Texas Recruiting Notes 2025: Duck Around and Find Out

[Teryor 4474]

Stampede: In-depth breakdown on Texas' position with Top247 DL Ethan Utley

Quote

Defensive line is a priority position for Texas in the class of 2025, and new D-line coach Kenny Baker has already hit it off with one of the Longhorns’ top targets at the position in Ethan Utley. Safeties coach Blake Gideon laid the groundwork with the 6-foot-4, 270-pound prospect from  Nashville (Tenn.) Ensworth, dating back to last spring. Texas has since hosted Utley twice, once for camp last summer and then again in the fall. Now, the Longhorns are in Utley’s top five ahead of a March 28 commitment date.

“Really ever since I first encountered Texas’ staff,” Utley told Horns247 of why the Longhorns are in the mix. “Coach Gideon came in the spring, April of my sophomore year. They knew I was a certified player in my grade, based off my film. They wanted me to come visit Texas and get some work in with some guys, go against Texas talent. I’m a competitor, so why not? 

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I was able to get some work in down there with some guys. From there on out Coach Gideon has been a solid, real cool dude. He really takes time and effort into the recruiting aspect off the field. That’s what you’ll get from Coach Gideon. When I went down there and met Coach (Bo) Davis, who’s at LSU now, me and him hit it off really well. He was a great connect as far as knowing the game of football and being able to recruit and be developed by him. 

The relationship we continued to build, me and my mom had a really good conversation with Coach Sark. We came back for a game, the Kansas State game. We just continued to build that relationship. Had another great conversation with Coach Sark, had a really good conversation with Coach Bo that time. Obviously shortly after he got an opportunity at his alma mater at LSU, which I expressed to him that was huge for him being able to go back to a familiar environment for him. 

I stayed in contact with Coach Gideon up to the point of them hiring Coach (Kenny) Baker. Me and my mom are really looking forward to the hire that they made just because they were one of my top schools. Honestly, you have to love your coaching staff, but you can’t choose your school based off the coaching staff. Position coaches change often. I didn’t expect Coach Bo to leave, but I knew Coach Sark would hire a guy of his caliber and his production rate. 

When he hired Coach Baker, one of the first days he was there we had a really good conversation. Ever since then that relationship started and it’s been great. And the season they had obviously, making the playoffs and coming up short to Washington. And then heading to the SEC, it’s a real intriguing spot. And the culture Coach Sark is building, especially him choosing to stay with the Alabama job open. He chose to stay in Texas and build his own legacy. That says a lot about Texas and the direction they’re heading in. And obviously they say everything’s better in Texas.” 

The other schools joining the Longhorns in Utley's top five are Michigan, Oklahoma, Syracuse, and Tennessee. Obviously with Utley being in the Volunteer State, Rocky Top has been a popular pick among recruiting experts as to where he'll end up on March 28. But regardless of where the Top247 defensive lineman announces for later this month, the rest of his top five, and even some other schools, may still have an opportunity to change his mind. 

“I hope this gets out there because some people may be like 'oh why are you committing before your official visits?' Utley said. "For one, the reason I’m committing is because the recruiting process has been fun and I feel like I’ve seen enough of enough. I have pretty good idea of where I want to call home. As far as me taking my official visits after I commit, I want to have my spot at the place I want to call home.

Also just the morale in me. The teams that have made it this far in my recruitment, my top five, and some other schools I might take an OV at like Oregon or Notre Dame, I want to give those schools a fair chance to get their last little pitches in. A flip could be in the air as far between (me committing) and me signing. I want to give all these programs that have taken the time to recruit me — which has been nothing short of a blessing — just like another fair opportunity of me being in their city, in their presence, just giving them a shot to possibly change my mind. 

That’s how I feel about it. That would leave no questions. I don’t want to burn any bridges. The farther you get along in the game of football, it becomes a relationship thing. I just don’t want any schools to be burned after all the work they put in. So I’m going to take my official visits, allow teams to have their last pitch, and then if I change my mind, I change my mind. If I don't than wherever I call home is where I'll call home."

Utley has already set one official visit in stone, which will be to Tennessee on June 14-16 this upcoming summer. The other trip on his mind is a return trek to Austin. 

“It’s not official yet, but it is technically," Utley said. "I am still talking to Coach Baker and we gotta run things by Coach Sark, but I’ll be going the 21st-23rd (of June)” 

It will mark his third visit to Texas since the Longhorns began pressing. 

There are no Crystal Ball picks to this point for Utley, who's ranked the No. 17 defensive lineman and the No. 160 overall prospect in the country, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. 

The Longhorns' 2025 class already consists of two defensive linemen in Pleasant Grove standout Lance Jackson (who can also be considered an edge potentially) and Florida product Brandon Brown. In all, Texas currently ranks No. 14 in the country with five commitments, per the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings. 

 

[Getafix 28674]

 

Had posted a screenshot on this, but the image seems to be borked (at least to me).  So reposting.  Linkin' it and Parkin' it here.  

