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Texas Recruiting Notes 2020


Reese Bennett

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1 minute ago, gmr548 said:

Have to tip the cap to the much maligned Drayton. He obviously connected with tge kid and kept at it even when things looked to be over. Bijan's quotes certainly read like he's shutting things down. I remember reading he'd set up an OV to UCLA. Is there anything to that?

Have to admit that the staff's strategy of shooting for the stars has made me very nervous on occasion.  It has hurt us at the margin a couple of times.  Now that they really have something substantive to sell to recruits I think this strategy is going to be pretty damn effective. 

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(Steve Wiltfong) The magnitude of Bijan Robinson committing to Texashttps://247sports.com/college/texas/Article/Biggest-Texas-recruiting-wins-in-Tom-Herman-era-Caden-Sterns-Bijan-Robinson-and-more-134139539/

Texas reminded everyone on Friday that they too can recruit at an elite level, landing five-star running back Bijan Robinson who at one point seemed destined to pick Ohio State.

In fact, Robinson had given a silent verbal to the Buckeyes not long after his official visit to Columbus on June 14. But the relationship with Stan Drayton was the difference for the Longhorns in this recruitment as the Big 12 program lands their first five-star running back since Johnathan Gray and Malcolm Brown committed in back to back classes in 2011 and 2012.

“We did a lot with Stan Drayton,” Robinson’s grandfather Cleo started in. “We drove around with him on campus during our official visit and my wife confronted him with tough personal questions. He was touched by that and never wavered. He said I never answered questions like that before. I don’t remember the exact questions but his response was impressive and showed the real person in him.”

This is certainly one of the biggest recruiting wins of the Tom Herman era in Austin. Robinson becomes the jewel of this 2020 Texas recruiting class that rises five spots to No. 15 in the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings. The Longhorns are on the heels of signing back to back No. 3 hauls and the trajectory of this class shoots up with all eyes now on Top247 recruits in receiver Quentin Johnston, defensive end Alfred Collins and safety/linebacker prospect Chris Thompson Jr.

Robinson is the final piece of a Texas running back reload that includes Keaontay Ingram from the 2018 class and Jordan Whittington who is going to be a star from 2019. Robinson will instantly push those two and I imagine similar to how Georgia ran out three backs in Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and D’Andre Swift, we will see a similar rotation with the Longhorns while all three are suited up in the Burnt Orange.

It obviously almost didn’t happen. When Robinson originally called Drayton and told him he was going elsewhere, Drayton was “very considerate” according to Clea and said “I got your back, great to meet you.

“It made it easier for Bijan to say I need to get back with him later on, he’s easy to communicate with.”

Drayton’s pedigree on the college and professional level certainly helped, and the stage at Texas was big too, but the connection as people was the difference.

So where does landing Robinson rank on the list of best recruiting wins in the Herman era?

No. 1 is Caden Sterns. He’s the blue-chipper that started it all, the jewel of the 2018 class and long-time commit to LSU who took a secret visit to Texas shortly after Herman and company were hired alongside his mom and quickly flipped to the local Longhorns. Sterns and his mom met with Jason Washington and Bryan Carrington during their visit, got on FaceTime with Herman and bought into a resurrection of a program that had lost seven games in each of the three seasons prior. Sterns commitment snowballed into fellow five-star B.J. Foster and Top247 recruit Al’Vonte Woodard and the revolution was rolling.

No. 2 is Robinson. The nation’s No. 3 running back out of Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe Catholic nearly headed to the Big Ten, grew up idolizing Reggie Bush but still passed on USC to play for Texas, and is part of a pivotal recruiting class that will see the likes of Alabama on the schedule down the road.

No. 3 is 2019 Gatorade National Player of the Year receiver Jake Smith who some considered a USC lean early in the process.

No. 4 is offensive lineman Junior Angilau, a Polynesian pull out of the state of Utah that typically seems destined for the Pac 12 conference. Comfort level with Longhorns Player Personnel assistant Jake Langi went a long way in that recruitment.

No. 5 is linebacker Joseph Ossai. A long-time Aggies lean, Texas won him over late and now he's expected to be a key cog as a sophomore on this year's defense.

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