Texas Recruiting Notes 2021

[Pato del Muerto 53,450]

1 hour ago, Getafix said:

Perroni CBing LJ Johnson to the Aggies.

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

Surprised it hasn’t been there for 18 months already, or at least since the day they offered him. 

[satyanash 15,549]

1 hour ago, EZ$ said:

Just land the two legacy brothers and the OL haul is a success. I mean how hard can that be?  Their dad would have to be a total dick to send them elsewhere...right???

[LTtxfan 49,985]

Sign "Brooks & Cain" up for this...

 

[ousux 5,636]

That is a lot of fucking sunshine being taken for granted, and a lot of real, real positive assumptions for some generally 3 star talents like Wykoff. You're bordering on some Aggy "diamonds in the rough" levels of delusion in here, my man. And pulling these uncut gems from places like Connecticut? Yeah, I'll take the field on this one. 

You doubting Jimbos gem cutting/polishing skills? Thats my take from this post..

[Spawn of Cthulhu 2,241]

3 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

He's not a fan of Coach Hand, either.

[Mdhorn 6,166]

6 hours ago, Thiefery said:

Harris..  he's been dropping in the rankings but if there is a season for him to play this fall, he will rise again.  Good to hear that he will be playing some DE

 

if you read the boards, you'd think we're dying at DE and LB.  Texas is doing alright.  Could be better but the Horns got some players.  Smith would have been a welcome addition but if you add Cooks and somehow get Jones, that's a strong haul along with SDE Sanders, DE/OLB Harris, OLB Blackwell, and WDE Thomas.  Want and hope to get Turner to play inside.  Still think that Hullaby from last year could play a role at LB as well.  

  

Edited May 19, 2020 by Mdhorn

[SydneyCarton 49,477]

3 hours ago, Mdhorn said:

if you read the boards, you'd think we're dying at DE and LB.  Texas is doing alright.  Could be better but the Horns got some players.  Smith would have been a welcome addition but if you add Cooks and somehow get Jones, that's a strong haul along with SDE Sanders, DE/OLB Harris, OLB Blackwell, and WDE Thomas.  Want and hope to get Turner to play inside.  Still think that Hullaby from last year could play a role at LB as well.  

  

Hullaby is playing LB. 

[LTtxfan 49,985]

5 hours ago, Mdhorn said:

if you read the boards, you'd think we're dying at DE and LB.  Texas is doing alright.  Could be better but the Horns got some players.  Smith would have been a welcome addition but if you add Cooks and somehow get Jones, that's a strong haul along with SDE Sanders, DE/OLB Harris, OLB Blackwell, and WDE Thomas.  Want and hope to get Turner to play inside.  Still think that Hullaby from last year could play a role at LB as well.  

  

 

[Ricky's one-hitter 9,622]

4 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

 

Don't post the one he did next

[Ricky's one-hitter 9,622]

Hayden Connor talks with Such about virtual OL recruiting meetings

Spoiler

I talked to UT commitment Hayden Conner today. More from him in the 3-2-1 tonight or later in the week, but I thought this was interesting.

Conner said he's really picking up his efforts in trying to recruit other OL prospects to Texas. Last week, he did a zoom meeting with Herb Hand, Tommy Brockermeyer and James Brockermeyer. Savion Byrd was unable to attend.

In addition to that meeting, he also did one with Hand, Bryce Foster and Reuben Fatheree. Fatheree isn't a guy who has been talked about a lot on this board over the last year or so, but it sounds like he's a guy we should be paying more attention to.

I'm hoping to get in touch with the other guys who were on the calls to get their thoughts, but Conner said he thought things went very well.

 

[satyanash 15,549]

Mike at Night: Defensive tidbits and offensive line questions

Quote

—There's been a fair mix of good news and bad news for Texas over the last few weeks, but the bad news feels like it travels quicker these days. Texas lost out on Tucson (AZ.) Sauharo OL Jonah Miller today. If I'm being honest, the offensive line position is one I'm eyeing with some worry in this cycle. Sure, Texas holds a commitment from Hayden Conner, but this was supposed to be a banner year along the offensive line. So far, Texas has lost out on Bram Walden, Jonah Miller, Matthew Wykoff and Donovan Jackson. They seem to be trailing for most of their other priority targets as well. Landing James and Tommy Brockermeyer could be enough to turn things around, but that will be a big ask with Alabama coming on strong. While it's possible Texas can get some of these prospects in for a visit later in the year, it's much tougher to flip someone than hold on.

—Speaking of offensive linemen, it sounds like Frisco's Cole Hutson could be the next 2022 offensive line prospect to earn an offer. He's definitely on the rise over the last few weeks and he's earned offers from TCU, Hawaii, Texas A&M and Arizona State. Hutson has been in steady contact with Hand, and he feels an offer could be coming soon.