(Elite recruit, btw - national Top 40 overall, #2 TE ... ).

Visiting UOV March 22, interested in an official as well.

 

 

Elite TE Linkon Cure reacts to Texas offer, sets visit to Austin

Hank South (Horns 247)

 

Spoiler

 

Elite TE Linkon Cure reacts to Texas offer, sets visit to Austin

Hank South (Horns 247)
 

Texas offered four-star tight end Linkon Cure on Friday evening. The towering 6-foot-6, 220-pound prospect ranks as the No. 2 tight end and No. 37 overall player in the country, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

“It feels great,” Cure told Horns247. “Like all the others, it’s a dream come true. But obviously Texas is one of those bigger ones. It really surprised me and it did mean a lot to me. The history with JT Sanders and stuff like that, instantly I thought maybe I should check this out. We’re going to Houston for a 7on7 tournament, so we’ll be at Texas on March 22 I believe. I’m pretty excited for that one.”

Cure and special teams and tight ends coach Jeff Banks connected for the first time on Friday, resulting in the offer.

“So Coach Banks said they were checking out the national tight ends and I was the No. 1 guy that popped up across the board,” Cure said. “They said they really liked everything about my game.”

Cure resides in Goodland, Kansas, so he’s familiar with Big 12 country and has seen Texas’ upward trajectory of late.

“It’s a winning program,” Cure said. “I hear great things about Coach Sarkisian. And then obviously this past season they had was a really great season. That’s the culture I want to be a part of, a winning a culture. I really want to check this one out.”

Cure is interested in taking an official visit to Texas as well, but says he’s going to keep building a relationship with the UT staff before determining whether he will. He hopes to, though. Cure and Sarkisian are supposed to get on the phone this week.

Cure plans to visit Texas A&M on March 23 after Texas. K-State, Kansas, and Oregon are also on the visit docket.

The 247Sports Crystal Ball favors K-State at 100 percent as things stand.

 

 

 

[SimkinsMan 4387]

4 hours ago, Getafix said:

 

The OU update on Fasusi, Haywood and Rogers.  

 

 

(Full OU OL update.)

 

Collin's Corner: 'Resetting' the 2025 board for Oklahoma (Offensive line)

Collin Kennedy (OU 247)
Feb 29th, 11:00 AM

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Collin's Corner: 'Resetting' the 2025 board for Oklahoma (Offensive line)

Collin Kennedy
Feb 29th, 11:00 AM
 

Soon the dead period will be over. This means the world of recruiting in college football will step back into the spotlight in a major way.

Recruits will be able to take visits, interact with coaches and explore the process further during this time. They'll also be around spring practices, spring games or visit event weekends hosted by schools.

With this time of recruiting getting closer, where do things stand with Oklahoma and the 2025 class? Who should be on the radar going into the spring?

Here on Sooners Illustrated, we're running down each position group and sharing updates on what the pending stretch might look like. To start the series, we take a look at the Sooners and the offensive line in the '25 cycle:

SPOTS:

As you may guess, Oklahoma has aimed to take another five-man class along the offensive line for the 2025 cycle. But could the Sooners push it to six if absolutely necessary? It might work, and emphasis on 'might', but that's if it truly becomes a discussion that has to happen.

COMMITS:

Oklahoma has two current pledges along the offensive front. Owen Hollenbeck was the first to join the group, OU being one of his first few offers plus the primary center target for the Sooners in the cycle. He's joined by Ryan Fodje, the most recent addition who committed to OU during one of the final visit events prior to the dead period. Two quality gets, Fodje specifically is one who could see a sizable rankings jump over time.

NAMES:

It all starts with the 'Big Three' in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Michael Fasusi, Ty Haywood and Lamont Rogers were all recruits OU started to pursue even before several other big-name programs were involved.

But these have always been a trio of recruitments that were going to be a battle for anyone who decided to enter the mix. Oklahoma's standing within it all will take another crucial step during the spring.

Latest intel might indicate Haywood is the most likely land of the three as things stand today. Oklahoma has been consistent with Haywood and things have clicked between the two parties, but Alabama and LSU are starting to become more involved.

Fasusi has had Texas surge in his recruitment as the Longhorns have essentially gone all-in on this one out of that group of three mentioned. Oklahoma remains up there for the elite tackle from Lewisville, Texas and worth noting Missouri has hit the gas with Fasusi's recruitment as of late.

Rogers has long had Oklahoma towards the top if not his leader at times. But big-name programs have seemingly created a rotating door for the four-star tackle. Texas A&M is making a serious push towards the top of this recruitment and this is another to watch in regards to Missouri as the Tigers have become a serious player here, too.

Oklahoma fans may not be overly familiar with Austin Pay, but he's one to learn a lot more about. A prospect once easily assumed to be ending up at BYU, he's made it largely known that OU is one of a few programs he's taking a serious look at.

