Texas Recruiting Notes 2025: Duck Around and Find Out

[NorLa Horns 1458]

2 hours ago, Ryno said:

I bet you think Santa Anna was just misunderstood too.

Hey. We got his leg!  Idk what that means. But if you end up with a mans leg, id say you know hes gonna be hopping where ever he goes. Thats "understood". 

 

 

Of all the shit i could remember from 7th grade Texas History at pine street junior high, why the hell would it be that we took Santa Anna's prosthetic leg at San Jacinto?  Alamo wut?

[UDontKnow 10439]

1 minute ago, NorLa Horns said:

Hey. We got his leg!  Idk what that means. But if you end up with a mans leg, id say you know hes gonna be hopping where ever he goes. Thats "understood". 

 

 

Of all the shit i could remember from 7th grade Texas History at pine street junior high, why the hell would it be that we took Santa Anna's prosthetic leg at San Jacinto?  Alamo wut?

@NorLa Horns, how much Red Stripe have you had today? Avatar checks out.

[idigTexas 2258]

27 minutes ago, UDontKnow said:

@NorLa Horns, how much Red Stripe have you had today? Avatar checks out.

My guess is all of it.  

[Radical Larry 28494]

[Hornius Emeritus 12358]

7 hours ago, HenryJames said:

@Helobious

I heard he is dirty.

[NorLa Horns 1458]

3 hours ago, idigTexas said:

My guess is all of it.  

Working on it

[Speedway 152]

Gerry Hamilton said "Hi" just a few minutes ago

Basketball? Football?

Edited May 19 by Speedway

[Elmer_Fudd 22023]

[Speedway 152]

Kelshaun Johnson

James Simon

Michael Fasusi

Riley Pettijohn

 

or JT Toppin

[Speedway 152]

its not Toppin

https://ontexasfootball.com/forums/topic/1713-hi/#comment-22076

Edited May 19 by Speedway

[Harley Sullivan 3]

15 hours ago, NorLa Horns said:

Hey. We got his leg!  Idk what that means. But if you end up with a mans leg, id say you know hes gonna be hopping where ever he goes. Thats "understood". 

 

 

Of all the shit i could remember from 7th grade Texas History at pine street junior high, why the hell would it be that we took Santa Anna's prosthetic leg at San Jacinto?  Alamo wut?

Westlawn Rules!

 

[Speedway 152]

could be the Coleman triplets ...

Jordan Coleman

 

Devin Coleman

 

Isaiah Coleman (PWO?)

[Post Oak 20174]

I'm gonna go with KJ

[Speedway 152]

Just now, Post Oak said:

I'm gonna go with KJ

yeah I agree

[Funk Doctor Spock 11731]

He's gone back and forth every time he gets to campus to pull the trigger, so I'd say it's highly likely that it's KJ

[NorLa Horns 1458]

7 hours ago, Harley Sullivan said:

Westlawn Rules!

 

Then?  It's a toss up on which was shittier. Now?  Pine street is closed and whats not torn down is falling down. 

And I havent been past westlawn in a coons age to even know whats going on over there. 

And T High has the ( for an old) new middle school, so I guess it dont matter. 

[FOXHOUND 1014]

8 hours ago, Speedway said:

Kelshaun Johnson

James Simon

Michael Fasusi

Riley Pettijohn

 

or JT Toppin

Hmm, most of my people are in southern Louisiana but I'm kin to Simons out in Shreveport. I'll have to check with my dad. 

[Dangle 92]

2 hours ago, FOXHOUND said:

Hmm, most of my people are in southern Louisiana but I'm kin to Simons out in Shreveport. I'll have to check with my dad. 

Simon is committing to Texas on the 29th. There’s no suspense to that one. (I don’t know firsthand, but I’ve heard Gerry say as much at least twice.)

[ousux 5581]

They looking for a legit less than 3 hours drive? aggy lock, the Elk has this shit handled.

[BurntOrange&White 39223]

[Hornius Emeritus 12358]

On 5/18/2024 at 5:58 PM, NorLa Horns said:

Of all the shit i could remember from 7th grade Texas History at pine street junior high, why the hell would it be that we took Santa Anna's prosthetic leg at San Jacinto?  Alamo wut?

I am not sure why you would remember that, since it is not true. Santa Anna had his leg blown off 3 years after the Battle of San Jacinto, in the pastry war with the French. It was replaced with a wooden leg, which was captured in 1847 during the Mexican-American war. But Texans did not capture it. An Illinois regiment did, which is why it is now in a museum in Illinois.

[Getafix 28365]

 

(As opposed to the usual insipid dreck, this note has tons of specifics and is well worth the read.  This kid delivers.)

 

The Stampede: Road Report from Houston
The latest from a week on the road seeing a plethora of Texas targets in offseason action.
Jordan Scruggs (Horns 247)
 

Spoiler

 

The Stampede: Road Report from Houston
The latest from a week on the road seeing a plethora of Texas targets in offseason action.
Jordan Scruggs (Horns 247)
 

Welcome to another edition of Horns247's weekly gathering of recruiting intel, The Stampede.

This week, I'm back with another Road Report. This is a continuation of my story from Thursday night where I broke down the recruitments of Texas targets from Ruston (La.), Jasper, Port Neches-Groves, Port Arthur Memorial, Spring Dekaney and Pearland Shadow Creek.

If you missed the first Road Report, I spent the last week on the road in Louisiana, Southeast Texas, and Houston hitting high school spring ball practices, athletic periods, weight rooms, spring games, training sessions, etc. The second half of the week included stops at Alief Hastings to see four-star defensive lineman Smith Orogbo, Hitchcock to see four-star wide receiver Kelshaun Johnson, Fort Bend Marshall to see three-star cornerback Caleb Chester and 2026 safety Isaiah Williams, and two training sessions to see Katy Mayde Creek 2026 three-star linebacker Kosi Okpala, Conroe four-star cornerback Dorian Brew and Fort Bend Hightower four-star cornerback Kade Phillips.

Also included are additional quick notes regarding three more relevant Texas targets.

Stay tuned in the coming days for stories with quotes from all of the Texas targets that will be discussed below.

Without further ado, let's get into it.