—The Texas staff has been able to hang in there during the pandemic despite not having deep relationships and nothing to show on the field. Now it seems that they are trying to keep their head above water in recruiting despite making some forward progress. I feel that the defensive staff has been a bit more successful than the offensive staff

—247Sports' Steve Wiltfong reported earlier today that he was hearing Alabama held the edge for four-star DeSoto DL Shemar Turner. Oklahoma, LSU and Texas are also in the mix right now according to a source I spoke with in DeSoto earlier today. This source stressed that Oscar Giles is doing an awesome job for Texas and they are staying in the race right now because of the relationship Giles forged with the family. Turner and his family have also talked some about Turner playing with Jordon Thomas who he hit it off with early in his recruitment following a visit to Texas. The biggest hurdle is Turner's desire to play in the SEC which is why LSU and Alabama are standing out.

—I checked again and continue to hear strong things about Texas and Shadow Creek LB Terrence Cooks. I don't think any school is putting in a better effort at this point all the way around. Cooks and Coleman Hutzler have connected on a strong level, and Hutzler connected with Cooks' family very well. He's also hearing from just about every Texas commit at this point. If he decided anytime soon, I would think Texas would be in a good position.

 

[futureman 22,691]

 

[RGBIII 23,014]

23 minutes ago, satyanash said:

Mike at Night: Defensive tidbits and offensive line questions

 

Closing Cooks, Ibraheem and Coffey pretty quickly would be a good boost defensively, I cant even think of who would be the next offensive commit (Alexis maybe?) they could really use a shot in the arm right now

Edited May 19, 2020 by RGBIII

[satyanash 15,549]

(Rivals) Fact or Fiction: OU is leaving Texas behind in recruiting

Quote

National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.

1. Texas is being left behind by Oklahoma in recruiting.

Mike Farrell’s take: FACT. The Longhorns are landing prospects, but when I see Oklahoma reeling in five-stars like Mario Williams and four-stars like Clayton Smith while Texas adds more and more three-stars, it makes me wonder. Texas is ahead of OU in the Rivals team rankings with more commitments and the average star rating isn’t far off the Sooners, but let’s look at this — QB Caleb Williams is likely to commit and Oklahoma and the Sooners are involved and lead for many high rated prospects like Bryce Foster and others. If things pan out the way it appears it will, then OU will have a stronger recruiting year. And with the on-field success already well ahead of Texas, that doesn’t bode well for Tom Herman and company.

Adam Gorney’s take: FICTION. There is no question Oklahoma remains a major problem for Texas on the field and in recruiting, but the Longhorns had a higher-rated recruiting class in 2020 and the Longhorns are doing just fine with in-state prospects in 2021. Five-star OL Tommy Brockermeyer should join the class and then the Longhorns could be the frontrunner for four-star RB LJ Johnson (although Oklahoma is probably the favorite for five-star RB Camar Wheaton, the top player in the state of Texas). The Sooners are doing great, but Texas is right there as well and certainly not being left behind.

2. The sleeper recruiting team for 2021 is North Carolina.

Mike Farrell’s take: FICTION. UNC is in the top 10 nationally for recruiting and doing very well under Mack Brown, but with their fertile recruiting territory, there are other programs that have impressed me more. The leader? Iowa. The Hawkeyes don’t have a strong recruiting home and teams like Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and so many others are doing well in the Midwest. It’s a competitive area without the depth of talent in the Southeast and the Hawkeyes continue to impress me the most.

Adam Gorney’s take: FICTION. North Carolina is doing a great job and so is Iowa, but let’s look at Minnesota instead, a team that has routinely finished in the middle-to-lower part of the Big Ten team recruiting rankings now finds itself eighth nationally. More four-stars will be needed to stay in that spot through the recruiting cycle but P.J. Fleck is a winner, he’s recruiting really well and he’s building the Golden Gophers into a tough out in the Big Ten West. Fleck can sell winning now and that’s dangerous for other Big Ten teams.

3. Kyle Trask will be this year's Joe Burrow.

Mike Farrell’s take: FICTION. There are a lot of people talking about Kyle Trask taking the next step next season and breaking out from a mid-round pick to a potential first rounder after a great year like Joe Burrow had. Trask will improve, but the Burrow comparisons are crazy. I don’t feel we will see a year like Burrow had for a long time and now many quarterbacks will be compared and expected to make similar jumps from year to year. Trask could be the best QB in the SEC next season, but he won’t be Burrow-like.