Jordan Coleman and Devin Coleman, the twin brothers at Cedar Hill High School, are a pair that have been circled by Oklahoma. The Sooners and Texas Longhorns might be doing battle for the brothers going into the spring with Texas seemingly holding an advantage.

Connor Carty at Prosper High School has caught the eyes of Bill Bedenbaugh for quite awhile. The Sooners figure to play a role in his recruitment alongside schools like, Texas A&M, Penn State and Texas, among others.

Also worth mentioning a recruit currently without an OU offer, Antoni Ogumoro, is a name to file away. An in-state prospect, he might be one Oklahoma decides to offer somewhere down the line.

 

 

CTJ said we're not losing money battles to OU any longer, so that gives me some comfort with this one. 

[texifornia 56976]

https://www.on3.com/db/maliek-hawkins-157317/

[bwub60 147]

1 hour ago, SimkinsMan said:

CTJ said we're not losing money battles to OU any longer, so that gives me some comfort with this one. 

Their is a clip out there from their NIL guy talking about their money situation. He said they will be fine for 2024 but the longterm is looking rough atm.

[Bevo14 8314]

1 hour ago, bwub60 said:

Their is a clip out there from their NIL guy talking about their money situation. He said they will be fine for 2024 but the longterm is looking rough atm.

[Bevo 13577]

9 minutes ago, Bevo14 said:

I don't know how these work, but it seems like a bad idea to blow your budget in one year and not save any money for the next. OTOH, it might just be talk to drive donations.

[Bevo14 8314]

2 hours ago, Bevo said:

I don't know how these work, but it seems like a bad idea to blow your budget in one year and not save any money for the next. OTOH, it might just be talk to drive donations.

I'm not sure a sooner is smart enough to manage money or manipulate a donor base. Those efforts would require at least a double digit IQ.

Edited March 5 by Bevo14

[cmontexas 3271]

As long as roofs in North Texas need replacing, OU is going to have money coming in

[Junior Bonner 6256]

[HillCountryBevo 231]

Who did Justin wells just RPM to Texas

[Getafix 28674]

 

 

 

[Bevo 13577]

9 minutes ago, Getafix said:

 

 

 

Man, it wasn't long ago when we sucked at LB. Things have definitely changed for the better.

[Elmer_Fudd 22259]

Be interesting to see which DL guys we prioritize/focus on with the NIL.  Get the sense Zion Williams may be the only for sure take in-state.  Floyd Guidry??

 

[Getafix 28674]

 

:-))

 

 

 

 

[BurntOrange&White 39934]

2 minutes ago, Getafix said:

 

:-))

 

 

 

 

It's a shame if he commits to us On3 will lower his ranking. i keed i keed.

[Elmer_Fudd 22259]

38 minutes ago, Getafix said:

 

:-))

 

 

 

 

Feels like staff is all in on Fasusi and aren't recruiting Haywood or Rogers as hard.  

[westexhorn 2020]

If we land 2-3 first rounder this year nfl, will On3 keep doing the same bullshit?  Will be interesting to monitor going forward.

[Thiefery 4997]

20 minutes ago, westexhorn said:

If we land 2-3 first rounder this year nfl, will On3 keep doing the same bullshit?  Will be interesting to monitor going forward.

who cares..let them continue to drop their rankings and when those same players end up in the first rd anyways..makes them look even worse

[Getafix 28674]

 

A few notes on some '25 prospects.

 

1)  

 

 

 

 

2)

 

 

3)

 

 

 

[texifornia 56976]

https://www.on3.com/db/chace-sims-178037/

[closetojumping 62740]

27 minutes ago, Getafix said:

 

A few notes on some '25 prospects.

 

1)  

 

 

 

 

2)

 

 

3)

 

 

 

I hope Texas lands Terry, just like most everyone else here. That said, it wouldn't surprise me if Texas soft-pedals this recruitment akin to Bussey last year and others before that. The tweener recruit, where no one on the staff is convicted enough to stump for the guy, is going to get less of a push than "their guys" for each group. I've heard WR, Edge and TE for Terry with Texas. None of those have been discussed with certainty. 

[Elmer_Fudd 22259]

15 minutes ago, texifornia said:

https://www.on3.com/db/chace-sims-178037/

Gerry has mentioned this guy a few times recently.  11 sacks as a Jr.

[texifornia 56976]

 

[Red Five 40859]

2 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

I hope Texas lands Terry, just like most everyone else here. That said, it wouldn't surprise me if Texas soft-pedals this recruitment akin to Bussey last year and others before that. The tweener recruit, where no one on the staff is convicted enough to stump for the guy, is going to get less of a push than "their guys" for each group. I've heard WR, Edge and TE for Terry with Texas. None of those have been discussed with certainty. 

Gotta be WR right? He doesn't look like a RB, TE, or edge to me.

[Atticus 3973]

His frame says TE, but he has the athleticism to stick at WR. If he can maintain that body control after +30 lbs, he's a freak TE.

