Texas Recruiting Notes 2022 - Idiotic Slapfights Unrelated To 2022 Recruiting

Machinator · March 5, 2021

Super K notes

Spoiler

***I was out in California this week.

***Texas can about as well as they want to do out here. It’s really a matter of how much they push. Sark’s name is just so well known out here.

***Even the defensive linemen I went to visit down in San Diego mentioned Sark. Kids down here grew up watching USC.

***There are a number of kids out here that Texas is in communication with but either don’t have offers or they are recruiting but not pushing for a commitment. I think this is wise. They know the Cali kids are starting their season next week, so you wait for some junior film.

***Among the offensive guys I saw were 2022 WR, CJ Williams and 2023 QB, Malachi Nelson and 2022 OL Earnest Greene.

***With CJ Williams, it sounds like Ohio State tried to squeeze him for a commitment but he didn’t bite. In terms of where Texas is, again, I think they’re going to go about as far as they want to go. It just depends on who they decide to prioritize.

***Texas is probably running third for Malachi. The family has known Sark for a while. Ultimately though I think SC and OU will be tough to beat.

***Earnest Greene said he wants to visit Texas. So, we shall see.

***I really hope Texas goes in on this 2022 cornerback out here named Ephesians Prysock (Bishop Alemany). Big dude that can absolutely move. He may be favorite corner, so far. There are a lot of folks out here that think he’s as good or better than Domani Jackson.

***Prysock is teammates with Texas LB target, Niuafe Junior Tuihalamaka. Texas is checking all the boxes with Junior. They just need to establish a relationship with his mother. I think that’s what Notre Dame has on Texas, right now.

***Back in Texas, CJ has been in the DFW area and in East Texas. I’ve been in touch with him regularly.

***I believe he will have more on 2022 DB Austin Jordan but he’s already noted that Jordan wants to take his final three visits before a decision comes. I suspect Texas is hoping Denver Harris commits soon though.

***I thought CJ’s note on Texas lack of communication at Duncanville was very interesting. As CJ noted, they offered a 2023 player so it isn’t like it has anything to do with Duncanville. It appears that Texas really just likes some other players. I do wonder if perhaps they are targeting someone for their support staff that may have had some contacts with the 2022 Duncanville players. Not sure.

***I think in general being out here and hearing reports from CJ though, I get the sense that Sark is, so far, striking a good balance between in state and out of state recruiting. You have to prioritize your state but you also a) have to get the best of the best wherever they are b) reestablish the Texas brand across the country and c) recognize that there are so many schools coming into Texas now that you need to add territories if for no other reason than to put Texas players on notice that if they want to wait, they may not have a spot.

***Oh another thing of note out here, there were quite a few players I spoke to who considered moving to Texas for their junior season. If things don’t open up for senior year, I expect a number of Cali kids to transfer to Texas high schools.

UncleSonny · March 5, 2021

7 minutes ago, Machinator said:

I really hope Texas goes in on this 2022 cornerback out here named Ephesians Prysock (Bishop Alemany). Big dude that can absolutely move. He may be favorite corner, so far. There are a lot of folks out here that think he’s as good or better than Domani Jackson.

Holy shit, first ballet All-Name Hall of Fame. Must get imho.

Sgt. Slaughter · March 5, 2021

Quote

I do wonder if perhaps they are targeting someone for their support staff that may have had some contacts with the 2022 Duncanville players. Not sure.

Not sorry if this is dumb, but is he insinuating that the hire on the support would keep us from recruiting 2022 kids or help with the Duncanville 2022 kids?

RomaVicta · March 5, 2021

1 hour ago, Newy25 said:

I think the most bullish news I have heard this week is that we might finally be done with Juwan Mitchell. Or more correctly stated, he might have finally fucked up so badly his career at Texas is over.

I dislike piling on Longhorn players. This guy was awful. I don't have a particularly keen eye for game details, but he stood out for missing tackles and terrible decisions. I wish him well, but man.

Kanly · March 5, 2021

23 minutes ago, Machinator said:

***I really hope Texas goes in on this 2022 cornerback out here named Ephesians Prysock (Bishop Alemany). Big dude that can absolutely move. He may be favorite corner, so far. There are a lot of folks out here that think he’s as good or better than Domani Jackson.

https://247sports.com/player/ephesians-prysock-46081223/

RomaVicta · March 5, 2021

19 minutes ago, UncleSonny said:

Holy shit, first ballet All-Name Hall of Fame. Must get imho.

Pato del Muerto · March 5, 2021

Mitch Cumsteen · March 5, 2021

26 minutes ago, UncleSonny said:

Holy shit, first ballet All-Name Hall of Fame. Must get imho.

This. Automatically shoots up to #1 on the big board for me. Who needs offensive linemen when you can have an Ephesians Prysock?

Nowhichski · March 5, 2021

Prysock was a promising Starfleet officer before he went rogue, now wreaking havoc amongst romulans, klingons, and mandalorians.

Pato del Muerto · March 5, 2021

2 minutes ago, Nowhichski said:

Prysock was a promising Starfleet officer before he went rogue, now wreaking havoc amongst romulans, klingons, and mandalorians.

You are going to trigger some folks by co-mingling ST and SW peoples.

Viper · March 5, 2021

so he was named after the inhabitants of an ancient Greek city in Turkey?

TheBryMan81 · March 5, 2021

1 hour ago, Sgt. Slaughter said:

Not sorry if this is dumb, but is he insinuating that the hire on the support would keep us from recruiting 2022 kids or help with the Duncanville 2022 kids?

Keep us from.

If we hire someone from Duncanville in a non coaching role, then we can't recruit them (see Phaizon). There are some details of that rule that are changing but not sure when the changes take effect.

CL Horn · March 5, 2021

Outside of the bad graces we're apparently on with D'ville...are we really in position to not kick the tires on Jaylen Early and Cameron Williams given how shit our OL is?

Machinator · March 5, 2021

Some Evan Stewart track and field results:

100M: 10.95
200M 22.29
Long jump: 22'' 1.5"

Edited March 5, 2021 by Machinator

Kanly · March 5, 2021

https://247sports.com/player/dejon-roney-46097193/

Edited March 5, 2021 by Kanly

Machinator · March 5, 2021

(Gerry Hamilton) IT Recruiting Matters: Bishop Thomas, H. Perkins and T. Brooks

Spoiler

The Texas Longhorns class currently sits at seven commitments with every verbal being a four-prospect, or better long term in the case of Evan Stewart.

Adding to the recent run of momentum on the trail was the verbal of one of the nations top 2023 running backs, Rueben Owens.

Not only is the momentum building, but so are the offers made by the new staff in Austin. In today’s Recruiting Matters, IT caught up with new offer Bishop Thomas.

The near 6-foot-2, 293-pound defensive tackle prospect has offers from Florida State, Tennessee, Texas, Pittsburgh and Southern Miss to date.

Thomas, who relayed the the Miami Hurricanes were his favorite growing up, has the Seminoles and Volunteers higher on his list that Texas currently.

At the same time, he has never been to any of the campuses. He hopes to get out to FSU, Tennessee and Texas before making a decision.

As far as Texas goes, Thomas said the entire staff was on the phone at points when Texas offered him. “The coaches passed the phone around and they all told me how excited they were to offer me.”

Moore played on varsity his freshman and sophomore seasons at St. Augustine High in New Orleans before transferring to Bishop Moore in Orlando.

Head coach focused recruiting on Perkins:
IT stopped by Cy Park earlier in the week to check in on freak athlete Harold Perkins. The 6-foot-2.5, now nearing 210-pound linebacker prospect just wrapped up basketball season with a regional semifinal loss to Duncanville, and was zoom’ing with Nick Saban in the hours following.

One funny nugget on Perkins. He told Alabama he had to reschedule a zoom call with Nick Saban due to a timing conflict. I’m betting a top football prospect doesn’t reschedule Nick Saban very often.

Perkins is zoom’ing with Jimbo Fisher, Steve Sarkisian, Ed Oregon, Saban and Clay Helton frequently.

While Sark is very important in this recruitment due to the dynamic of head coaches all being heavily involved in this recruitment, Jeff Banks is also playing an important role for the Longhorns. Banks is in touch with Perkins and family quite a bit.

In terms of a decision, one is not expected until the first week of January, 2022.

Terrance Brooks to make student visits:
Terrence Brooks has never stepped foot on campus at Texas. Ever. That is likely to change in the next couple of weeks as the Brooks family is planning to go take in campuses within driving distance from the Metroplex.

Brooks has been to Texas A&M “hundreds of times” according to a source, which is expected with his father Chet Brooks having played at Texas A&M before an NFL career.

After visiting the close to home campuses, plans are being made to go to the places that require a flight later this spring. Those likely include Alabama, Stanford and Notre Dame.

One thing that has remained consistent the entire recruiting process for Brooks is the position coach relationship. Brooks is a film junkie, so that aspect of the recruiting process with position coaches are key. Then transitioning to the head coach and defensive coordinator conversations, being able to explain in detail how Brooks fits into the scheme matters.

Not every school is recruiting Brooks at the same position. Texas and Alabama are recruiting at cornerback, TCU has said safety. Notre Dame has been both at various points, but is corner now. Brooks is open to playing anywhere in the secondary to get on the field quickest, but prefers to eventually settle at cornerback long term.

texifornia · March 5, 2021

8 minutes ago, CL Horn said:

Outside of the bad graces we're apparently on with D'ville...are we really in position to not kick the tires on Jaylen Early and Cameron Williams given how shit our OL is?

I mean if you give them a few calls and get a whole bunch of "naaaaaaaaaah", you have to move on, don't you think?

Tigersnake · March 5, 2021

1 hour ago, Pato del Muerto said:

You are going to trigger some folks by co-mingling ST and SW peoples.

NERDS!.GIF

UncleSonny · March 5, 2021

13 minutes ago, Machinator said:

Terrance Brooks to make student visits:
Terrence Brooks has never stepped foot on campus at Texas. Ever. That is likely to change in the next couple of weeks as the Brooks family is planning to go take in campuses within driving distance from the Metroplex.

Brooks has been to Texas A&M “hundreds of times” according to a source, which is expected with his father Chet Brooks having played at Texas A&M before an NFL career.

After visiting the close to home campuses, plans are being made to go to the places that require a flight later this spring. Those likely include Alabama, Stanford and Notre Dame.

What's the deal with Brooks and a&m, he's aggy legacy and he has an offer but they are never really even mentioned as a contender. Not a priority for them or he just isn't interested?

I guess maybe the answer could be right in the note, visiting CS "hundreds of times" is more than enough to never want to go back.

Laga4 · March 5, 2021

1 minute ago, UncleSonny said:

I guess maybe the answer could be right in the note, visiting CS "hundreds of times" is more than enough to never want to go back.

Visiting one time should be enough to never want to go back.

Bodacious Bevo · March 5, 2021

OB also did percentages for 2022 targets and Ketch did a rundown of his top 15 2023 prospects

Spoiler

With Thursday morning’s release of the 2022 recruiting board, I figured this would be a good time to go through the board, player by player, and give my thoughts on why I have Texas’ chances where I have them.

A couple notes before I go through each guy …

--- This is a trickier task than in years past due in part to the pandemic, and due in part with the way Texas is targeting so many out-of-state guys. Normally, I don’t put a guy “on the board” unless he’s been to campus, has released a top five or something and has Texas in it or has some legitimate connection/interest to the school. If Texas offers some dude out of New Jersey who is pretty much locked in for Notre Dame, he usually stays in the “offered and interested” category until he commits without ever hitting the board. The task of deciphering who should be on the board and who should not is a bit more difficult this year with Texas’ seemingly drawing legitimate interest from guys out West, but with those players being unable to visit.

TL/DR … some unpredictability this year and there will probably be a lot of movement on and off the board in the coming months.

