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Texas recruiting notes 2019

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Inside Texas: Post-NSD 2019 Recaps

By: IT Staff

We go behind the scenes on how the C/O 2019 was built and the prospects that went elsewhere in this edition of the Humidor.

Bru McCoy. 

This recruitment was one for the ages. For the record, it was always going to be USC or Texas.

Bru started loving Texas when he took his unofficial visit to Austin last spring with good friend De'Gabriel Floyd, who deserves some credit for the proper introduction. The spring game is when the relationship with Bru and Texas started to blossom. With that visit Texas earned a September official, one that would prove big given UT was set to play the odds on favorite to land McCoy, the USC Trojans .

Bru and his parents were blown away by the attention to detail on snap allocation the two-way player (70% offense, 30% defense) would receive as well as the genuine family atmosphere. While Texas was gaining steam, it was still USC by the slightest of margins in the early fall. As we know, USC continued to struggle and OC/WR coach Tee Martin, McCoy's main recruiter, was fired. Stability was always a major concern for the McCoy's and that factor would rear its head yet again.

By this time, mom had more than warmed to the idea of her son playing away from home, specifically Texas, though dad was still all USC for reasons beyond football.

UT and USC were about neck and neck by now, though we actually had Texas in the lead for a while in late November/early December. USC's hiring of Kliff Kingsbury was an initial game-changer for Bru, and not just because of his usage in a high octane offense. The hire gave Clay Helton the much needed appearance of stability. Texas was in trouble and during NSD1, Bru signed an LOI to USC, but didn't tell anyone.

There's a database for NCAA coaches where NLIs get filed. This notifies schools a player is now off limits from being recruited. Likely in an attempt to keep his announcement a secret, Bru's was never filed. Texas was always under the impression that McCoy did not sign.

By the time the All-American game came around in San Antonio, Bru was already having second thoughts about his decision. UT's win over Georgia didn't give him peace of mind either. McCoy, already signed with USC unbeknownst to the UT staff, went forward with his commitment. Had he never signed with USC we would have been saved a few more paragraphs in this story.

As we know, Bru arrived at USC about the time Kingsbury left to be the *checks notes* head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. Yes, Bob Stoops is coaching an XFL team while Kingsbury has an NFL one. So 2019.

Anyway, perhaps the most important thing we wrote about in this recruitment came to bear: stability, or rather, the lack thereof. USC was an abject mess and McCoy's worst fears were immediately confirmed.

Kingsbury's exit cemented in Bru's mind that he was misled and should have originally committed to UT. Soon after, he approached the compliance staff at USC and made it known he wanted to enter the Transfer Portal. After a conversation with Clay Helton, who told him he wouldn't stand in his way, he appeared in the Portal on Thursday afternoon with the belief he still had a place in Austin.

Trey Sanders.

The nation's top running back was another fun recruitment considering he'd have signed with Texas if Alabama wasn't his choice. Or if Georgia wasn't his back-up choice. Or if another school from that swamp of a conference didn't step up.

The staff stayed in on this recruitment for a couple of reasons: He's really talented, he gave the staff extremely positive feedback, they were already recruiting his teammate, and the staff was happy with the current running back commits with the understanding that Jordan Whittington would figure in at the position.

Sanders made a couple of visits and hit it off with prospects, like Bru McCoy, and players alike. He had a girlfriend in Dallas which was at least a reason to get him back to Texas.

Texas made a good run here but in the end it wasn't going to happen. To win this recruitment a school had to bowl a perfect game, or maybe watch that movie with Gerard Butler in it.

His teammate at IMG, Noah Cain, was a different story. This was an LSU-Ohio State-Georgia-Penn State-Texas battle with the Bayou Bengals his long time leader, considering his family ties to Baton Rouge. But when LSU predictably took two running backs, Cain focused elsewhere.

Georgia pushed hard last summer and he even named the Bulldogs his leader at the Opening in Frisco. But Stan Drayton, who had been working on this recruitment since the time of his arrival, kept the Horns in it until the end.

After much back and forth between Cain and his family, he narrowed his choices between the 40 Acres and Happy Valley. In fact, the morning he was set to announce his decision, he arrived at his commitment party ready to commit to the Longhorns. Texas was that close. But at the last minute, he chose Penn State after a tear-filled phone call with Drayton. This decision really tore him up.

Garrett Wilson.

This recruitment was deeper than most think. It was going to be Ohio State, Texas, or OU. Columbus offered familiarity as he grew up there. Texas offered proximity and friends that were Longhorns, though the UT staff was late to the party. OU offered the Lincoln Riley offense and all the shiny things that comes with it.

