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Texas Recruiting Notes 2025: Duck Around and Find Out


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4 minutes ago, hookemATL said:

Keep making jokes. The Southpaw Heritage Institute of Texas (SHIT) keeps track of all such online hate speech directed toward lefties. 

and yes, Mike Vick strangled, maimed, electrocuted and otherwise tortured innocent animals. But he has his own place in the pantheon of leftie athletes. 

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2 hours ago, hornlife said:

What's the difference between what you want in terms of size, ability, etc between a RT and LT?  What defines a LT from a RT?  I assumed Cam would shift to LT after Banks and Goosby/Baker would start at RT but apparently there is more to this. 

There’s also the possibility that cam heads to the nfl after the season. 

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3 hours ago, Getafix said:

 

Jordan Scruggs (Horns 247) gave an update on the 4 5-stars Texas is pursuing.  Some key points below, followed by the whole enchilada. 

While wading through it, I was reminded of this funny I read a while ago.

Employee shows up late.

Boss: "Late again?"

Employee: "Sorry!  Ran into Alex Haley in the lobby, and asked him how his family was doing."

**************************************************************************

 

Jonah Williams

Decision Aug 24th.  Source believes Texas.  Schlossnagle an advantage.  Scruggs thinks Phillips likely to flip to LSU, making Williams even more important.  Once he decides, unlikely to change his mind.  And this made me lulz - " ... the source I spoke with this morning doesn't believe A&M being such a tradition (midnight yell and things of that sort) rich school is helping them much if, at all, ..."

 

Michael Terry III

August decision possible, but looking more likely to get pushed into the season (with in-season visits, etc.).  Scruggs still leans Texas.  Full staff push, with Wingo's pop helping.  As with Williams, once Terry decides, he's likely to stick with the decision.  Scruggs emphasizes that NIL is a very small factor in this recruitment.

 

Jaime FFrench

Decision August 30th.  Sources in Austin and Florida like the Horns at this point.  Unlike Williams and Terry, this recruitment is not likely to be done on the 30th.  Like Wingo's, will continue until signing day.  

 

Michael Fasusi

Decision August 21.  Source believes Fasusi and family prefer OU.  Scruggs likely to change CB to OU, if current trend continues.  Early playing time at OU a key factor.  Also thinks Brooks to Texas very likely, and may put in CB for Brooks to Texas.  Thinks Brooks commitment date (August 23rd) was chosen based on Fasusi's likely decision to OU.  

 

FULL ARTICLE

 

The latest on the quad of five-star Texas football targets expected to announce decisions in August
The latest Horns247 is hearing on the quad of five-star Texas football targets expected to announce decisions in August.
Jordan Scruggs (Horns 247)
 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

The latest on the quad of five-star Texas football targets expected to announce decisions in August
The latest Horns247 is hearing on the quad of five-star Texas football targets expected to announce decisions in August.
Jordan Scruggs (Horns 247)
 

Before we get into it, it's important to remember that with the majority of five-star prospects, the most important part of the recruiting process is usually in the week leading up to an announcement, IF we're not counting the time around early signing day but I mean you get the point. 

Yes, the groundwork laid from years of recruiting a prospect is of course going to be important, but the week leading up to an announcement is when the NIL numbers become negotiated at a higher rate than ever before as coaching staffs and NIL collectives are pushed to the brink to land one of, if not their highest coveted prospect(s) of the cycle. 

I say that to say, while I do think everything I'm reporting in this story is accurate and is sourced info, these recruitments of five-stars have a much higher chance to turn into roller coasters than that of other prospects. Meaning, if I report something this afternoon, things change fast enough with these caliber of prospects that that info could be outdated an hour later and that's just how it is sometimes whether you the reader or I the writer like it or not. 


All in all, we do our best at Horns247 to bring y'all the most accurate and up-to-date info on the Longhorns' recruiting efforts, and ask that y'all bare with us as we continue doing what we can to report the best and most accurate info amidst the NIL world that has taken over the sport of College Football and the bloodline that feeds it — recruiting. 

With the NIL disclaimer out of the way, let's get right into it. 


(Prospects listed in order of Top247 ranking.)

