Texas Recruiting Notes 2023: Strippers, Monkeys, and 5-Stars

[cafe society 2,874]

2 hours ago, westexhorn said:

Braylon James, Del Valle, Wide Receiver (247sports.com)

Committing soon.  Seems to be ND bound.  Kinda weird how he came to visit and seemed to have a good time only to commit the next weekend.  Oh well.

There are plenty of people here that know more about this than I, but it seems to me that the coaches are prioritizing other receivers before him.

[BurntOrange&White 40,038]

Bobby:

 

The two RPM predictions coming in for Texas yesterday were a welcome sight.

Texas has not only put in a lot of effort on North Cowley linebacker S’Maje Burrell, but they have also prioritized him.

Gerry Hamilton put in the RPM pick yesterday, and it’s both Hamilton and Eric Nahlin who are both sky high on what Burrell brings to the table outside of what you’ll see from a quick glimpse of his highlight film.

“Look, he’s athletic, he’s tough, he plays hard, he closes on the ball naturally, I mean really well,” Hamilton told me this morning. “But when you talk to him (Burrell), you get the real sense that he understands the game, that he has a little more to him than most. I don’t want to say it’s a professional approach because he’s not a professional yet. But I could definitely see him sitting in the middle of the Texas defense, making all the calls and being the dude in the middle.”

Burrell’s recruitment is not over. He still has a visit planned to Ohio State this weekend. But the Horns are clearly trending in a positive direction with him.

Another RPM pick for Texas was placed for Baton Rouge Woodlawn defensive back Jordan Matthews by On3 regional expert Sam Spiegelman.

Matthews, who is slated to visit Texas this weekend, is thought to be leaning heavily to the Horns.

It’s a reminder just how many Louisiana connections this Texas staff has and that the state will be a priority as the Horns prepare to move to the SEC.

Terry Joseph, the Texas corners coach, is a Louisiana native, and support personnel Brandon Harris and Cordae Hankton are from there. Add in Bo Davis, who spent years at LSU and has recruited the state for decades.

BTW - Davis is hoping Monroe (La.) Neville two-way lineman Zalance Heard, the nation’s No. 15 ranked overall prospect by On3, will make it to Austin this weekend.

[RaysBoomBoomRoom 5,742]

49 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Another RPM pick for Texas was placed for Baton Rouge Woodlawn defensive back Jordan Matthews by On3 regional expert Sam Spiegelman.

Matthews, who is slated to visit Texas this weekend, is thought to be leaning heavily to the Horns.

It’s a reminder just how many Louisiana connections this Texas staff has and that the state will be a priority as the Horns prepare to move to the SEC.

Terry Joseph, the Texas corners coach, is a Louisiana native, and support personnel Brandon Harris and Cordae Hankton are from there. Add in Bo Davis, who spent years at LSU and has recruited the state for decades.

BTW - Davis is hoping Monroe (La.) Neville two-way lineman Zalance Heard, the nation’s No. 15 ranked overall prospect by On3, will make it to Austin this weekend.

I love what we are doing in Louisiana. Make LSU expend resources to fight for their own guys instead of coming in state to steal some of ours. Ive always thought that a pipeline to Louisiana and Arizona would get this plane off the runway.

[tokamak 6,442]

What's the story with Jordan Matthews? Just searched the thread and he's barely been discussed outside of his offer and visit. Pulling a 4* DB out of Baton Rouge seems like a fairly big deal. Is LSU pushing for him?

[texifornia 57,149]

https://247sports.com/player/bravion-rogers-46111814/

[Chango 227]

[/url] https://247sports.com/player/bravion-rogers-46111814/

Wow, Georgia offered him 20 times?

[Hookem2147 21,361]

1 hour ago, tokamak said:

What's the story with Jordan Matthews? Just searched the thread and he's barely been discussed outside of his offer and visit. Pulling a 4* DB out of Baton Rouge seems like a fairly big deal. Is LSU pushing for him?

LSU hasn't re-offered for some reason. Matthews is good. Would be a very nice pickup. 

[Big Woodrows 4,200]

The Athletic - Arch Manning’s unique approach to recruiting and the coach behind it: ‘There’s no red carpet’

Spoiler

Arch Manning created a Twitter account in February.