Adam Gorney’s take: FICTION. Trask is a really talented quarterback and I love coach Dan Mullen, but Burrow had maybe a once-in-a-lifetime kind of year, so let’s not go overboard with the comparisons. One could argue Trask had his breakout season last year with 2,941 yards and 25 touchdowns, a great year by any measure, and that similar numbers should be expected this season. Let’s face it: Burrow was awesome and he also had incredible receivers around him. Florida doesn’t have those types of playmakers and so Trask will have another nice year but not to the level of Burrow.

 

[Ricky's one-hitter 9,622]

From recent reports, it feels like Harmon is trending away. Too little, too late. Harmon is a good prospect with great speed, if a bit undersized. It's been said before, but his skill set would be a bit redundant in the class with Bowman committed. As long as Bowman stays in the boat, this would not be a major whiff.

To add to Bowman (nickel), we are looking at Coffey, Ish, Jaylin Smith, and Mukuba. There's only one corner in that list, so he's the highest priority. Then, it will be Coffey and either Mukuba or Smith if we can pull him from CA. Can't find verified times anywhere, but he appears fast against good HS competition, and he had better be because like Harmon, he's undersized. Smith is perceived as an SC lean, let's see if Ash and Herman are willing to negative recruit Orlando and Naivar. 

The realistic optimist says that the final DB class is Ish and Bowman at CB, Coffey and Smith at S. 

Satya's take:

• Ish is pretty reserved, doesn't do interviews, isn't very candid when he does. He could very well commit to someone else out of nowhere. Bowman is the jewel of this class, a honey badger/Earl Thomas hybrid, and his girlfriend is going to play softball at chokelahoma. He's also not going to be an outside corner. We need more corners on the board.
• Mukuba is going to Clemson, they made him a priority. Coffey will happen, but then what? Need to identify 2 more Safety prospects, one that is a candidate for linebacker long term, and a true field safety. 

[texifornia 59,009]

41 minutes ago, satyanash said:

(Rivals) Fact or Fiction: OU is leaving Texas behind in recruiting

 

Lol between Farrell openly cheering for OU and Gorney being about as in the loop on Texas recruiting as Naruhito, that was a fat ball of nothing.

[Thiefery 5,108]

Welp, it's over guys..  If we can't get rivals 4 star rated players, then what are we actually trying to accomplish here?

[Burt Macklin 19,230]

20 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Lol between Farrell openly cheering for OU and Gorney being about as in the loop on Texas recruiting as Naruhito, that was a fat ball of nothing.

If only. It was a steaming pile of horseshit propaganda. Farrell must be getting checks from OU boosters at this point. Fuck that stupid piece of shit. 

[SydneyCarton 49,477]

23 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

If only. It was a steaming pile of horseshit propaganda. Farrell must be getting checks from OU boosters at this point. Fuck that stupid piece of shit. 

It's a stupid article, but it's a also an unsettling trend. OU has definitely stepped up their recruiting pitch/game. We've out-recruited them all the fucking time, some of that with Charlie Strong (yes, I say this fully understanding the caveats for Strong's Fool's Gold classes). They've done more with less compared to us on the field for quite some time. Now they're doing as good or better. Again, this all comes back to Herman and company having to coach like fucking winners this fall, but the trend right now is not great. And this Camar Wheaton suddenly favoring the Sooners is some hard shit for me to understand and accept. We led for him for awhile, and I don't remember OU being mentioned as one of his top schools until just recently, and now they're tossed around as a purported leader? Wheaton to OU makes about us much sense as Satya at a party on Friday night. It really feels like something tangible has changed for OU in the past month. 

[taybo20 3,022]

As stupid as it sounds, maybe they are riding the wave of Jordan GOAT talk with "The Last Dance", and that they have the Jumpman logo on all their shit. I mean, kids are kids, and pop culture right now is laser focused on Jordan.

[texifornia 59,009]

11 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

It's a stupid article, but it's a also an unsettling trend. OU has definitely stepped up their recruiting pitch/game. We've out-recruited them all the fucking time, some of that with Charlie Strong (yes, I say this fully understanding the caveats for Strong's Fool's Gold classes). They've done more with less compared to us on the field for quite some time. Now they're doing as good or better. Again, this all comes back to Herman and company having to coach like fucking winners this fall, but the trend right now is not great. And this Camar Wheaton suddenly favoring the Sooners is some hard shit for me to understand and accept. We led for him for awhile, and I don't remember OU being mentioned as one of his top schools until just recently, and now they're tossed around as a purported leader? Wheaton to OU makes about us much sense as Satya at a party on Friday night. It really feels like something tangible has changed for OU in the past month. 

Wheaton and Burris have the exact same feeling as Smith. Riley decided to go hard-sell on some kids and it worked. Just like with LSU, you can do that if you're successful. We gotta go win.