 

Galveston Ball five-star S Jonah Williams

This continues to be a recruitment that sources don't think Williams will fully make up his mind on until he's on stage and in front of the five hats at his ceremony on Saturday Aug. 24. The notion also continues that USC remains the school with the lowest chances of the programs in the top five. In speaking with folks in G-County, most of the confidence surrounding Oregon from earlier in the spring and summer has slowly been fading over the last week or so, and at this point I do think it's fair to expect Williams to stay closer to home with LSU, Texas, and Texas A&M all making more sense than the Trojans or Ducks.

Williams could also of course end up deciding to stay closer to home than Baton Rouge and instead opt to stay in state lines. That same topic point is actually one that's been discussed in Williams' circle in recent weeks. Over the last few weeks, Williams and his camp have had several talks with folks in and around the community whom the Williams family respects, and those folks have been pushing for Williams to stay in-state for his college decision, and largely because of the lifelong benefits Williams could reap for suiting up for one of the two in-state powers compared to what could come from suiting up in Baton Rouge, Eugene, or Los Angeles. Some names of those folks in and around the community that have been talking with Williams over the last few weeks include Casey Hampton and Mike Evans. Evans and Williams have known each other for some time however, as Williams has trained at Evans' house a few times over the years. On the same note, a long time source on the recruitment does believe the decision will come down to the Longhorns and the Aggies, and the thought process behind that statement aligns with the same message of staying home and putting on for the one of the two in-state programs.

A decision coming down to the Lone Star Showdown rivals would make sense, as LSU already holds two commitments from prospects at the safety position and are still in the hunt, but ultimately it seems as if the Tigers are more focused on the cornerback position and flipping Kade Phillips than they are in landing a third safety in Williams. The Aggies currently hold four commitments from defensive backs with three of them being true cornerback takes, whereas Deyjhon Pettaway is listed by 247Sports as a safety but could very well end up as a cornerback in my eyes.

While Williams is as big of a wild card as any prospect I've come across, the most consistent buzz from sources across the recruitment is that the decision will likely come down to Texas vs. Texas A&M. The main source believing it'll come down to the Aggies and the Longhorns also leans towards the Longhorns winning out, but made sure to mention we still have a full week away from the decision. The source leans towards the program in Austin for a few reasons, including the flashiness of the Texas program compared to the gritty culture of the A&M program. School tradition is important for some prospects, but the source I spoke with this morning doesn't believe A&M being such a tradition (midnight yell and things of that sort) rich school is helping them much if, at all, and that Texas being located in a big, fast growing city like Austin is only helping the Longhorns in their battle vs. folks in College Station.

I'm still yet to bring up the baseball factor, and while I don't think baseball is as big of a part of the equation as I had originally thought, it still does hold some form of importance and pretty much everyone I speak to believes Texas holds the advantage in that department due to Williams' long standing relationship with newly hired Longhorns coach Jim Schlossnagle. Williams could of course still spurn everyone and just decide to enter the MLB Draft next summer, but we'll hold that thought until we make it there if that actually ends up being Williams' choice.

All in all, we're exactly a week away from the decision and while there will continue to be ebbs and flows and contradicting info coming out, the one thing that remains consistent is Texas being mentioned as in the thick of it. Williams is obviously a prospect you want to land if you're Texas, but with where they were at earlier in the year in this recruitment, it's been an incredibly impressive job done by Blake Gideon, Steve Sarkisian, and the rest of the support staff to even make it this far in the race.

However, while there's more value to finishing second than ever before in today's day and age of the transfer portal, there aren't any participation trophies in recruiting. LSU is red hot on Kade Phillips and over the last week or so have done a lot to weaken Phillips' commitment to the Longhorns. At this point I'm expecting Phillips to eventually end up with the Tigers, which would leave Texas without a single safety commit and the only pledge in the secondary being from three-star cornerback Caleb Chester, making Williams potential add to Texas' 2025 recruiting class that much more important, especially in a cycle that follows Texas' 2024 class that only brought one true safety to Austin in Xavier Filsaime.

That said, timing is of the essence for the Longhorns to get this thing done with Williams deciding in exactly seven days. While Williams has had every bit of a wild card recruitment, sources around the race are confident that Williams will sign with the program he commits to on Aug. 24 as long as he commits to either Texas or Texas A&M. Williams has enjoyed the recruitment process, but he wants it over with and to be done with and plans on being 100% solid and fully locked in with the school he chooses. 

