Texas Recruiting Notes 2024: Bags Don't Beat Bankrolls

[Vertigo 20276]

1 minute ago, closetojumping said:

As we've discussed previously here, everyone should expect the majority of UT recruits to drop over time in the On3 rankings as long as the current guys handling them are in charge. They think they're really smart and penalizing recruits that commit to UT is good business, since they believe they'll be justified when the players don't live up to the height or get drafted well.

As long as the talent eval is right, guys moving up and down a few slots on 3rd party recruiting boards is pretty meaningless. It is like the hundreds of idiots out there doing mock drafts every season on youtube.  

[closetojumping 62570]

11 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

My kid doesn't even know cereal exists. 

This isn't the kind of thing to post in a public forum. Confessing to borderline child abuse is a grim cry for help.

[SydneyCarton 48069]

4 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

This isn't the kind of thing to post in a public forum. Confessing to borderline child abuse is a grim cry for help.

Your children might grow up to be the first ever roster of college athletes that have early onset diabetes. I'm comfortable with my decision here. 

Also, cereal and a 6 year old is messy, and I don't have to clean that shit up. Feels like a win/win here. 

[Teryor 4450]

Ears with a grab bag of mostly worthless info

Spoiler

The second round of the Texas high school football playoffs are complete. With the area round over, teams will have to win three more games to make it to AT&T Stadium for the state championships. 247Sports was on the road this weekend covering a myriad of games in the state.

While on the road, we gathered intel from sources and talked to several players about where their recruitments stand. In this week's edition of The Road Report, we've got a loaded notebook of recruiting tidbits from some of the top prospects in 2024 and 2025.

Top247 Waco (Texas) Connally Kobe Black has a commitment date set for November 29. Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State are the schools with the most buzz though Black hasn’t officially named any finalists. Texas holds the 247Sports Crystal Ball lead with all four predictions on the Longhorns. Texas has been a perceived leader in the race for Black for quite some time, and nothing has changed enough to alter the confidence on those picks. Texas A&M remains in flux following the dismissal of Jimbo Fisher while Oklahoma State is trying to make a push with his brother Korie Black on the Cowboys roster. We’ll monitor the next week, but it looks like the confidence in Texas is well-founded at the moment.

2024 Jasper (Texas) linebacker Tyanthony Smith seems to be staying firm to Texas A&M at the moment. The three-star prospect said he’s waiting to see where Texas A&M will go with their coaching search. Smith is set to make an official visit to Texas on Friday when the Longhorns play host to Texas Tech. The Longhorns are pushing to make the flip, but Smith doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to make a rash decision. If the visit happens, it will take some interesting timing. Jasper is set to play at 3:00 p.m. on Friday in Houston and would presumably leave for Austin afterwards. With travel time to Austin a factor, Smith would likely miss most of the game and take the rest of the visit throughout the weekend. We will see if that timing causes him to reschedule.

2025 Top247 Jasper (Texas) ATH Kiotti Armstrong isn’t focusing much on recruiting at the moment, but he named Texas A&M, Alabama and Texas as the three schools standing out for him at the moment. The Aggies have done the best job recruiting him so far, and he’s also waiting to see where Texas A&M goes with its coaching search. There’s no time crunch for Armstrong who plans to take his official visits next summer and make a decision prior to his senior season. Alabama’s NFL production and Texas’ use of Ja’Tavion Sanders have both schools in the battle with Texas A&M, and his recruitment should ramp up more during the spring.

2025 Top247 Texarkana (Texas) Pleasant Grove defensive lineman Lance Jackson named Texas, Tennessee and Arkansas as three programs standing out most. Jackson visited Knoxville over the weekend to see the Vols and his brother Landon Jackson is having a big year at Arkansas. The Razorbacks have a lot of influence in Texarkana, and they also hold a commitment from his teammate Ahkhari Johnson. Texas seems to be the school with the most buzz right now as Jackson took notice of the Longhorns’ defensive line development this year. He signled out Texas freshman Ethan Burke as a player with a similar skillset, and he feels he could be a fit in Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense.