--- Thoughts on each position …

Quarterback – In great shape with a commitment from Maalik Murphy. Anything else is just gravy.

Running Back – Also in great shape with Jaydon Blue. Texas will take two and has several legitimate options.

Wide Receiver – Great shape early on with two big-time commitments. Still some heavy hitters on the board and Texas needs to find a way to close on at least one more Rivals100 type.

Tight End – Why is this position so damn tough to predict every year? Not sure how this one will shake out but I wouldn’t worry about this group with Jeff Banks leading the charge.

Offensive Line – Texas is in a good spot with a few top guys in state, but absolutely has to find a way to close the deal with a couple of the Lone Star studs.

Defensive End – Kind of an interesting start with this position group. Bo Davis may have to land one or two guys from outside the state.

Defensive Tackle –Texas needs to land Kristopher Ross later this month … not a ton of other clear options at this point.

Linebacker – The pick-up of Trevell Johnson is underrated IMO, but if Texas can find a way to climb to the top and land someone like Harold Perkins that feels like it could be a real game-changer for defensive recruiting.

Defensive backs – Two commitments and in a good spot with a couple others. On top of that, I’m not sure I’m not short-changing UT’s chances with Terrence Brooks a bit. This group has a chance to be fantastic if the pieces come together like I think they might.

Let’s go through each player that’s on the board.

Quarterback

Committed:

Maalik Murphy - Gardena Serra – You all know the story here. Murphy committed last month and he was in Austin last weekend on his own dime. Coming home from that trip, he said he feels more confident than ever in his decision.

Uncommitted Targets:

None – We’ll see if that changes, but Murphy told us he was given indication it would be a one-QB class unless there were departures with the QBs currently on campus.

Running Back

Committed:

Jaydon Blue - Klein Cain – Blue had been trending UT’s way for a while (aside from a very brief stint when Bama jumped out in front) and getting him on board early was huge for Texas. Not only is he a terrific prospect, he’s very personable and will use those tools to recruit on Texas’ behalf.

Uncommitted Targets:

Jamarion Miller - Tyler Legacy – 40% - When I was first building this, I had Miller and Tavorus Jones both at 35% but then I bumped Miller up. It’s not based on anything he’s told me or anything new I’ve heard, but this one has always made sense with his strong feelings towards UT and his brother being a one-time Texas commitment.

Tavorus Jones – El Paso Burges – 35% - Jones is a guy who has had Texas at or near the top of his list for a while. In fact, he told me once in the fall he was considering giving an early commitment. Predicting how the second back in this class will go is tough right now but Jones feels like one of the stronger candidates.

Emeka Megwa - Fort Worth Nolan Catholic – 25% - I’ve got Megwa behind the others since other schools have been viewed as a more likely destination than Texas (mostly OU). We’ll see how hard the UT staff pushes here because it feels like there are other options that better fit the Longhorns’ needs.

Zach Evans - Rockwall-Heath – 25% - If Texas really pushed here, I could see the Longhorns making some noise – he did tell me recently that UT is one of the three schools standing out for him, after all. Lots of Notre Dame buzz here, but we’ll see if he wants to be part of a two-Texan RB class with Jadarian Price. This feels like one we could need to circle back to if Evans waits things out and if guys like Jones and Miller aren’t looking like strong possibilities at some point.

Wide Receiver

Committed:

Evan Stewart - Frisco Liberty – This one feels like it could go down as one of the biggest pick-ups of the year for Texas. Stewart is that talented. He committed two weeks ago but it feels like two months ago with the roll UT has been on. Getting Stewart on board early was big because other programs, like Alabama, were trying to make a push.

Armani Winfield – Lewisville – Winfield gave Texas a commitment at halftime of the national championship game, before Steve Sarkisian had even made it to Austin. No reason to be worried about this one.

Uncommitted Targets:

Kevin Coleman - St. Louis St Mary's – 35% - Alabama is the team to beat here by Coleman’s admission recently, but he isn’t deciding until January. If that’s the case, I could see Texas making this race closer if the UT offense takes a step forward in the fall and if Bama takes a step back without Sarkisian in Tuscaloosa.

CJ Williams - Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei – 40% - Williams hasn’t released a formal list of favorites but when he does, Texas will definitely make the cut. He’s hoping to get to Austin soon, possibly for a player-led visit. Tough one to call clearly right now but he really likes Texas and Maalik Murphy is in his ear. I’m not sure I’d call UT the outright leader but I’m not sure I’d put anyone above the Longhorns either.

Jordan Hudson – Garland – 40% - Yeah, he’s committed to Oklahoma and he’s done things publicly to support that decision (Horns down) but I’m not buying those actions. Hudson likes Texas a lot, he’s regularly in touch with Sarkisian and he’s another guy Maalik Murphy is working on.

Chris Marshall - Fort Bend Marshall – 40% - A&M is the team to beat right now but Texas is very much within striking distance.

Brenen Thompson – Spearman - 30% - A week ago, I would have put this one closer to 40 percent. Now, with Cade Klubnik’s Clemson committing having an impact, 30% might be too high.

Nicholas Anderson – Katy – 25% - Texas has offered but it feels like he’s behind a handful of others on their board.

Arlis Boardingham - Lake Balboa (CA) Birmingham – 25% - He recently listed some favorites before Texas offered. He’s a guy I need to check with to get his pulse, but in-state targets (and CJ Williams) will get the bigger push early.

Tight End

Committed: None

Uncommitted Targets:

Holden Staes - Atlanta Westminster – 35% - Tight end is tough to read right now. Staes is a former Penn State commitment who has been in touch with Texas quite a bit, but I don’t think he’s anywhere close to a decision. Texas does have a handful of other out-of-state offers out, but it’s too early to tell how serious the interest is on those players’ part.

Offensive Line

Committed: None

Uncommitted Targets:

Connor Robertson – Westlake – 75% - Ties to the program, plays at Austin Westlake. It makes sense, and there’s buzz behind the scenes to confirm those thoughts that Texas is in a great spot.

Devon Campbell - Arlington Bowie – 60% - He recently listed a group of favorites that unsurprisingly included Texas. The Longhorns have been in a good spot for this one for a while … they just need to continue to build on their already strong relationship and maintain that position.

Kelvin Banks - Houston Summer Creek – 50% - This one feels like an old-fashioned in-state battle brewing. Too early to call but I’d be surprised if it was anyone other than A&M or Texas.

Kam Dewberry – Atascocita – 40% - Texas has made up ground under Kyle Flood so it’s trending up but the Longhorns are probably still playing from behind. We’ll see if that changes. He likes Ohio State, but I’d expect him to pick a regional school like OU, A&M, Texas or maybe even LSU.

Malik Agbo - Federal Way (WA) Todd Beamer – 40% In talking to Agbo a couple weeks ago, his interest in Texas is definitely legit. He knows Maalik Murphy, he was genuinely excited when UT offered and he’s probably not staying close to home.

Cole Hutson – Frisco – 30% - Lots of comp in this one so no way I can call Texas a leader, but he was genuinely excited about his recent re-offer.

Neto Umeozulu – Allen – 30% - Texas doesn’t usually have a ton of success in Allen, but it’s a new staff so maybe they can turn that trend. Umeozulu is strong academically, so that could keep Texas in it.

Jacob Sexton - Edmond (OK) – 25% - The idea of landing a top national prospect out of the state of Oklahoma feels like a longshot.

Defensive End

Committed: None

Uncommitted Targets:

Jaray Bledsoe – Bremond – 40% - He’s a tough one for me to read but one A&M source feels the Aggies lead over Texas.

Zac Swanson - Phoenix (AZ) Brophy Prep – 40% - Texas is in his top four, so it’ll be interesting to see how hard the staff begins to push if Swanson wants to commit early. Texas is a new offer but he likes UT enough to have the Longhorns near the top of his list. He’s also been to Austin a few times and could return this spring. One worth watching closely.

Omari Abor – Duncanville – 30% - This one’s always felt to me like OU was the team to beat. We’ll see if Bo Davis can flip this one.

Ernest Cooper - Arlington Martin – 35% - Texas has had recent success at his school but Cooper isn’t necessarily one to follow others just for the heck of it. He’s big on academics, and schools like Notre Dame and Stanford have been in a good spot early on.

Defensive Tackle

Committed: None

Uncommitted Targets:

Kristopher Ross - North Shore – 70% - He’ll have a decision later this month. One person I recently talked to said it’s all Texas. I’m not quite ready to go that far, but it does feel like Texas has a solid lead.

Domonique Orange - North Kansas City – 35% - He’s on the list because he recently told Rivals.com he’d had a call with UT and was very interested. This one’s in the preliminary stages with UT offering last week but he’s on the radar.

Linebacker

Committed:

Trevell Johnson - Arlington Martin – A nice early pick-up for Texas with the speedy playmaker.

Uncommitted Targets:

Harold Perkins - Cy Park – 40% - A couple months ago, this one looked like it was all A&M and while that’s still where I’d put my money, he does seem a bit more open than previously believed. Texas had slid in this one but the new staff has UT back in striking distance.

Kip Lewis – Carthage – 40% - Lewis is keeping things open and playing it close to a vest, but he does want to study business so you’d think Texas would be a factor in this one. Too early to predict with much certainty.

Niuafe Tuihalamaka - Mission Hills (CA) Bishop Alemany – 35% - Notre Dame is the team to beat and some would say my odds here are too high, but in talking to Tuihalamaka recently, his interest in Texas is strong.

Martrell Harris Jr. - The Woodlands – 30% - Texas did recently re-offer, but A&M appears to be the team to beat.

Derrick Brown - Texarkana Texas High – 30% - Texas is a new offer so we’ll have to see how strongly he considers it. OU did offer in January and having former teammate Clayton Smith as a Sooner is something OU people feel will help their chances.

Defensive Back

Committed:

Jaylon Guilbeau - Port Arthur Memorial – There was a brief time after the coaching change when Guilbeau thought about opening things up but the new staff has done a good job of answering any questions he had.

Bryan Allen Jr. – Aledo – A big recent pick-up for Texas to bolster what should be a strong DB class.

Uncommitted Targets:

Bryce Anderson - Beaumont Westbrook – 65% - A week or so ago I would have had this one a bit higher but schools like A&M aren’t going to give up. Still, I think Texas wins out here in the near future.

Denver Harris - North Shore – 55% - I’m a bit gun-shy on this one since some of our regional/national reporters feel he’ll wind up in the SEC, but Texas is in his top four and one person I communicated with recently thought the Longhorns had the edge. Tough competition with A&M, Bama and LSU filling out his list of finalists but I’ll cautiously stick with Texas as being the team to beat until I hear otherwise.

Terrance Brooks - Plano Pope John Paul II – 45% - Some might feel this is a bit high but whenever I’ve talked to Brooks, he’s had a certain excitement about the Longhorns. Him also having a relationship with Terry Joseph from Joseph’s time at Notre Dame can’t hurt. I’m not sure who the leader is, but I have a suspicion that Texas is in a better spot than some think.

Ish Harris - Pilot Point – 40% - Another recent offer, but that didn’t stop Texas from making his recently-released top six. I need to catch up with him to pick his brain, but his unique skill set seems like it would fit in well with UT’s new scheme.

Jacoby Mathews - Ponchatoula (LA) – 35% - Texas is in his top six and there’s a connection with Terry Joseph, who played for Mathews’ head coach in the 90s, but one person I talked to this week thinks LSU and Florida have the advantage right now.

Austin Jordan - Denton Ryan – 30% - Texas is in his top three but it feels like the Longhorns are working from behind.

Chace Biddle – Garland – 30% - Oklahoma has been believed to be the leader for a while. Not sure Texas is much of a factor right now.

Jarred Kerr – Lexington – 25% - Texas has other guys higher on the board so this one feels unlikely.