ALIEF HASTINGS (THURSDAY, MAY 16)

Top247 defensive lineman Smith Orogbo has already taken two official visits. He has five more officials scheduled for June, but there's certainly a feeling that the main group of programs in consideration include Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas Tech.

The Sooners (June 21-23), Longhorns (June 14-16), and Red Raiders (June 7-9) make up three of the June official visits, with Missouri (May 31-June 2) and Kansas (June 12-14) making up the other two trips he's scheduled to take.

The two visits he's already taken include this last weekend's trip to SMU to see the Ponies May 17-19, and then an April 26-28 official visit he took to Tempe to see the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Of the three programs at the forefront of the recruitment — Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas Tech — I eventually expect the recruitment to be narrowed down to Texas and Oklahoma. This obviously isn't a formal Crystal Ball prediction, but I do feel like Texas will end up winning this recruitment.

Orogbo's recruitment is quite refreshing because it's one of the rare recruitments where academics will actually matter in the year 2024. If you don't believe me, I was told a story I'll probably never hear again by Hastings' head football coach.

Orogbo had never played football until his freshman year. He always wanted to play the sport, but he simply wasn't able to because his parents wouldn't allow it.

Then came high school, and Orogbo got to scheming. 

After arriving at Hastings as a freshman in August of 2021, Orogbo decided he couldn't wait any longer and that he was going to play football. He proceeded to lie to his parents about taking after-school tutorial classes to instead make it to his first few football practices.

He got away with it for a while but was eventually caught. By that point, it was already too late and both the Hastings coaching staff and Smith saw what he could be and that he was going to get what he wanted— the permission to play football.

With that said, academics will be paramount for winning over the family and ultimately the recruitment.

Texas is in a great position: The Longhorns happen to offer a top-10 program in the nation for what Orogbo wants to study, which is real estate. On the same note, Jeff Banks and Pete Kwiatkowski actually swung by the school to meet with Orogbo and his father just hours before I sat down with Orogbo.

The majority of the meeting was spent going over the different topics regarding education at Texas, whether it be Orogbo's major, different ways Texas can help its players academically and even a little preview of what his official visit could look like regarding meetings with the academic staff.

Quotes from my interview with Orogbo will come out this week, but he spoke on the record about how his parents "love" Texas because of the academics part of the equation. Outside of blowing all of the other contenders out of the water in the academic field, Texas also holds the proximity to home advantage over every program in the mix as well.

A large defensive line haul is absolutely a necessity for Texas in the 2025 class. With Orogbo being a versatile 6-foot-4-inch, 220-pound tweener with loads of frame space to add more weight, he would fit the Longhorns' defensive line needs in 2025 almost perfectly.

HITCHCOCK (THURSDAY, MAY 16)

With the majority of last week's stops being athletic periods spent in the weight room, it was nice to see a bit of football action on a humid Thursday afternoon in Galveston County. With Hitchcock being a team that seems to make a deep run in the state 7-on-7 tournament every summer, it only made sense that I caught the Bulldogs in a 7-on-7 practice as they prepped for the upcoming weekend's state qualifying tournament.

When the action started on the field, Top247 WR Kelshaun Johnson was on fire. He repeatedly found himself open and catching passes from Hitchcock's three-star quarterback and Texas Tech commit Lloyd Jones.

Following practice, I sat down with Johnson to catch up with him on where things stand.

Horns247 has been reporting for several months that Johnson's recruitment is being led by Texas and USC. While I believe that statement remains true, Texas A&M is creeping into the mix as well. The Aggies don't have an official visit on the schedule quite yet, but it's likely they end up receiving one in June whether it be Johnson taking a midweek trip or perhaps swapping out trips with one of his first two officials in June, Arkansas and Texas Tech. 

I still think the Aggies are behind the Longhorns and Trojans, but it's now a possibility Johnson could actually end up at A&M whereas previously USC and Texas were the only realistic landing spots in my eyes. Holmon Wiggins has been huge in the Aggies gaining momentum, and his background headlined by five years coaching receivers at Alabama including in 2020 when he coached Devonta Smith to being the fourth-ever wide receiver to win the Heisman is one of the main reasons for why A&M is now in the mix.

And yes, Johnson obviously knows that Steve Sarkisian was the offensive coordinator for some of those seasons which is one of the many reasons why the Longhorns have been a leader in this recruitment since offering. Chris Jackson's time coaching in the NFL and now his experience in producing NFL draft picks out of the college ranks is equally important as well. 

Speaking of Jackson, he beat me to Hitchcock by one day as the Longhorns wide receivers coach tripped down to the 409 on Wednesday where he spent two hours talking with Johnson and his family after watching Johnson in 7on7 practice. The next time he'll see Jackson or the Longhorns will be in mid June when he returns to Austin for his 14-16 official visit to Texas.

Johnson's last official visit will be to Los Angeles to see Lincoln Riley and the Trojans, and the visit looms larger than any other trip on the calendar. Johnson has never visited USC before, so it's a pretty rare occurrence where his official visit will be his first time on campus. That's not the same when the roles are reversed, as USC sent wide receivers coach Dennis Simmons down to Hitchcock to see Johnson every single week during the winter evaluation period where college coaches can be on the road. 

It's important to note the winter evaluation period rules for coaches being on the road differs from the spring evaluation period's rules for coaches being on the road. In the winter head coaches are allowed to travel, and coaches from schools are allowed to visit a prospect once per week at the very most. During the spring evaluation period, head coaches aren't allowed to travel and assistants are allowed to visit each prospect only once during the whole duration of the period. The rule allowing coaches to visit a prospect once per week during the winter evaluation period is a new rule that went into effect last year.

To continue on the same point, USC sent Simmons down to Hitchcock quite literally every single week during the winter evaluation period and were the only school in the recruitment to do that. That went a long way in Johnson's eyes, as he's truly felt like a priority for Lincoln Riley and the Trojans for several months. Riley and Dennis Simmon's history of having success with smaller and slighter-built receivers that share similarities with Johnson is another eye catcher for the Top247 playmaker. 