2024 Dallas (Texas) South Oak Cliff wide receiver Elijah Baesa was decked out in TCU purple during SOC’s area-round win over Melissa (Texas), but he said that was merely a fashion choice. The Arizona State commit remains a firm pledge to the Sun Devils and plans to sign in December. Baesa said that Nebraska has been coming on lately, but he’s invested in the relationship he has with ASU assistant Ra’Shaad Samples.

2024 Texarkana (Texas) Pleasant Grove cornerback Ahkhari Johnson said that despite the down year for the Razorbacks, he’s not entertaining contact from other staffs. Johnson made his commitment to Arkansas before the year, and he’s comfortable with the environment in Fayetteville and excited about his future. Arkansas made Johnson a priority from the time they started recruiting him, and he wants to reward their loyalty.

2024 Texarkana (Texas) Pleasant Grove safety Kaden McFadden is excited about his future at Duke. The Blue Devils commit has heard some of the talk about head coach Mike Elko being involved with the Texas A&M coaching search, but he’s had a few talks with Elko about it. McFadden isn’t listening to contact from other schools, and he loves the education and athletic fit with Duke.

2025 Lucas (Texas) Lovejoy tight end Bear Tenney made his fair share of visits over the year since moving to the Dallas area from Arizona. When 247Sports spoke with Tenney earlier in the year, he indicated that he wanted to make a decision this fall. While no commitment date is set, a source I spoke with indicated that Michigan was the school to watch for Tenney. While there is still room for changes with Tenney, I’ve entered a 247Sports Crystal Ball for the Wolverines.

 

[closetojumping 62570]

4 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

Your children might grow up to be the first ever roster of college athletes that have early onset diabetes. I'm comfortable with my decision here. 

Also, cereal and a 6 year old is messy, and I don't have to clean that shit up. Feels like a win/win here. 

My heart aches that your child won't understand the wonder and joy of: Oh's, Cocoa Pebbles, Capn Crunch Berries, Grape Nuts with 3 spoons of sugar, Frosted Flakes, Chocolate Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Life, Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Frosted Mini Wheats until they get to college and realize what you've been depriving them of, selfishly. 

[someguy 1508]

5 minutes ago, Teryor said:

Ears with a grab bag of mostly worthless info

  Reveal hidden contents

The second round of the Texas high school football playoffs are complete. With the area round over, teams will have to win three more games to make it to AT&T Stadium for the state championships. 247Sports was on the road this weekend covering a myriad of games in the state.

While on the road, we gathered intel from sources and talked to several players about where their recruitments stand. In this week's edition of The Road Report, we've got a loaded notebook of recruiting tidbits from some of the top prospects in 2024 and 2025.

Top247 Waco (Texas) Connally Kobe Black has a commitment date set for November 29. Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State are the schools with the most buzz though Black hasn’t officially named any finalists. Texas holds the 247Sports Crystal Ball lead with all four predictions on the Longhorns. Texas has been a perceived leader in the race for Black for quite some time, and nothing has changed enough to alter the confidence on those picks. Texas A&M remains in flux following the dismissal of Jimbo Fisher while Oklahoma State is trying to make a push with his brother Korie Black on the Cowboys roster. We’ll monitor the next week, but it looks like the confidence in Texas is well-founded at the moment.

2024 Jasper (Texas) linebacker Tyanthony Smith seems to be staying firm to Texas A&M at the moment. The three-star prospect said he’s waiting to see where Texas A&M will go with their coaching search. Smith is set to make an official visit to Texas on Friday when the Longhorns play host to Texas Tech. The Longhorns are pushing to make the flip, but Smith doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to make a rash decision. If the visit happens, it will take some interesting timing. Jasper is set to play at 3:00 p.m. on Friday in Houston and would presumably leave for Austin afterwards. With travel time to Austin a factor, Smith would likely miss most of the game and take the rest of the visit throughout the weekend. We will see if that timing causes him to reschedule.