*****

(Ketch)

With the release of the debut of the LSR Top 100 for 2023 on Thursday, I thought I'd introduce a number of you to the key players in the 2023 class to keep an eye on very early in the process. It won't be long before these names are dominating the discussion.

1. Anthony Hills - LB - Denton Ryan

Has Texas Offered: Yes

Total Offers: (18) Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and USC (among others)

Things to Know: Hill is just beginning to dive into the recruiting process head first, but the Longhorns might be the top regional school in play. Expect this one to be a true national heavyweight battle royal.

Key Quote (From the Michigan Rivals site 2 weeks ago): "I’m just trying to play it evenly,” Hill said. “I’m trying to talk to every school. I want to keep all of my options open. I haven’t been able to visit any schools, so I want to make sure I can see schools like Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Texas and more. I want to go everywhere.”

2. Reuben Owens - RB - El Campo

Has Texas Offered: Yes (Committed)

Total Offers: (20) Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and USC (among others)

Things to Know: Owens is the first Texas commitment in the 2023 class and a true foundation piece for Steve Sarkisian to build the class around.

3. Javien Toviano - DB - Arlington Martin

Has Texas Offered: Yes

Total Offers: (11) Arkansas, Baylor, Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Texas A&M (among others)

Things to Know: It's a little early to make shape of the direction of Toviano's recruitment, but the fact that the Longhorns have landed two of his defensive teammates in the last few classes should help the Longhorns in its attempt to position itself as a major factor in his recruitment.

4. Anthony James - DE - Wylie East

Has Texas Offered: No (Tom Herman's staff offered in October)

Total Offers: (10) Arkansas, Baylor, Florida State, Georgia, LSU and Utah (among others)

Things to Know: James committed to Texas A&M on February 11th and seems pretty all-in on the Aggies. While the Longhorns offered back in 2020 when Herman was still in charge, but haven't been heavily involved since Sarkisian and Co. arrived.

Key quote: "A&M sees me as a strongside end. I see myself being able to play both sides .. if needed. I’ve been flexible through high school and I want to be an asset. They want to take advantage of my speed and power and just cause havoc. Being able to play the strongside is what I wanted. Football wasn’t a hard sell. SEC football in Texas is dope."

5. Jalen Hale - WR - Longview

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (20) Arkansas, Baylor, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Texas A&M (among others)

Things to Know: Hale is as hot as any prospect in the entire state in the Class of 2023. Don't be shocked if this turns into a Texas vs Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma battle when it's all said and done. At this point, he hasn't taken visits to any of his favorite schools, including the in-state schools.

6. Jaquaize Pettaway - WR - Langham Creek

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (8) Arkansas, Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Penn State and USC (among others)

Things to Know: Pettaway's stock has been taking off in the last couple of weeks. Stay tuned.

7. Avion Carter - DE - Amarillo Tascosa

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (8) Baylor, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and USC (among others)

Things to Know: The offers have been pouring in from all of the regional power brokers lately - Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma just in the last couple of weeks. The Longhorns and Sooners are two schools that were mentioned this week when I spoke with connected with his high school program this week.

8. Jamel Johnson - DB - Arlington Seguin

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (17) Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas A&M and USC (among others)

Things to Know: Johnson's recruitment is just now taking off and the Longhorns should be right in the center of it as he starts to take visits and explore his options.

9. Isaiah Robinson - OL - Arlington Lamar

Has Texas Offered: No (Herman's staff offered last October)

Total Offers: (4) Baylor, Oklahoma State, SMU and Texas A&M

Things to Know: The Aggies are Robinson's most recent offer Don't be surprised if the Longhorns join the party on the near future.

Key Quote: "It was kind of ... expected (Texas offering in October). My coaches at Lamar showed me the message from one of the coaches at Texas, they were showing interest in me and I expected them to be the first (offer), but when it actually happened I was shocked at the same time. It was really nice. I've messaged their new OL coach (Kyle Flood) and I'm excited to hear back."

10. Jordan Renaud - DL - Lewisville

Has Texas Offered: Yes

Total Offers: (12) Arizona State, Baylor, Florida State, Miami, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas A&M (among others)

Things to Know: This is a recruitment that will be interesting to watch as the former Florida prep star has offers from most of the big regional programs and will likely have his choice of options if he wants to go home to the Sunshine State.

11. Dylan Spender- DE - Katy Taylor

Has Texas Offered: No (Herman's staff offered last October)

Total Offers: (3) Baylor and Texas A&M

Things to Know: The Longhorns were his first offer last fall, but the new Texas staff has not yet re-offered. The offer from the Aggies in the last week could end up being the offer that needed to go out that causes other programs around the region to offer. Expect his stock to soar in the coming months.

12. Deldrick Madison- DB - Madison

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (9) Baylor, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and SMU

Things to Know: The Longhorns offered back on February 24th and it's fair to say that Madison has a desire to look around at his options in the coming months.

Key Quote: (Via Rivals 2 weeks ag) “I’m blessed to see all those offers,” Madison said. “There are more to come. I’m just going to stay humble and keep grinding. I want to visit schools like Michigan, Ohio State, Florida State and LSU.”

13. Harris Sewell- OL - Odessa Permian

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (11) Baylor, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Oregon, TCU, Texas A&M and Texas Tech (among others)

Things to Know: With an offer from Sarkisian in the last few weeks, expect the Longhorns to be front and center in his recruitment in the coming months.

14. Jaden Greathouse- WR/H-back - Austin Westlake

Has Texas Offered: No (Herman's staff offered almost 12 months ago)

Total Offers: (3) Baylor, Oklahoma and Penn State

Things to Know: It's interesting that Greathouse's stock hasn't taken off a little more, as only Penn State has offered in the last month.

15. Tre Wisner- Ath - Waco Connally

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (10) Baylor, Florida State, Oklahoma, Ohio State and USC (among others)

Things to Know: Wisner's offer list has gone from zero to hero in less than a month. At this point, this feels like the infancy stage of his recruitment.

Lotta garbage in there but one thing interesting is that Maalik apparently told them it will only be a 1 QB class unless there's a transfer before the season.

texifornia · March 5, 2021

9 minutes ago, Bodacious Bevo said:

OB also did percentages for 2022 targets and Ketch did a rundown of his top 15 2023 prospects

Reveal hidden contents

With Thursday morning’s release of the 2022 recruiting board, I figured this would be a good time to go through the board, player by player, and give my thoughts on why I have Texas’ chances where I have them.

A couple notes before I go through each guy …

--- This is a trickier task than in years past due in part to the pandemic, and due in part with the way Texas is targeting so many out-of-state guys. Normally, I don’t put a guy “on the board” unless he’s been to campus, has released a top five or something and has Texas in it or has some legitimate connection/interest to the school. If Texas offers some dude out of New Jersey who is pretty much locked in for Notre Dame, he usually stays in the “offered and interested” category until he commits without ever hitting the board. The task of deciphering who should be on the board and who should not is a bit more difficult this year with Texas’ seemingly drawing legitimate interest from guys out West, but with those players being unable to visit.

TL/DR … some unpredictability this year and there will probably be a lot of movement on and off the board in the coming months.

--- Thoughts on each position …

Quarterback – In great shape with a commitment from Maalik Murphy. Anything else is just gravy.

Running Back – Also in great shape with Jaydon Blue. Texas will take two and has several legitimate options.

Wide Receiver – Great shape early on with two big-time commitments. Still some heavy hitters on the board and Texas needs to find a way to close on at least one more Rivals100 type.

Tight End – Why is this position so damn tough to predict every year? Not sure how this one will shake out but I wouldn’t worry about this group with Jeff Banks leading the charge.

Offensive Line – Texas is in a good spot with a few top guys in state, but absolutely has to find a way to close the deal with a couple of the Lone Star studs.

Defensive End – Kind of an interesting start with this position group. Bo Davis may have to land one or two guys from outside the state.

Defensive Tackle –Texas needs to land Kristopher Ross later this month … not a ton of other clear options at this point.

Linebacker – The pick-up of Trevell Johnson is underrated IMO, but if Texas can find a way to climb to the top and land someone like Harold Perkins that feels like it could be a real game-changer for defensive recruiting.

Defensive backs – Two commitments and in a good spot with a couple others. On top of that, I’m not sure I’m not short-changing UT’s chances with Terrence Brooks a bit. This group has a chance to be fantastic if the pieces come together like I think they might.

Let’s go through each player that’s on the board.

Quarterback

Committed:

Maalik Murphy - Gardena Serra – You all know the story here. Murphy committed last month and he was in Austin last weekend on his own dime. Coming home from that trip, he said he feels more confident than ever in his decision.

Uncommitted Targets:

None – We’ll see if that changes, but Murphy told us he was given indication it would be a one-QB class unless there were departures with the QBs currently on campus.

Running Back

Committed:

Jaydon Blue - Klein Cain – Blue had been trending UT’s way for a while (aside from a very brief stint when Bama jumped out in front) and getting him on board early was huge for Texas. Not only is he a terrific prospect, he’s very personable and will use those tools to recruit on Texas’ behalf.

Uncommitted Targets:

Jamarion Miller - Tyler Legacy – 40% - When I was first building this, I had Miller and Tavorus Jones both at 35% but then I bumped Miller up. It’s not based on anything he’s told me or anything new I’ve heard, but this one has always made sense with his strong feelings towards UT and his brother being a one-time Texas commitment.

Tavorus Jones – El Paso Burges – 35% - Jones is a guy who has had Texas at or near the top of his list for a while. In fact, he told me once in the fall he was considering giving an early commitment. Predicting how the second back in this class will go is tough right now but Jones feels like one of the stronger candidates.

Emeka Megwa - Fort Worth Nolan Catholic – 25% - I’ve got Megwa behind the others since other schools have been viewed as a more likely destination than Texas (mostly OU). We’ll see how hard the UT staff pushes here because it feels like there are other options that better fit the Longhorns’ needs.

Zach Evans - Rockwall-Heath – 25% - If Texas really pushed here, I could see the Longhorns making some noise – he did tell me recently that UT is one of the three schools standing out for him, after all. Lots of Notre Dame buzz here, but we’ll see if he wants to be part of a two-Texan RB class with Jadarian Price. This feels like one we could need to circle back to if Evans waits things out and if guys like Jones and Miller aren’t looking like strong possibilities at some point.

Wide Receiver

Committed:

Evan Stewart - Frisco Liberty – This one feels like it could go down as one of the biggest pick-ups of the year for Texas. Stewart is that talented. He committed two weeks ago but it feels like two months ago with the roll UT has been on. Getting Stewart on board early was big because other programs, like Alabama, were trying to make a push.

Armani Winfield – Lewisville – Winfield gave Texas a commitment at halftime of the national championship game, before Steve Sarkisian had even made it to Austin. No reason to be worried about this one.

Uncommitted Targets:

Kevin Coleman - St. Louis St Mary's – 35% - Alabama is the team to beat here by Coleman’s admission recently, but he isn’t deciding until January. If that’s the case, I could see Texas making this race closer if the UT offense takes a step forward in the fall and if Bama takes a step back without Sarkisian in Tuscaloosa.

CJ Williams - Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei – 40% - Williams hasn’t released a formal list of favorites but when he does, Texas will definitely make the cut. He’s hoping to get to Austin soon, possibly for a player-led visit. Tough one to call clearly right now but he really likes Texas and Maalik Murphy is in his ear. I’m not sure I’d call UT the outright leader but I’m not sure I’d put anyone above the Longhorns either.

Jordan Hudson – Garland – 40% - Yeah, he’s committed to Oklahoma and he’s done things publicly to support that decision (Horns down) but I’m not buying those actions. Hudson likes Texas a lot, he’s regularly in touch with Sarkisian and he’s another guy Maalik Murphy is working on.