On the record, he mentioned he chose OSU because they were more explosive (than Texas) on offense and sent playmakers to the NFL. Off the record, he and his family didn't jibe with Coach Mehringer, though Herman involved himself late and gave UT one final push. His decision to be a Buckeye had nothing to do with his usage and maximization on offense, rather a less than ideal relationship with Mehringer. Still, even after the Zach Smith fiasco, Wilson's family stayed in touch with a number of Texas' players' parents. His mother even grew really close with the mother of one of UT's stars. They spoke frequently, even up until NSD.

Garrett wanted to be a man of his word, so he stuck with Ohio State.

Of note there were similarities to Wilson's recruitment and that of Stanford bound Elijah Higgins. UT didn't get off on the right foot initially, though things were much closer than they seemed in the end. Like Wilson was set on Ohio State, Higgins had his mind made up on Stanford.

In the end, Wilson and Higgins were happy with their decisions, and UT still landed arguably the best wide receiver class in the nation.

Marcel Brooks. 

I'll make this short; Texas stopped recruiting Brooks over a year ago. There was no contact, no planned visits, nothing. Brooks was on the wrong side of numerous issues that still have me floored a college would allow him to enroll in their university. The only coach I could ever see taking him was that guy in Waco a few years ago.

You can say, "he's going to be an All American," all you want. It's easy to do when you assume none of the risk.

Texas wasn't even close to be the only school that backed way off.

DeMarvin Leal. 

When Leal was hosted twice by the Texas staff last spring, things appeared to be going swimmingly. It was written on his face how much he liked Texas as he stood outside of Moncrief after Junior Day. He then returned for a practice and the staff thought they had him, though they may have made a fatal mistake in assuming they had the outright lead. The staff took a similar approach to other recruitments by telling the player to take his time, they'd be there when he was ready to decide. Well...

Not long after those visits to Austin, Leal was in College Station and ready to commit after the A&M coaches got him in Jimbo's office alone. His mother even tipped the UT staff of what was going on, almost her way of trying to get them to stop it. Still, he walked out an Aggie pledge much to the surprise of just about everyone.

At that point, he was a solid commit and unwavering, though you couldn't say the same of his mother. She kept in constant contact with Giles and Jason Washington, and did her best to make sure her son made the right choice. If Leal was easily influenced, he'd have probably made another trip to Austin. But despite his mother's wishes to look around, Leal held strong.

The coup de grace for Texas was the Maryland game. He was supposed to visit for the USC game but that gave him all the excuse he needed to cancel.

Branson Bragg. 

One of the best o-linemen in Texas was a fan of two schools -- UT and Stanford. Herb Hand did a great job with Bragg and his father, but when Stanford came calling, the highly intelligent prospect couldn't pass up the Trees. His mother was very influential in the process and was a fan of Stanford from the start. When a report came out last spring that Texas was his leader, he called us to clear the air. That was the morning of the Branson Bragg Name-Only thread. I maintain this was UT's biggest miss in the 2019 cycle, but the Cardinal were too much to overcome, especially when factoring in for mama and how early was admitted to the school.

Demani Richardson and Brian Williams. 

At the beginning of the cycle, those were two guys UT liked, especially Richardson. Even though Demani stayed in constant contact with the Texas staff, it was pretty obvious his father, who entered his life only after his notoriety rose, was determined to keep Demani an Aggie. On numerous occasions Richardson was supposed to visit Austin (he genuinely wanted to) but travel plans repeatedly fell through.

Williams was another one UT wanted, but after further evaluation and Chris Adimora's tape hit UT's desk, the Horns promptly moved on. To be clear, UT was initially upset Williams picked A&M but then soon changed their tune as they got to know the SoCal star. UT had Adimora higher than Jalen Catalon as well, even back in the spring.

Some kids just didn't like Texas for one reason or another. That's Theo Wease. The OU signee and elite pass-catcher was pretty determined to be a Sooner and that's what he'll be. This even predates Tom Herman.

Jalen Catalon. 

The multi-sport star was the first 2019 recruit invited to campus the day after NSD 2018. Craig Naivar became really close to Jalen, who visited UT six times over the course of the cycle. We always felt confident in the Horns' chances because he personally loved Texas. His parents had other thoughts. The family connection to Chad Morris and Arkansas proved to be too much for Naivar to overcome. UA used every tactic in the book, especially the Zach Smith/strip bar angle. The Catalons are religious people and Morris dumped holy water on this recruitment when Catalon took his official visit to Fayetteville. Catalon gave a silent pledge even after Alabama beat the Hogs like a red-headed step child. Baseball was never a factor, just an initial differentiator that allowed Naivar to build a relationship. Even through it all, Naivar never relented. Texas was throwing punches up to the day he announced he was going to Arkansas.

PASSES

These are guys Texas flat out passed on for various reasons. Early in the cycle we mentioned clearly there were a number of guys the staff had serious questions about. Brooks was the most severe, but here are some others:

Jeffery Carter: UT offered last spring but never really pursued. Carter's issues weren't as severe as some others, the staff just didn't think he'd fit in.

