posting pictures in an Illinois jersey on both his Instagram and Twitter. The Twitter picture has received more than 2,000 likes and 140 retweets. He changed his Twitter profile picture from a picture of him in a Texas jersey to a plainer No. 5 logo. He removed "Texas commit" from his profile.

Usually, fans are the ones who get sucked into these things — and sometimes they mean absolutely nothing — but this time, even Illinois thinks these social-media happenings mean something.

I wondered most how Texas would react to the visit. I guess they’ve been pretty quiet and as of Tuesday afternoon hadn’t talked to Mookie since the Illini visit. I hear that's a really good thing for Illinois. Again, not to go down the Twitter rabbit hole, but an Illinois source pointed me toward other Mookie Cooper posts. Brandon Gregory, the Cardinal Ritter head coach, posted on Tuesday, “To my guys that are being recruited, entertain who is entertaining you. If you have to waste your time and money to go on a visit to get an offer that's cool , they may not be truly interested in you. Its up to them to offer and RECRUIT u to spark an interest to get u on campus.” Cooper quote-tweeted it with: “100 100.”

Later in the day, he posted, “genuine, consistent love... I don’t want it if it’s fake.” Again, I usually don’t try to inflate the meaning of sometimes-random Twitter posts, but a source told me they aren’t random. They are in reference to Texas’ silence.

And the relationship angle is how Illinois wins this. Texas wins more games. Texas has the premier program. Tom Hermanhad a big season last year. The burnt orange is a better brand than the latest shade of orange that Illinois is using, even through some recent Longhorns struggles. McConnaughey is still roaming their sidelines L-I-V-I-N the dream. The Illini got Ron Swanson in a recorded message screaming on the Jumbotron. Not as Hollywood.

But the relationships the Illini have with Cooper goes beyond flash and bright lights. Cooper has known Illini assistant Cory Patterson from the day he first put on shoulder pads. He’s been coached by Patterson for about a decade. His mother — who won’t push Mookie either way; she’s just proud of her boy, as she should be — grew up with Patterson in the tough streets of St. Louis, so there’s an inherent trust there. Illini signee Isaiah Williams is like “an older brother” to Cooper, a source said. Shammond Cooper (no relation) is also pushing Mookie to Illinois and visited on Sunday along with Williams and Mookie. Illinois has made Mookie a top priority for two years.

The Longhorns made Mookie a priority for about the last year and got his commitment early. But Texas also can find another Mookie Cooper pretty quickly.

But that commitment isn’t likely to last long, according to multiple sources. How hard will they fight to keep him if he’s already visiting Illinois? The Illini will make Mookie a priority for the next nine months, and they never viewed his commitment to Texas as the end of his recruitment. Far from it. In fact, some think Illinois could flip him soon.

Though some wonder if it’d be better in the long run if the Illini hide in the weeds and not have every other blue blood chasing them until the December signing period. Personally, I think you push for a verbal to try and gain some momentum in recruiting and then hold on for dear life this summer and fall.

Of course, Texas is probably going to win a lot of games this fall. Herman’s job is not in jeopardy. Lovie Smith’s potentially facing a make-or-break year. Illinois probably won’t sign Cooper unless they win games this fall and make a bowl game.

But after Cooper’s latest visit, Illinois thinks that if it takes care of business on the field that it has the edge and pull in every other aspect in order to sign an offense-changing prospect to headline the Class of 2020.

Two Trinity Catholic sources talked to me about Mookie after the visit. One said the weekend was a "good start" for Illinois. Another told me "they will have a good chance at Mookie."

Illinois is in a strong position with Cooper right now. If he decommits publicly from Texas, I'll put in a Crystal Ball for the Illini. Regardless, based on what I’ve been told from several sources, I now see the Illini as the favorite for Cooper.

I’ve watched Trinity Catholic several times. Isaiah Williams is an electric playmaker. Shammond Cooper is going to be a really good college linebacker. Marcus Washington has NFL potential as a long, athletic wide receiver. But Mookie Cooper has a different gear and might be the best prospect of all of them.

If Illinois eventually does secure Cooper, “The Movement” — and Cory Patterson— will have lived up to all the hype.

 

 

 

This guy makes EJ Holland look like fucking Sherlock Holmes.

[Machinator 32103]

Mookie Fong'd to Illinois.

[Leanderman 2367]

Sure go play in a shitty venue, in the cold,  in front of a crowd smaller than some Texas High School Football Games.  Maybe, just maybe one year you might make the CARQUEST Bowl?

[Elmer_Fudd 22994]

9 minutes ago, Leanderman said:

Sure go play in a shitty venue, in the cold,  in front of a crowd smaller than some Texas High School Football Games.  Maybe, just maybe one year you might make the CARQUEST Bowl?

They play Akron, UCONN, and Eastern Michigan OOC.  I don't know anything about those teams, maybe Akron is pretty good?  So they may go 3-0 with that.  After that it's all Big 10 games.  Probably beat Rutgers.  

Edited March 8, 2019 by Elmer_Fudd

[Elmer_Fudd 22994]

Possible Mookie replacement?

https://247sports.com/Player/Devon-Achane-46049139/

[Burt Macklin 19230]

2 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

They play Akron, Illinois, and Eastern Michigan OOC.  I don't know anything about those teams, maybe Akron is pretty good?  So they may go 3-1 with that.  After that it's all Big 10 games.  Probably beat Rutgers.  

FIFY. 

[South Austin 53228]

Shit, if you want to play closer to home, go to Notre Dame.  But Illinois? 

[Elmer_Fudd 22994]

Just now, Burt Macklin said:

FIFY. 

Shit.  It's UCONN for the other game.

[Burt Macklin 19230]

3 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Shit, if you want to play closer to home, go to Notre Dame.  But Illinois? 

Maybe Note Dame’s not dropping bags of cash on his doorstep?

Edited March 8, 2019 by Burt Macklin

[Hornsfan91 181]

Would have liked to have him but if you’re going to switch up after a month then he really wasn’t going to come. 

[Machinator 32103]

6 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Possible Mookie replacement?

https://247sports.com/Player/Devon-Achane-46049139/

I would think it's too late to get in the game with Achane but who knows, the game has changed.

The silver lining is that while Mookie is an outstanding prospect, there are enough good APB-type players out there that you can find someone who can give you 80% of what Mookie is capable of. This isn't the punch in the gut that losing a Broughton or Ringo would be.

[Bodowned 891]

I know they're teenagers and all that, but it seems so ludicrous to commit so early (unnecessarily) in the process if you're still actively shopping around your services to other schools in that same window of time. What's the harm in just...waiting to announce until you're 100% sure? Are you that obsessed with making headlines or are you just that impulsive? I'm going to assume the latter, but it's certainly perplexing.

[South Austin 53228]

1 minute ago, Bodowned said:

I know they're teenagers and all that, but it seems so ludicrous to commit so early (unnecessarily) in the process if you're still actively shopping around your services to other schools in that same window of time. What's the harm in just...waiting to announce until you're 100% sure? Are you that obsessed with making headlines or are you just that impulsive? I'm going to assume the latter, but it's certainly perplexing.

Sometimes parents just don't understand.

[Elmer_Fudd 22994]

Suchomel tweeted out that Mookie told him he's decommited.