[Getafix 28674]

 

 

 

 

 

[Getafix 28674]

 

The weekend of June 21 could be pretty big ... add the #2 receiver in the nation.

From NATIONAL reporter .

 

 

 

 

[Elmer_Fudd 22259]

Gerry says this guy is set to visit for the spring game.  Flood getting all the big OOS linemen in this spring.

https://247sports.com/player/nick-brooks-46116645/

Edited March 6 by Elmer_Fudd

[Bevo 13577]

2 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Gerry says this guy is set to visit for the spring game.  Flood getting all the big OOS linemen in this spring.

https://247sports.com/player/nick-brooks-46116645/

Flood is good. With all the in-state talent, he doesn't just get a class and call it a day.

[Elmer_Fudd 22259]

1 minute ago, Bevo said:

Flood is good. With all the in-state talent, he doesn't just get a class and call it a day.

Yep.  Going to get a feel for all these OOS guys before deciding on guys like Jackson Christian, Tyler Thomas, and the Coleman twins.  Fasusi is probably the only guy in-state that could commit right now.  Well, probably Haywood and Rogers, but those two don't look likely currently.

[Elmer_Fudd 22259]

2 hours ago, closetojumping said:

I hope Texas lands Terry, just like most everyone else here. That said, it wouldn't surprise me if Texas soft-pedals this recruitment akin to Bussey last year and others before that. The tweener recruit, where no one on the staff is convicted enough to stump for the guy, is going to get less of a push than "their guys" for each group. I've heard WR, Edge and TE for Terry with Texas. None of those have been discussed with certainty. 

I'm going to guess this kid wants to/eventually plays WR, but isn't above Moore, Lockett, Johnson, and OOS guys like Harris, French, ect on the WR board.

[Elmer_Fudd 22259]

2 hours ago, texifornia said:

https://www.on3.com/db/chace-sims-178037/

Visiting April 6th per Gerry.

[ousux 5597]

If we land 2-3 first rounder this year nfl, will On3 keep doing the same bullshit?  Will be interesting to monitor going forward.

Depends on how many aggy infest their ranks.

[Lonestar88 4690]

13 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Yep.  Going to get a feel for all these OOS guys before deciding on guys like Jackson Christian, Tyler Thomas, and the Coleman twins.  Fasusi is probably the only guy in-state that could commit right now.  Well, probably Haywood and Rogers, but those two don't look likely currently.

The Coleman twins are actually the Coleman triplets. The 3rd brother is a DL who isn’t quite as big and won’t be as highly ranked as the other two. I’m guessing the biggest school willing to take all 3 is the one who lands them.

Sand aggy has already offered all 3.

 

[Elmer_Fudd 22259]

Baker sending a wave of DL offers.

https://www.on3.com/db/stephon-shivers-151838/

https://www.on3.com/db/derry-norris-176821/

Can't find a tweet, but CJ Vogel says this guy was offered as well.

https://www.on3.com/db/jarquez-carter-150825/

[Coach pop a bitch 5460]

 

[HenryJames 66079]

50 minutes ago, Lonestar88 said:

The Coleman twins are actually the Coleman triplets.

[Hornius Emeritus 12464]

1 hour ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Baker sending a wave of DL offers.

https://www.on3.com/db/stephon-shivers-151838/

https://www.on3.com/db/derry-norris-176821/

Can't find a tweet, but CJ Vogel says this guy was offered as well.

https://www.on3.com/db/jarquez-carter-150825/

After watching their HUDLs, all of this gruntles me very much. We need DL in the worst way.

[closetojumping 62740]

2 hours ago, Lonestar88 said:

The Coleman twins are actually the Coleman triplets. The 3rd brother is a DL who isn’t quite as big and won’t be as highly ranked as the other two. I’m guessing the biggest school willing to take all 3 is the one who lands them.

Sand aggy has already offered all 3.

 

I don’t think that’s likely, based on a couple of things I’ve read. Do you have them saying anything like that somewhere?

[Reese Bennett 3614]

3 hours ago, Lonestar88 said:

The Coleman twins are actually the Coleman triplets. The 3rd brother is a DL who isn’t quite as big and won’t be as highly ranked as the other two. I’m guessing the biggest school willing to take all 3 is the one who lands them.

Sand aggy has already offered all 3.

 

Is the third one named Louie?

[Lonestar88 4690]

1 hour ago, closetojumping said:

I don’t think that’s likely, based on a couple of things I’ve read. Do you have them saying anything like that somewhere?

No, as I said, I’m just guessing. They haven’t said publicly they’re a package deal. But if the two OL continue to rise, there will be more schools willing to take all 3, it won’t just be Tech. 

[closetojumping 62740]

14 minutes ago, Lonestar88 said:

No, as I said, I’m just guessing. They haven’t said publicly they’re a package deal. But if the two OL continue to rise, there will be more schools willing to take all 3, it won’t just be Tech. 