Erick Young: "Is he a safety? He might even be a linebacker," said one UT source. No clear fit.

Jamal Morris: They liked him more than Young but didn't push hard. They liked him but didn't love him.

Marquez Beason: The staff initially pursued Beason but then his recruitment turned on a dime when he committed to Illinois.

Austin Stogner: The staff was adamant very early on that because Stogner was old for his grade he didn't have the ceiling they were looking for. Stonger is thought to be maxed out. They went in the opposite direction instate with Jared Wiley.

Marcus Banks: Texas was all in - Banks even told sources he was close to committing to UT after Junior Day - until it became apparent this recruitment would be more trouble than it was worth. The fact pattern in this one was bizarre. It should be noted Banks' mother wanted another chance at the "negotiating table" for lack of a better term (or is it the perfect term?) and UT said no thanks.

Arjei Henderson: Would have been a Horn in a heartbeat but didn't fit the program. At one point he was a top-five player in the state and the staff didn't care because of the mental eval.

Isaiah Spiller: They liked him but didn't love him. I think it was the taller, leaner body type that rubbed Drayton the wrong way. He didn't quite have enough burst, either.

Jalen Curry: Same situation as with Stogner, plus inconsistent hands, plus he was tied to Grant Gunnell who the staff didn't want any part of -- but not because of Grant himself.

Marcus Stripling: The staff pursued early but then things went quiet after his spring visit. He was for the taking this fall but had poor film and the staff wasn't interested.

EJ Ndoma-Ogar: His lack of length sunk him. Some schools are fine with shorter, squattier guards but this staff wants size across the board.

David Ugwoegbu: They loved his athleticism but backed off not long after his offer due to questions over his program fit. Those questions are valid.

Andrew Coker: The gigantic OL from Katy Taylor was set to commit to A&M last spring, then the Aggies withdrew the offer. He then committed to TCU, and even made a surprise visit to Austin late last spring and in the winter. But at the end of the day, he stayed true to TCU.

Texas signees:

QB Roschon Johnson, Port Neches-Groves (Port Neches, TX): First commit of the 2019 class. He told Sam Ehlinger at Under the Lights he was going to UT, so Sam handed him the microphone and the rest is history.

RB Derrian Brown, Buford (Buford, GA): His sudden illness makes him long-term question mark, but the good news is he has a scholarship waiting for him regardless. The staff got an assist from Kenyatta Watson on this one.

WR Kennedy Lewis, Melissa (Melissa, TX): Lewis tried to commit to Texas early last fall, after de-committing from TCU. But UT wanted him to take his time. Then, when the time was right, Lewis joined the class of 2019 right before NSD1.

WR Marcus Washington, Trinity Catholic (St. Louis, MO): At the Opening last summer, Washington told me he was committing to Ohio State very soon. Then the Zach Smith news broke the day before his scheduled announcement and he decided to slow things down. That's when UT pounced and snagged the four-star from St. Louis months later. Mizzou made a late push, but Marcus was all set on wearing burnt orange. Work done in this recruitment even as he was set to commit to Ohio State paid off.

TE Brayden Liebrock, Chandler (Chandler, AZ): Best TE Prospect Texas has signed in a decade. He loved Coach Beck and Coach Warehime, and committed to Texas soon after his visit.

TE Jared Wiley, Temple (Temple, TX): QB-turned-TE is a plus+ athlete, prime baseball player. Texas identified/prioritized him early and he jumped at the chance.

OL Isaiah Hookfin, Fort Bend Dulles (Sugar Land, TX): Project offensive tackle with good athleticism. He was all Texas after his offer, and after a stint of flirting with Baylor, Hookfin hooked his way to Texas.

OL Tyler Johnson, Oak Ridge (Conroe, TX): One of the best OL in the nation, enrolled early and will compete for playing time. Pretty basic recruitment and never shied away from the Horns.

OL Javonne Shepherd, North Forest (Houston, TX): All the unnecessary drama was...unnecessary. When he committed to Texas, he never wavered with the staff, though they were still observing his every move and chasing every rumor. Texas got a stroke of good luck in the recruitment when Shepherd wasn't allowed to visit A&M due to Tim Brewster posting a picture of Shepherd and Kenyon Green on Twitter. That was big as Texas continued to build its relationship while A&M was stuck in neutral. His girlfriend attending UT was also probably not discussed enough, though it didn't cinch things for UT.

DT T'Vondre Sweat, Huntsville (Huntsville, TX): The second commitment of the class was drama free like almost all of the rest. The only pledge from 2019 that surprised us when he dropped early last spring.

DE Jacoby Jones, Butler C.C. (El Dorado, KS): Jones committed to OU early in the fall, then started having second thoughts as the season went on. When he scheduled his Texas OV, that clinched it for the good guys. It was pretty much done even before he visited.