Chris Marshall - Fort Bend Marshall – 40% - A&M is the team to beat right now but Texas is very much within striking distance.

Brenen Thompson – Spearman - 30% - A week ago, I would have put this one closer to 40 percent. Now, with Cade Klubnik’s Clemson committing having an impact, 30% might be too high.

Nicholas Anderson – Katy – 25% - Texas has offered but it feels like he’s behind a handful of others on their board.

Arlis Boardingham - Lake Balboa (CA) Birmingham – 25% - He recently listed some favorites before Texas offered. He’s a guy I need to check with to get his pulse, but in-state targets (and CJ Williams) will get the bigger push early.

Tight End

Committed: None

Uncommitted Targets:

Holden Staes - Atlanta Westminster – 35% - Tight end is tough to read right now. Staes is a former Penn State commitment who has been in touch with Texas quite a bit, but I don’t think he’s anywhere close to a decision. Texas does have a handful of other out-of-state offers out, but it’s too early to tell how serious the interest is on those players’ part.

Offensive Line

Committed: None

Uncommitted Targets:

Connor Robertson – Westlake – 75% - Ties to the program, plays at Austin Westlake. It makes sense, and there’s buzz behind the scenes to confirm those thoughts that Texas is in a great spot.

Devon Campbell - Arlington Bowie – 60% - He recently listed a group of favorites that unsurprisingly included Texas. The Longhorns have been in a good spot for this one for a while … they just need to continue to build on their already strong relationship and maintain that position.

Kelvin Banks - Houston Summer Creek – 50% - This one feels like an old-fashioned in-state battle brewing. Too early to call but I’d be surprised if it was anyone other than A&M or Texas.

Kam Dewberry – Atascocita – 40% - Texas has made up ground under Kyle Flood so it’s trending up but the Longhorns are probably still playing from behind. We’ll see if that changes. He likes Ohio State, but I’d expect him to pick a regional school like OU, A&M, Texas or maybe even LSU.

Malik Agbo - Federal Way (WA) Todd Beamer – 40% In talking to Agbo a couple weeks ago, his interest in Texas is definitely legit. He knows Maalik Murphy, he was genuinely excited when UT offered and he’s probably not staying close to home.

Cole Hutson – Frisco – 30% - Lots of comp in this one so no way I can call Texas a leader, but he was genuinely excited about his recent re-offer.

Neto Umeozulu – Allen – 30% - Texas doesn’t usually have a ton of success in Allen, but it’s a new staff so maybe they can turn that trend. Umeozulu is strong academically, so that could keep Texas in it.

Jacob Sexton - Edmond (OK) – 25% - The idea of landing a top national prospect out of the state of Oklahoma feels like a longshot.

Defensive End

Committed: None

Uncommitted Targets:

Jaray Bledsoe – Bremond – 40% - He’s a tough one for me to read but one A&M source feels the Aggies lead over Texas.

Zac Swanson - Phoenix (AZ) Brophy Prep – 40% - Texas is in his top four, so it’ll be interesting to see how hard the staff begins to push if Swanson wants to commit early. Texas is a new offer but he likes UT enough to have the Longhorns near the top of his list. He’s also been to Austin a few times and could return this spring. One worth watching closely.

Omari Abor – Duncanville – 30% - This one’s always felt to me like OU was the team to beat. We’ll see if Bo Davis can flip this one.

Ernest Cooper - Arlington Martin – 35% - Texas has had recent success at his school but Cooper isn’t necessarily one to follow others just for the heck of it. He’s big on academics, and schools like Notre Dame and Stanford have been in a good spot early on.

Defensive Tackle

Committed: None

Uncommitted Targets:

Kristopher Ross - North Shore – 70% - He’ll have a decision later this month. One person I recently talked to said it’s all Texas. I’m not quite ready to go that far, but it does feel like Texas has a solid lead.

Domonique Orange - North Kansas City – 35% - He’s on the list because he recently told Rivals.com he’d had a call with UT and was very interested. This one’s in the preliminary stages with UT offering last week but he’s on the radar.

Linebacker

Committed:

Trevell Johnson - Arlington Martin – A nice early pick-up for Texas with the speedy playmaker.

Uncommitted Targets:

Harold Perkins - Cy Park – 40% - A couple months ago, this one looked like it was all A&M and while that’s still where I’d put my money, he does seem a bit more open than previously believed. Texas had slid in this one but the new staff has UT back in striking distance.

Kip Lewis – Carthage – 40% - Lewis is keeping things open and playing it close to a vest, but he does want to study business so you’d think Texas would be a factor in this one. Too early to predict with much certainty.

Niuafe Tuihalamaka - Mission Hills (CA) Bishop Alemany – 35% - Notre Dame is the team to beat and some would say my odds here are too high, but in talking to Tuihalamaka recently, his interest in Texas is strong.

Martrell Harris Jr. - The Woodlands – 30% - Texas did recently re-offer, but A&M appears to be the team to beat.

Derrick Brown - Texarkana Texas High – 30% - Texas is a new offer so we’ll have to see how strongly he considers it. OU did offer in January and having former teammate Clayton Smith as a Sooner is something OU people feel will help their chances.

Defensive Back

Committed:

Jaylon Guilbeau - Port Arthur Memorial – There was a brief time after the coaching change when Guilbeau thought about opening things up but the new staff has done a good job of answering any questions he had.

Bryan Allen Jr. – Aledo – A big recent pick-up for Texas to bolster what should be a strong DB class.

Uncommitted Targets:

Bryce Anderson - Beaumont Westbrook – 65% - A week or so ago I would have had this one a bit higher but schools like A&M aren’t going to give up. Still, I think Texas wins out here in the near future.

Denver Harris - North Shore – 55% - I’m a bit gun-shy on this one since some of our regional/national reporters feel he’ll wind up in the SEC, but Texas is in his top four and one person I communicated with recently thought the Longhorns had the edge. Tough competition with A&M, Bama and LSU filling out his list of finalists but I’ll cautiously stick with Texas as being the team to beat until I hear otherwise.

Terrance Brooks - Plano Pope John Paul II – 45% - Some might feel this is a bit high but whenever I’ve talked to Brooks, he’s had a certain excitement about the Longhorns. Him also having a relationship with Terry Joseph from Joseph’s time at Notre Dame can’t hurt. I’m not sure who the leader is, but I have a suspicion that Texas is in a better spot than some think.

Ish Harris - Pilot Point – 40% - Another recent offer, but that didn’t stop Texas from making his recently-released top six. I need to catch up with him to pick his brain, but his unique skill set seems like it would fit in well with UT’s new scheme.

Jacoby Mathews - Ponchatoula (LA) – 35% - Texas is in his top six and there’s a connection with Terry Joseph, who played for Mathews’ head coach in the 90s, but one person I talked to this week thinks LSU and Florida have the advantage right now.

Austin Jordan - Denton Ryan – 30% - Texas is in his top three but it feels like the Longhorns are working from behind.

Chace Biddle – Garland – 30% - Oklahoma has been believed to be the leader for a while. Not sure Texas is much of a factor right now.

Jarred Kerr – Lexington – 25% - Texas has other guys higher on the board so this one feels unlikely.

*****

(Ketch)

With the release of the debut of the LSR Top 100 for 2023 on Thursday, I thought I'd introduce a number of you to the key players in the 2023 class to keep an eye on very early in the process. It won't be long before these names are dominating the discussion.

1. Anthony Hills - LB - Denton Ryan

Has Texas Offered: Yes

Total Offers: (18) Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and USC (among others)

Things to Know: Hill is just beginning to dive into the recruiting process head first, but the Longhorns might be the top regional school in play. Expect this one to be a true national heavyweight battle royal.

Key Quote (From the Michigan Rivals site 2 weeks ago): "I’m just trying to play it evenly,” Hill said. “I’m trying to talk to every school. I want to keep all of my options open. I haven’t been able to visit any schools, so I want to make sure I can see schools like Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Texas and more. I want to go everywhere.”

2. Reuben Owens - RB - El Campo

Has Texas Offered: Yes (Committed)

Total Offers: (20) Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and USC (among others)

Things to Know: Owens is the first Texas commitment in the 2023 class and a true foundation piece for Steve Sarkisian to build the class around.

3. Javien Toviano - DB - Arlington Martin

Has Texas Offered: Yes

Total Offers: (11) Arkansas, Baylor, Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Texas A&M (among others)

Things to Know: It's a little early to make shape of the direction of Toviano's recruitment, but the fact that the Longhorns have landed two of his defensive teammates in the last few classes should help the Longhorns in its attempt to position itself as a major factor in his recruitment.

4. Anthony James - DE - Wylie East

Has Texas Offered: No (Tom Herman's staff offered in October)

Total Offers: (10) Arkansas, Baylor, Florida State, Georgia, LSU and Utah (among others)

Things to Know: James committed to Texas A&M on February 11th and seems pretty all-in on the Aggies. While the Longhorns offered back in 2020 when Herman was still in charge, but haven't been heavily involved since Sarkisian and Co. arrived.

Key quote: "A&M sees me as a strongside end. I see myself being able to play both sides .. if needed. I’ve been flexible through high school and I want to be an asset. They want to take advantage of my speed and power and just cause havoc. Being able to play the strongside is what I wanted. Football wasn’t a hard sell. SEC football in Texas is dope."

5. Jalen Hale - WR - Longview

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (20) Arkansas, Baylor, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Texas A&M (among others)

Things to Know: Hale is as hot as any prospect in the entire state in the Class of 2023. Don't be shocked if this turns into a Texas vs Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma battle when it's all said and done. At this point, he hasn't taken visits to any of his favorite schools, including the in-state schools.

6. Jaquaize Pettaway - WR - Langham Creek

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (8) Arkansas, Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Penn State and USC (among others)

Things to Know: Pettaway's stock has been taking off in the last couple of weeks. Stay tuned.

7. Avion Carter - DE - Amarillo Tascosa

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (8) Baylor, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and USC (among others)

Things to Know: The offers have been pouring in from all of the regional power brokers lately - Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma just in the last couple of weeks. The Longhorns and Sooners are two schools that were mentioned this week when I spoke with connected with his high school program this week.

8. Jamel Johnson - DB - Arlington Seguin

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (17) Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas A&M and USC (among others)

Things to Know: Johnson's recruitment is just now taking off and the Longhorns should be right in the center of it as he starts to take visits and explore his options.

9. Isaiah Robinson - OL - Arlington Lamar

Has Texas Offered: No (Herman's staff offered last October)

Total Offers: (4) Baylor, Oklahoma State, SMU and Texas A&M

Things to Know: The Aggies are Robinson's most recent offer Don't be surprised if the Longhorns join the party on the near future.

Key Quote: "It was kind of ... expected (Texas offering in October). My coaches at Lamar showed me the message from one of the coaches at Texas, they were showing interest in me and I expected them to be the first (offer), but when it actually happened I was shocked at the same time. It was really nice. I've messaged their new OL coach (Kyle Flood) and I'm excited to hear back."

10. Jordan Renaud - DL - Lewisville

Has Texas Offered: Yes

Total Offers: (12) Arizona State, Baylor, Florida State, Miami, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas A&M (among others)

Things to Know: This is a recruitment that will be interesting to watch as the former Florida prep star has offers from most of the big regional programs and will likely have his choice of options if he wants to go home to the Sunshine State.

11. Dylan Spender- DE - Katy Taylor

Has Texas Offered: No (Herman's staff offered last October)

Total Offers: (3) Baylor and Texas A&M

Things to Know: The Longhorns were his first offer last fall, but the new Texas staff has not yet re-offered. The offer from the Aggies in the last week could end up being the offer that needed to go out that causes other programs around the region to offer. Expect his stock to soar in the coming months.

12. Deldrick Madison- DB - Madison

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (9) Baylor, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and SMU

Things to Know: The Longhorns offered back on February 24th and it's fair to say that Madison has a desire to look around at his options in the coming months.