With the way things go in recruiting now, it probably seemed like an, “Oh boy, here we go” moment. Manning is the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, and he’s the No. 1 overall player in the 2023 class in the 247Sports Composite. Because of his name and talent, the five-star quarterback from Isidore Newman School in New Orleans is the most hyped recruit in the history of college football.

The creation of a Twitter account probably signaled to the world that the show was about to begin. Ambitious Tweets, top-five lists, pictures from visits and announcement dates were surely on the way. Recruiting in 2022 has a flare for the dramatic.

But it’s late March and Manning does not follow anyone and has yet to post a tweet. He already has over 6,500 followers, but the account — in which he refers to himself simply as “High school student” — has been dormant. Silence. Not even a single clue from the quarterback everyone is so eager to track.

“We’ve put a tremendous amount of effort into letting him just be a teenager,” Newman head coach Nelson Stewart told The Athletic on Tuesday. “I think the school and especially the family, we’ve just done a great job helping come up with a blueprint. And I’ve been running point on it.”

And that’s an interesting dynamic, considering how coaches nowadays have less of an impact on high-profile recruitments. In the world of social media, college recruiters have a direct line to the players and their families, and many circumvent the traditional system and go straight to the source. That’s not what is happening with Manning, who is very difficult to track down. That’s done by design. His recruitment has taken on an air of mystery, with everyone left to speculate about what the prospect is actually thinking.

Something gets lost in the shuffle when that happens: What does Arch actually want?

“I really believe this, but Arch is truly just wanting to find the best fit for him,” Stewart said. “He is a meat and potatoes kind of kid. He drives a pickup truck to work. He wears a hat. He likes to throw balls after school. While he’s a deep kid, it’s all about fit and finding the best place for him to go on every level. He wants to be a student. He’s very social. He’s popular and has many friends he’s had since he was pre-K at Newman.

“He’s not caught up with what other people seem to be. We don’t discuss things like NIL or conferences or uniforms teams wear. He’s all about the school, forming relationships with every single coach on these staffs. He wants to get along in the locker room. When he goes to these schools, he’s going as a recruit. There’s no red carpet.”

The modernization of recruiting has shifted our views from what is truly important. Relationships with coaches have been replaced by photoshoots. Every scholarship offer is promoted on social media. And commitments? Those often aren’t worth anything. This entire world of talent accumulation is a zoo, a free-for-all in which highly rated prospects like Manning are the draw.

But this is an old-school recruitment. The coach is running the show. The family is in communication with each of the programs, and visits are crucial. And though Manning could make a spectacle of his recruitment — imagine how much his Twitter account could be worth if he really leaned into the showmanship — he has opted for silence. He is taking his time and relying on his coach’s direction.

And Stewart isn’t just a coach. He’s a family friend. In the early 1990s, Stewart played at Newman alongside Peyton Manning and Cooper Manning, Arch’s father. Stewart is a year younger than Peyton and remembers the future Hall of Famer being courted by virtually every big-time program in the country. He has been a coach at Newman for 23 years, the past 16 as the head coach. He also coached NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. He has been around the block.

That’s why Stewart is so responsive to media requests. He understands that unlike many head coaches with elite-level prospects, he is a fixture in his star’s recruitment. It’s not about guiding Manning on his college decision but shielding him from the toxic world of football recruiting and allowing him to be a kid. Every call Stewart takes is one fewer Manning has to deal with.

By doing it this way, Manning can keep his focus on what’s important. That goes for his recruitment, sure, but also maintaining some semblance of normalcy before he becomes the face of a college program with a golden last name.

“A couple years ago when this all started, I asked Cooper, ‘What do we want this to be like?'” Stewart said. “He told me he wanted it to be a ’70’s or ’80’s experience. He didn’t want him to get caught up on social media and 7-on-7 teams and people having so much access to him that he never has authentic conversations. This has all been with intent. Coaches have gone through me first. I really just act like a filter for the family. When teams reach out, I report the information to his parents and Arch and ask them what they think. For every Zoom or coach that has come through, I’ve remained close to the family.

“We’ve had kids that can get so caught in it that they’re so excited to be blessed and humbled to announce an offer on Twitter, that they’re not even really looking at whether it is a committable offer. It’s like a patch on a leather jacket. So that’s not the case with him. It requires more time and care for me in terms of my communication with everyone. That’s why he doesn’t have a timetable or a list of favorites. It’s been about the kid and the process. It has been refreshing. It can be exhausting, but it is the right way to do it. I wish more kids did it this way.”