DE Peter Mpagi, George Ranch (Richmond, TX): Project edge rusher who needs time with Yancy. He was the biggest lock in the state if offered. He camped at A&M just to get UT's attention.

DE Myron Warren, Many (Many, LA): Freak athlete at 6’3, 235. His heart was always with the LSU Tigers but when he learned the feeling wasn't mutual it took as long as it takes to dial a phone number for him to give Herman his verbal pledge.

LB De'Gabriel Floyd, Westlake (Westlake Village, CA): Class leader, natural inside LB, and early enrollee. As improbable as it initially seemed Texas was going to be the team after his Junior Day visit.

LB David Gbenda, Cinco Ranch (Katy, TX): Speed to cover the pass-happy Big 12. UT and A&M offered but then neither pressed hard initially. The first team to press was going to get him and that was UT.

LB Caleb Johnson, Fullerton College (Fullerton, CA): Texas was in great standing from the moment it offered but when childhood favorite Oregon came calling, there was some uneasiness. After his OV to Eugene, he was convinced Austin was the spot and committed soon after. UT made him a bigger priority.

LB Marcus Tillman, Jones (Orlando, FL): He was a surprise summer visitor who wasted no time committing to Orlando. That's just how the no nonsense, early enrollee rolls.

CB Marques Caldwell, Alvin (Alvin, TX): 6’2” corner was an Oregon pledge for awhile, but when Texas missed on Marcus Banks, Caldwell got the call he always wanted. It was UT.

CB Kenyatta Watson II, Grayson (Loganville, GA): The Watson family reached out to Texas late in 2017 and the relationship grew from there. Once he de-committed from Florida State, it came down to Texas and Notre Dame. Kenyatta Jr. fell in love with Austin and knew in early spring he'd be a Longhorn. When taking visits with teammates to other schools, he never put his name on his ID badge because he didn't want fans thinking he was considering Georgia, Auburn, and Tennessee. He was personally always sold on UT. This is one recruitment where you can say location played a role.

S Chris Adimora, Mayfair (Lakewood, CA): He felt at home the second he got off the plane from Southern California and it was all up from there. One of the most underrated recruits in the nation for the cycle.

S Tyler Owens, Plano East (Plano, TX): Based on junior tape he was a reach; based on his size and athleticism he was a steal. Dude was so good even Chip Kelly recruited him. Average junior tape turned into remarkable senior footage and UT landed one of the most uncommon athletes the state has produced in years.

ATH Jake Smith, Notre Dame Prep (Scottsdale, AZ): The Gatorade NPOY confided in us late in the Spring that he was going to Texas even before he took his official visit to his dream school of USC. In fact, he was so sure of where he was going to school he already planned on attending the UT/USC game in September. He was shown the campus with Jordan and Jaxon Shipley, who told him they'd like him to wear No. 8 at UT. Now that's a blessing. Alabama and A&M pursued hard but the staff had him locked up.

ATH Jordan Whittington, Cuero (Cuero, TX): RB, slot, KR, PR, and water boy. Jordan is in his own league and was a strong Texas lean throughout his entire recruitment. He flirted with some other schools, namely Florida and A&M, but he always knew he wanted to attend UT

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closetojumping
closetojumping

There's more than just 2019 stuff in this update, but I'm not being paid to post, so I'm dumping it all here and you guys can do with it/disseminate it/ignore it as you like. Regarding the UA guy

Carl Winslow
Carl Winslow

word 😂 brooks not being a take clemson starting rb pistol whipped & robbed his own teammate he lead clemson to a national championship & 3 playoff appearances recruit to wi

RadiologyHorn
RadiologyHorn

Now Mpagi is better than Leal???!???    Guys tell me you’re trolling. Please tell me this isn’t real. I feel like I’m in a Seinfeld bizarro world episode. I can’t take this shit anymore. Whe

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Burt Macklin

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In looking over this class yesterday, it really does a great job of filling a ton of needs to run herman’s optimal offense, especially adding more formational functionality without subbing and explosive plays. Smith and/or Whittington can both be effective in being a jet motion guy. Herman ran that action a lot at tOSU and UH, but he hasn’t used it much at UT, in part because we haven’t had a burner who can play slot, which is required to make that motion threatening. Smith can be effective in that Percy Harvin/Curtis Samuel role, and having that guy adds a ton of big play ability not only for Smith but also for moving the defenders and creating better alleys for our RBs to break runs up the middle. 

