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Texas Recruiting Notes 2021


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From: Joe Cook

DONOVAN JACKSON

The 6-3.5, 308 pounder from Bellaire Episcopal is part of the loaded 2021 offensive line class in the state of Texas. On Friday, he was able to meet with a coach he had wanted to get a better feel for.

“It was a great experience,” Jackson said. “Coach (Herb) Hand was on my list of coaches I wanted to get to know better. I feel like today I got to know him as a coach and as a person.”

At his size and age, Jackson recognized the need to be versatile. He began the camp working (and winning reps) at tackle, but when Hand asked that he bump inside, it was something he had no problem with.

“Coaches these days want to see how versatile you are,” Jackson said. “I train at both guard and tackle.”

Jackson trains with some of the other highly regarded 2021 offensive line prospects including Reuben Fatheree, Bryce Foster, and Hayden Conner. Over the summer, his coach “made it a mission” to work on his explosiveness, something Jackson think he improved on a lot.

Overall, his experience at Stars at Night was a positive one.

“There really wasn’t much of a ‘oh you’re a recruit, so we’re going to sugarcoat things with you,’” Jackson said. “They were genuine with me. Coach Herman stopped by and said you’re one of our dudes for the 2021 class and we’ll be looking out for you. I thought that was really fun.”

LANDYN WATSON

Another young talent resides in Austin, this time on the defensive side of the ball.

2021 Hutto DE/OLB Landyn Watson attended Friday’s camp and had glowing things to say about the experience.

“The camp tonight was very, very fun,” Watson said. “There was a lot of great hospitality and great energy. The coaches were amazing, the camp ran well, lot of competition.”

Watson has made previous trips to Texas, but there was something lacking on other visits. His stars at night experience was different. He was able to meet more Longhorn coaches and work with them on an individual basis.

He interacted mostly with defensive line coach Oscar Giles, who told the 6-2, 230 pounder he currently liked him at B-backer.

“When I was talking to Coach Giles, he mentioned he could easily have me with my hand in the dirt or have me stand up,” Watson said. “He has that much trust in me.”

Watson, who is originally from Milwaukee, spoke about some of the players Giles has coached over the years including one who trains him, Tim Crowder. He appreciated Giles’ list of students as well as his no-nonsense style.

“He’s not a coach that’s going to sugarcoat,” Watson said. “He’s going to straight up tell you how it is. That’s what I like. I don’t like being lied to during the recruiting process. He knows what he’s talking about.”

Along with Texas and Texas A&M, Watson was able to see Houston, Baylor, TCU, and Oklahoma State this summer.

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23 minutes ago, Bruh Man said:

Nahlin says this '21 in-state class is going to be special. 

 

There's two clear 5* OL, one of whom might be a Zach Evans/Walker Little/Myles Garret upper tier 5* type, and three or four more who look like top ten in the state types. Of course, OL can always max out early and become overrated quickly, but these all look like guys with good athletic frames. 

There's also Preston Stone who looks like a 5* QB. 

Younger Brockermeyer looks like a stud, but it's unclear if he'll be an offensive tackle or athletic DL at this point. There's also an athletic linebacker at one of the Mesquite schools. 

Other than that, tbd. 

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31 minutes ago, Fud said:

There's two clear 5* OL, one of whom might be a Zach Evans/Walker Little/Myles Garret upper tier 5* type, and three or four more who look like top ten in the state types. Of course, OL can always max out early and become overrated quickly, but these all look like guys with good athletic frames. 

There's also Preston Stone who looks like a 5* QB. 

Younger Brockermeyer looks like a stud, but it's unclear if he'll be an offensive tackle or athletic DL at this point. There's also an athletic linebacker at one of the Mesquite schools. 

Other than that, tbd. 

Aggy is already getting all those OL guys.  They'll even tell you on the aggy board.

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25 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Aggy is already getting all those OL guys.  They'll even tell you on the aggy board.

The two Katy Taylor kids definitely like aggie, but iirc one really likes Wisconsin and the other really like Texas as well. Texas and A&M will probably remain in both's top group. 

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9 minutes ago, Bruh Man said:

tbh recruiting in the state seems to be a coin flip going forward. a lot is riding on how we perform this season. 

Right now it'll basically be more or less split into quarters between UT, OU, A&M, and everyone else. A&M is getting a boost right now due to the expected new coach bump, while OU is parlaying two playoffs in three years along with a Heisman; we're lacking in-state momentum due to the subpar season, especially offensively, but that can easily be flipped through success on the field. 

Win this year and we can get back to landing over half of the top in-state guys (the ceiling in regards to landing highly rated in-state guys would be higher if this staff didn't filter so many guys with various types of red flags)

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21 minutes ago, Fud said:

Right now it'll basically be more or less split into quarters between UT, OU, A&M, and everyone else. A&M is getting a boost right now due to the expected new coach bump, while OU is parlaying two playoffs in three years along with a Heisman; we're lacking in-state momentum due to the subpar season, especially offensively, but that can easily be flipped through success on the field. 