[UncleBuck 6,455]

20 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

It's a stupid article, but it's a also an unsettling trend. OU has definitely stepped up their recruiting pitch/game. We've out-recruited them all the fucking time, some of that with Charlie Strong (yes, I say this fully understanding the caveats for Strong's Fool's Gold classes). They've done more with less compared to us on the field for quite some time. Now they're doing as good or better. Again, this all comes back to Herman and company having to coach like fucking winners this fall, but the trend right now is not great. And this Camar Wheaton suddenly favoring the Sooners is some hard shit for me to understand and accept. We led for him for awhile, and I don't remember OU being mentioned as one of his top schools until just recently, and now they're tossed around as a purported leader? Wheaton to OU makes about us much sense as Satya at a party on Friday night. It really feels like something tangible has changed for OU in the past month. 

This shit is pretty simple for me: Yet again OU embarrassed Texas in the draft. Two first rounders, and both Jrs. From Deep down in Texas.  Three of our guys get taken in the third, all seniors.

Last year a Jr in first and a Jr early in the second for OU. Texas has it's first guy off the board in the 5th round. Yayyyy

Obviously in 2018 Baker gets taken first overall. Just a Texas dude that went to OU and went to the playoffs. No big deal anywhere else, but once he got to Oklahoma....

They got to the playoffs, Texas doesn't. They win Big 12 Championships pretty often, Texas doesn't. 

These kids are eating it up. It's the perfect positive/negative recruiting angle for one of the biggest rivalries in the game, and they hold it.

Hell of an 8-ball to be behind for any coaches Texas might have, recruiting head-to-head with OU right now. They're point blank going to have to win the big 12 and puts some asses in the NFL, early. This could be the year for the latter, for sure, but hopefully also the former. 

Edited May 19, 2020 by UncleBuck

[Ricky's one-hitter 9,622]

 

 

[tokamak 6,687]

It's always hard for me to tell what's actually momentum shifting, and what's just our $9.95ers being full of shit and telling us what we want to hear. Depending on what you believe, at one point we were leading with all of Landon Jackson, Smith, Wheaton, and Mukuba. It was a lot of the same shit last year, too. Either we have an unmatched ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, or we weren't actually truly leading with all those guys. Probably a little bit of both.

[2300 Nueces 163]

This is our year.  If we don't do it on the field, well we deserve this.  Our roster is stacked.  We don't have playing time available for any freshmen, even 5 stars (except Bijan).  Bijan may be the only player able to crack the 2 deep.  We have relatively low turnover and some decent coaching coming in.  It's our time.

Edited May 19, 2020 by 2300 Nueces

[texifornia 59,009]

Just now, tokamak said:

It's always hard for me to tell what's actually momentum shifting, and what's just our $9.95ers being full of shit and telling us what we want to hear. Depending on what you believe, at one point we were leading with all of Landon Jackson, Smith, Wheaton, and Mukuba. It was a lot of the same shit last year, too. Either we have an unmatched ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, or we weren't actually truly leading with all those guys. Probably a little bit of both.

Yeah, there's always a couple of lows in the offseason when we get a run of tossup recruitments that go the wrong direction, especially given the whole 9-5ness of last season. That's normal.

Offensive recruiting is pretty yikes right now, however.

[Ricky's one-hitter 9,622]

1 minute ago, tokamak said:

It's always hard for me to tell what's actually momentum shifting, and what's just our $9.95ers being full of shit and telling us what we want to hear. Depending on what you believe, at one point we were leading with all of Landon Jackson, Smith, Wheaton, and Mukuba. It was a lot of the same shit last year, too. Either we have an unmatched ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, or we weren't actually truly leading with all those guys. Probably a little bit of both.

In reality, we were supposedly leading with Jackson and Smith at different points. Wheaton has mostly been described as being in the top 2, and we've always had ground to make up with Mukuba. 

[LTtxfan 49,985]

18 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

It's a stupid article, but it's a also an unsettling trend. OU has definitely stepped up their recruiting pitch/game. We've out-recruited them all the fucking time, some of that with Charlie Strong (yes, I say this fully understanding the caveats for Strong's Fool's Gold classes). They've done more with less compared to us on the field for quite some time. Now they're doing as good or better. Again, this all comes back to Herman and company having to coach like fucking winners this fall, but the trend right now is not great. And this Camar Wheaton suddenly favoring the Sooners is some hard shit for me to understand and accept. We led for him for awhile, and I don't remember OU being mentioned as one of his top schools until just recently, and now they're tossed around as a purported leader? Wheaton to OU makes about us much sense as Satya at a party on Friday night. It really feels like something tangible has changed for OU in the past month. 

Solid Take.  Really expected some insight on blO u from Jay Boulware might really help Longhorn recruiting.