Okay. I would assume Texas would pass rather than take the reach. They’re going to get whoever they want at OL. 

[Elmer_Fudd 22259]

 

[Helobious 9454]

16 hours ago, Red Five said:

Gotta be WR right? He doesn't look like a RB, TE, or edge to me.

He’s a WR at the next level. In HS he just does it all. QB sometimes, RB others, corner, and was a menace as a kick returner as well. He’s like Savion Red but bigger and actually good at football. 

[Elmer_Fudd 22259]

 

[Getafix 28674]

 

Additional big names visiting:

 

1) Zion Williams DL

 

 

2)  Kiotti Armstrong TE/Ath

 

 

3) Malik Autry DL

 

 

4) Andrew Marsh WR

 

5) Cobey Sellers CB

 

 

6) Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng LB

 

 

7)  Jonah Williams LB

 

 

[NoName 16352]

this is as good of a place as any to drop this article

Kahn Jr & Max Olson: How Mack Brown and Texas built a prestigious (and perilous) early recruiting phenomenon

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“Mack Brown used to offer 21 guys and get 21 commits,” said TCU head coach Sonny Dykes, who was a Texas Tech assistant at the time. “Before long, you were just trying to keep up with the Joneses.”

+

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That kind of blockbuster haul became the norm. From 2007 to ’10, Texas racked up a total of 40 commitments off the first junior day of each class. The biggest haul came in 2010, when the Longhorns landed 13 commitments in one weekend.

On signing day in 2007, Brown noted that Texas brought in 28 prospects for official visits. All 28 committed, three decommitted and 25 signed.

 

+
 

Quote

Dodge said Brown told him, “If you take another visit somewhere else, you’re no longer committed to the University of Texas.”

Texas’ junior day success and the no-visit policy sped up the recruiting process. The Longhorns often got the majority of their class locked in before recruits’ senior seasons began.

“We were done, many times, by April when we had it rolling,” Akina said.

Of the 24 signees in Texas’ 2007 class, 15 committed by mid-April and 19 by late August. In 2008, all but two were committed by late April. In 2009, 19 of 20 signees committed by late May. In the 2011 class, every one of the 22 signees was committed before their senior season began.

The early recruiting success earned Brown the nickname “Mr. February.”

+

Quote

From the Class of 2005, the first to participate in a Texas junior day, through the end of the Brown era, the Longhorns went 88-29. But Texas’ 10-win season streak stopped in 2010, and the program plateaued.

“I’m not trying to tell Mack Brown what to do, but maybe they should have done it for the top 10 guys and not extend it to the rest of the guys,” Kinne said.

 

+
 

Quote

And today’s junior days are not nearly the big deal they were in the Longhorns’ halcyon days.

“Everybody gets a junior day invite nowadays,” Kinne said. “It’s more like, ‘Hey, let’s get you on campus, see you, get to know you.’ Kind of like checking a box.”

Brown said junior days still have value as a platform for early relationship building and a precursor to an official visit. “It’s a more aggressive spring than it used to be,” Brown said.

And in a way, Brown has himself to thank for that.

 

 

text:
 

Spoiler

Outside of Mack Brown’s office on Feb. 24, 2007, two blue-chip high school quarterback recruits waited to hear whether they’d receive a coveted scholarship offer from the Texas Longhorns.

Riley Dodge, a gunslinger from perennial Texas prep power Southlake Carroll High, waited eagerly. Sitting on a couch nearby was a Houston-area multi-sport athlete with a golden arm and NFL bloodlines. His name? Andrew Luck.

Brown, Texas’ stately head coach who was just 13 months removed from leading the Longhorns to a national championship, called the Dodges in first.

The room they entered included two burnt-orange couches flanking a coffee table topped with multiple trophies, including a Heisman. Game balls, helmets, championship rings and other mementos packed the room, with photos on every wall. “It was like a damn museum,” said former Texas defensive line coach Oscar Giles.

Before the dawn of year-round recruiting, elaborate photo shoots and countless unofficial visits, getting a face-to-face with a national championship head coach in February on Texas’ junior day was an experience reserved for a select few recruits. Dodge, who grew up with burnt orange draped on his walls, soaked it all in. “It was definitely surreal,” he said.

After a long conversation, Brown uttered the words Dodge had been waiting to hear for a lifetime: “Riley, we’re going to offer you a scholarship to the University of Texas.”

“Well, Coach, I’m gonna make it easy, I’m gonna commit right now,” Dodge replied.

The Lucks were called in next for a different conversation. After meeting with Brown, the future No. 1 pick left junior day without an offer.

Texas junior day wasn’t the only one of its kind, nor was it the first, but it became best-in-class. Although junior days are now standard practice nationwide, they weren’t widespread when the Longhorns launched theirs 20 years ago. Texas’ appeal at its peak, Brown’s charisma and the then-exclusive nature of a Texas offer combined to create a unique, if complicated, success story.