It’s natural for prospects to seek attention. It’s what they’ve been working for since they first started playing football. They want to turn to Twitter and be recognizable.

But Manning is already recognizable to every coach who has come through Newman. Bill O’Brien is the offensive coordinator at Alabama, and he coached Peyton Manning in the Pro Bowl. Everybody has a story about Eli or Peyton or Archie Manning. Everyone feels like they have an “in” with Manning. But none of that is as important to Arch as which school is going to provide the perfect fit. It’s a recruiting cliche, but there’s no better way to describe what Manning is looking for than the perfect fit.

“I’ll say this: Because of the uniqueness of his recruitment, there is probably more that needs to go into getting him,” Stewart said. “With him, it’s very thoughtful. I think that wherever he goes, it’s going to be a credit to a school that has been relentless in terms of their pursuit of him but also understanding that you do have to, in my opinion, really pull the curtain back. It requires a lot to be able to hang in there and get a young man like this because it is a lot of work. It is an instant-gratification society, but he is taking his time. That’s different. It’s not going to be easy. Teams know that, but they also know they can get a really good quarterback.

“If you’re in this conversation for Arch, you’re already going to have four- and five-star quarterbacks. It’s the little things that set schools apart. He has consistently gone to see Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss, and LSU has done I think a really, really good job with Brian Kelly of really reintroducing LSU to him. He wants to go up and have a real visit. Also with Florida, Billy Napier is phenomenal. But again, he’s not at the point of where he is eliminating (schools). It’s going to be an old-school recruitment. It’s not about pulling a hat, it’s about making a decision.”

Stewart maintains he doesn’t know when Manning will make his announcement.

“I think initially he was hoping for spring and then maybe summer,” he said. “Then it got to the point of saying, ‘Hey, let’s not put a timeline on it.’ When you know you, you know. He has made a lot of headway on what he’s looking for.”

Maybe shying away from the attention works best for Manning because he has spent his whole life in the first family of football. He doesn’t have a top-five list, but you can tell which schools he’s most interested in. How? By how he’s chosen to spend his time. He’s taken multi-day visits to Texas, Georgia, Ole Miss and Alabama. And every time he has gone to those schools, it’s been a different time of year with different things to see. He wants to see camps, game days, practices, meetings, offensive installs, all of it. Everything he does is with intention. So even if he doesn’t come out and say it, tracking where he’s going and how he spends his time is a good indicator of which schools are still alive.

There is no timetable. He isn’t leaning toward any school. And if you read somewhere that a certain school is leading the way, understand that you’re reading speculation, an attempt to answer the biggest question college football recruiting has seen in years: Where is Arch Manning going?

 

[Elmer_Fudd 22,322]

LSU finally offered Zalance Heard.  On3 has mentioned him several times as a guy Bo Davis is really after and is supposedly visiting this week.  Listed as an OL, but looks like we like him at DT.

https://247sports.com/player/zalance-heard-46116355/

[Jabberwocky 1,666]

25 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Listed as an OL, but looks like we like him at DT.

He wants to have an opportunity to play DL first, and we have obliged(humored) him. However, he is an NFL player at Offensive tackle and needs to be convinced to move to OL. LSU and 'Bama would not offer him as a DL, until now.

[Jabberwocky 1,666]

No 247 profile that I can find.

Twitter says he is a 6'3" 230 lb MLB from West Jones High School in Laurel, MS.

https://www.hudl.com/profile/13738775

[Elmer_Fudd 22,322]

Justin Wells put in a Texas pick for Will Randle on On3.

[Vertigo 20,335]

35 minutes ago, Jabberwocky said:

No 247 profile that I can find.

Twitter says he is a 6'3" 230 lb MLB from West Jones High School in Laurel, MS.

https://www.hudl.com/profile/13738775

Here is the Jr Season highlights:

http://www.hudl.com/v/2GWFMk

 

He moves well laterally and plays with some feel and instincts through the trash. A good find honestly, pretty interesting recruit. My only nitpick is that I didn't see many big sticks, but seems like a sure tackler. 