Key Quote: (Via Rivals 2 weeks ag) “I’m blessed to see all those offers,” Madison said. “There are more to come. I’m just going to stay humble and keep grinding. I want to visit schools like Michigan, Ohio State, Florida State and LSU.”

13. Harris Sewell- OL - Odessa Permian

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (11) Baylor, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Oregon, TCU, Texas A&M and Texas Tech (among others)

Things to Know: With an offer from Sarkisian in the last few weeks, expect the Longhorns to be front and center in his recruitment in the coming months.

14. Jaden Greathouse- WR/H-back - Austin Westlake

Has Texas Offered: No (Herman's staff offered almost 12 months ago)

Total Offers: (3) Baylor, Oklahoma and Penn State

Things to Know: It's interesting that Greathouse's stock hasn't taken off a little more, as only Penn State has offered in the last month.

15. Tre Wisner- Ath - Waco Connally

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (10) Baylor, Florida State, Oklahoma, Ohio State and USC (among others)

Things to Know: Wisner's offer list has gone from zero to hero in less than a month. At this point, this feels like the infancy stage of his recruitment.

Lotta garbage in there but one thing interesting is that Maalik apparently told them it will only be a 1 QB class unless there's a transfer before the season.

The way he doesn't differentiate offer and re-offer in the 22s is really weird.

tokamak · March 5, 2021

Is OB the only site that's even still mentioning Tavorus Jones? Haven't heard his name in forever.

RaysBoomBoomRoom · March 5, 2021

20 minutes ago, Bodacious Bevo said:

OB also did percentages for 2022 targets and Ketch did a rundown of his top 15 2023 prospects

Reveal hidden contents

With Thursday morning’s release of the 2022 recruiting board, I figured this would be a good time to go through the board, player by player, and give my thoughts on why I have Texas’ chances where I have them.

A couple notes before I go through each guy …

--- This is a trickier task than in years past due in part to the pandemic, and due in part with the way Texas is targeting so many out-of-state guys. Normally, I don’t put a guy “on the board” unless he’s been to campus, has released a top five or something and has Texas in it or has some legitimate connection/interest to the school. If Texas offers some dude out of New Jersey who is pretty much locked in for Notre Dame, he usually stays in the “offered and interested” category until he commits without ever hitting the board. The task of deciphering who should be on the board and who should not is a bit more difficult this year with Texas’ seemingly drawing legitimate interest from guys out West, but with those players being unable to visit.

TL/DR … some unpredictability this year and there will probably be a lot of movement on and off the board in the coming months.

--- Thoughts on each position …

Quarterback – In great shape with a commitment from Maalik Murphy. Anything else is just gravy.

Running Back – Also in great shape with Jaydon Blue. Texas will take two and has several legitimate options.

Wide Receiver – Great shape early on with two big-time commitments. Still some heavy hitters on the board and Texas needs to find a way to close on at least one more Rivals100 type.

Tight End – Why is this position so damn tough to predict every year? Not sure how this one will shake out but I wouldn’t worry about this group with Jeff Banks leading the charge.

Offensive Line – Texas is in a good spot with a few top guys in state, but absolutely has to find a way to close the deal with a couple of the Lone Star studs.

Defensive End – Kind of an interesting start with this position group. Bo Davis may have to land one or two guys from outside the state.

Defensive Tackle –Texas needs to land Kristopher Ross later this month … not a ton of other clear options at this point.

Linebacker – The pick-up of Trevell Johnson is underrated IMO, but if Texas can find a way to climb to the top and land someone like Harold Perkins that feels like it could be a real game-changer for defensive recruiting.

Defensive backs – Two commitments and in a good spot with a couple others. On top of that, I’m not sure I’m not short-changing UT’s chances with Terrence Brooks a bit. This group has a chance to be fantastic if the pieces come together like I think they might.

Let’s go through each player that’s on the board.

Quarterback

Committed:

Maalik Murphy - Gardena Serra – You all know the story here. Murphy committed last month and he was in Austin last weekend on his own dime. Coming home from that trip, he said he feels more confident than ever in his decision.

Uncommitted Targets:

None – We’ll see if that changes, but Murphy told us he was given indication it would be a one-QB class unless there were departures with the QBs currently on campus.

Running Back

Committed:

Jaydon Blue - Klein Cain – Blue had been trending UT’s way for a while (aside from a very brief stint when Bama jumped out in front) and getting him on board early was huge for Texas. Not only is he a terrific prospect, he’s very personable and will use those tools to recruit on Texas’ behalf.

Uncommitted Targets:

Jamarion Miller - Tyler Legacy – 40% - When I was first building this, I had Miller and Tavorus Jones both at 35% but then I bumped Miller up. It’s not based on anything he’s told me or anything new I’ve heard, but this one has always made sense with his strong feelings towards UT and his brother being a one-time Texas commitment.

Tavorus Jones – El Paso Burges – 35% - Jones is a guy who has had Texas at or near the top of his list for a while. In fact, he told me once in the fall he was considering giving an early commitment. Predicting how the second back in this class will go is tough right now but Jones feels like one of the stronger candidates.

Emeka Megwa - Fort Worth Nolan Catholic – 25% - I’ve got Megwa behind the others since other schools have been viewed as a more likely destination than Texas (mostly OU). We’ll see how hard the UT staff pushes here because it feels like there are other options that better fit the Longhorns’ needs.

Zach Evans - Rockwall-Heath – 25% - If Texas really pushed here, I could see the Longhorns making some noise – he did tell me recently that UT is one of the three schools standing out for him, after all. Lots of Notre Dame buzz here, but we’ll see if he wants to be part of a two-Texan RB class with Jadarian Price. This feels like one we could need to circle back to if Evans waits things out and if guys like Jones and Miller aren’t looking like strong possibilities at some point.

Wide Receiver

Committed:

Evan Stewart - Frisco Liberty – This one feels like it could go down as one of the biggest pick-ups of the year for Texas. Stewart is that talented. He committed two weeks ago but it feels like two months ago with the roll UT has been on. Getting Stewart on board early was big because other programs, like Alabama, were trying to make a push.

Armani Winfield – Lewisville – Winfield gave Texas a commitment at halftime of the national championship game, before Steve Sarkisian had even made it to Austin. No reason to be worried about this one.

Uncommitted Targets:

Kevin Coleman - St. Louis St Mary's – 35% - Alabama is the team to beat here by Coleman’s admission recently, but he isn’t deciding until January. If that’s the case, I could see Texas making this race closer if the UT offense takes a step forward in the fall and if Bama takes a step back without Sarkisian in Tuscaloosa.

CJ Williams - Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei – 40% - Williams hasn’t released a formal list of favorites but when he does, Texas will definitely make the cut. He’s hoping to get to Austin soon, possibly for a player-led visit. Tough one to call clearly right now but he really likes Texas and Maalik Murphy is in his ear. I’m not sure I’d call UT the outright leader but I’m not sure I’d put anyone above the Longhorns either.

Jordan Hudson – Garland – 40% - Yeah, he’s committed to Oklahoma and he’s done things publicly to support that decision (Horns down) but I’m not buying those actions. Hudson likes Texas a lot, he’s regularly in touch with Sarkisian and he’s another guy Maalik Murphy is working on.

Chris Marshall - Fort Bend Marshall – 40% - A&M is the team to beat right now but Texas is very much within striking distance.

Brenen Thompson – Spearman - 30% - A week ago, I would have put this one closer to 40 percent. Now, with Cade Klubnik’s Clemson committing having an impact, 30% might be too high.

Nicholas Anderson – Katy – 25% - Texas has offered but it feels like he’s behind a handful of others on their board.

Arlis Boardingham - Lake Balboa (CA) Birmingham – 25% - He recently listed some favorites before Texas offered. He’s a guy I need to check with to get his pulse, but in-state targets (and CJ Williams) will get the bigger push early.

Tight End

Committed: None

Uncommitted Targets:

Holden Staes - Atlanta Westminster – 35% - Tight end is tough to read right now. Staes is a former Penn State commitment who has been in touch with Texas quite a bit, but I don’t think he’s anywhere close to a decision. Texas does have a handful of other out-of-state offers out, but it’s too early to tell how serious the interest is on those players’ part.

Offensive Line

Committed: None

Uncommitted Targets:

Connor Robertson – Westlake – 75% - Ties to the program, plays at Austin Westlake. It makes sense, and there’s buzz behind the scenes to confirm those thoughts that Texas is in a great spot.

Devon Campbell - Arlington Bowie – 60% - He recently listed a group of favorites that unsurprisingly included Texas. The Longhorns have been in a good spot for this one for a while … they just need to continue to build on their already strong relationship and maintain that position.

Kelvin Banks - Houston Summer Creek – 50% - This one feels like an old-fashioned in-state battle brewing. Too early to call but I’d be surprised if it was anyone other than A&M or Texas.

Kam Dewberry – Atascocita – 40% - Texas has made up ground under Kyle Flood so it’s trending up but the Longhorns are probably still playing from behind. We’ll see if that changes. He likes Ohio State, but I’d expect him to pick a regional school like OU, A&M, Texas or maybe even LSU.

Malik Agbo - Federal Way (WA) Todd Beamer – 40% In talking to Agbo a couple weeks ago, his interest in Texas is definitely legit. He knows Maalik Murphy, he was genuinely excited when UT offered and he’s probably not staying close to home.

Cole Hutson – Frisco – 30% - Lots of comp in this one so no way I can call Texas a leader, but he was genuinely excited about his recent re-offer.

Neto Umeozulu – Allen – 30% - Texas doesn’t usually have a ton of success in Allen, but it’s a new staff so maybe they can turn that trend. Umeozulu is strong academically, so that could keep Texas in it.

Jacob Sexton - Edmond (OK) – 25% - The idea of landing a top national prospect out of the state of Oklahoma feels like a longshot.

Defensive End

Committed: None

Uncommitted Targets:

Jaray Bledsoe – Bremond – 40% - He’s a tough one for me to read but one A&M source feels the Aggies lead over Texas.

Zac Swanson - Phoenix (AZ) Brophy Prep – 40% - Texas is in his top four, so it’ll be interesting to see how hard the staff begins to push if Swanson wants to commit early. Texas is a new offer but he likes UT enough to have the Longhorns near the top of his list. He’s also been to Austin a few times and could return this spring. One worth watching closely.

Omari Abor – Duncanville – 30% - This one’s always felt to me like OU was the team to beat. We’ll see if Bo Davis can flip this one.

Ernest Cooper - Arlington Martin – 35% - Texas has had recent success at his school but Cooper isn’t necessarily one to follow others just for the heck of it. He’s big on academics, and schools like Notre Dame and Stanford have been in a good spot early on.

Defensive Tackle

Committed: None

Uncommitted Targets:

Kristopher Ross - North Shore – 70% - He’ll have a decision later this month. One person I recently talked to said it’s all Texas. I’m not quite ready to go that far, but it does feel like Texas has a solid lead.

Domonique Orange - North Kansas City – 35% - He’s on the list because he recently told Rivals.com he’d had a call with UT and was very interested. This one’s in the preliminary stages with UT offering last week but he’s on the radar.

Linebacker

Committed:

Trevell Johnson - Arlington Martin – A nice early pick-up for Texas with the speedy playmaker.

Uncommitted Targets:

Harold Perkins - Cy Park – 40% - A couple months ago, this one looked like it was all A&M and while that’s still where I’d put my money, he does seem a bit more open than previously believed. Texas had slid in this one but the new staff has UT back in striking distance.

Kip Lewis – Carthage – 40% - Lewis is keeping things open and playing it close to a vest, but he does want to study business so you’d think Texas would be a factor in this one. Too early to predict with much certainty.