Bru can absolutely dominate in that big slot role and also play outside depending on matchups.

but I think the biggest element we added to the team with this class if formational flexibility. Liebrock is by far the best pass catching TE prospect we have and when you combine him with Whittington (and Brown is also a good route runner if he can return to football) at RB, we can go from a heavy set to 5 wide without letting the defense sub. Bru will end up playing at around 225 and he’s already a punishing blocker, so we could easily motion him inside and have essentially a 2 TE set where Bru chips an outside defender and Liebrock works as the lead blocker for Whit. Next play, we can shift to a legitimate 5 wide because Whittington is a full blown WR and  Liebrock is already an elite route runner. We’ve run some 4 and 5 wide this year, but Beck and our RBs aren’t nearly the receiving threats these new guys are. We can slow utilize 2 back sets without whit and Smith. I think the apex of this will be when we open a drive in a heavy formation, and let a defense put its run blocking unit out there, only to motion Bru, Liebrock, and Whittington our, so 2 of them are now covered by LBs or box safeties. With this kind of flexibility, we can create mismatches all over the field and there’s really nothing a defense can do to stop it. They’ll have to constantly choose what mismatch they’re willing to concede. We’ll be virtually guaranteed to have Liebrock and/or Whittington covered by guys who can’t stay with them, or a defense will have to forego help over the top to avoid this, in which case guys like Smith and Eagles can kill the defense deep until they’re forced to put safeties back over top. And all of that isn’t even mentioning using the QB as a runner into light boxes when we motion everyone out.

The personnel Herman is amassing is truly incredible and he’s got to be salivating at all the things he can do with these guys in the fold. 

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Chuckie Finster

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20 minutes ago, Machinator said:

ATH Jake Smith, Notre Dame Prep (Scottsdale, AZ): The Gatorade NPOY confided in us late in the Spring that he was going to Texas even before he took his official visit to his dream school of USC. In fact, he was so sure of where he was going to school he already planned on attending the UT/USC game in September. He was shown the campus with Jordan and Jaxon Shipley, who told him they'd like him to wear No. 8 at UT. Now that's a blessing. Alabama and A&M pursued hard but the staff had him locked up.
 

 

That's awesome.

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Beau Vine

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2 hours ago, Fud said:

28. LB Will Williams, Chapin (El Paso) – BAYLOR: You probably haven't heard of him and there's probably still a good chance I don't have him high enough. He's an electric athlete with no concerns regarding fluidity. You need guys like Williams in the Big 12. Straight up steal.

They stole him away from UTEP and something called Arkansas Tech. 

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satyanash

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21 minutes ago, Machinator said:

After much back and forth between Cain and his family, he narrowed his choices between the 40 Acres and Happy Valley. In fact, the morning he was set to announce his decision, he arrived at his commitment party ready to commit to the Longhorns. Texas was that close. But at the last minute, he chose Penn State after a tear-filled phone call with Drayton. This decision really tore him up.

This BS again?

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Machinator

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Nahlin adds notes on a few more recruitments: NaNa, Tongue, Rian Davis, Dylan Wright, Tufono, Powell:

NaNa: Weird pursuit by the staff, they slow played it, then went all in and made up serious ground but not enough. They had questions about motor and his temperament/program fit but liked his ability. He has the tools to be a top 10 player instate but was nowhere close.

Tongue: UT led until UGA showed up. There was talk UT would sign his GF in basketball but Tongue wasn’t the type you pull all the stops out for. Bru was and Tongue is a lesser McCoy.

Davis: Got beat by UGA. Check that, got beat by him moving back to the SE. UT should have pursued harder earlier on.

Dylan Wright: Hmmm. UT was a little bit behind when this recruitment took off but made up significant ground in a hurry, even taking the lead. A trip to A&M changed that. Dameyune Craig is a good recruiter.

Maninoa Tufono: I never heard UT led, though Jake Langi got UT in the conversation. Tough pull even with USC cratering.

Peyton Powell: Got bounced for lying to the staff. What would have been a teachable moment for a really good prospect was an eviction notice for him. It was a bad take.

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Burt Macklin

Burt Macklin 18998

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53 minutes ago, Machinator said:

Inside Texas: Post-NSD 2019 Recaps

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

By: IT Staff

We go behind the scenes on how the C/O 2019 was built and the prospects that went elsewhere in this edition of the Humidor.

Bru McCoy. 

This recruitment was one for the ages. For the record, it was always going to be USC or Texas.

Bru started loving Texas when he took his unofficial visit to Austin last spring with good friend De'Gabriel Floyd, who deserves some credit for the proper introduction. The spring game is when the relationship with Bru and Texas started to blossom. With that visit Texas earned a September official, one that would prove big given UT was set to play the odds on favorite to land McCoy, the USC Trojans .

Bru and his parents were blown away by the attention to detail on snap allocation the two-way player (70% offense, 30% defense) would receive as well as the genuine family atmosphere. While Texas was gaining steam, it was still USC by the slightest of margins in the early fall. As we know, USC continued to struggle and OC/WR coach Tee Martin, McCoy's main recruiter, was fired. Stability was always a major concern for the McCoy's and that factor would rear its head yet again.