At one point or another, every school in the recruitment has made a push for Johnson's commitment and he's held off from giving it as he's long remained firm on his timeline that'll have him committing to a school following his official visit circuit. There isn't an official date for the commitment, but it will happen before Johnson's season gets started in late August. 

My crystal ball prediction currently reflects Texas as my predicted landing spot for the 409 receiver prospect with sub-11 speed. I still like my prediction for the time being, though USC and the momentum A&M has gained has me a little more nervous than I previously was.

FORT BEND MARSHALL — FRIDAY, MAY 17

— When I arrived at the school for the Buffs athletic period, I was pretty bummed when I didn't see Caleb Chester lifting in the weightroom with the rest of the Marshall program as I found out he was on a field trip at an elementary school for one of his classes. 

I got on the phone with him after school and we were able to catch up then. Chester already took one official visit to TCU during the first weekend of the month. His official visit schedule resumes at the end of the month with LSU (May 31-June 2), Texas (June 7-9), Texas A&M (June 14-16), and Arkansas (June 21-23). Although there's been other contenders at times in this recruitment, Horns247 has reported going back to last July our belief is that the recruitment will come down to the Aggies and the Longhorns.

Once we heard intel that led us to that original belief back in last July, a few days later Horns247's Hank South decided to enter in a crystal ball prediction in favor of the Longhorns to land Chester. That prediction still stands and reflects Texas as the predicted landing spot for Chester, and at this point in the recruitment if the prediction doesn't pull through we'd fully expect the decision to be for Texas A&M.

The Aggies are much more dangerous in this recruitment than they would've been with the old staff, as A&M's cornerbacks coach Jordan Peterson was part of giving Chester his first offer by way of Kansas when Chester was still in the 8th grade in February of 2021. The proximity factor is one of the main reasons for the Longhorns and Aggies position in the recruitment, and Texas A&M holds that advantage over Texas with Chester obviously being a Houston prospect. 

Although a few will likely say something about how he's ranked a three-star, Chester has been prioritized going back to the fall and the majority of the props goes to Terry Joseph's who's done a good job of making Chester feel like a true priority going back to when he visited for the Texas Bash Pool Party in July of 2023. 

A decision will be made following official visits and before the start of Chester's senior season in August.

— There's only two safeties in the in-state 2026 class that hold an offer from Texas, and Fort Bend Marshall's Isaiah Williams is one of them. Power four defensive back talent out of Fort Bend Marshall isn't rare by any means, but few players have made varsity for the Buffs at defensive back as a freshman, and Williams is one of those few as well. 

He's unranked for now, but you should effectively view Williams as a Top247 member because that's the priority he's being treated with by plenty of schools as a rising junior which isn't the case for other prospects in his class. The programs brought up by Williams as current standouts include Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma. 

Williams will camp at Texas on June 1 for the Longhorns' annual Elite Camp and after that he'll see Columbus and Ohio State for the first time on a mid June trip. Williams is a 2026 prospect so it's pretty open for him right now, but there's definitely a feeling that Texas will at least be in it till the end. 

Mesquite Horn's Markel Ford is the other in-state 2026 safety that holds a Texas offer. Ford is hoping to commit sooner rather than later and is likely to come off the board by the end of the summer, and with a top four of Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, and SMU I definitely lean towards the Sooners and the Aggies and more specifically the Aggies for Ford. 

Unless something changes in the next few weeks, I couldn't see Ford choosing Texas if he ends up going through with committing this summer. Up to this point Texas has already sat both Williams and Ford down together and told them they're 1A and 1B on the safety board, and that happened back at the Jan. 20 Junior Day. We'll talk about it more if Ford ends up coming off the board by the end of the summer, but if it happens it would make Williams' recruitment much more important to Texas in the long run.

LINEBACKER TRAINING SESSION — FRIDAY, MAY 17

— After spending Wednesday night at Shadow Creek for the Sharks' spring game, I returned two nights later to catch Katy Mayde Creek 2026 three-star linebacker Kosi Okpala workout in a training session. 

Okpala plays a lot of his snaps coming off the edge in a two point stance, so it's always encouraging that he's continued to get noticeably better in true linebacker work each time I've seen him. He was in Austin in late March for a spring practice visit where he got to see the Longhorns in action, and he'll return in a few weeks to workout at Texas' annual Elite Camp on June 1. 

Texas was the second program to offer Okpala back in the winter and since then his stock has skyrocketed as he's collected offers from Alabama, Oklahoma, Michigan, USC, and Ohio State this spring. That said, with so many new offers coming in it's a wide open recruitment, but I do firmly believe that if Okpala had to commit to a school today, it would definitely be Texas. 

The Longhorns have a lot going for them besides being the childhood dream school. Okpala's defensive coordinator at Katy Mayde Creek is none other than Rashad Bobino who started 45 of 52 career games during his time on the Forty Acres that spanned 2005-2008. Brian Orakpo and Okpala also happen to be "godbrothers" as the two have a relationship that stems from Okpala's father being in Orakpo's support circle when he was growing up in Houston. 

That said, Texas has been in great position since offering at the beginning of the year, but it'll be interesting to see if any non-regional programs can get in the mix for Okpala as he gears up for his junior season.

DEFENSIVE BACK TRAINING SESSION — SATURDAY, MAY 18
Before heading back to Dallas in the afternoon, I spent the late morning in Memorial seeing a workout with two of the Longhorns' top defensive back targets in Conroe four-star Dorian Brew and Fort Bend Hightower four-star Kade Phillips. The nation's No. 3 overall prospect, North Shore's Devin Sanchez was there as well, but he's about as locked in with Ohio State as you can possibly be. 

— Dorian Brew's recruitment has been pretty interesting to track. The nation's No. 36 overall prospect, Brew comes from ridiculous bloodlines as his mother is in the Ohio State athletics hall of fame for her decorated collegiate track and field career whereas his father ran track at LSU before running in the 2004 Olympics. 

He spent the first two and a half years of his high school career at Northmont high school in Ohio before moving to the Houston area midseason where he enrolled at Conroe and even played a few games for the Tigers before the 2023 season concluded. Once thought to be an Ohio State lean, Brew scheduled a commitment date for late January with the intention of committing to the Buckeyes before deciding to scratch the timeline completely and reopen his recruitment. 