Read somewhere that a recruit's (maybe Clayton Smith) virtual visit at blOU was over-the-top. I think Riley wore a Dallas Cowboys jersey because he knew the recruit loved Dallas??I

Found this:  "Virtual Reality: Lincoln Riley, Sooners, 'Embrace What We Can Do' to Land Recruits in COVID-19"

https://www.si.com/college/oklahoma/football/virtual-reality-lincoln-riley-oklahoma-sooners-embrace-what-we-can-do-to-land-recruits-in-covid-19

[BruceVonClaude 228]

Just now, 2300 Nueces said:

This is our year.  If we don't do it on the field, well we deserve this.  Our roster is stacked.  We don't have playing time available for any freshmen, even 5 stars.  We have relativley low turnover and some decent coaching coming in.  It's our time.

[Ricky's one-hitter 9,622]

Just now, LTtxfan said:

Read somewhere that a recruit's (maybe Clayton Smith) virtual visit at blOU was over-the-top. I think Riley wore a Dallas Cowboys jersey because he knew the recruit loved Dallas??

The takeaway from that is how involved Riley is in recruiting. Just like Orgeron, revitalized Mack, Dabo, and even Saban to an extent.

Supposedly TH tried to get more involved and the returns weren't there. 

[futureman 22,691]

19 minutes ago, BruceVonClaude said:

last decade of UT football:

[golfclap 6,903]

54 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

And this Camar Wheaton suddenly favoring the Sooners is some hard shit for me to understand and accept. We led for him for awhile, and I don't remember OU being mentioned as one of his top schools until just recently, and now they're tossed around as a purported leader?

  

 

[RGBIII 23,014]

39 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Yeah, there's always a couple of lows in the offseason when we get a run of tossup recruitments that go the wrong direction, especially given the whole 9-5ness of last season. That's normal.

Offensive recruiting is pretty yikes right now, however.

This feels like what happened right after that Rivals camp last year when Texas didnt have a committed prospect and every prospect took a big dump  on Texas the whole week, had Broughton, Bijan and others trending away

[RGBIII 23,014]

Roach says Mukubas news at 4pm is a top schools list of 12-14

[Dbeasy 15,561]

This recruiting class is pivotal.

It seems like the importance of winning the last several years has gotten more and more important in order to avoid recruiting implosions. However, this year is shaping up to be epic, in my opinion.

As you trace thru the last ten years there’s always been a story behind the lack of success that gave good recruits enough comfort to go ahead and come to Texas. We’ve been getting good players (not always top players)despite a&m’s SEC pitch, Oklahoma’s Big 12 dominance, and draft results.

If they don’t win big this year, this program is going to have a hard time recovering to the point of being able to get top talent. Herman had a perfect situation last year and blew it. If he’d gone 9-3 he’d have been fine. But he didn’t.

Are there now questions about the quality of the Hand hire? I sure hope not. That would be a serious issue. I hope the latest DB and WR coaches don’t turn out to be bad hires.

Worst of all, notwithstanding CTJ’s view that Herman is a completely unlikeable ahole, I believe Herman is a good coach, but between some bad decisions and a little bad luck, he’s in a tough spot. If Texas cuts ties with him, don’t be surprised if he finds success elsewhere. A lot of big time coaches have flawed personalities. I hope our administration doesn’t have to face that decision.

[ClubWhatever 12,283]

2 hours ago, Ricky's one-hitter said:

Supposedly TH tried to get more involved and the returns weren't there. 

He has the personality of a fence post.

[Enchubben 5,600]

8 minutes ago, ClubWhatever said:

He has the personality of a fence post.

I find this hard to believe due to coke/stripper stories.  How many of those people that successfully pull that off with their Wife are boring?

[texifornia 59,009]

1 minute ago, Enchubben said:

I find this hard to believe due to coke/stripper stories.  How many of those people that successfully pull that off with their Wife are boring?

Ever met a finance bro? They pull that shit. They are, by and large, not interesting people.

[texifornia 59,009]

16 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

Are there now questions about the quality of the Hand hire? I sure hope not. That would be a serious issue. I hope the latest DB and WR coaches don’t turn out to be bad hires.

@Goodman and @Bruh Man have been on an anti-Hand crusade for a while. Not much has changed there.

This season will be interesting to see if the OU/Baylor collapses were scheme or talent/coaching.

[Enchubben 5,600]

3 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Ever met a finance bro? They pull that shit. They are, by and large, not interesting people.

No offense taken. 

[Newy25 7,916]

I've met Riley on multiple occasions (my wife is friends with Stoop's wife) and the guy is very easy to like.  I imagine he makes a very good impression with recruits. Ironically I have never even shaken Herman's hand let along talked with him. Riley is going to be tougher to recruit against for sure.  

[Mdhorn 6,166]

3 minutes ago, texifornia said:

@Goodman and @Bruh Man have been on an anti-Hand crusade for a while. Not much has changed there.