Niuafe Tuihalamaka - Mission Hills (CA) Bishop Alemany – 35% - Notre Dame is the team to beat and some would say my odds here are too high, but in talking to Tuihalamaka recently, his interest in Texas is strong.

Martrell Harris Jr. - The Woodlands – 30% - Texas did recently re-offer, but A&M appears to be the team to beat.

Derrick Brown - Texarkana Texas High – 30% - Texas is a new offer so we’ll have to see how strongly he considers it. OU did offer in January and having former teammate Clayton Smith as a Sooner is something OU people feel will help their chances.

Defensive Back

Committed:

Jaylon Guilbeau - Port Arthur Memorial – There was a brief time after the coaching change when Guilbeau thought about opening things up but the new staff has done a good job of answering any questions he had.

Bryan Allen Jr. – Aledo – A big recent pick-up for Texas to bolster what should be a strong DB class.

Uncommitted Targets:

Bryce Anderson - Beaumont Westbrook – 65% - A week or so ago I would have had this one a bit higher but schools like A&M aren’t going to give up. Still, I think Texas wins out here in the near future.

Denver Harris - North Shore – 55% - I’m a bit gun-shy on this one since some of our regional/national reporters feel he’ll wind up in the SEC, but Texas is in his top four and one person I communicated with recently thought the Longhorns had the edge. Tough competition with A&M, Bama and LSU filling out his list of finalists but I’ll cautiously stick with Texas as being the team to beat until I hear otherwise.

Terrance Brooks - Plano Pope John Paul II – 45% - Some might feel this is a bit high but whenever I’ve talked to Brooks, he’s had a certain excitement about the Longhorns. Him also having a relationship with Terry Joseph from Joseph’s time at Notre Dame can’t hurt. I’m not sure who the leader is, but I have a suspicion that Texas is in a better spot than some think.

Ish Harris - Pilot Point – 40% - Another recent offer, but that didn’t stop Texas from making his recently-released top six. I need to catch up with him to pick his brain, but his unique skill set seems like it would fit in well with UT’s new scheme.

Jacoby Mathews - Ponchatoula (LA) – 35% - Texas is in his top six and there’s a connection with Terry Joseph, who played for Mathews’ head coach in the 90s, but one person I talked to this week thinks LSU and Florida have the advantage right now.

Austin Jordan - Denton Ryan – 30% - Texas is in his top three but it feels like the Longhorns are working from behind.

Chace Biddle – Garland – 30% - Oklahoma has been believed to be the leader for a while. Not sure Texas is much of a factor right now.

Jarred Kerr – Lexington – 25% - Texas has other guys higher on the board so this one feels unlikely.

*****

(Ketch)

With the release of the debut of the LSR Top 100 for 2023 on Thursday, I thought I'd introduce a number of you to the key players in the 2023 class to keep an eye on very early in the process. It won't be long before these names are dominating the discussion.

1. Anthony Hills - LB - Denton Ryan

Has Texas Offered: Yes

Total Offers: (18) Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and USC (among others)

Things to Know: Hill is just beginning to dive into the recruiting process head first, but the Longhorns might be the top regional school in play. Expect this one to be a true national heavyweight battle royal.

Key Quote (From the Michigan Rivals site 2 weeks ago): "I’m just trying to play it evenly,” Hill said. “I’m trying to talk to every school. I want to keep all of my options open. I haven’t been able to visit any schools, so I want to make sure I can see schools like Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Texas and more. I want to go everywhere.”

2. Reuben Owens - RB - El Campo

Has Texas Offered: Yes (Committed)

Total Offers: (20) Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and USC (among others)

Things to Know: Owens is the first Texas commitment in the 2023 class and a true foundation piece for Steve Sarkisian to build the class around.

3. Javien Toviano - DB - Arlington Martin

Has Texas Offered: Yes

Total Offers: (11) Arkansas, Baylor, Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Texas A&M (among others)

Things to Know: It's a little early to make shape of the direction of Toviano's recruitment, but the fact that the Longhorns have landed two of his defensive teammates in the last few classes should help the Longhorns in its attempt to position itself as a major factor in his recruitment.

4. Anthony James - DE - Wylie East

Has Texas Offered: No (Tom Herman's staff offered in October)

Total Offers: (10) Arkansas, Baylor, Florida State, Georgia, LSU and Utah (among others)

Things to Know: James committed to Texas A&M on February 11th and seems pretty all-in on the Aggies. While the Longhorns offered back in 2020 when Herman was still in charge, but haven't been heavily involved since Sarkisian and Co. arrived.

Key quote: "A&M sees me as a strongside end. I see myself being able to play both sides .. if needed. I’ve been flexible through high school and I want to be an asset. They want to take advantage of my speed and power and just cause havoc. Being able to play the strongside is what I wanted. Football wasn’t a hard sell. SEC football in Texas is dope."

5. Jalen Hale - WR - Longview

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (20) Arkansas, Baylor, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Texas A&M (among others)

Things to Know: Hale is as hot as any prospect in the entire state in the Class of 2023. Don't be shocked if this turns into a Texas vs Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma battle when it's all said and done. At this point, he hasn't taken visits to any of his favorite schools, including the in-state schools.

6. Jaquaize Pettaway - WR - Langham Creek

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (8) Arkansas, Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Penn State and USC (among others)

Things to Know: Pettaway's stock has been taking off in the last couple of weeks. Stay tuned.

7. Avion Carter - DE - Amarillo Tascosa

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (8) Baylor, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and USC (among others)

Things to Know: The offers have been pouring in from all of the regional power brokers lately - Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma just in the last couple of weeks. The Longhorns and Sooners are two schools that were mentioned this week when I spoke with connected with his high school program this week.

8. Jamel Johnson - DB - Arlington Seguin

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (17) Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas A&M and USC (among others)

Things to Know: Johnson's recruitment is just now taking off and the Longhorns should be right in the center of it as he starts to take visits and explore his options.

9. Isaiah Robinson - OL - Arlington Lamar

Has Texas Offered: No (Herman's staff offered last October)

Total Offers: (4) Baylor, Oklahoma State, SMU and Texas A&M

Things to Know: The Aggies are Robinson's most recent offer Don't be surprised if the Longhorns join the party on the near future.

Key Quote: "It was kind of ... expected (Texas offering in October). My coaches at Lamar showed me the message from one of the coaches at Texas, they were showing interest in me and I expected them to be the first (offer), but when it actually happened I was shocked at the same time. It was really nice. I've messaged their new OL coach (Kyle Flood) and I'm excited to hear back."

10. Jordan Renaud - DL - Lewisville

Has Texas Offered: Yes

Total Offers: (12) Arizona State, Baylor, Florida State, Miami, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas A&M (among others)

Things to Know: This is a recruitment that will be interesting to watch as the former Florida prep star has offers from most of the big regional programs and will likely have his choice of options if he wants to go home to the Sunshine State.

11. Dylan Spender- DE - Katy Taylor

Has Texas Offered: No (Herman's staff offered last October)

Total Offers: (3) Baylor and Texas A&M

Things to Know: The Longhorns were his first offer last fall, but the new Texas staff has not yet re-offered. The offer from the Aggies in the last week could end up being the offer that needed to go out that causes other programs around the region to offer. Expect his stock to soar in the coming months.

12. Deldrick Madison- DB - Madison

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (9) Baylor, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and SMU

Things to Know: The Longhorns offered back on February 24th and it's fair to say that Madison has a desire to look around at his options in the coming months.

Key Quote: (Via Rivals 2 weeks ag) “I’m blessed to see all those offers,” Madison said. “There are more to come. I’m just going to stay humble and keep grinding. I want to visit schools like Michigan, Ohio State, Florida State and LSU.”

13. Harris Sewell- OL - Odessa Permian

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (11) Baylor, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Oregon, TCU, Texas A&M and Texas Tech (among others)

Things to Know: With an offer from Sarkisian in the last few weeks, expect the Longhorns to be front and center in his recruitment in the coming months.

14. Jaden Greathouse- WR/H-back - Austin Westlake

Has Texas Offered: No (Herman's staff offered almost 12 months ago)

Total Offers: (3) Baylor, Oklahoma and Penn State

Things to Know: It's interesting that Greathouse's stock hasn't taken off a little more, as only Penn State has offered in the last month.

15. Tre Wisner- Ath - Waco Connally

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (10) Baylor, Florida State, Oklahoma, Ohio State and USC (among others)

Things to Know: Wisner's offer list has gone from zero to hero in less than a month. At this point, this feels like the infancy stage of his recruitment.

Lotta garbage in there but one thing interesting is that Maalik apparently told them it will only be a 1 QB class unless there's a transfer before the season.

Ketch can’t be trusted he said just this week that Ben Davis hadn’t made a decision and wouldn’t make one until the end of the semester and he also famously put in a CB for Llewelyn for Texas merely minutes before he committed to OU. Ketch is a bum.

Tex-19 · March 5, 2021

43 minutes ago, Bodacious Bevo said:

OB also did percentages for 2022 targets and Ketch did a rundown of his top 15 2023 prospects

Reveal hidden contents

With Thursday morning’s release of the 2022 recruiting board, I figured this would be a good time to go through the board, player by player, and give my thoughts on why I have Texas’ chances where I have them.

A couple notes before I go through each guy …

--- This is a trickier task than in years past due in part to the pandemic, and due in part with the way Texas is targeting so many out-of-state guys. Normally, I don’t put a guy “on the board” unless he’s been to campus, has released a top five or something and has Texas in it or has some legitimate connection/interest to the school. If Texas offers some dude out of New Jersey who is pretty much locked in for Notre Dame, he usually stays in the “offered and interested” category until he commits without ever hitting the board. The task of deciphering who should be on the board and who should not is a bit more difficult this year with Texas’ seemingly drawing legitimate interest from guys out West, but with those players being unable to visit.

TL/DR … some unpredictability this year and there will probably be a lot of movement on and off the board in the coming months.

--- Thoughts on each position …

Quarterback – In great shape with a commitment from Maalik Murphy. Anything else is just gravy.

Running Back – Also in great shape with Jaydon Blue. Texas will take two and has several legitimate options.

Wide Receiver – Great shape early on with two big-time commitments. Still some heavy hitters on the board and Texas needs to find a way to close on at least one more Rivals100 type.

Tight End – Why is this position so damn tough to predict every year? Not sure how this one will shake out but I wouldn’t worry about this group with Jeff Banks leading the charge.

Offensive Line – Texas is in a good spot with a few top guys in state, but absolutely has to find a way to close the deal with a couple of the Lone Star studs.

Defensive End – Kind of an interesting start with this position group. Bo Davis may have to land one or two guys from outside the state.

Defensive Tackle –Texas needs to land Kristopher Ross later this month … not a ton of other clear options at this point.

Linebacker – The pick-up of Trevell Johnson is underrated IMO, but if Texas can find a way to climb to the top and land someone like Harold Perkins that feels like it could be a real game-changer for defensive recruiting.

Defensive backs – Two commitments and in a good spot with a couple others. On top of that, I’m not sure I’m not short-changing UT’s chances with Terrence Brooks a bit. This group has a chance to be fantastic if the pieces come together like I think they might.

Let’s go through each player that’s on the board.

Quarterback

Committed:

Maalik Murphy - Gardena Serra – You all know the story here. Murphy committed last month and he was in Austin last weekend on his own dime. Coming home from that trip, he said he feels more confident than ever in his decision.

Uncommitted Targets:

None – We’ll see if that changes, but Murphy told us he was given indication it would be a one-QB class unless there were departures with the QBs currently on campus.

Running Back

Committed:

Jaydon Blue - Klein Cain – Blue had been trending UT’s way for a while (aside from a very brief stint when Bama jumped out in front) and getting him on board early was huge for Texas. Not only is he a terrific prospect, he’s very personable and will use those tools to recruit on Texas’ behalf.