[Foosters 17,889]

6 hours ago, Big Woodrows said:

The Athletic - Arch Manning’s unique approach to recruiting and the coach behind it: ‘There’s no red carpet’

  Hide contents

“He is a meat and potatoes kind of kid. He drives a pickup truck to work. He wears a hat.

 

[Nope 3,121]

1 hour ago, Jabberwocky said:

No 247 profile that I can find.

Twitter says he is a 6'3" 230 lb MLB from West Jones High School in Laurel, MS.

https://www.hudl.com/profile/13738775

Kenny Loftin?

[texifornia 57,149]

46 minutes ago, Nope said:

Kenny Loftin?

Easily one of my top 3 favorite baseball players when I was a kid.

[Jabberwocky 1,666]

 

[Bevo 13,601]

7 minutes ago, Jabberwocky said:

 

Randle, Manning, Owens, and Cook would be a pretty decent start to the class.

[Nope 3,121]

50 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Easily one of my top 3 favorite baseball players when I was a kid.

Yeah man, I really miss the base stealer genre

[Jabberwocky 1,666]

https://247sports.com/player/jaquaize-pettaway-46097281/

[Jabberwocky 1,666]

https://247sports.com/player/smaje-burrell-46125799/

[BurntOrange&White 40,038]

Nahlin said within the last few days something to the extent that he wouldn’t be shocked if Randle were to commit before Arch and that Randle was a take regardless of Arch

Edited March 31, 2022 by BurntOrange&White

[Hornlover 8,841]

26 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Nahlin said within the last few days something to the extent that he wouldn’t be shocked if Randle were to commit before Arch and that Randle was a take regardless of Arch

I'm skeptical that Randle is a take for any reason other than securing Arch, but I was also skeptical about D'Onte Foreman as anything other than a way to secure Armanti.

[texifornia 57,149]

11 minutes ago, Hornlover said:

I'm skeptical that Randle is a take for any reason other than securing Arch, but I was also skeptical about D'Onte Foreman as anything other than a way to secure Armanti.

Well Naashon Hughes ended up better than Camrhon, but hoooo boy was Devin better than Donovan Duvernay.

[Junior Bonner 6,291]

2 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Well Naashon Hughes ended up better than Camrhon, but hoooo boy was Devin better than Donovan Duvernay.

Well, yeah, but the McCoy brothers were just about equal...

 

*ducks*

[Hornlover 8,841]

4 minutes ago, Junior Bonner said:

Well, yeah, but the McCoy brothers were just about equal...

 

*ducks*

Great. How do we feel about Michael Griffin vs Marcus Griffin, or Kris Boyd vs Demarco Boyd?

[Laga4 1,270]

12 minutes ago, Junior Bonner said:

Well, yeah, but the McCoy brothers were just about equal..

About as equal as the Campbell brothers.

[Bevo 13,601]

Jordan Shipley and Shelby Shipley (Nunez)

[Henry Hill 3,156]

Tommy and James Brockermeyer

[RomaVicta 30,030]

I wasn't a W fan, but that video is great. He was so amused that he almost seems disappointed that the guy ran out of shoes.

[Fud 9,557]

Who all has gotten Texas CBs (or the IT/Rivals version of a CB) over the past couple of weeks? 

[JesusSweatDuck 17,810]

18 minutes ago, RomaVicta said:

I wasn't a W fan, but that video is great. He was so amused that he almost seems disappointed that the guy ran out of shoes.

[UncleBuck 6,455]

12 minutes ago, Fud said:

Who all has gotten Texas CBs (or the IT/Rivals version of a CB) over the past couple of weeks? 

[Fud 9,557]

28 minutes ago, Fud said:

Who all has gotten Texas CBs (or the IT/Rivals version of a CB) over the past couple of weeks? 

This is what I could come up with

Arch Manning

Rueben Owens

Will Randle

S'Maje Burrell

Jaydon Chatman

Avion Carter

Ashton Porter

Jamaal Shaw

Lafayette Kaiuway

Andre Cojoe

Samu Taumanupepe

Jordan Matthews

Connor Stroh

[Vertigo 20,335]

 

[westexhorn 2,020]

Sounds like Burrell is visiting Austin again this coming weekend... so cancelling tOSU again?