With his recruitment reopened and his home for the rest of high school now in Houston, schools such as Texas, Oregon, USC, and LSU emerged and those four joined the Buckeyes as the top five. 

As far as official visits go, Brew currently has four scheduled with LSU (May 31-June 2), Oregon (June 7-9), Texas (June 14-16), and Ohio State (June 21-23). USC will get an official visit, but the Trojans don't yet have dates on the calendar. 

That brings me to my next topic. Although Ohio State was once the clear leader, I think they might have the lowest chances of the schools in the top five. This isn't sourced info and is me completely speculating, but I do think Brew could potentially swap out thee Ohio State official for USC and instead sees the Trojans as his last official visit. 

That wouldn't be amazing news for Longhorns fans, as about a month ago I had a source in Houston tell me they believe Brew's top two is USC and Texas. While I'm not sure if USC is in the same exact position they were about a month ago, I feel as if Texas has maintained their spot in the recruitment pretty well. 

The Longhorns are the only school in the recruitment pitching defensive back rather than cornerback to the 6-foot-2, 185 pounder and it's actually something that Brew spoke on record about liking. There isn't necessarily an exact role the Longhorns have pitched him on, but there's been conversations between Brew and Blake Gideon and Terry Joseph about Brew potentially playing safety, cornerback, and/or nickel if he was to come to Texas. 

Gideon and Joseph have both done a good job tag teaming this recruitment, as Brew was hosted by Gideon when he came to the Junior Day on Jan. 20 before being hosted by Joseph when he returned later in the spring for a practice visit. 

Another important thing to note is Brew's mother also recently moved from Ohio down to Texas, so with both parents now in the Lone Star State the Longhorns completely own the proximity and location advantage. Brew has moved around a lot growing up so proximity to home isn't a huge subject for him in his recruitment, but I do think there's part of him that might prefer to stay in the state he was born in, has spent the most time in, and has both his parents living in. 

Brew has already visited all of the schools in his top five on unofficials, so official visits won't necessarily be as crucial for Brew as they are for other prospects. Following his official visit circuit he'll knock out his commitment prior to his senior season in August. Putting in a crystal ball prediction will be tricky in this one, but I do think Texas will end up winning this recruitment.

— Another defensive back prospect where Texas is the only school pitching a different positional plan from the other finalists, Fort Bend Hightower four-star Kade Phillips is being recruited by the Longhorns to play safety whereas Texas A&M and LSU want him at cornerback. 

At one point I think Phillips did have a preference at playing corner instead of safety, but I think there's a lot of opportunity he might be seeing after seeing the Longhorns only signed one true safety in Xavier Filsaime this past recruiting cycle. I could be wrong, but regardless Texas has gained momentum in this recruitment. 

After seeing Phillips in action at one of the OT7 7on7 tournaments in Dallas in early April, I spoke with a source shortly after who was adamant LSU was the leader. After catching up with Phillips on Saturday, I got the sense Texas had picked up some steam and might be at the top with LSU. I followed up with the same source who told me my belief was correct, and that the Aggies were in third place behind the Longhorns and Bayou Bengals who are tied for first. 

Similar to Brew, Phillips has already visited LSU, Texas, and Texas A&M several times each so official visits won't be as important for him as they necessarily are for other prospects but it's definitely an added bonus that the Longhorns will be the last school to host Phillips for an official visit prior to him deciding on a commitment ahead of his senior season.

QUICK NOTES —
— I've previously reported that as far as 2026 quarterback recruiting, I liked the chances of San Marcos (CA) Mission Hills four-star Troy Huhn ending up in the Longhorns' 2026 class over the chances of Fort Lauderdale (FL) American Heritage four-star Dia Bell ending up in the class. I'd like to now reverse that statement, as I now think the chances are higher that Bell ends up as the Longhorns' signal caller in 2026. We'll have more on this later this week. 

— A little over a month ago I entered in two crystal ball predictions for Texas to land Cedar Hill's Coleman Brothers (Jordan Coleman, Devin Coleman). I still like my predictions a lot, and I'm close to entering one in for the Longhorns to land San Francisco (CA) St. Ignatius College Preparatory three-star offensive tackle John Mills as well. As far as the Coleman brothers go, I'm still expecting the eventual decision to be for the Longhorns, but after speaking with a source on Sunday I think it's more likely we see an announcement coming from the brothers following the conclusion of their official visits which will wrap with Texas the June 21-23 weekend. The source also mentioned that if Texas was to land Jordan and Devin, then Isaiah Coleman would be joining his brothers in Austin as a PWO.

 

 

[tejas60 3516]

18 minutes ago, Hornius Emeritus said:

I am not sure why you would remember that, since it is not true. Santa Anna had his leg blown off 3 years after the Battle of San Jacinto, in the pastry war with the French. It was replaced with a wooden leg, which was captured in 1847 during the Mexican-American war. But Texans did not capture it. An Illinois regiment did, which is why it is now in a museum in Illinois.

Didn't he have a funeral for his leg?

Edited May 20 by tejas60

[South Austin 51966]

33 minutes ago, Hornius Emeritus said:

I am not sure why you would remember that, since it is not true. Santa Anna had his leg blown off 3 years after the Battle of San Jacinto, in the pastry war with the French. 

Now who's making up shit.  A war with France over croissants?  Please. 

[Napoleon 8587]

12 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Now who's making up shit.  A war with France over croissants?  Please. 

Maybe not, but a war over pain au chocolat is understandable.

[Rockwell Torrey 1276]

5 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Now who's making up shit.  A war with France over croissants?  Please. 

 

2 minutes ago, Napoleon said:

Maybe not, but a war over pain au chocolat is understandable.

User name, etc.

[Hornlover 8824]

7 minutes ago, Napoleon said:

Maybe not, but a war over pain au chocolat is understandable.

Username checks out

Rockwell beat me by seconds...

Edited May 20 by Hornlover

[South Austin 51966]

3 minutes ago, Hornlover said:

Username checks out

[Hornius Emeritus 12358]

47 minutes ago, Getafix said:

 

(As opposed to the usual insipid dreck, this note has tons of specifics and is well worth the read.  This kid delivers.)