Win this year and we can get back to landing over half of the top in-state guys (the ceiling in regards to landing highly rated in-state guys would be higher if this staff didn't filter so many guys with various types of red flags)

The ideal season for us from a recruiting perspective would be to beat OU and USC, get to at least 8 wins, and finish with a better record than A&M. Of course winning the Big 12 would solve a lot of things but this would cover a lot of bases for our future sales pitch to recruits. Only so far you can go selling 6th street, the lakes, the network/university, etc. Herman has done a great job in that regard but I think that fell on deaf ears with some recruits this cycle, particularly Wilson. 

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2 hours ago, Bruh Man said:

The ideal season for us from a recruiting perspective would be to beat OU and USC, get to at least 8 wins, and finish with a better record than A&M. Of course winning the Big 12 would solve a lot of things but this would cover a lot of bases for our future sales pitch to recruits. Only so far you can go selling 6th street, the lakes, the network/university, etc. Herman has done a great job in that regard but I think that fell on deaf ears with some recruits this cycle, particularly Wilson. 

The ideal season for us from a recruiting perspective would be to beat OU and USC, get to at least 8 wins, and finish with a better record than A&M. Of course winning the Big 12 would solve a lot of things but this would cover a lot of bases for our future sales pitch to recruits. Only so far you can go selling 6th street, the lakes, the network/university, etc. Herman has done a great job in that regard but I think that fell on deaf ears with some recruits this cycle, particularly Wilson. 

 

If we beat USC and OU we should win at least 10 games, not 8.

Edited by Sabalo
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3 hours ago, Fud said:

Right now it'll basically be more or less split into quarters between UT, OU, A&M, and everyone else. A&M is getting a boost right now due to the expected new coach bump, while OU is parlaying two playoffs in three years along with a Heisman; we're lacking in-state momentum due to the subpar season, especially offensively, but that can easily be flipped through success on the field. 

Win this year and we can get back to landing over half of the top in-state guys (the ceiling in regards to landing highly rated in-state guys would be higher if this staff didn't filter so many guys with various types of red flags)

Seems pretty defeatist. I will concede that the bullshit S-E-C!!! S-E-C!!! pitch is helping them with some recruits this year, but I'm certainly not anywhere near ready to concede that aggy is somehow our recruiting equal - even when they're flagrantly paying kids.

We're still TEXAS and they're just the weird backwoods afterbirth. Fortunately, I think Herman agrees with this point of view.

 

edit: I didn't address OU in the post, but fuck them too. Fucking hillbillies.

Edited by campcrunk
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28 minutes ago, campcrunk said:

Seems pretty defeatist. I will concede that the bullshit S-E-C!!! S-E-C!!! pitch is helping them with some recruits this year, but I'm certainly not anywhere near ready to concede that aggy is somehow our recruiting equal - even when they're flagrantly paying kids.

We're still TEXAS and they're just the weird backwoods afterbirth. Fortunately, I think Herman agrees with this point of view.

 

edit: I didn't address OU in the post, but fuck them too. Fucking hillbillies.

Far from defeatist, I'm actually pretty optimistic all things considered going forward 

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17 hours ago, Bruh Man said:

The ideal season for us from a recruiting perspective would be to beat OU and USC, get to at least 8 wins, and finish with a better record than A&M. Of course winning the Big 12 would solve a lot of things but this would cover a lot of bases for our future sales pitch to recruits. Only so far you can go selling 6th street, the lakes, the network/university, etc. Herman has done a great job in that regard but I think that fell on deaf ears with some recruits this cycle, particularly Wilson. 

I think 8 wins would be a horrible look, especially if we also beat OU and USC. Maybe there is some play if it were due to a ridiculous number of injuries down the stretch, but 8 wins will hurt us this year and puts us behind the eight-ball for 2020 as well. Who really sees 1 more win as improvement?

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6 minutes ago, rickyspub said:

I think 8 wins would be a horrible look, especially if we also beat OU and USC. Maybe there is some play if it were due to a ridiculous number of injuries down the stretch, but 8 wins will hurt us this year and puts us behind the eight-ball for 2020 as well. Who really sees 1 more win as improvement?

8 regular season wins with a bowl win would be fine. I do agree that if we go 2-0 against OU and USC but still only manage 8 regular season wins, something's gone wrong.

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19 minutes ago, Machinator said:

8 regular season wins with a bowl win would be fine. I do agree that if we go 2-0 against OU and USC but still only manage 8 regular season wins, something's gone wrong.

But that's 9 wins...Bruh man said to 'get to at least 8 wins'. I just don't see 7 regular season wins and a bowl victory or 8 regular season wins and a bowl loss as generating any recruiting momentum. If anything, I would say Herman's seat would be getting warmer and any coaching changes he may have already planned on (like canning Mehringer, Warehime, and/or Beck) would instead look like desperation moves to save his own bacon. 