By this time, mom had more than warmed to the idea of her son playing away from home, specifically Texas, though dad was still all USC for reasons beyond football.

UT and USC were about neck and neck by now, though we actually had Texas in the lead for a while in late November/early December. USC's hiring of Kliff Kingsbury was an initial game-changer for Bru, and not just because of his usage in a high octane offense. The hire gave Clay Helton the much needed appearance of stability. Texas was in trouble and during NSD1, Bru signed an LOI to USC, but didn't tell anyone.

There's a database for NCAA coaches where NLIs get filed. This notifies schools a player is now off limits from being recruited. Likely in an attempt to keep his announcement a secret, Bru's was never filed. Texas was always under the impression that McCoy did not sign.

By the time the All-American game came around in San Antonio, Bru was already having second thoughts about his decision. UT's win over Georgia didn't give him peace of mind either. McCoy, already signed with USC unbeknownst to the UT staff, went forward with his commitment. Had he never signed with USC we would have been saved a few more paragraphs in this story.

As we know, Bru arrived at USC about the time Kingsbury left to be the *checks notes* head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. Yes, Bob Stoops is coaching an XFL team while Kingsbury has an NFL one. So 2019.

Anyway, perhaps the most important thing we wrote about in this recruitment came to bear: stability, or rather, the lack thereof. USC was an abject mess and McCoy's worst fears were immediately confirmed.

Kingsbury's exit cemented in Bru's mind that he was misled and should have originally committed to UT. Soon after, he approached the compliance staff at USC and made it known he wanted to enter the Transfer Portal. After a conversation with Clay Helton, who told him he wouldn't stand in his way, he appeared in the Portal on Thursday afternoon with the belief he still had a place in Austin.

Trey Sanders.

The nation's top running back was another fun recruitment considering he'd have signed with Texas if Alabama wasn't his choice. Or if Georgia wasn't his back-up choice. Or if another school from that swamp of a conference didn't step up.

The staff stayed in on this recruitment for a couple of reasons: He's really talented, he gave the staff extremely positive feedback, they were already recruiting his teammate, and the staff was happy with the current running back commits with the understanding that Jordan Whittington would figure in at the position.

Sanders made a couple of visits and hit it off with prospects, like Bru McCoy, and players alike. He had a girlfriend in Dallas which was at least a reason to get him back to Texas.

Texas made a good run here but in the end it wasn't going to happen. To win this recruitment a school had to bowl a perfect game, or maybe watch that movie with Gerard Butler in it.

His teammate at IMG, Noah Cain, was a different story. This was an LSU-Ohio State-Georgia-Penn State-Texas battle with the Bayou Bengals his long time leader, considering his family ties to Baton Rouge. But when LSU predictably took two running backs, Cain focused elsewhere.

Georgia pushed hard last summer and he even named the Bulldogs his leader at the Opening in Frisco. But Stan Drayton, who had been working on this recruitment since the time of his arrival, kept the Horns in it until the end.

After much back and forth between Cain and his family, he narrowed his choices between the 40 Acres and Happy Valley. In fact, the morning he was set to announce his decision, he arrived at his commitment party ready to commit to the Longhorns. Texas was that close. But at the last minute, he chose Penn State after a tear-filled phone call with Drayton. This decision really tore him up.

Garrett Wilson.

This recruitment was deeper than most think. It was going to be Ohio State, Texas, or OU. Columbus offered familiarity as he grew up there. Texas offered proximity and friends that were Longhorns, though the UT staff was late to the party. OU offered the Lincoln Riley offense and all the shiny things that comes with it.

On the record, he mentioned he chose OSU because they were more explosive (than Texas) on offense and sent playmakers to the NFL. Off the record, he and his family didn't jibe with Coach Mehringer, though Herman involved himself late and gave UT one final push. His decision to be a Buckeye had nothing to do with his usage and maximization on offense, rather a less than ideal relationship with Mehringer. Still, even after the Zach Smith fiasco, Wilson's family stayed in touch with a number of Texas' players' parents. His mother even grew really close with the mother of one of UT's stars. They spoke frequently, even up until NSD.

Garrett wanted to be a man of his word, so he stuck with Ohio State.

Of note there were similarities to Wilson's recruitment and that of Stanford bound Elijah Higgins. UT didn't get off on the right foot initially, though things were much closer than they seemed in the end. Like Wilson was set on Ohio State, Higgins had his mind made up on Stanford.

In the end, Wilson and Higgins were happy with their decisions, and UT still landed arguably the best wide receiver class in the nation.

Marcel Brooks. 

I'll make this short; Texas stopped recruiting Brooks over a year ago. There was no contact, no planned visits, nothing. Brooks was on the wrong side of numerous issues that still have me floored a college would allow him to enroll in their university. The only coach I could ever see taking him was that guy in Waco a few years ago.

You can say, "he's going to be an All American," all you want. It's easy to do when you assume none of the risk.