 

The Stampede: Road Report from Houston
The latest from a week on the road seeing a plethora of Texas targets in offseason action.
Jordan Scruggs (Horns 247)
 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

The Stampede: Road Report from Houston
The latest from a week on the road seeing a plethora of Texas targets in offseason action.
Jordan Scruggs (Horns 247)
 

Welcome to another edition of Horns247's weekly gathering of recruiting intel, The Stampede.

This week, I'm back with another Road Report. This is a continuation of my story from Thursday night where I broke down the recruitments of Texas targets from Ruston (La.), Jasper, Port Neches-Groves, Port Arthur Memorial, Spring Dekaney and Pearland Shadow Creek.

If you missed the first Road Report, I spent the last week on the road in Louisiana, Southeast Texas, and Houston hitting high school spring ball practices, athletic periods, weight rooms, spring games, training sessions, etc. The second half of the week included stops at Alief Hastings to see four-star defensive lineman Smith Orogbo, Hitchcock to see four-star wide receiver Kelshaun Johnson, Fort Bend Marshall to see three-star cornerback Caleb Chester and 2026 safety Isaiah Williams, and two training sessions to see Katy Mayde Creek 2026 three-star linebacker Kosi Okpala, Conroe four-star cornerback Dorian Brew and Fort Bend Hightower four-star cornerback Kade Phillips.

Also included are additional quick notes regarding three more relevant Texas targets.

Stay tuned in the coming days for stories with quotes from all of the Texas targets that will be discussed below.

Without further ado, let's get into it.

ALIEF HASTINGS (THURSDAY, MAY 16)

Top247 defensive lineman Smith Orogbo has already taken two official visits. He has five more officials scheduled for June, but there's certainly a feeling that the main group of programs in consideration include Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas Tech.

The Sooners (June 21-23), Longhorns (June 14-16), and Red Raiders (June 7-9) make up three of the June official visits, with Missouri (May 31-June 2) and Kansas (June 12-14) making up the other two trips he's scheduled to take.

The two visits he's already taken include this last weekend's trip to SMU to see the Ponies May 17-19, and then an April 26-28 official visit he took to Tempe to see the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Of the three programs at the forefront of the recruitment — Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas Tech — I eventually expect the recruitment to be narrowed down to Texas and Oklahoma. This obviously isn't a formal Crystal Ball prediction, but I do feel like Texas will end up winning this recruitment.

Orogbo's recruitment is quite refreshing because it's one of the rare recruitments where academics will actually matter in the year 2024. If you don't believe me, I was told a story I'll probably never hear again by Hastings' head football coach.

Orogbo had never played football until his freshman year. He always wanted to play the sport, but he simply wasn't able to because his parents wouldn't allow it.

Then came high school, and Orogbo got to scheming. 

After arriving at Hastings as a freshman in August of 2021, Orogbo decided he couldn't wait any longer and that he was going to play football. He proceeded to lie to his parents about taking after-school tutorial classes to instead make it to his first few football practices.

He got away with it for a while but was eventually caught. By that point, it was already too late and both the Hastings coaching staff and Smith saw what he could be and that he was going to get what he wanted— the permission to play football.

With that said, academics will be paramount for winning over the family and ultimately the recruitment.

Texas is in a great position: The Longhorns happen to offer a top-10 program in the nation for what Orogbo wants to study, which is real estate. On the same note, Jeff Banks and Pete Kwiatkowski actually swung by the school to meet with Orogbo and his father just hours before I sat down with Orogbo.

The majority of the meeting was spent going over the different topics regarding education at Texas, whether it be Orogbo's major, different ways Texas can help its players academically and even a little preview of what his official visit could look like regarding meetings with the academic staff.

Quotes from my interview with Orogbo will come out this week, but he spoke on the record about how his parents "love" Texas because of the academics part of the equation. Outside of blowing all of the other contenders out of the water in the academic field, Texas also holds the proximity to home advantage over every program in the mix as well.

A large defensive line haul is absolutely a necessity for Texas in the 2025 class. With Orogbo being a versatile 6-foot-4-inch, 220-pound tweener with loads of frame space to add more weight, he would fit the Longhorns' defensive line needs in 2025 almost perfectly.

HITCHCOCK (THURSDAY, MAY 16)

With the majority of last week's stops being athletic periods spent in the weight room, it was nice to see a bit of football action on a humid Thursday afternoon in Galveston County. With Hitchcock being a team that seems to make a deep run in the state 7-on-7 tournament every summer, it only made sense that I caught the Bulldogs in a 7-on-7 practice as they prepped for the upcoming weekend's state qualifying tournament.

When the action started on the field, Top247 WR Kelshaun Johnson was on fire. He repeatedly found himself open and catching passes from Hitchcock's three-star quarterback and Texas Tech commit Lloyd Jones.

Following practice, I sat down with Johnson to catch up with him on where things stand.

Horns247 has been reporting for several months that Johnson's recruitment is being led by Texas and USC. While I believe that statement remains true, Texas A&M is creeping into the mix as well. The Aggies don't have an official visit on the schedule quite yet, but it's likely they end up receiving one in June whether it be Johnson taking a midweek trip or perhaps swapping out trips with one of his first two officials in June, Arkansas and Texas Tech. 

I still think the Aggies are behind the Longhorns and Trojans, but it's now a possibility Johnson could actually end up at A&M whereas previously USC and Texas were the only realistic landing spots in my eyes. Holmon Wiggins has been huge in the Aggies gaining momentum, and his background headlined by five years coaching receivers at Alabama including in 2020 when he coached Devonta Smith to being the fourth-ever wide receiver to win the Heisman is one of the main reasons for why A&M is now in the mix.

And yes, Johnson obviously knows that Steve Sarkisian was the offensive coordinator for some of those seasons which is one of the many reasons why the Longhorns have been a leader in this recruitment since offering. Chris Jackson's time coaching in the NFL and now his experience in producing NFL draft picks out of the college ranks is equally important as well. 

Speaking of Jackson, he beat me to Hitchcock by one day as the Longhorns wide receivers coach tripped down to the 409 on Wednesday where he spent two hours talking with Johnson and his family after watching Johnson in 7on7 practice. The next time he'll see Jackson or the Longhorns will be in mid June when he returns to Austin for his 14-16 official visit to Texas.