Uncommitted Targets:

Jamarion Miller - Tyler Legacy – 40% - When I was first building this, I had Miller and Tavorus Jones both at 35% but then I bumped Miller up. It’s not based on anything he’s told me or anything new I’ve heard, but this one has always made sense with his strong feelings towards UT and his brother being a one-time Texas commitment.

Tavorus Jones – El Paso Burges – 35% - Jones is a guy who has had Texas at or near the top of his list for a while. In fact, he told me once in the fall he was considering giving an early commitment. Predicting how the second back in this class will go is tough right now but Jones feels like one of the stronger candidates.

Emeka Megwa - Fort Worth Nolan Catholic – 25% - I’ve got Megwa behind the others since other schools have been viewed as a more likely destination than Texas (mostly OU). We’ll see how hard the UT staff pushes here because it feels like there are other options that better fit the Longhorns’ needs.

Zach Evans - Rockwall-Heath – 25% - If Texas really pushed here, I could see the Longhorns making some noise – he did tell me recently that UT is one of the three schools standing out for him, after all. Lots of Notre Dame buzz here, but we’ll see if he wants to be part of a two-Texan RB class with Jadarian Price. This feels like one we could need to circle back to if Evans waits things out and if guys like Jones and Miller aren’t looking like strong possibilities at some point.

Wide Receiver

Committed:

Evan Stewart - Frisco Liberty – This one feels like it could go down as one of the biggest pick-ups of the year for Texas. Stewart is that talented. He committed two weeks ago but it feels like two months ago with the roll UT has been on. Getting Stewart on board early was big because other programs, like Alabama, were trying to make a push.

Armani Winfield – Lewisville – Winfield gave Texas a commitment at halftime of the national championship game, before Steve Sarkisian had even made it to Austin. No reason to be worried about this one.

Uncommitted Targets:

Kevin Coleman - St. Louis St Mary's – 35% - Alabama is the team to beat here by Coleman’s admission recently, but he isn’t deciding until January. If that’s the case, I could see Texas making this race closer if the UT offense takes a step forward in the fall and if Bama takes a step back without Sarkisian in Tuscaloosa.

CJ Williams - Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei – 40% - Williams hasn’t released a formal list of favorites but when he does, Texas will definitely make the cut. He’s hoping to get to Austin soon, possibly for a player-led visit. Tough one to call clearly right now but he really likes Texas and Maalik Murphy is in his ear. I’m not sure I’d call UT the outright leader but I’m not sure I’d put anyone above the Longhorns either.

Jordan Hudson – Garland – 40% - Yeah, he’s committed to Oklahoma and he’s done things publicly to support that decision (Horns down) but I’m not buying those actions. Hudson likes Texas a lot, he’s regularly in touch with Sarkisian and he’s another guy Maalik Murphy is working on.

Chris Marshall - Fort Bend Marshall – 40% - A&M is the team to beat right now but Texas is very much within striking distance.

Brenen Thompson – Spearman - 30% - A week ago, I would have put this one closer to 40 percent. Now, with Cade Klubnik’s Clemson committing having an impact, 30% might be too high.

Nicholas Anderson – Katy – 25% - Texas has offered but it feels like he’s behind a handful of others on their board.

Arlis Boardingham - Lake Balboa (CA) Birmingham – 25% - He recently listed some favorites before Texas offered. He’s a guy I need to check with to get his pulse, but in-state targets (and CJ Williams) will get the bigger push early.

Tight End

Committed: None

Uncommitted Targets:

Holden Staes - Atlanta Westminster – 35% - Tight end is tough to read right now. Staes is a former Penn State commitment who has been in touch with Texas quite a bit, but I don’t think he’s anywhere close to a decision. Texas does have a handful of other out-of-state offers out, but it’s too early to tell how serious the interest is on those players’ part.

Offensive Line

Committed: None

Uncommitted Targets:

Connor Robertson – Westlake – 75% - Ties to the program, plays at Austin Westlake. It makes sense, and there’s buzz behind the scenes to confirm those thoughts that Texas is in a great spot.

Devon Campbell - Arlington Bowie – 60% - He recently listed a group of favorites that unsurprisingly included Texas. The Longhorns have been in a good spot for this one for a while … they just need to continue to build on their already strong relationship and maintain that position.

Kelvin Banks - Houston Summer Creek – 50% - This one feels like an old-fashioned in-state battle brewing. Too early to call but I’d be surprised if it was anyone other than A&M or Texas.

Kam Dewberry – Atascocita – 40% - Texas has made up ground under Kyle Flood so it’s trending up but the Longhorns are probably still playing from behind. We’ll see if that changes. He likes Ohio State, but I’d expect him to pick a regional school like OU, A&M, Texas or maybe even LSU.

Malik Agbo - Federal Way (WA) Todd Beamer – 40% In talking to Agbo a couple weeks ago, his interest in Texas is definitely legit. He knows Maalik Murphy, he was genuinely excited when UT offered and he’s probably not staying close to home.

Cole Hutson – Frisco – 30% - Lots of comp in this one so no way I can call Texas a leader, but he was genuinely excited about his recent re-offer.

Neto Umeozulu – Allen – 30% - Texas doesn’t usually have a ton of success in Allen, but it’s a new staff so maybe they can turn that trend. Umeozulu is strong academically, so that could keep Texas in it.

Jacob Sexton - Edmond (OK) – 25% - The idea of landing a top national prospect out of the state of Oklahoma feels like a longshot.

Defensive End

Committed: None

Uncommitted Targets:

Jaray Bledsoe – Bremond – 40% - He’s a tough one for me to read but one A&M source feels the Aggies lead over Texas.

Zac Swanson - Phoenix (AZ) Brophy Prep – 40% - Texas is in his top four, so it’ll be interesting to see how hard the staff begins to push if Swanson wants to commit early. Texas is a new offer but he likes UT enough to have the Longhorns near the top of his list. He’s also been to Austin a few times and could return this spring. One worth watching closely.

Omari Abor – Duncanville – 30% - This one’s always felt to me like OU was the team to beat. We’ll see if Bo Davis can flip this one.

Ernest Cooper - Arlington Martin – 35% - Texas has had recent success at his school but Cooper isn’t necessarily one to follow others just for the heck of it. He’s big on academics, and schools like Notre Dame and Stanford have been in a good spot early on.

Defensive Tackle

Committed: None

Uncommitted Targets:

Kristopher Ross - North Shore – 70% - He’ll have a decision later this month. One person I recently talked to said it’s all Texas. I’m not quite ready to go that far, but it does feel like Texas has a solid lead.

Domonique Orange - North Kansas City – 35% - He’s on the list because he recently told Rivals.com he’d had a call with UT and was very interested. This one’s in the preliminary stages with UT offering last week but he’s on the radar.

Linebacker

Committed:

Trevell Johnson - Arlington Martin – A nice early pick-up for Texas with the speedy playmaker.

Uncommitted Targets:

Harold Perkins - Cy Park – 40% - A couple months ago, this one looked like it was all A&M and while that’s still where I’d put my money, he does seem a bit more open than previously believed. Texas had slid in this one but the new staff has UT back in striking distance.

Kip Lewis – Carthage – 40% - Lewis is keeping things open and playing it close to a vest, but he does want to study business so you’d think Texas would be a factor in this one. Too early to predict with much certainty.

Niuafe Tuihalamaka - Mission Hills (CA) Bishop Alemany – 35% - Notre Dame is the team to beat and some would say my odds here are too high, but in talking to Tuihalamaka recently, his interest in Texas is strong.

Martrell Harris Jr. - The Woodlands – 30% - Texas did recently re-offer, but A&M appears to be the team to beat.

Derrick Brown - Texarkana Texas High – 30% - Texas is a new offer so we’ll have to see how strongly he considers it. OU did offer in January and having former teammate Clayton Smith as a Sooner is something OU people feel will help their chances.

Defensive Back

Committed:

Jaylon Guilbeau - Port Arthur Memorial – There was a brief time after the coaching change when Guilbeau thought about opening things up but the new staff has done a good job of answering any questions he had.

Bryan Allen Jr. – Aledo – A big recent pick-up for Texas to bolster what should be a strong DB class.

Uncommitted Targets:

Bryce Anderson - Beaumont Westbrook – 65% - A week or so ago I would have had this one a bit higher but schools like A&M aren’t going to give up. Still, I think Texas wins out here in the near future.

Denver Harris - North Shore – 55% - I’m a bit gun-shy on this one since some of our regional/national reporters feel he’ll wind up in the SEC, but Texas is in his top four and one person I communicated with recently thought the Longhorns had the edge. Tough competition with A&M, Bama and LSU filling out his list of finalists but I’ll cautiously stick with Texas as being the team to beat until I hear otherwise.

Terrance Brooks - Plano Pope John Paul II – 45% - Some might feel this is a bit high but whenever I’ve talked to Brooks, he’s had a certain excitement about the Longhorns. Him also having a relationship with Terry Joseph from Joseph’s time at Notre Dame can’t hurt. I’m not sure who the leader is, but I have a suspicion that Texas is in a better spot than some think.

Ish Harris - Pilot Point – 40% - Another recent offer, but that didn’t stop Texas from making his recently-released top six. I need to catch up with him to pick his brain, but his unique skill set seems like it would fit in well with UT’s new scheme.

Jacoby Mathews - Ponchatoula (LA) – 35% - Texas is in his top six and there’s a connection with Terry Joseph, who played for Mathews’ head coach in the 90s, but one person I talked to this week thinks LSU and Florida have the advantage right now.

Austin Jordan - Denton Ryan – 30% - Texas is in his top three but it feels like the Longhorns are working from behind.

Chace Biddle – Garland – 30% - Oklahoma has been believed to be the leader for a while. Not sure Texas is much of a factor right now.

Jarred Kerr – Lexington – 25% - Texas has other guys higher on the board so this one feels unlikely.

*****

(Ketch)

With the release of the debut of the LSR Top 100 for 2023 on Thursday, I thought I'd introduce a number of you to the key players in the 2023 class to keep an eye on very early in the process. It won't be long before these names are dominating the discussion.

1. Anthony Hills - LB - Denton Ryan

Has Texas Offered: Yes

Total Offers: (18) Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and USC (among others)

Things to Know: Hill is just beginning to dive into the recruiting process head first, but the Longhorns might be the top regional school in play. Expect this one to be a true national heavyweight battle royal.

Key Quote (From the Michigan Rivals site 2 weeks ago): "I’m just trying to play it evenly,” Hill said. “I’m trying to talk to every school. I want to keep all of my options open. I haven’t been able to visit any schools, so I want to make sure I can see schools like Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Texas and more. I want to go everywhere.”

2. Reuben Owens - RB - El Campo

Has Texas Offered: Yes (Committed)

Total Offers: (20) Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and USC (among others)

Things to Know: Owens is the first Texas commitment in the 2023 class and a true foundation piece for Steve Sarkisian to build the class around.

3. Javien Toviano - DB - Arlington Martin

Has Texas Offered: Yes

Total Offers: (11) Arkansas, Baylor, Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Texas A&M (among others)

Things to Know: It's a little early to make shape of the direction of Toviano's recruitment, but the fact that the Longhorns have landed two of his defensive teammates in the last few classes should help the Longhorns in its attempt to position itself as a major factor in his recruitment.

4. Anthony James - DE - Wylie East

Has Texas Offered: No (Tom Herman's staff offered in October)

Total Offers: (10) Arkansas, Baylor, Florida State, Georgia, LSU and Utah (among others)

Things to Know: James committed to Texas A&M on February 11th and seems pretty all-in on the Aggies. While the Longhorns offered back in 2020 when Herman was still in charge, but haven't been heavily involved since Sarkisian and Co. arrived.