“Texas took it and ran with it,” former SMU, Arkansas and Texas high school head coach Chad Morris said. “And that became the standard.”

---

When Brown coached at North Carolina in the 1990s, he noticed Big Ten programs offering elite local prospects before the Tar Heels could.

“John Cooper and Joe Paterno were getting all the in-state players wrapped up in Ohio and Pennsylvania early, and then they would be able to go recruit nationally,” Brown said. “All the coaches were saying, ‘Penn State’s offered, Ohio State’s offered, but you didn’t offer.’”

So Brown started a junior day at UNC. When he arrived at Texas in 1998, the pace of recruiting in the state was slower. Junior days weren’t common, and most scholarship offers were reserved for seniors.

Several programs hosted junior days in the early 2000s, including LSU, Miami, Ohio State and Texas A&M. They served as early open houses for the upcoming recruiting class: second-semester juniors who would become seniors in the fall.

Brown hosted his first junior day at Texas in 2004. When the Longhorns played their spring game weeks later, they had one verbal commitment for the ’05 class. The second junior day, on the heels of a Rose Bowl win over Michigan, was more fruitful. After the ’05 spring game, Texas had locked in 17 commits for ’06.

“Junior days were critical,” former Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis said. “That was kind of the beginning of early commitments.”

From 2001 to ’09, Brown led Texas to a 101-16 record and nine consecutive 10-win seasons. Texas’ memorable 2005 campaign, in which the Longhorns won their first national championship since 1970, became the spark for their early recruiting dominance.

“When we won the national championship, the proof was in the pudding,” said Giles, a former Texas defensive lineman and the team’s defensive ends coach from 2005 to ’13. “Guys were like, ‘OK, this is where I want to be. I don’t have to go to USC or Alabama or Oklahoma. I can stay at Texas and win a national championship.’”

After landing the No. 1 recruiting class in 2002, the Longhorns’ next three classes ranked 15th, 10th and 20th. Following the national title, which coincided with Texas’ junior day taking off, Texas signed top-five classes in six of the next seven cycles.

“Mack Brown used to offer 21 guys and get 21 commits,” said TCU head coach Sonny Dykes, who was a Texas Tech assistant at the time. “Before long, you were just trying to keep up with the Joneses.”

---

 

Brown’s reputation as an elite recruiter added cachet to Texas’ junior day. (Photo: G. N. Lowrance / Getty Images)

The junior days included the typical unofficial visit fodder: a campus tour, a stroll through the team facilities, meetings with coaches, a question-and-answer session with Texas players and, of course, a face-to-face with Brown.

But the invitation was the draw. After in-person assessments from the previous summer’s camp circuit and evaluation of junior season film, UT coaches zeroed in on who they believed were the state’s top prospects. Those — and only those — were summoned to the Forty Acres. In talent-laden Texas, “It was a who’s who of recruits,” Morris said.

“Texas junior day was the day that every kid in the state of Texas looked forward to, because if you got an invite to that, you knew they were probably gonna get an offer,” said Texas Tech tight ends coach Josh Cochran, who played offensive tackle at UT.

The Longhorns did not scatter scholarship offers out haphazardly. Brown preferred to meet with prospects individually before offering. Most of the time, those who attended landed an offer. But it wasn’t automatic.

When Brown sat with recruits one-on-one at the end of the visit, he would ask plenty of questions.

“Sometimes, along the way, he didn’t like the answers he got,” said Giles, now the defensive line coach at Houston. “Maybe Billy was looking at the sky or falling asleep. And he’d be like, ‘We’ll let you get back home,’ without making an offer.

“When you get them in that room, and it’s one-on-one, everything you do is being evaluated.”

To promote a family vibe, Brown’s wife Sally was usually in the office while he met with recruits. It wasn’t unusual for assistant coaches’ families to be on campus for the junior days, too.

“She wanted to meet the mom and wanted them to know, ‘We’re not just recruiting (the player), we’re recruiting you, too.’” Giles said. “‘You are gonna be part of this because it’s a family.’”

A Texas offer wasn’t necessarily evergreen. Brown was usually fine with a recruit going home, discussing it with their family and sleeping on it, but there was still a sense of urgency. Cochran remembers his high school coach telling him to have a plan for whether he wanted to commit if he got offered.

“Coach Brown’s whole pitch was, ‘We’re not sitting here and telling you that your offer is off the table if you don’t commit right now, but we’re not going to just hold a spot when there’s other people wanting it,’” Cochran said.

Commitments poured in quickly.

Ten of the state’s top 15 recruits in the 2007 class attended Texas’ junior day in February 2006. Seven committed, with six pledging either during junior day or within a week afterward, including two five-star recruits.

That kind of blockbuster haul became the norm. From 2007 to ’10, Texas racked up a total of 40 commitments off the first junior day of each class. The biggest haul came in 2010, when the Longhorns landed 13 commitments in one weekend.

On signing day in 2007, Brown noted that Texas brought in 28 prospects for official visits. All 28 committed, three decommitted and 25 signed.