Johnson's last official visit will be to Los Angeles to see Lincoln Riley and the Trojans, and the visit looms larger than any other trip on the calendar. Johnson has never visited USC before, so it's a pretty rare occurrence where his official visit will be his first time on campus. That's not the same when the roles are reversed, as USC sent wide receivers coach Dennis Simmons down to Hitchcock to see Johnson every single week during the winter evaluation period where college coaches can be on the road. 

It's important to note the winter evaluation period rules for coaches being on the road differs from the spring evaluation period's rules for coaches being on the road. In the winter head coaches are allowed to travel, and coaches from schools are allowed to visit a prospect once per week at the very most. During the spring evaluation period, head coaches aren't allowed to travel and assistants are allowed to visit each prospect only once during the whole duration of the period. The rule allowing coaches to visit a prospect once per week during the winter evaluation period is a new rule that went into effect last year.

To continue on the same point, USC sent Simmons down to Hitchcock quite literally every single week during the winter evaluation period and were the only school in the recruitment to do that. That went a long way in Johnson's eyes, as he's truly felt like a priority for Lincoln Riley and the Trojans for several months. Riley and Dennis Simmon's history of having success with smaller and slighter-built receivers that share similarities with Johnson is another eye catcher for the Top247 playmaker. 

At one point or another, every school in the recruitment has made a push for Johnson's commitment and he's held off from giving it as he's long remained firm on his timeline that'll have him committing to a school following his official visit circuit. There isn't an official date for the commitment, but it will happen before Johnson's season gets started in late August. 

My crystal ball prediction currently reflects Texas as my predicted landing spot for the 409 receiver prospect with sub-11 speed. I still like my prediction for the time being, though USC and the momentum A&M has gained has me a little more nervous than I previously was.

FORT BEND MARSHALL — FRIDAY, MAY 17

— When I arrived at the school for the Buffs athletic period, I was pretty bummed when I didn't see Caleb Chester lifting in the weightroom with the rest of the Marshall program as I found out he was on a field trip at an elementary school for one of his classes. 

I got on the phone with him after school and we were able to catch up then. Chester already took one official visit to TCU during the first weekend of the month. His official visit schedule resumes at the end of the month with LSU (May 31-June 2), Texas (June 7-9), Texas A&M (June 14-16), and Arkansas (June 21-23). Although there's been other contenders at times in this recruitment, Horns247 has reported going back to last July our belief is that the recruitment will come down to the Aggies and the Longhorns.

Once we heard intel that led us to that original belief back in last July, a few days later Horns247's Hank South decided to enter in a crystal ball prediction in favor of the Longhorns to land Chester. That prediction still stands and reflects Texas as the predicted landing spot for Chester, and at this point in the recruitment if the prediction doesn't pull through we'd fully expect the decision to be for Texas A&M.

The Aggies are much more dangerous in this recruitment than they would've been with the old staff, as A&M's cornerbacks coach Jordan Peterson was part of giving Chester his first offer by way of Kansas when Chester was still in the 8th grade in February of 2021. The proximity factor is one of the main reasons for the Longhorns and Aggies position in the recruitment, and Texas A&M holds that advantage over Texas with Chester obviously being a Houston prospect. 

Although a few will likely say something about how he's ranked a three-star, Chester has been prioritized going back to the fall and the majority of the props goes to Terry Joseph's who's done a good job of making Chester feel like a true priority going back to when he visited for the Texas Bash Pool Party in July of 2023. 

A decision will be made following official visits and before the start of Chester's senior season in August.

— There's only two safeties in the in-state 2026 class that hold an offer from Texas, and Fort Bend Marshall's Isaiah Williams is one of them. Power four defensive back talent out of Fort Bend Marshall isn't rare by any means, but few players have made varsity for the Buffs at defensive back as a freshman, and Williams is one of those few as well. 

He's unranked for now, but you should effectively view Williams as a Top247 member because that's the priority he's being treated with by plenty of schools as a rising junior which isn't the case for other prospects in his class. The programs brought up by Williams as current standouts include Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma. 

Williams will camp at Texas on June 1 for the Longhorns' annual Elite Camp and after that he'll see Columbus and Ohio State for the first time on a mid June trip. Williams is a 2026 prospect so it's pretty open for him right now, but there's definitely a feeling that Texas will at least be in it till the end. 

Mesquite Horn's Markel Ford is the other in-state 2026 safety that holds a Texas offer. Ford is hoping to commit sooner rather than later and is likely to come off the board by the end of the summer, and with a top four of Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, and SMU I definitely lean towards the Sooners and the Aggies and more specifically the Aggies for Ford. 

Unless something changes in the next few weeks, I couldn't see Ford choosing Texas if he ends up going through with committing this summer. Up to this point Texas has already sat both Williams and Ford down together and told them they're 1A and 1B on the safety board, and that happened back at the Jan. 20 Junior Day. We'll talk about it more if Ford ends up coming off the board by the end of the summer, but if it happens it would make Williams' recruitment much more important to Texas in the long run.

LINEBACKER TRAINING SESSION — FRIDAY, MAY 17

— After spending Wednesday night at Shadow Creek for the Sharks' spring game, I returned two nights later to catch Katy Mayde Creek 2026 three-star linebacker Kosi Okpala workout in a training session. 

Okpala plays a lot of his snaps coming off the edge in a two point stance, so it's always encouraging that he's continued to get noticeably better in true linebacker work each time I've seen him. He was in Austin in late March for a spring practice visit where he got to see the Longhorns in action, and he'll return in a few weeks to workout at Texas' annual Elite Camp on June 1. 

Texas was the second program to offer Okpala back in the winter and since then his stock has skyrocketed as he's collected offers from Alabama, Oklahoma, Michigan, USC, and Ohio State this spring. That said, with so many new offers coming in it's a wide open recruitment, but I do firmly believe that if Okpala had to commit to a school today, it would definitely be Texas. 