Texas wasn't even close to be the only school that backed way off.

DeMarvin Leal. 

When Leal was hosted twice by the Texas staff last spring, things appeared to be going swimmingly. It was written on his face how much he liked Texas as he stood outside of Moncrief after Junior Day. He then returned for a practice and the staff thought they had him, though they may have made a fatal mistake in assuming they had the outright lead. The staff took a similar approach to other recruitments by telling the player to take his time, they'd be there when he was ready to decide. Well...

Not long after those visits to Austin, Leal was in College Station and ready to commit after the A&M coaches got him in Jimbo's office alone. His mother even tipped the UT staff of what was going on, almost her way of trying to get them to stop it. Still, he walked out an Aggie pledge much to the surprise of just about everyone.

At that point, he was a solid commit and unwavering, though you couldn't say the same of his mother. She kept in constant contact with Giles and Jason Washington, and did her best to make sure her son made the right choice. If Leal was easily influenced, he'd have probably made another trip to Austin. But despite his mother's wishes to look around, Leal held strong.

The coup de grace for Texas was the Maryland game. He was supposed to visit for the USC game but that gave him all the excuse he needed to cancel.

Branson Bragg. 

One of the best o-linemen in Texas was a fan of two schools -- UT and Stanford. Herb Hand did a great job with Bragg and his father, but when Stanford came calling, the highly intelligent prospect couldn't pass up the Trees. His mother was very influential in the process and was a fan of Stanford from the start. When a report came out last spring that Texas was his leader, he called us to clear the air. That was the morning of the Branson Bragg Name-Only thread. I maintain this was UT's biggest miss in the 2019 cycle, but the Cardinal were too much to overcome, especially when factoring in for mama and how early was admitted to the school.

Demani Richardson and Brian Williams. 

At the beginning of the cycle, those were two guys UT liked, especially Richardson. Even though Demani stayed in constant contact with the Texas staff, it was pretty obvious his father, who entered his life only after his notoriety rose, was determined to keep Demani an Aggie. On numerous occasions Richardson was supposed to visit Austin (he genuinely wanted to) but travel plans repeatedly fell through.

Williams was another one UT wanted, but after further evaluation and Chris Adimora's tape hit UT's desk, the Horns promptly moved on. To be clear, UT was initially upset Williams picked A&M but then soon changed their tune as they got to know the SoCal star. UT had Adimora higher than Jalen Catalon as well, even back in the spring.

Some kids just didn't like Texas for one reason or another. That's Theo Wease. The OU signee and elite pass-catcher was pretty determined to be a Sooner and that's what he'll be. This even predates Tom Herman.

Jalen Catalon. 

The multi-sport star was the first 2019 recruit invited to campus the day after NSD 2018. Craig Naivar became really close to Jalen, who visited UT six times over the course of the cycle. We always felt confident in the Horns' chances because he personally loved Texas. His parents had other thoughts. The family connection to Chad Morris and Arkansas proved to be too much for Naivar to overcome. UA used every tactic in the book, especially the Zach Smith/strip bar angle. The Catalons are religious people and Morris dumped holy water on this recruitment when Catalon took his official visit to Fayetteville. Catalon gave a silent pledge even after Alabama beat the Hogs like a red-headed step child. Baseball was never a factor, just an initial differentiator that allowed Naivar to build a relationship. Even through it all, Naivar never relented. Texas was throwing punches up to the day he announced he was going to Arkansas.

PASSES

These are guys Texas flat out passed on for various reasons. Early in the cycle we mentioned clearly there were a number of guys the staff had serious questions about. Brooks was the most severe, but here are some others:

Jeffery Carter: UT offered last spring but never really pursued. Carter's issues weren't as severe as some others, the staff just didn't think he'd fit in.

Erick Young: "Is he a safety? He might even be a linebacker," said one UT source. No clear fit.

Jamal Morris: They liked him more than Young but didn't push hard. They liked him but didn't love him.

Marquez Beason: The staff initially pursued Beason but then his recruitment turned on a dime when he committed to Illinois.

Austin Stogner: The staff was adamant very early on that because Stogner was old for his grade he didn't have the ceiling they were looking for. Stonger is thought to be maxed out. They went in the opposite direction instate with Jared Wiley.

Marcus Banks: Texas was all in - Banks even told sources he was close to committing to UT after Junior Day - until it became apparent this recruitment would be more trouble than it was worth. The fact pattern in this one was bizarre. It should be noted Banks' mother wanted another chance at the "negotiating table" for lack of a better term (or is it the perfect term?) and UT said no thanks.

Arjei Henderson: Would have been a Horn in a heartbeat but didn't fit the program. At one point he was a top-five player in the state and the staff didn't care because of the mental eval.