2025 Top247 Jasper (Texas) ATH Kiotti Armstrong isn’t focusing much on recruiting at the moment, but he named Texas A&M, Alabama and Texas as the three schools standing out for him at the moment. The Aggies have done the best job recruiting him so far, and he’s also waiting to see where Texas A&M goes with its coaching search. There’s no time crunch for Armstrong who plans to take his official visits next summer and make a decision prior to his senior season. Alabama’s NFL production and Texas’ use of Ja’Tavion Sanders have both schools in the battle with Texas A&M, and his recruitment should ramp up more during the spring.

2025 Top247 Texarkana (Texas) Pleasant Grove defensive lineman Lance Jackson named Texas, Tennessee and Arkansas as three programs standing out most. Jackson visited Knoxville over the weekend to see the Vols and his brother Landon Jackson is having a big year at Arkansas. The Razorbacks have a lot of influence in Texarkana, and they also hold a commitment from his teammate Ahkhari Johnson. Texas seems to be the school with the most buzz right now as Jackson took notice of the Longhorns’ defensive line development this year. He signled out Texas freshman Ethan Burke as a player with a similar skillset, and he feels he could be a fit in Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense.

2024 Dallas (Texas) South Oak Cliff wide receiver Elijah Baesa was decked out in TCU purple during SOC’s area-round win over Melissa (Texas), but he said that was merely a fashion choice. The Arizona State commit remains a firm pledge to the Sun Devils and plans to sign in December. Baesa said that Nebraska has been coming on lately, but he’s invested in the relationship he has with ASU assistant Ra’Shaad Samples.

2024 Texarkana (Texas) Pleasant Grove cornerback Ahkhari Johnson said that despite the down year for the Razorbacks, he’s not entertaining contact from other staffs. Johnson made his commitment to Arkansas before the year, and he’s comfortable with the environment in Fayetteville and excited about his future. Arkansas made Johnson a priority from the time they started recruiting him, and he wants to reward their loyalty.

2024 Texarkana (Texas) Pleasant Grove safety Kaden McFadden is excited about his future at Duke. The Blue Devils commit has heard some of the talk about head coach Mike Elko being involved with the Texas A&M coaching search, but he’s had a few talks with Elko about it. McFadden isn’t listening to contact from other schools, and he loves the education and athletic fit with Duke.

2025 Lucas (Texas) Lovejoy tight end Bear Tenney made his fair share of visits over the year since moving to the Dallas area from Arizona. When 247Sports spoke with Tenney earlier in the year, he indicated that he wanted to make a decision this fall. While no commitment date is set, a source I spoke with indicated that Michigan was the school to watch for Tenney. While there is still room for changes with Tenney, I’ve entered a 247Sports Crystal Ball for the Wolverines.

 

[BurntOrange&White 39930]

3 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

My heart aches that your child won't understand the wonder and joy of: Oh's, Cocoa Pebbles, Capn Crunch Berries, Grape Nuts with 3 spoons of sugar, Frosted Flakes, Chocolate Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Life, Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Frosted Mini Wheats until they get to college and realize what you've been depriving them of, selfishly. 

He's definitely on a slippery slope once they get to college and start experimenting with other forms of cereal.

[Tx_2_Sc85 332]

3 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

My heart aches that your child won't understand the wonder and joy of: Oh's, Cocoa Pebbles, Capn Crunch Berries, Grape Nuts with 3 spoons of sugar, Frosted Flakes, Chocolate Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Life, Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Frosted Mini Wheats until they get to college and realize what you've been depriving them of, selfishly. 

Nothing like eating 3 bowls of Cap’n Crunch at midnight and waking up the next day with a mouth so raw that the skin is hanging from the roof of your mouth. 

[BigOrange1 6433]

37 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

As we've discussed previously here, everyone should expect the majority of UT recruits to drop over time in the On3 rankings as long as the current guys handling them are in charge. They think they're really smart and penalizing recruits that commit to UT is good business, since they believe they'll be justified when the players don't live up to the height or get drafted well.