 

San Antonio Alamo Heights five-star ATH Michael Terry III

Not much has changed on the front of the nation's No. 1 ranked athlete. Texas, Oregon, and Nebraska continue to be the schools at the front of the pack for Terry. A source in San Antonio continues to believe the Longhorns have done the best job in pitching positional fit at the next level, with the same source continuing to believe the Longhorns are still in the driver's seat. In terms of when the decision could come, a late August decision is still certainly on the table, but its looking more and more like Williams will be an in-season decision. Terry and his family have begun putting a tentative schedule together for college games this fall, and Colorado at Nebraska and Georgia at Texas are both on the tentative list.

The season is obviously a few months long, and while sources aren't sure of when exactly an in-season decision would come, many expect it to come in the first half of this season. Regardless of when the decision comes, I'm still leaning Texas and like my crystal ball as it currently stands with a confidence of six. Top to bottom I believe the Longhorns have put more work into this recruitment than other programs with Steve Sarkisian being so involved and essentially the primary recruiter with a handful of other staff members helping out as well. Not that I think it matters a ton, but Texas also holds a massive proximity advantage over the others which is something that can't be ignored.

Besides Sarkisian, AJ Milwee, Tashard Choice, Chris Jackson, Brandon Harris, and Chris Gilbert are amongst other staffers with their fingerprints on this recruitment. Ryan Wingo's father has also been in contact with Terry's family since the summer, and that's a unique relationship that will only give Texas a better shot going forward. It's also worth another reminder that two of Terry's former Alamo Heights teammates are in the program as walk-ons. Similar to Jonah Williams, Terry is on the same wavelength that he's shutting down his recruitment after he picks the school of his choice. Whichever school Terry commits to will be the only school he visits after the decision, and prior to the commitment being made public, a silent commitment will not be given as schools and coaches will find out like the rest of gen. pop.

Another thing that's important to note, is that whichever school Terry picks, he's choosing that program because they've done the best job of recruiting him and his family and that they feel that school will best prepare him for the NFL and life after football. I don't know how many times I've already written about it, but I can't stress enough how low the level of importance on NIL is in this recruitment compared to just about every other Top247 level prospect.

 

Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin five-star WR Jaime Ffrench

Similar to Michael Terry III, there's not much new to report on the Ffrench front. LSU, Miami, Tennessee, and Texas remain the schools in contention for the Florida five-star and the decision date of Aug. 30 (Ffrench's mother's birthday) remains locked in. Confidence in Austin remains at a high level and the decision is still looking like it'll come down to the Longhorns and the Hurricanes as the final two. At this point there's confidence from folks in Florida that Ffrench will end up in the Lone Star State, but it is worth mentioning he has a longer time till a decision is made than the other two prospects with commitment dates on this list.

It's also an important reminder that Ffrench is probably not going to be a done deal after he commits like Michael Terry III's recruitment is trending to be. If Texas lands Ffrench on Aug. 30, the Longhorns will have to do what they can to hold on to the Florida five-star and hold off Miami, LSU, and Tennessee, and the same goes if Ffrench ends up committing to Miami, LSU, or Tennessee. I don't want to say I'd necessarily expect Ffrench to visit schools he's not committed to after he commits on Aug. 30, but it would not surprise me at all. Ffrench has a recruitment similar to Ryan Wingo's last year where it's never going to be final until a national letter of intent has been signed.

 

Lewisville five-star OT Michael Fasusi

The longtime No. 1 offensive line target of Kyle Flood and Steve Sarkisian, there was once a lot to like about Texas' position earlier in the spring. But, as official visits were taken and time passed on into the summer, the majority of the late buzz has been about the Sooners and not the Longhorns. Oklahoma built up a bunch of momentum with their official visit the week before Fasusi saw Texas, and the trip to Norman was an eye opening one for Fasusi's family.

Then just a couple days after Fasusi's official trip to Austin ended on June 23, Fasusi's best friend Sean Hutton went ahead and committed to the Sooners as a walk-on. While I do think Texas did counter a fair amount of the Oklahoma buzz with their own official visit the June 21-23 weekend, it didn't feel like much was done to move the needle once the dust had settled weeks later. A source in DFW believes Fasusi's family prefers Oklahoma has preferred the Sooners since the official visit, and the same source believes Fasusi is leaning towards the Sooners with the decision coming on Wednesday.