This season will be interesting to see if the OU/Baylor collapses were scheme or talent/coaching.

I'd add TCU to that as well. 

[satyanash 15,549]

Eric Nahlin: Wide receiver recruiting notes and the need for speed

Quote

Tom Herman needs to find wide receivers who can social distance on the field. Here are some options in the 2021 and 2022 class.

JADEN ALEXIS

While in-state recruiting at wide receiver has been less than ideal in the 2021 cycle, the Texas staff continues to comb the country in search of dudes willing to catch footballs from Hudson Card, Ja’Quinden Jackson, and Jalen Milroe. The 2019 cycle saw UT grab one of the nation's top pass-catchers in Jake Smith, another out-of-state target. This year, the Horns are hunting in the other spring training destination of Florida.

At 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, the 2021 three-star from Monarch High School in Pompano Beach, FL is the latest OOS wide receiver in the Longhorns‘ cross-hairs. "Texas has really shown interest," said Alexis. "They are more than football, they care about you as a person. I've built a great connection to Coach Coleman, while Coach Yurcich and Coach Herman have been great too. I even spoke to the strength and conditioning coach (Yancy McKnight). Texas was one of the first schools to really recruit me. Texas is big, but the people are better."

He holds 36 offers including Georgia, Auburn, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Wisconsin, and Miami. But it seems Georgia, Miami, and UT are among his favorites. Something Texas has going for them is Milroe. The Katy Tompkins four-star quarterback reached out to Alexis a while back and made a big impression on him. “I want a place I can grow," said Alexis. "Milroe was the first committed quarterback to reach out. Him and Landen King called me. He hit me up and we instantly hit it off. I really appreciate him taking the time to do that. We are both like-minded people. We want to play in and win big games."

Alexis has traits that every school desires. He runs a 4.41 forty, a 10.75 100m, and a 22.27 200m. He played on both sides of the ball for Monarch last fall. On offense, he tallied 894 yards on 49 catches with eight touchdowns. His father, Rich, was a running back for the University of Washington and 7-year NFL veteran including stops at Jacksonville, Seattle, and Washington. His father is also from South Florida, and I asked Jaden if that meant staying close to home was likely or if he was open to leaving the nest.

"I want to branch out on my own, like my father," Alexis said. "U-Dub might be the farthest school from where we live, so I don't see myself going that far. But I want to pave my own path. I'm really interested in business school and UT has one of the best in the country." He doesn't have a set timeline for his decision, but noted he didn't have to visit Austin for UT to have a shot. He mentioned when the time is right, he'll know.Just keep chipping away, Texas. Watch why they call him "Showtime."

JJ HENRY

While UT looks nationwide, they have an in-state receiving prospect who might be worth the effort. At 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds, the 2021 McKinney North three-star presents more desirable traits for your passing attack. Notably, speed and short area quickness. He had a breakout junior campaign with 1,419 yards on 71 grabs with 16 touchdowns. It was good enough to merit District 7-5A DI Co-MVP honors.

With 18 offers including Florida State, Arkansas, Colorado, Ole Miss, and TCU, he's in no hurry to make a decision. "The importance about picking a school is having a good relationship with the staff," said Henry. “I hear from Texas every now and then.” Henry excels in football, basketball, and track, and is enjoying the recruiting process so far. He wants to take visits out of state just to see a few schools, but really wants to focus on programs closer to home.

“I'll probably visit schools like Baylor, SMU, and TCU.” Trips to Florida State and Ole Miss could also be in the works. For now, the slot-type is eager to get back on the field. And he's eager to hear more from Texas. Take a look at the tape.

#####

TWIN TURBOS

Track and field is a bit of a sister sport for football, and when it was canceled, college coaches were robbed of some useful evaluation metrics. But some athletes are so special, missing track and field even as sophomores won’t impact them negatively.

The state of Texas has two very uncommon receivers in the 2022 class who aren’t just fast, they’re strong track athletes as they are strong football athletes. From the sound of it, schools will have to recruit them as the two sport stars they are. The athletes in question, Evan Stewart and Brenen Thompson, exploded on the scene like they do out of the blocks and are just in the first 10 meters of the recruiting race.

Evan Stewart, Frisco Liberty, 6-foot, 160
100 Meters: 10.74
200 Meters: 21.08
Long Jump: 24’ 6
Triple Jump: 47’ 9

As a player: Single-handedly threatens the whole field, whether as a vertical threat on the outside or running sweeps from the slot. Speed is evident as he chews up cushion off the line of scrimmage. Also evident when forced to get more than ideal depth on sweeps but still able to pick up positive yards. More than a speed guy, shows an array of catch types — over the shoulder, contested, over the middle. Good vision with the ball in his hands and solid play strength as a runner. Stewart can do anything asked of the position, but as competition levels increase some traits may not accompany him. Typically there’s some drop off in college as everybody’s traits are competing to survive, then if a player makes it further, even more drop off in the NFL. That speed, however? That will always be with him. If all of his traits don't follow him, could he still be Ted Ginn? Maybe so. That speed gives him both a safe floor and high ceiling as a college prospect.