[Jabberwocky 1,666]

27 minutes ago, Fud said:

This is what I could come up 

Nm

Edited March 31, 2022 by Jabberwocky
Too stupid to read

[texifornia 57,149]

12 minutes ago, westexhorn said:

Sounds like Burrell is visiting Austin again this coming weekend... so cancelling tOSU again?

yes

 

[tokamak 6,442]

15 minutes ago, westexhorn said:

Sounds like Burrell is visiting Austin again this coming weekend... so cancelling tOSU again?

[tokamak 6,442]

so, to recap the big news in the thread today:

Spoiler

D'Onta > Armanti

Naashon > Camrhon

Colt >>> Case

Jordan > Jaxon

Devin > Donovan

Sam ?? Emanuel (I think about equal)

Kris > Demarco

Michael >? Marcus (better NFL career for sure)

Quentin = Quandre

 

Honestly seems like we always get at least one stud out of brother pairs, and the Shipleys, Achos, Griffins, and Jammer/Diggs all gave us at least two solid contributors. Have we ever had a pair of duds?

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by tokamak

[Hookem2147 21,361]

Choate putting in work

[texifornia 57,149]

Just now, tokamak said:

so, to recap the big news in the thread today:

  Hide contents

D'Onta > Armani

Naashon > Camrhon

Colt >>> Case

Jordan > Jaxon

Devin > Donovan

Sam ?? Emanuel (I think about equal)

Kris > Demarco

Michael >? Marcus (better NFL career for sure)

Quentin = Quandre

 

Honestly seems like we always get at least one stud out of brother pairs, and the Foremans, Shipleys, Achos, Griffins, and Jammer/Diggs all gave us at least two solid contributors. Have we ever had a pair of duds?

 

Calling Naashon a stud at anything other than practices without pads is a stretch. But that era sucked so hard he was still a consistent starter for us. Barf.

[tokamak 6,442]

Just now, texifornia said:

Calling Naashon a stud at anything other than practices without pads is a stretch. But that era sucked so hard he was still a consistent starter for us. Barf.

Fair. I guess you could also quibble with calling Kris Boyd a "stud", although he played a bunch and got drafted.

[Katfid54 8,635]

2 minutes ago, tokamak said:

Sam ?? Emanuel (I think about equal)

this is fucking stupid and you should feel bad.

[Fud 9,557]

4 minutes ago, tokamak said:

so, to recap the big news in the thread today:

  Hide contents

D'Onta > Armanti

Naashon > Camrhon

Colt >>> Case

Jordan > Jaxon

Devin > Donovan

Sam ?? Emanuel (I think about equal)

Kris > Demarco

Michael >? Marcus (better NFL career for sure)

Quentin = Quandre

 

Honestly seems like we always get at least one stud out of brother pairs, and the Shipleys, Achos, Griffins, and Jammer/Diggs all gave us at least two solid contributors. Have we ever had a pair of duds?

 

Since Arch and the TE aren't related, you can also include Brown and Cole 

[AP101S 1,480]

6 minutes ago, tokamak said:

so, to recap the big news in the thread today:

  Reveal hidden contents

D'Onta > Armanti

Naashon > Camrhon

Colt >>> Case

Jordan > Jaxon

Devin > Donovan

Sam ?? Emanuel (I think about equal)

Kris > Demarco

Michael >? Marcus (better NFL career for sure)

Quentin = Quandre

 

Honestly seems like we always get at least one stud out of brother pairs, and the Shipleys, Achos, Griffins, and Jammer/Diggs all gave us at least two solid contributors. Have we ever had a pair of duds?

 

Kenny Vaccaro > Kevin

Kevin's biggest contribution is that he was a big reason why Kenny stayed another year.

[futureman 22,550]

12 minutes ago, tokamak said:

Michael >? Marcus (better NFL career for sure)

did you chug paint thinner as a child?

[tokamak 6,442]

8 minutes ago, Katfid54 said:

this is fucking stupid and you should feel bad.

I honestly remember both of them being very solid but not quite star-level college players. Was Sam significantly > Emmanuel in college?

[tokamak 6,442]

2 minutes ago, futureman said:

did you chug paint thinner as a child?

Always got the two of them mixed up tbh. IIRC Marcus was a very solid college player, no?

[UncleSonny 6,573]

1 minute ago, tokamak said:

Always got the two of them mixed up tbh. IIRC Marcus was a very solid college player, no?

No. 
 
But it’s not like Michael Griffin had any memorable moments or anything.