“They could do that,” Dodge said, “because of the logo and the success.”

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Brown’s charm made him as comfortable glad-handing boosters and businessmen as he was convincing elite high school players to come to Texas.

“If you could get it close, Mack would close it,” former Texas defensive backs coach Duane Akina said.

Cochran, who grew up in East Texas idolizing Brown, called it “the experience of a lifetime.”

“Sitting in there as a 17-year-old in (his) office with all his rings and everything, I mean, you can’t say no to that dude,” Cochran said. “I said ‘Yes’ as fast as I could.”

Once a player committed, Brown wanted assurances that he wouldn’t flirt for the remainder of the cycle. Former NFL and Texas running back Fozzy Whittaker, who attended UT’s 2006 junior day, recalled such a conversation after his commitment.

“We’re not going out and looking for any other running backs,” Whittaker said Brown told him. “We’re not going to keep trying to date other people once you commit, and we want that same type of commitment from you.”

Dodge said Brown told him, “If you take another visit somewhere else, you’re no longer committed to the University of Texas.”

Texas’ junior day success and the no-visit policy sped up the recruiting process. The Longhorns often got the majority of their class locked in before recruits’ senior seasons began.

“We were done, many times, by April when we had it rolling,” Akina said.

Of the 24 signees in Texas’ 2007 class, 15 committed by mid-April and 19 by late August. In 2008, all but two were committed by late April. In 2009, 19 of 20 signees committed by late May. In the 2011 class, every one of the 22 signees was committed before their senior season began.

The early recruiting success earned Brown the nickname “Mr. February.”

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The intrigue surrounding Texas junior days became such that some top recruits felt slighted if they didn’t get an invitation.

“You had to be really, really careful who you invited to that first junior day,” Brown said. “Because if you didn’t invite them, they got as mad as they would have been happy if you did invite them.

“All the other coaches jumped on those guys and said, ‘They don’t even want you.’”

“It became such a big deal that we had to start a second junior day,” Giles said.

Quandre Diggs remembers. His older brother, Quentin Jammer, was a Texas legend. Diggs was a top-50 national recruit in the 2011 class and the most versatile player in Texas high school football.

Diggs knew Austin and grew up bleeding burnt orange. He was close with Jaxon Shipley, the younger brother of former Texas receiver Jordan Shipley. Diggs got a message from Jaxon informing him he had a junior day invitation for the coming weekend.

Diggs’ invitation was for the following weekend.

“The second junior day was kind of hit-or-miss — some guys got offers, some guys didn’t,” Diggs said. “You were kind of like a second-tier guy.”

Texas offered Shipley, who quickly committed. By the time Diggs trekked to Austin for his junior day, he was over the hard feelings. He woke up in his hotel excited, thinking about the possibility of committing once he got offered.

But he didn’t get an offer that day.

“I was pissed,” Diggs said. “I didn’t talk to my mom, I didn’t talk to my dad, all the way back home. I declined all interviews.”

He stewed over it and considered his dozens of other offers, including Alabama. The Longhorns offered in mid-March, and Diggs committed, citing family proximity, the chance to follow in Jammer’s footsteps and his comfort level with assistant Major Applewhite, who had campaigned hard for him to get an offer. But Diggs said the experience “wounded” his relationship with Brown.

“I just remember calling Major afterward and told Major, ‘Yo, I’m gonna make everybody pay for this s—,’” Diggs said.

The junior day success also raised the stakes on the staff’s early evaluations. No recruiting class has a 100 percent hit rate, and although plenty of Texas’ recruits went on to have great careers, some fell well short of expectations.

“There’s a fine line there,” said Texas State head coach G.J. Kinne, an ’06 junior day invitee who signed with Texas in 2007. “You’ve got to trust your evaluation and go with their sophomore and junior film. At the same time, it doesn’t take a lot to watch Sergio Kindle and figure out, ‘We want that guy.’”

And there are plenty of recruits who later turned into stars who never got a junior day invitation or a Texas offer.

“Recruiting is very inexact,” Dykes said. “Depending on the year, there may be 30 or 40 can’t-miss prospects. But then there’s this group of 350 that there’s really not that big of a difference between them. So if you start taking those guys early, without really getting a good evaluation on them, all of a sudden, you could end up with a lot of misses.”

Brown doesn’t believe Texas’ early-action strategy backfired because so many of his players went on to the NFL. But filling up a recruiting class quickly had a drawback.

“If you offered that many early, you have less chance of finding a diamond in the rough in the fall … because you’re already full,” Brown said. “That was a problem in Texas because we were just getting so many of them, and we didn’t have anybody back out.”

From the Class of 2005, the first to participate in a Texas junior day, through the end of the Brown era, the Longhorns went 88-29. But Texas’ 10-win season streak stopped in 2010, and the program plateaued.

“I’m not trying to tell Mack Brown what to do, but maybe they should have done it for the top 10 guys and not extend it to the rest of the guys,” Kinne said.