The Longhorns have a lot going for them besides being the childhood dream school. Okpala's defensive coordinator at Katy Mayde Creek is none other than Rashad Bobino who started 45 of 52 career games during his time on the Forty Acres that spanned 2005-2008. Brian Orakpo and Okpala also happen to be "godbrothers" as the two have a relationship that stems from Okpala's father being in Orakpo's support circle when he was growing up in Houston. 

That said, Texas has been in great position since offering at the beginning of the year, but it'll be interesting to see if any non-regional programs can get in the mix for Okpala as he gears up for his junior season.

DEFENSIVE BACK TRAINING SESSION — SATURDAY, MAY 18
Before heading back to Dallas in the afternoon, I spent the late morning in Memorial seeing a workout with two of the Longhorns' top defensive back targets in Conroe four-star Dorian Brew and Fort Bend Hightower four-star Kade Phillips. The nation's No. 3 overall prospect, North Shore's Devin Sanchez was there as well, but he's about as locked in with Ohio State as you can possibly be. 

— Dorian Brew's recruitment has been pretty interesting to track. The nation's No. 36 overall prospect, Brew comes from ridiculous bloodlines as his mother is in the Ohio State athletics hall of fame for her decorated collegiate track and field career whereas his father ran track at LSU before running in the 2004 Olympics. 

He spent the first two and a half years of his high school career at Northmont high school in Ohio before moving to the Houston area midseason where he enrolled at Conroe and even played a few games for the Tigers before the 2023 season concluded. Once thought to be an Ohio State lean, Brew scheduled a commitment date for late January with the intention of committing to the Buckeyes before deciding to scratch the timeline completely and reopen his recruitment. 

With his recruitment reopened and his home for the rest of high school now in Houston, schools such as Texas, Oregon, USC, and LSU emerged and those four joined the Buckeyes as the top five. 

As far as official visits go, Brew currently has four scheduled with LSU (May 31-June 2), Oregon (June 7-9), Texas (June 14-16), and Ohio State (June 21-23). USC will get an official visit, but the Trojans don't yet have dates on the calendar. 

That brings me to my next topic. Although Ohio State was once the clear leader, I think they might have the lowest chances of the schools in the top five. This isn't sourced info and is me completely speculating, but I do think Brew could potentially swap out thee Ohio State official for USC and instead sees the Trojans as his last official visit. 

That wouldn't be amazing news for Longhorns fans, as about a month ago I had a source in Houston tell me they believe Brew's top two is USC and Texas. While I'm not sure if USC is in the same exact position they were about a month ago, I feel as if Texas has maintained their spot in the recruitment pretty well. 

The Longhorns are the only school in the recruitment pitching defensive back rather than cornerback to the 6-foot-2, 185 pounder and it's actually something that Brew spoke on record about liking. There isn't necessarily an exact role the Longhorns have pitched him on, but there's been conversations between Brew and Blake Gideon and Terry Joseph about Brew potentially playing safety, cornerback, and/or nickel if he was to come to Texas. 

Gideon and Joseph have both done a good job tag teaming this recruitment, as Brew was hosted by Gideon when he came to the Junior Day on Jan. 20 before being hosted by Joseph when he returned later in the spring for a practice visit. 

Another important thing to note is Brew's mother also recently moved from Ohio down to Texas, so with both parents now in the Lone Star State the Longhorns completely own the proximity and location advantage. Brew has moved around a lot growing up so proximity to home isn't a huge subject for him in his recruitment, but I do think there's part of him that might prefer to stay in the state he was born in, has spent the most time in, and has both his parents living in. 

Brew has already visited all of the schools in his top five on unofficials, so official visits won't necessarily be as crucial for Brew as they are for other prospects. Following his official visit circuit he'll knock out his commitment prior to his senior season in August. Putting in a crystal ball prediction will be tricky in this one, but I do think Texas will end up winning this recruitment.

— Another defensive back prospect where Texas is the only school pitching a different positional plan from the other finalists, Fort Bend Hightower four-star Kade Phillips is being recruited by the Longhorns to play safety whereas Texas A&M and LSU want him at cornerback. 

At one point I think Phillips did have a preference at playing corner instead of safety, but I think there's a lot of opportunity he might be seeing after seeing the Longhorns only signed one true safety in Xavier Filsaime this past recruiting cycle. I could be wrong, but regardless Texas has gained momentum in this recruitment. 

After seeing Phillips in action at one of the OT7 7on7 tournaments in Dallas in early April, I spoke with a source shortly after who was adamant LSU was the leader. After catching up with Phillips on Saturday, I got the sense Texas had picked up some steam and might be at the top with LSU. I followed up with the same source who told me my belief was correct, and that the Aggies were in third place behind the Longhorns and Bayou Bengals who are tied for first. 

Similar to Brew, Phillips has already visited LSU, Texas, and Texas A&M several times each so official visits won't be as important for him as they necessarily are for other prospects but it's definitely an added bonus that the Longhorns will be the last school to host Phillips for an official visit prior to him deciding on a commitment ahead of his senior season.

QUICK NOTES —
— I've previously reported that as far as 2026 quarterback recruiting, I liked the chances of San Marcos (CA) Mission Hills four-star Troy Huhn ending up in the Longhorns' 2026 class over the chances of Fort Lauderdale (FL) American Heritage four-star Dia Bell ending up in the class. I'd like to now reverse that statement, as I now think the chances are higher that Bell ends up as the Longhorns' signal caller in 2026. We'll have more on this later this week. 

— A little over a month ago I entered in two crystal ball predictions for Texas to land Cedar Hill's Coleman Brothers (Jordan Coleman, Devin Coleman). I still like my predictions a lot, and I'm close to entering one in for the Longhorns to land San Francisco (CA) St. Ignatius College Preparatory three-star offensive tackle John Mills as well. As far as the Coleman brothers go, I'm still expecting the eventual decision to be for the Longhorns, but after speaking with a source on Sunday I think it's more likely we see an announcement coming from the brothers following the conclusion of their official visits which will wrap with Texas the June 21-23 weekend. The source also mentioned that if Texas was to land Jordan and Devin, then Isaiah Coleman would be joining his brothers in Austin as a PWO.

 

 

That's some pretty good stuff re: Dorian Brew and Smith Orogbo. I was impressed with Orogbo in Gerry's interview. Hard to understand Sanchez not even looking at Texas but  c'est la vie.