Do you consider the 247 composite list to be the "best" of all the ranking lists or is there some other list I should be referencing?

[Elmer_Fudd 22204]

Jordan Washington now #271 overall in the On3 update.  Robinson #165.

Edited November 20, 2023 by Elmer_Fudd

[closetojumping 62570]

11 minutes ago, BigOrange1 said:

Do you consider the 247 composite list to be the "best" of all the ranking lists or is there some other list I should be referencing?

I haven't thought about it much until you asked this question, but I *think* my behavior at this point is valuing the schools who are putting real effort in on a recruit over anything else. I only really follow the rankings at this point for the vanity side of things. When Gerry and Burton and Howe were really involved with the work at 247, I thought they were just destroying anything else out there, but that's been over a decade. I've become pretty disillusioned about the rankings across the board over the years. Hearing the stories about On3 and Rivals lately just has me shaking my head. Some people think that Rivals is just waiting to see what the other services are doing first and then just mixing the list up some and peppering it with favorites from some of the publishers with the most subscriptions to their sites. 

[WBT 20561]

I've started to think the recruiting rankings are at least half lagging indicators of what programs are having success on the field.  aggy is an exception to that rule though.

[IDIOTsavant 8483]

1 hour ago, closetojumping said:

This isn't the kind of thing to post in a public forum. Confessing to borderline child abuse is a grim cry for help.

 

[Tree Fidy 1175]

1 hour ago, SydneyCarton said:

Your children might grow up to be the first ever roster of college athletes that have early onset diabetes. I'm comfortable with my decision here. 

Also, cereal and a 6 year old is messy, and I don't have to clean that shit up. Feels like a win/win here. 

Cleaning up some cereal is inconvenient?   No, I will tell you what is inconvenient- when it comes time for that child, neglected of the joys of cereal by you, chooses your nursing home and sorts by “priced lowest to highest” because he/she holds a (legitimate) grudge.  

[Hornlover 8829]

Cereal cleanup is super easy when your kids don't eat it with milk, but instead they just grab handfuls straight from the box. 

Also, teaching your kid to clean up after himself is something you should look into. It's marvelous. 

[closetojumping 62570]

5 minutes ago, Hornlover said:

Cereal cleanup is super easy when your kids don't eat it with milk, but instead they just grab handfuls straight from the box. 

Also, teaching your kid to clean up after himself is something you should look into. It's marvelous. 

I think you should keep firing off as much condescending parenting advice to Sydney as you possibly can. If we work together on this, there's a legitimate shot that his head might explode before Thanksgiving.

[hookemATL 11707]

This hits close to home as my kids are named Krispix and Museli. 

Edited November 20, 2023 by hookemATL
i once ate some much cocoa crispies in the morning that I vomited profusely and got out of school.

[Herbie Hancock 7345]

Nothing will ever compare to the maddening fury I didn't know I was capable of outwardly expressing as when my mother gave my twins a gigantic box of Nerds for Halloween. Try cleaning that shit up in a hardwood living room then let's talk because you can't sweep Nerds up, they just scurry across the room in the opposite direction.

[NoName 16351]

kind of recruiting update?

it's Ryan Williams, but wild to see him taking the time to watch and stay on a live that has 184 people in it + commenting if he isn't considering Texas at all.

yeah, i know he's a 25 dude but lots of smoke around him re-classifying

[tokamak 6395]

QE returning + our top 4 WR/TE all leaving seems like it would be of great interest to a dude like Ryan Williams.

[BornAndRaised 12281]

 

[Reese Bennett 3608]

2 hours ago, SydneyCarton said:

My kid doesn't even know cereal exists. 

We did the same thing--never let cereal in the house. Just fed the kids a bunch of Pop Tarts for breakfast as they are an easy cleanup especially with a dog to get the floor crumbs.

[Hiphopopotamos 20869]

20 minutes ago, tokamak said:

QE returning + our top 4 WR/TE all leaving seems like it would be of great interest to a dude like Ryan Williams.