Playing time continues to be the main thing I hear that's helping push the Sooners in front of the Longhorns, as Fasusi would have a chance to start week one as a true freshman left tackle in Norman in 2025 whereas the same can't be said about Texas due to Trevor Goosby. On the same note of all of this, I'm not sure sources have ever felt better about Nick Brooks ending up in Austin. Brooks will be deciding two days after Fasusi on Aug. 23, and I 1000% believe that date was chosen on purpose to follow Fasusi's decision.

My crystal ball still stands on Texas for Fasusi with his announcement coming up later this week, but if things continue to trend the way they are, it will only be a matter of time before I change my crystal ball prediction to being in favor of the Sooners. If or when that happens, I'll likely be entering in a crystal ball prediction in favor of Brooks to land at Texas shortly thereafter. I do think Texas can still win this recruitment, but I'm not necessarily expecting it. Behind the scenes Oklahoma has had more buzz than Texas for about a month now, and Fasusi and his family don't really strike me as the circle of a prospect that would have a late change of heart.

 

 

Scruggs is a good writer, but he's hindered. I think he would do well at OTF, but I digress. It's hard to watch him on screen because he comes off as "I'm cool", but in a cringe way. He definitely needs to work on presentation. 

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At this point I'm expecting Phillips to eventually end up with the Tigers, which would leave Texas without a single safety commit and the only pledge in the secondary being from three-star cornerback Caleb Chester, making Williams potential add to Texas' 2025 recruiting class that much more important, especially in a cycle that follows Texas' 2024 class that only brought one true safety to Austin in Xavier Filsaime.

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Posted (edited)
26 minutes ago, 6th Street said:

At this point I'm expecting Phillips to eventually end up with the Tigers, which would leave Texas without a single safety commit and the only pledge in the secondary being from three-star cornerback Caleb Chester, making Williams potential add to Texas' 2025 recruiting class that much more important, especially in a cycle that follows Texas' 2024 class that only brought one true safety to Austin in Xavier Filsaime.

Williams probably won't end up at safety. And I assume that we will have a good season and NIL will be available late in the cycle so we will see some flips.

Edited by Bevo
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1 hour ago, Hitch said:

Gideon’s really dropping the ball. 

Why do you have to remind us that Blake Gideon dropped a game-ending interception in the closing seconds against Texas Tech that cost us the chance to play for a national championship? Why?

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This has been one of the more fucked up recruiting seasons that I can remember.  Coming off a 1 play away from a national championship game.  A move to the SEC and now opening buying players with fuck you money and we can’t land or keep anyone here.  Fucking twilight zone 

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Don’t know why we just wouldn’t let him start off at CB like he wanted. It’s not like we’re killing it at that position in this class anyway.
Because he's not a CB. LSU is taking him because they have no pure CBs in the class, all safeties. LSU said please we will let you play CB, when Texas said you're a safety fit long term. The kid is betting on himself.
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19 minutes ago, Mother mopar said:
26 minutes ago, Lonestar88 said:
Don’t know why we just wouldn’t let him start off at CB like he wanted. It’s not like we’re killing it at that position in this class anyway.

Because he's not a CB. LSU is taking him because they have no pure CBs in the class, all safeties. LSU said please we will let you play CB, when Texas said you're a safety fit long term. The kid is betting on himself.

Yeah, I understand the situation, that’s why I pointed out we weren’t killing it at CB this class anyway. They could humor him.

I guess I respect the honesty though. 

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Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Corey Raymond's DB's have looked like shit the last several seasons anyways.

A cursory view of the draft over the last several years would indicate this statement is suboptimal in its accuracy. 

Edited by Dbeasy
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1 hour ago, Sgt Hulk said:

This has been one of the more fucked up recruiting seasons that I can remember.  Coming off a 1 play away from a national championship game.  A move to the SEC and now opening buying players with fuck you money and we can’t land or keep anyone here.  Fucking twilight zone 

It's more strange than ever, for all those reasons, but it also seems there's been a moment like this in each of the last two classes, where mo was going backward and we were well-behind where we need to be.

Each time I wrung my hands, and each time we pulled it out in the end. So I'm not going to worry this time.

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