Here’s the latest on Stewart. He didn’t seem too interested in recruiting at this time so I didn’t press too hard.

Are any schools standing out at this early point?
“Um it’s really a equal playing field. I’ve just been working on my craft this quarantine and trying to get right to impress next season.”

Any recent contact with Texas receivers coach Andre Coleman?
“Yeah I was talking to him last week.”

You’re pretty good in track and field, eh?
“Yessir. I was just named to MileSplit All-American 1st team.”

You could compete at state by yourself:
“Yeah, I placed 8th at state last year by myself.”

Has UT talked to you about its track program yet?
“No, they haven’t but I’ve been and seen some of their track commits.”

Brenen Thompson, Spearman, 5-foot-10, 165
100 Meters: 10.44
200 Meters: 21.74

As a player: While Stewart shows promise in the vertical and horizontal patterns, Thompson is follows the unpredictable path of a lightning bolt. His play speed is exceptional, as are his feet and change of direction. Like Billy Bowman in the 2021 class, Thompson will vie for best pound-for-pound player in the state for 2022. He seems to be a pure football player who does it all for his small school. The smaller the school, the more ways a prospect must dominate the competition. As a receiver prospect, Thompson is more slot-specific than Stewart, meaning a fortunate team could theoretically line Stewart and Thompson up to the same side, with Stewart playing way out to the field.

What’s the latest with recruiting?
“It’s hard as a ‘22 prospect because I’m having to call coaches since they can’t call me... but I’ve been keeping up with every school. I plan on visiting every school I can when I’m able to. Especially schools like Alabama, OU, Baylor, etc. Schools like Michigan will be hard to get to but as time goes on I hope I get to!"

Have you been talking to Texas much?
“Yes sir! That will definitely be a place I visit. No doubt. I’ve talked to Coach Herman and some of the coaching staff there.”

Are you evaluating track options?
“Yes sir, for sure. Many coaches have been telling me I could be a two sport athlete.”

What are you looking for overall in a school?
“Just an entire family environment with a great program.”

Tom Herman needs to inject speed and big play ability at wide receiver. That goes for 2021, 2022, and beyond. The best way to take advantage of strong-armed quarterbacks and ball control within the tackle box isn’t ball control on the perimeter and intermediate route tree, but hitting defense over the top whether it’s from the slot or outside.

 

[Mdhorn 6,166]

1 minute ago, Newy25 said:

I've met Riley on multiple occasions (my wife is friends with Stoop's wife) and the guy is very easy to like.  I imagine he makes a very good impression with recruits. Ironically I have never even shaken Herman's hand let along talked with him. Riley is going to be tougher to recruit against for sure.  

I think if Herman can sweep him in a season, maybe Lincoln begins to really think about the NFL or just somewhere else.  

[SydneyCarton 49,477]

18 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

This recruiting class is pivotal.

It seems like the importance of winning the last several years has gotten more and more important in order to avoid recruiting implosions. However, this year is shaping up to be epic, in my opinion.

As you trace thru the last ten years there’s always been a story behind the lack of success that gave good recruits enough comfort to go ahead and come to Texas. We’ve been getting good players (not always top players)despite a&m’s SEC pitch, Oklahoma’s Big 12 dominance, and draft results.

If they don’t win big this year, this program is going to have a hard time recovering to the point of being able to get top talent. Herman had a perfect situation last year and blew it. If he’d gone 9-3 he’d have been fine. But he didn’t.

Are there now questions about the quality of the Hand hire? I sure hope not. That would be a serious issue. I hope the latest DB and WR coaches don’t turn out to be bad hires.

Worst of all, notwithstanding CTJ’s view that Herman is a completely unlikeable ahole, I believe Herman is a good coach, but between some bad decisions and a little bad luck, he’s in a tough spot. If Texas cuts ties with him, don’t be surprised if he finds success elsewhere. A lot of big time coaches have flawed personalities. I hope our administration doesn’t have to face that decision.

I generally agree with everything in this post. I'll caveat it with Herman might be the guy who is a great coordinator but a mediocre head coach. Personally, I doubt it. I think he's still learning on the job, though. If he leaves here, I absolutely imagine he'll have success elsewhere and it will be yet another mark in the "Texas is Toxic and no one can win there" narrative that we seem incapable of escaping lately. I do believe it will be much harder to attract another big name coach because of the emphasis the NFL and recruits seem to be putting on the SEC. Mediocre SEC schools putting kids consistently in the draft is a bad, bad look for us. 