I know they’re not draft analysts - but Gerry/Bobby (IT) have both been down on Sanders draft prospects. 
 

Bobby thinks his blocking issues are going to drop him and Gerry thinks blocking and short arms are going to give NFL teams pause.  Neither are saying he comes back - but they both think his draft grade is going to be lower than he’s hoping and that a year back could improve his stock. 

Edited November 20, 2023 by Hiphopopotamos

[Vermin 3043]

6 minutes ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

I know they’re not draft analysts - but Gerry/Bobby (IT) have both been down on Sanders draft prospects. 
 

Bobby thinks his blocking issues are going to drop him and Gerry thinks blocking and short arms are going to give NFL teams pause.  Neither are saying he comes back - but they both think his draft grade is going to be lower than he’s hoping and that a year back could improve his stock. 

How is an extra year going to improve the length of your arms?

[SydneyCarton 48069]

1 hour ago, Tree Fidy said:

Cleaning up some cereal is inconvenient?   No, I will tell you what is inconvenient- when it comes time for that child, neglected of the joys of cereal by you, chooses your nursing home and sorts by “priced lowest to highest” because he/she holds a (legitimate) grudge.  

Please. I'll choose my own nursing home or I'll have died or had a stroke and turned into a vegetablewell before nursing home age, in which case I'm fucked either way and this is irrelevent. Also, he should mind his Ps and Qs while I still have power of attorney and an inheritance worth taking into account. 

38 minutes ago, Herbie Hancock said:

Nothing will ever compare to the maddening fury I didn't know I was capable of outwardly expressing as when my mother gave my twins a gigantic box of Nerds for Halloween. Try cleaning that shit up in a hardwood living room then let's talk because you can't sweep Nerds up, they just scurry across the room in the opposite direction.

You should introduce yourself to the joys of dog ownership. 

[SydneyCarton 48069]

55 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

I think you should keep firing off as much condescending parenting advice to Sydney as you possibly can. If we work together on this, there's a legitimate shot that his head might explode before Thanksgiving.

I'm not sure about my head exploding, but laughing until I pop a blood vessel in my eye or triggering an asthma attack is certainly on the table. 

Edited November 20, 2023 by SydneyCarton

[satyanash 14480]

2 hours ago, closetojumping said:

My heart aches that your child won't understand the wonder and joy of: Oh's, Cocoa Pebbles, Capn Crunch Berries, Grape Nuts with 3 spoons of sugar, Frosted Flakes, Chocolate Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Life, Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Frosted Mini Wheats until they get to college and realize what you've been depriving them of, selfishly. 

You forgot the best one

 

[FloridaHorn 4753]

3 minutes ago, Vermin said:

How is an extra year going to improve the length of your arms?

If you were a regular on this board, you would already know that weight loss increases wing span. If Sanders were 165 lbs, he would have approximately the same wingspan as Luca Doncic.

[BurntOrange&White 39930]

SydneyCarton is the shredded wheat of Surly right now.

[Gut Wagon 8065]

6 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

You should introduce yourself to the joys of dog ownership. 

 

Only this morning. I'll leave it to you guys to decide whether a dog or a kid was to blame. 

[Da Fino 2777]

2 hours ago, SydneyCarton said:

My kid doesn't even know cereal exists. 

This sounds like a father that had a kid on the late side (also me) and wont stand for a mess. I should know, we can smell our own. 

 

Edited to add. Looks like you confirmed it later. 

Edited November 20, 2023 by Da Fino
Follow up

[Vertigo 20276]

2 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

SydneyCarton is the shredded wheat of Surly right now.

Not even frosted mini wheats?

[Atticus 3973]

Frosted mini-wheats or the more delicious Mom's Best Naturals version of it is very underrated taste-wise and helps keep you regular

[Ricky's one-hitter 9084]

14 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

SydneyCarton is the shredded wheat of Surly right now.

Size contingent on country of origin, looks healthier than it really is, your mom's favorite, fragile exterior, fragile interior, can get mushy when bathed in wet. 

My brother in christ, we are all shredded wheat. 