[Thiefery 4940]

6 minutes ago, Hornius Emeritus said:

That's some pretty good stuff re: Dorian Brew and Smith Orogbo. I was impressed with Orogbo in Gerry's interview. Hard to understand Sanchez not even looking at Texas but  c'est la vie.

ehhh it's North Shore

[DixonHur 10958]

5 minutes ago, Hornius Emeritus said:

Hard to understand Sanchez not even looking at Texas

Agreed.  But I imagine there is a lot of negative recruiting about Joseph and Texas' struggles in the secondary.

[texifornia 56212]

18 minutes ago, DixonHur said:

Agreed.  But I imagine there is a lot of negative recruiting about Joseph and Texas' struggles in the secondary.

We haven't really talked to that kid, at least publically, for over a year. I just think he and the staff as a whole do not get along. Classic North Shore shit.

[Atticus 3908]

Didn't Sark and Co. drop by NS to talk to Sanchez and the coaches after the season?

[kevwun 15540]

North Shore kids go to ATM or LSU and then flame out spectacularly.  You can almost set your watch to it.

Edited May 20 by kevwun

[Ricky's one-hitter 9083]

Because there must be a better option than playing for Elko

 

MHP 2.0

[DixonHur 10958]

1 hour ago, texifornia said:

We haven't really talked to that kid, at least publically, for over a year. I just think he and the staff as a whole do not get along. Classic North Shore shit.

Guess he prefers coaches with more hair/beard dye.

[Nigel Tufnel 196]

2 hours ago, Hornius Emeritus said:

That's some pretty good stuff re: Dorian Brew and Smith Orogbo. I was impressed with Orogbo in Gerry's interview. Hard to understand Sanchez not even looking at Texas but  c'est la vie.

For what it’s worth, little Nigel played against a 5* and several 4*s last season.  Without question, the player that made the biggest impact (like having his name called almost every freaking play) was Smith Orogbo.  
 

I am not projecting, or saying he will be the best prospect, but in terms of playmaking and making a noticeable difference on the field, he stood out.

[Nigel Tufnel 196]

Little Nigel beat Sanchez in the 100m and lost to him in the 200m, but he was a big, mature bodied kid.  I mentioned before that schools are looking for mature bodies that are ready right now, that would be Sanchez.  He has very good speed.

[Thiefery 4940]

2 hours ago, Atticus said:

Didn't Sark and Co. drop by NS to talk to Sanchez and the coaches after the season?

he's stopped by there every season he's been here.. look, his momma was upset how UT didn't make them feel the way tosu did.  Whether it's a good thing or not.. staff moved off him

[Horn Under a Bad Sign 20328]

18 minutes ago, Thiefery said:

he's stopped by there every season he's been here.. look, his momma was upset how UT didn't make them feel the way tosu did.  Whether it's a good thing or not.. staff moved off him

Over the course of my business life I've noticed that business decisions made based on emotions rarely work out. 

Edited May 20 by Horn Under a Bad Sign

[Caver60 395]

Back in the 90s we recruited a LB prospect who chose Lubbock over Austin because “the water tasted better” there.

Mom’s emotions are one of the least crazy reasons why some of these guys choose where to go. Maybe his mom is fucking ferocious. Who knows?

[Atticus 3908]

35 minutes ago, Thiefery said:

he's stopped by there every season he's been here.. look, his momma was upset how UT didn't make them feel the way tosu did.  Whether it's a good thing or not.. staff moved off him

I have no issue with not landing Sanchez. Glad the staff moved on, and I won't be shocked if we see his name in the transfer portal in a couple of years.

[Napoleon 8587]

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

Because there must be a better option than playing for Elko

 

MHP 2.0

Interesting prediction list for someone rated so high.

[Enchubben 5502]

19 minutes ago, Caver60 said:

Back in the 90s we recruited a LB prospect who chose Lubbock over Austin because “the water tasted better” there.

Mom’s emotions are one of the least crazy reasons why some of these guys choose where to go. Maybe his mom is fucking ferocious. Who knows?

a 1 Jamarcus Mcfarland went to OU because in part because he didn't like women getting naked and romancing each other at an off-campus UT party.  Of course he didn't pan out to diddly squat and was rewarded with the opportunity to be the DL coach at TCU, so what do i know?

[DanTheHorn 4881]

8 minutes ago, Atticus said:

I have no issue with not landing Sanchez. Glad the staff moved on, and I won't be shocked if we see his name in the transfer portal in a couple of years.

Are you saying this because of his momma and what she wanted? Dude is talented and in high school and every recruiter says you must win the mother first. Eventually they become their own person while on campus. Are you saying you feel he would be a problem in a couple of years?

[Ricky's one-hitter 9083]

Y'all are really working yourselves into a pretzel on Sanchez.

Good salespeople know that closing a deal, won or lost, is equally valuable toward efficiency of action. Why call the one who isn't reciprocating interest (but marketing 247 loves this lead prospect!), when you can invest that time in a deal more likely to close? 

[Hank Chinaski 6310]

29 minutes ago, Enchubben said:

a 1 Jamarcus Mcfarland went to OU because in part because he didn't like women getting naked and romancing each other at an off-campus UT party.  Of course he didn't pan out 

Huge red flag imo.

[SydneyCarton 47808]

What position is Terry projecting to in college? TE?

[IDIOTsavant 8429]

13 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

What position is Terry projecting to in college? TE?

I’ve seen everything from WR to edge, excuse me, EDGE. Sounds like an OJ McClintock starter kit. Hopefully we let him settle in somewhere and go if he comes here. OJ was talented as hell, but never stayed anywhere long enough to maximize it.

[SydneyCarton 47808]

2 minutes ago, IDIOTsavant said:

I’ve seen everything from WR to edge, excuse me, EDGE. Sounds like an OJ McClintock starter kit. Hopefully we let him settle in somewhere and go if he comes here. OJ was talented as hell, but never stayed anywhere long enough to maximize it.

At 6'3 and 210, TE might be a bridge too far. Same for edge, unless homeboy is a Brian Orakpo starter kit. He play any LB in HS?