I think the other thing to consider is that Covid 19 is about to put a pinch of athletic departments in ways folks aren't really considering. MLB released that study this week saying they'd be losing 640k or some such a GAME if it was played without fans. I'm not sure what this translates to for college, but it can't be that massive considering lots of these schools (read: Miami) are often playing to empty fucking stadiums regardless, and that's considered an upper level brand. Schools with big TV contracts will be OK, but the whole of the athletic department will take the brunt in other sports. Long story short, schools probably are not going to be buying out coaches for the foreseeable future if they're running in the red just to keep business going as usual. I expect that to be Texas as well, to an extent. Fuck, he extended Shaka Smart. Herman might get an extra year after this one even if he is mediocre just because of the economy. That probably doesn't help us, as it just prolongs the stench of death around the program. But there's always a shot the guy shoots the moon. 

He has to win big this year. The good news is I think Herman knows that and he understands gameplanning for his  life. The bad news is who knows if that makes a difference in regards to their actual ability to coach, and coach as a team. 

[SydneyCarton 49,477]

12 minutes ago, Enchubben said:

I find this hard to believe due to coke/stripper stories.  How many of those people that successfully pull that off with their Wife are boring?

Anyone who has money and is married to someone who values money and prestige? 

[SydneyCarton 49,477]

5 minutes ago, Mdhorn said:

I think if Herman can sweep him in a season, maybe Lincoln begins to really think about the NFL or just somewhere else.  

If Lincoln Riley has one bad season versus Texas and that's enough to push him to the NFL, or another program, than he's about 50x the pussy that he's ever given any indication of being as a coach. As a person, who knows, he does have an aztec sun belly tat. But I'd place the likelihood of that being the domino that makes him move on to be about as likely as I'd wager on Norla waking up today sober, or Geoff Ketchum waking up today as Not A Corpulent Embezzler. 

[Mdhorn 6,166]

7 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

I think the other thing to consider is that Covid 19 is about to put a pinch of athletic departments in ways folks aren't really considering. MLB released that study this week saying they'd be losing 640k or some such a GAME if it was played without fans. I'm not sure what this translates to for college, but it can't be that massive considering lots of these schools (read: Miami) are often playing to empty fucking stadiums regardless, and that's considered an upper level brand. Schools with big TV contracts will be OK, but the whole of the athletic department will take the brunt in other sports. Long story short, schools probably are not going to be buying out coaches for the foreseeable future if they're running in the red just to keep business going as usual. I expect that to be Texas as well, to an extent. Fuck, he extended Shaka Smart. Herman might get an extra year after this one even if he is mediocre just because of the economy. That probably doesn't help us, as it just prolongs the stench of death around the program. But there's always a shot the guy shoots the moon. 

He has to win big this year. The good news is I think Herman knows that and he understands gameplanning for his  life. The bad news is who knows if that makes a difference in regards to their actual ability to coach, and coach as a team. 

This also squeezes teams like TCU.  They're not a big market team--even when they're successful.  It'll probably sting WVU as well since their state is more similar to Louisiana than one that's prosperous.  

Edited May 19, 2020 by Mdhorn

[SydneyCarton 49,477]

Just now, Mdhorn said:

This also squeezes teams like TCU.  They're not a big market team--even when they're successful.  It'll probably sting WVU as well since their state is more similar to Louisiana than one that's prosperous.  

I think the list of teams/schools it's going to squeeze is larger than most expect, including a lot of big names. I'd include LSU, but the grafty fucks that run that state will literally mask up and knock over their own banks to fund the LSU train. But some shittier schools in bigger conferences with good money, like WVU, Rutgers, Maryland, Syracuse, etc. They could have some real problems. 

There might only be 12-15 schools that can comfortable deal with this kind of situation if it drags on for more than 1 season, and I'd wager plenty of decent sized schools will have to take out some kind of loan or bond against future earning to make it through this season. 

[Mdhorn 6,166]

3 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

I think the list of teams/schools it's going to squeeze is larger than most expect, including a lot of big names. I'd include LSU, but the grafty fucks that run that state will literally mask up and knock over their own banks to fund the LSU train. But some shittier schools in bigger conferences with good money, like WVU, Rutgers, Maryland, Syracuse, etc. They could have some real problems. 

There might only be 12-15 schools that can comfortable deal with this kind of situation if it drags on for more than 1 season, and I'd wager plenty of decent sized schools will have to take out some kind of loan or bond against future earning to make it through this season. 

Another portion of this that nobody is thinking about, albeit somewhat separate from athletics, is that schools are also largely reducing foreign students which is millions of dollars in housing and tuition.  It's a big deal for state schools.