Ultimately, Brown stood by a recruiting philosophy Bo Schembechler shared with him during a visit to North Carolina in 1994.

“‘They’re all athletic enough or you wouldn’t have them on your board,’” Brown recalls Schembechler telling him. “‘They’re all academically in good shape enough or you wouldn’t have them on your board. So I pick the ones I like. If you like them, they’re gonna like you. If you don’t like them, they’re not gonna like you and they’re not gonna play hard for you to the fourth quarter.’

“So that’s pretty much what we’ve done,” Brown said. “We figure out which ones are the best players and then we bring them in and we don’t push them. We don’t beg them. We don’t lie to them. We just tell him who we are. And then we try to get enough good ones that should come here that it just works out.”

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Dodge never suited up in the burnt orange and white.

His father, legendary Texas high school coach Todd Dodge, left Southlake Carroll to become the head coach at North Texas. The opportunity to be a Division I quarterback for his dad trumped potentially playing receiver or safety at Texas, so he flipped his commitment to North Texas that summer.

Texas didn’t sign a quarterback in the 2008 class, instead staking its future on Garrett Gilbert, a five-star from nearby Lake Travis High, for the 2009 class. Gilbert, who broke multiple state high school records and collected several national player of the year awards, committed the day after signing day in February 2008.

In retrospect, Dodge theorized that the Longhorns took his commitment because he “wasn’t gonna scare Garrett away.”

That had an impact on the staff’s decision to bypass Luck, too. Giles, who recruited the Houston area and built a relationship with Luck and his family, said had the Longhorns offered him, “Andrew Luck would have walked to Texas. He loved Texas.”

Gilbert’s Texas career was short-lived. He was famously thrown into Texas’ 2009 title game loss to Alabama after Colt McCoy’s right arm went numb. Gilbert started all 12 games in 2010, when Texas went 5-7, and he transferred in 2011 to SMU, where he finished his career before heading to the pros.

Luck became an All-American and two-time Heisman Trophy finalist at Stanford before Indianapolis chose him first overall in the 2012 NFL Draft.

But positive junior day memories endure for Riley Dodge, who later coached under Brown and is now the head coach at Southlake Carroll. His father was a former Texas quarterback, and the experience was “an absolute honor and a kind of a dream come true,” Riley said.

Eventually, the Longhorns were forced to adapt again. Competitors offered prospects earlier, and some even hosted junior days in January, before Texas’ event. Those trends coincided with Texas’ fall from the sport’s elite.

In hopes of keeping up while still preserving its junior day tradition, Texas had a stretch in the early 2010s when it told players they were “approved for an offer” to indicate their interest until the prospect made it to a junior day. By August 2012, Texas had ditched that strategy and outright offered recruits before their junior seasons began. Within the next year, the Longhorns took commitments from sophomores and even freshmen.

Brown’s Texas tenure ended in 2013 with a 158-48 record in 16 seasons, but the Longhorns went 30-21 in his last four years.

Recruiting has changed drastically. Early evaluations are now commonplace, with sophomores and freshmen landing offers. The early signing period, in mid-December, began in 2018 and is changing again. Spring official visits have made June one of the busiest months on the recruiting calendar.

Name, image and likeness deals now play a key role in recruiting, as does the transfer portal, for which schools — including North Carolina, where Brown returned to coach in 2019 — hold scholarship spots at the end of the year.

And today’s junior days are not nearly the big deal they were in the Longhorns’ halcyon days.

“Everybody gets a junior day invite nowadays,” Kinne said. “It’s more like, ‘Hey, let’s get you on campus, see you, get to know you.’ Kind of like checking a box.”

Brown said junior days still have value as a platform for early relationship building and a precursor to an official visit. “It’s a more aggressive spring than it used to be,” Brown said.

And in a way, Brown has himself to thank for that.

 

Edited March 6 by NoName

[closetojumping 62740]

On Shaggy one year, I want to say the JR day for 2010, I named like 17 of the 18 guys that committed within a few weeks, right before that weekend. At that point, some of us were pretty despondent. It wasn't a good thing that that shit was that predictable. Texas was beginning to lose many high end recruits who didn't want the push. On top of that, Texas was narrowing who they would take based on the player's willingness to shut things down. Not surprisingly, a bunch of centex and suburbanite kids were fine with the process. 

Mack Brown became a bullying, star-chasing, lazy, thin-skinned bitch over a gradual period of time, but he really peaked from 2007-2011 with his recruiting classes being built on a house of sand. Before then, they were good or lucky (2006 class) and after that, the old man stench of death had just settled into the furnishings and facilities in Bellmont.

[Red Five 40859]

It was amazing how fast it came crashing down, too. It wasn't like we played for the NC, then went 9-3 for a couple of years, and then 6-6 or something. Nope. Play for the NC (which we should have won), then absolute dogshit eight months later. 

Someone change the subject.