[TexasGary 833]

56 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

SydneyCarton is the shredded wheat of Surly right now.

 

[MontereyMX 869]

23 hours ago, TotallyLegit said:

But which Black?

Backin

[FloridaHorn 4753]

23 hours ago, TotallyLegit said:

But which Black?

All of them...and some of the Whites also.

[Pato del Muerto 52487]

Nunmoore Black

[Napoleon 8666]

4 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Per Bobby/Gerry Christian Clark is trying to jump through all the loops of Arizona to become a early enrollee.

 

3 hours ago, closetojumping said:

…They [On3]think they're really smart and penalizing recruits that commit to UT is good business, since they believe they'll be justified when the players don't live up to the height or get drafted well.

So today I have learned that…

Even when recruits are willing to jump through loops to become eligible to play for the Longhorns, those recruits rarely live up to the height.

🤔

Apparently I missed a lot this morning.

 

PS- My “sugar coated cereal” growing up was the sugar found coated on the raisins of Raisin Bran… good times at Napoleon’s breakfast table. 

I didn’t get sugar cereals until my freshman dorm cafeteria… where Cap’n Crunch prepared 5 to 10 minutes before I was done with my meal (to give it time to soak) became an staple of my dinner meal.

[closetojumping 62570]

1) Gerry has never found a prospect that he couldn't ding on arm size. 

2) Sanders isn't coming back. 

3) Looks like On3 is serving up a mixed bag for Texas recruits in this update, so that actually feels like a positive. 

4) Raisin Bran was always a good choice.

5) Fuck Cheerios and the well-meaning, unfun parents insisting on serving them. I find Cheerios at my house, usually from the little variety boxes, and they're getting dropped straight into the trash. 

[BurntOrange&White 39930]

5 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Raisin Bran was always a good choic

Raisin Bran Crunch is elite. 

[Red Five 40847]

7 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

4) Raisin Bran was always a good choice.

Kellogg's. Not that shit from those sons of bitches over at Post. 

[TejasPedro 1857]

Fun fact Grape-Nads is the cereal of choice for Aggies and Sooners alike. 

[Zhorn96 1773]

[Bevo14 8303]

3 hours ago, closetojumping said:

My heart aches that your child won't understand the wonder and joy of: Oh's, Cocoa Pebbles, Capn Crunch Berries, Grape Nuts with 3 spoons of sugar, Frosted Flakes, Chocolate Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Life, Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Frosted Mini Wheats until they get to college and realize what you've been depriving them of, selfishly. 

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Tres Leches, Count Chocula...

Forget his kids. He's depriving himself. First thing I did after work was pour myself a large bowl of Lucky Charms.

Edited November 20, 2023 by Bevo14

[Ricky's one-hitter 9084]

13 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Fuck Cheerios

Honey Nut Cheerios would like a word

[Hiphopopotamos 20869]

1 minute ago, Zhorn96 said:

Turn into the skid. 

[kevwun 15770]

5 minutes ago, TejasPedro said:

Fun fact Grape-Nads is the cereal of choice for Aggies and Sooners alike. 

It looks like kitty litter.

[NoName 16351]

recruiting relevant info:

notes off the top of my head:

• Carter had 2 to play 2 and was a grad transfer.
• Neyor leaving means Texas rolls into next year likely with only Cain, Cook, Niblett, Moore and incoming freshmen. absolutely will see transfer portal used here
• Jake Majors 🫥
• only guys with no more eligibility are K Robinson, Christian Jones, T'Vondre Sweat, Jett Bush, Ryan Sanborn
• losing a shitload of talent in the secondary - both of the 2 deep at FS, starter at boundary safety (Bugg), STAR (Barron), Boundary CB (Watts)

as a reminder last year Christian Jones and Jordan Whittington went through Senior day.

defensive 2 roster without guys leaving looks drastically different:

 

Edited November 21, 2023 by NoName

[BigBenBamboozle 1952]

Raisin Nut Bran. Real ones know.

inb4 immamac on-topic warning...