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Maybe Herman's seat gets warm after a disappointing season, but we've seen some coaches struggle their first two years recently, both on the field and in recruiting, only for things to start to turn around in year three and who now have teams that are perennial top ten types; Dabo, Petersen, and Franklin come to mind. I'm not saying that Herman is a lock to succeed, but struggling this year doesn't preclude him from turning it around. I guy into his system's evals and recruiting, and the S&C. My main concern is him proving he can eventually adequately replace Orlando, assuming Orlando isn't a DC lifer like a Bud Foster or John Chavis 

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I'd imagine if and when Orlando leaves, one of Naivar or JWash will step into the DC role. I'm getting off-topic, but before we worry about the defense we have to wonder about the offense. If we have a good year, a likely scenario is having to replace both coordinators. 

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3 hours ago, Fud said:

Maybe Herman's seat gets warm after a disappointing season, but we've seen some coaches struggle their first two years recently, both on the field and in recruiting, only for things to start to turn around in year three and who now have teams that are perennial top ten types; Dabo, Petersen, and Franklin come to mind. I'm not saying that Herman is a lock to succeed, but struggling this year doesn't preclude him from turning it around. I guy into his system's evals and recruiting, and the S&C. My main concern is him proving he can eventually adequately replace Orlando, assuming Orlando isn't a DC lifer like a Bud Foster or John Chavis 

I don't think we will have a disappointing season and I also don't think one means he won't turn it around either. I do think his system's evals will be paramount if he can't make some decent improvement this season. I just don't think we will be putting together another Top 5 class in the near future if this season is a disappointment. Of course, Dabo, Petersen, and Franklin didn't succeeded by bringing in several Top 5 classes either and none of them have done so regularly (for varying reasons) even after having great seasons. 

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  • 3 weeks later...
7 hours ago, JerryHubbard said:

Bryce Foster won jr olympics in both discus and shot a couple of weeks ago in Iowa.

First person he called was coach Hand.

Hope you're right.  Looks like a future stud at Guard/Center.  He'll eventually get offered.

What have you heard on Hayden Conner?  Is he all aggy like most Taylor kids or is he more open?

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Landyn Watson at 55. Wow. Would've thought his size might keep him out of the top 100 - even if he does have projectable growth. 

 

Man, the 9.95ers know fuckall about California. I get that you have to pay a lot more to have a couple of analysts in CA but FFS every year they are woefully under-represented on these lists. Esp compared to NC or MI for instance. Just terrible. 

 

 

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1 hour ago, golfclap said:

Landyn Watson at 55. Wow. Would've thought his size might keep him out of the top 100 - even if he does have projectable growth. 

 

Man, the 9.95ers know fuckall about California. I get that you have to pay a lot more to have a couple of analysts in CA but FFS every year they are woefully under-represented on these lists. Esp compared to NC or MI for instance. Just terrible. 

 

 

Excuse me, sir. Are attempting to imply that North Carolina having as many guys ranked in the top 100 as California is a sign that the state of NC might be overrated and overcovered? What's next? You're going to tell me that the state of Washington having 6 guys in the top 100 is also a sign of flaws in this list? Pffffffftt.

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3 hours ago, Not a Sock said:

24/7 just released their top 100 today. Texas is loaded with top end O line

https://247sports.com/Season/2021-Football/CompositeRecruitRankings?InstitutionGroup=HighSchool

These don't seem like your typical early bloomer maxed out types either. These dudes are really athletic with great frames. With the "it's really fucking early" caveat being noted, they seem to compliment each other well too, similar to how the 2018 DBs all complimented each other;; Fatheree looks like your left tackle created in a lab Walker Little type, Conner isn't far behind in that department but might be athletic enough to be a lumbering tight end, Foster and Jackson look like elite swing linemen Kenyon Green types who are great tackle takes for most schools but probably interior at elite programs. That's just at the top in-State, there are already a couple of other options on the scene who the staff could monitor as backups for if we miss on the top guys or they plateau, or as guys who could potentially be top tier takes in their own right regardless. There's also little Brockermeyer who could end up being a monster on the DL or OL. 

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In the write of the top 100, it was noted that preston stone (qb) is 6th overall with all crystal balls to the good guys. Also, I hope beck can get us in with Quintin sommerville(sp?) as he is out of Arizona. I think beck might have been directly involved at the high school too. Looks like quite the DE.

Edited by RockyMountainHighHorn
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On 8/24/2018 at 2:28 PM, Fud said:

These don't seem like your typical early bloomer maxed out types either. These dudes are really athletic with great frames. With the "it's really fucking early" caveat being noted, they seem to compliment each other well too, similar to how the 2018 DBs all complimented each other;; Fatheree looks like your left tackle created in a lab Walker Little type, Conner isn't far behind in that department but might be athletic enough to be a lumbering tight end, Foster and Jackson look like elite swing linemen Kenyon Green types who are great tackle takes for most schools but probably interior at elite programs. That's just at the top in-State, there are already a couple of other options on the scene who the staff could monitor as backups for if we miss on the top guys or they plateau, or as guys who could potentially be top tier takes in their own right regardless. There's also little Brockermeyer who could end up being a monster on the DL or OL. 

 Walker Little and Kenyon Green comps? What are you?

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