Key quote: "A&M sees me as a strongside end. I see myself being able to play both sides .. if needed. I’ve been flexible through high school and I want to be an asset. They want to take advantage of my speed and power and just cause havoc. Being able to play the strongside is what I wanted. Football wasn’t a hard sell. SEC football in Texas is dope."

5. Jalen Hale - WR - Longview

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (20) Arkansas, Baylor, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Texas A&M (among others)

Things to Know: Hale is as hot as any prospect in the entire state in the Class of 2023. Don't be shocked if this turns into a Texas vs Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma battle when it's all said and done. At this point, he hasn't taken visits to any of his favorite schools, including the in-state schools.

6. Jaquaize Pettaway - WR - Langham Creek

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (8) Arkansas, Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Penn State and USC (among others)

Things to Know: Pettaway's stock has been taking off in the last couple of weeks. Stay tuned.

7. Avion Carter - DE - Amarillo Tascosa

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (8) Baylor, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and USC (among others)

Things to Know: The offers have been pouring in from all of the regional power brokers lately - Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma just in the last couple of weeks. The Longhorns and Sooners are two schools that were mentioned this week when I spoke with connected with his high school program this week.

8. Jamel Johnson - DB - Arlington Seguin

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (17) Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas A&M and USC (among others)

Things to Know: Johnson's recruitment is just now taking off and the Longhorns should be right in the center of it as he starts to take visits and explore his options.

9. Isaiah Robinson - OL - Arlington Lamar

Has Texas Offered: No (Herman's staff offered last October)

Total Offers: (4) Baylor, Oklahoma State, SMU and Texas A&M

Things to Know: The Aggies are Robinson's most recent offer Don't be surprised if the Longhorns join the party on the near future.

Key Quote: "It was kind of ... expected (Texas offering in October). My coaches at Lamar showed me the message from one of the coaches at Texas, they were showing interest in me and I expected them to be the first (offer), but when it actually happened I was shocked at the same time. It was really nice. I've messaged their new OL coach (Kyle Flood) and I'm excited to hear back."

10. Jordan Renaud - DL - Lewisville

Has Texas Offered: Yes

Total Offers: (12) Arizona State, Baylor, Florida State, Miami, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas A&M (among others)

Things to Know: This is a recruitment that will be interesting to watch as the former Florida prep star has offers from most of the big regional programs and will likely have his choice of options if he wants to go home to the Sunshine State.

11. Dylan Spender- DE - Katy Taylor

Has Texas Offered: No (Herman's staff offered last October)

Total Offers: (3) Baylor and Texas A&M

Things to Know: The Longhorns were his first offer last fall, but the new Texas staff has not yet re-offered. The offer from the Aggies in the last week could end up being the offer that needed to go out that causes other programs around the region to offer. Expect his stock to soar in the coming months.

12. Deldrick Madison- DB - Madison

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (9) Baylor, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and SMU

Things to Know: The Longhorns offered back on February 24th and it's fair to say that Madison has a desire to look around at his options in the coming months.

Key Quote: (Via Rivals 2 weeks ag) “I’m blessed to see all those offers,” Madison said. “There are more to come. I’m just going to stay humble and keep grinding. I want to visit schools like Michigan, Ohio State, Florida State and LSU.”

13. Harris Sewell- OL - Odessa Permian

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (11) Baylor, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Oregon, TCU, Texas A&M and Texas Tech (among others)

Things to Know: With an offer from Sarkisian in the last few weeks, expect the Longhorns to be front and center in his recruitment in the coming months.

14. Jaden Greathouse- WR/H-back - Austin Westlake

Has Texas Offered: No (Herman's staff offered almost 12 months ago)

Total Offers: (3) Baylor, Oklahoma and Penn State

Things to Know: It's interesting that Greathouse's stock hasn't taken off a little more, as only Penn State has offered in the last month.

15. Tre Wisner- Ath - Waco Connally

Has Texas Offered: YES

Total Offers: (10) Baylor, Florida State, Oklahoma, Ohio State and USC (among others)

Things to Know: Wisner's offer list has gone from zero to hero in less than a month. At this point, this feels like the infancy stage of his recruitment.

Lotta garbage in there but one thing interesting is that Maalik apparently told them it will only be a 1 QB class unless there's a transfer before the season.

So different from IT's. Surprisingly low odds for Campbell and Anderson in particular.

El Compadre · March 5, 2021

1 hour ago, Machinator said:

Some Evan Stewart track and field results:

100M: 10.95
200M 22.29
Long jump: 22'' 1.5"

Holy shit. Then if Brenen Thompson's time that I read on here are accurate (10.18 100m), her just be really fucking fast because Stewart blazed on that 2nd leg.

Dondrysdale1 · March 5, 2021

Thompson ran and 11.17 according the actual race statistics. That 10.18 was someone reporting it on Twitter.

Teryor · March 5, 2021

11 minutes ago, Tex-19 said:

So different from IT's. Surprisingly low odds for Campbell and Anderson in particular.

Basically everything between 30-70%, which is how you can tell he's full of shit for not being willing to take a strong stance both positively and negatively

TrashMaster G · March 5, 2021

5 hours ago, UncleSonny said:

IT does a thing where every time a poster over there brings up Ewers the mods act exacerbated by it and give a snippy answer while never missing an opportunity in their articles to throw gas on that fire.

I'm really interested in the Banks recruitment too. People with sources on the Texas side from multiple different sites (including this one) talk like we have a big lead but on the ags side they're still penciling him in to their class. Usually once the writing is on the wall (Bryce Anderson) their mods begin the gradual let down process.

Exacerbated???

Machinator · March 5, 2021

2 minutes ago, TrashMaster G said:

Exacerbated???

You're exasperating the issue.

UncleSonny · March 5, 2021

2 minutes ago, TrashMaster G said:

Exacerbated???

Lol, I'm an idiot. Let's go with exasperated*.

TrashMaster G · March 5, 2021

2 minutes ago, UncleSonny said:

Lol, I'm an idiot. Let's go with exasperated*.

Yes, let's.

Schulz2.0 · March 5, 2021

46 minutes ago, Tex-19 said:

So different from IT's. Surprisingly low odds for Campbell and Anderson in particular.

He's also a moron that has Boardingham as a WR (he's a TE), and Ish Harris and Matthews as Safeties (they're OLBs).

Fud · March 5, 2021

4 hours ago, UncleSonny said:

From the IT notes Machinator posted on the FB board:

Reveal hidden contents

- Juan Davis is adding muscle. He came in looking like a muscled up WR, now he’s starting to look like a TE. He’s only around 6-2 and some change, though.
- Take it with a grain of salt because it’s early, but they’re liking the way Gunner Helm moves for his size. He’s all of 6-foot-5, with some lower body strength, too.

I'm still hoping we see Ja'Tavion Sanders eventually settle in on the defensive side. If Helm and/or Davis turn out to be real players maybe the coaches end up pushing harder for that.

For this recruiting class, if the early returns are ok for those guys I don't see a reason to take a TE unless it's an elite prospect.

Unclesonny might not want to take a TE, but it’s obvious this staff wants one in 2022

Fud · March 5, 2021

2 hours ago, CL Horn said:

Outside of the bad graces we're apparently on with D'ville...are we really in position to not kick the tires on Jaylen Early and Cameron Williams given how shit our OL is?

Williams probably isn’t a take

Early is a high upside prospect who’s take awhile before he can contribute. They might want to take guys who are more ready to play considering how shitty the 2021 OL class was

Saint Tacky · March 5, 2021

6 hours ago, Machinator said:

Darius Terrell adds:

Hide contents

I’d advise fans to pretty much forget about Texas getting any of the top dogs out of Duncanville for a little while after the way that Ja’Quinden Jackson feels like his situation was handled.

No, it doesn’t matter that it was a different staff.

Meh

Getafix · March 5, 2021

Geoff Ketchum has no idea how percentages work.

It's quite possible - perhaps even probable - that he know nothing about numbers, in general.

Hmmm.

utfan87 · March 5, 2021

3 hours ago, TheBryMan81 said:

Keep us from.

If we hire someone from Duncanville in a non coaching role, then we can't recruit them (see Phaizon). There are some details of that rule that are changing but not sure when the changes take effect.

Weren’t we hearing that bama just hired a north shore analyst as it pertains to Harris?

Butch Had Not · March 6, 2021

7 minutes ago, Getafix said:

Geoff Ketchum has no idea how percentages work.

It's quite possible - perhaps even probable - that he know nothing about numbers, in general.

Hmmm.

He understands pie charts better.

UDontKnow · March 6, 2021

1 minute ago, Butch Had Not said:

He understands pie charts better.

Ricky's one-hitter · March 6, 2021

4 minutes ago, utfan87 said:

Weren’t we hearing that bama just hired a north shore analyst as it pertains to Harris?

Alabama hired Jay Valai who comes with an existing relationship and would be his actual coach.

trythisathome · March 6, 2021

How is this board still at the point where we're discussing literally anything Ketchum says at all? He's wrong about fucking everything. Hell, I move that we ban posting Orangebloods content here all together.

lemonandaturd · March 6, 2021

25 minutes ago, Getafix said:

Geoff Ketchum has no idea how percentages work.

It's quite possible - perhaps even probable - that he know nothing about numbers, in general.

Hmmm.

Yes, if Ketchum's percentages are right, we aren't getting anybody. He does know how to count a baker's dozen glazed chocolate sprinkled doughnuts.

CL Horn · March 6, 2021

17 minutes ago, trythisathome said:

How is this board still at the point where we're discussing literally anything Ketchum says at all? He's wrong about fucking everything. Hell, I move that we ban posting Orangebloods content here all together.

this^^ Orangebloods is trashhhh

SuckitKevin · March 6, 2021

6 hours ago, Newy25 said:

I think the most bullish news I have heard this week is that we might finally be done with Juwan Mitchell. Or more correctly stated, he might have finally fucked up so badly his career at Texas is over.

First of all, I know I shouldn’t have listened to the Horns 247 podcast(FCB and TE is a complete moron) Chip said something about Alfred Collins being the Defensive MVP this year and Estes brought up Juwan Mitchell, I nearly spit my coffee all over my truck!

lemonandaturd · March 6, 2021

6 minutes ago, SuckitKevin said:

First of all, I know I shouldn’t have listened to the Horns 247 podcast(FCB and TE is a complete moron) Chip said something about Alfred Collins being the Defensive MVP this year and Estes brought up Juwan Mitchell, I nearly spit my coffee all over my truck!

Juwan must have been all up in them titties.

Mikey4 · March 6, 2021

How is this board still at the point where we're discussing literally anything Ketchum says at all? He's wrong about fucking everything. Hell, I move that we ban posting Orangebloods content here all together.

Second

Longhornlove · March 6, 2021

5 minutes ago, lemonandaturd said:

Juwan must have been all up in them titties.

Ricky's one-hitter · March 6, 2021

Yes, if Ketchum's percentages are right, we aren't getting anybody. He does know how to count a baker's dozen glazed chocolate sprinkled doughnuts.

He’s a contrarian. 2 birds, 1 stone when you get to use a low number and describe your percentages as higher than others. He’s gone on record as saying he is ranking Texas v every other school, not the field. So he could have somebody as 30%, and have 4 15’s and a long shot. So he’s really more bullish than the 45% odds ots. Trash person.
Ban ketch content from Surly, and Anwar from the recruiting board. Spiegelman actually knows some kids.

BurntOrangeBlooded15 · March 6, 2021

6 hours ago, Schulz2.0 said:

Seems like across sports everyone with an injury wants to blame the medical professionals. I'm sure it's warranted in some cases, but it seems like an easy scapegoat for those frustrated that they never recovered to the point they expected.

Without a doubt. I’m an AT at a high school and I can’t tell you how many “college careers” I’ve ruined, even when same kid has played 10 varsity snaps in 4 years. Every situation is different for sure but there’s effort questions in rehab just like there’s effort questions on the field.

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