Isaiah Spiller: They liked him but didn't love him. I think it was the taller, leaner body type that rubbed Drayton the wrong way. He didn't quite have enough burst, either.

Jalen Curry: Same situation as with Stogner, plus inconsistent hands, plus he was tied to Grant Gunnell who the staff didn't want any part of -- but not because of Grant himself.

Marcus Stripling: The staff pursued early but then things went quiet after his spring visit. He was for the taking this fall but had poor film and the staff wasn't interested.

EJ Ndoma-Ogar: His lack of length sunk him. Some schools are fine with shorter, squattier guards but this staff wants size across the board.

David Ugwoegbu: They loved his athleticism but backed off not long after his offer due to questions over his program fit. Those questions are valid.

Andrew Coker: The gigantic OL from Katy Taylor was set to commit to A&M last spring, then the Aggies withdrew the offer. He then committed to TCU, and even made a surprise visit to Austin late last spring and in the winter. But at the end of the day, he stayed true to TCU.

Texas signees:

QB Roschon Johnson, Port Neches-Groves (Port Neches, TX): First commit of the 2019 class. He told Sam Ehlinger at Under the Lights he was going to UT, so Sam handed him the microphone and the rest is history.

RB Derrian Brown, Buford (Buford, GA): His sudden illness makes him long-term question mark, but the good news is he has a scholarship waiting for him regardless. The staff got an assist from Kenyatta Watson on this one.

WR Kennedy Lewis, Melissa (Melissa, TX): Lewis tried to commit to Texas early last fall, after de-committing from TCU. But UT wanted him to take his time. Then, when the time was right, Lewis joined the class of 2019 right before NSD1.

WR Marcus Washington, Trinity Catholic (St. Louis, MO): At the Opening last summer, Washington told me he was committing to Ohio State very soon. Then the Zach Smith news broke the day before his scheduled announcement and he decided to slow things down. That's when UT pounced and snagged the four-star from St. Louis months later. Mizzou made a late push, but Marcus was all set on wearing burnt orange. Work done in this recruitment even as he was set to commit to Ohio State paid off.

TE Brayden Liebrock, Chandler (Chandler, AZ): Best TE Prospect Texas has signed in a decade. He loved Coach Beck and Coach Warehime, and committed to Texas soon after his visit.

TE Jared Wiley, Temple (Temple, TX): QB-turned-TE is a plus+ athlete, prime baseball player. Texas identified/prioritized him early and he jumped at the chance.

OL Isaiah Hookfin, Fort Bend Dulles (Sugar Land, TX): Project offensive tackle with good athleticism. He was all Texas after his offer, and after a stint of flirting with Baylor, Hookfin hooked his way to Texas.

OL Tyler Johnson, Oak Ridge (Conroe, TX): One of the best OL in the nation, enrolled early and will compete for playing time. Pretty basic recruitment and never shied away from the Horns.

OL Javonne Shepherd, North Forest (Houston, TX): All the unnecessary drama was...unnecessary. When he committed to Texas, he never wavered with the staff, though they were still observing his every move and chasing every rumor. Texas got a stroke of good luck in the recruitment when Shepherd wasn't allowed to visit A&M due to Tim Brewster posting a picture of Shepherd and Kenyon Green on Twitter. That was big as Texas continued to build its relationship while A&M was stuck in neutral. His girlfriend attending UT was also probably not discussed enough, though it didn't cinch things for UT.

DT T'Vondre Sweat, Huntsville (Huntsville, TX): The second commitment of the class was drama free like almost all of the rest. The only pledge from 2019 that surprised us when he dropped early last spring.

DE Jacoby Jones, Butler C.C. (El Dorado, KS): Jones committed to OU early in the fall, then started having second thoughts as the season went on. When he scheduled his Texas OV, that clinched it for the good guys. It was pretty much done even before he visited.

DE Peter Mpagi, George Ranch (Richmond, TX): Project edge rusher who needs time with Yancy. He was the biggest lock in the state if offered. He camped at A&M just to get UT's attention.

DE Myron Warren, Many (Many, LA): Freak athlete at 6’3, 235. His heart was always with the LSU Tigers but when he learned the feeling wasn't mutual it took as long as it takes to dial a phone number for him to give Herman his verbal pledge.

LB De'Gabriel Floyd, Westlake (Westlake Village, CA): Class leader, natural inside LB, and early enrollee. As improbable as it initially seemed Texas was going to be the team after his Junior Day visit.

LB David Gbenda, Cinco Ranch (Katy, TX): Speed to cover the pass-happy Big 12. UT and A&M offered but then neither pressed hard initially. The first team to press was going to get him and that was UT.

LB Caleb Johnson, Fullerton College (Fullerton, CA): Texas was in great standing from the moment it offered but when childhood favorite Oregon came calling, there was some uneasiness. After his OV to Eugene, he was convinced Austin was the spot and committed soon after. UT made him a bigger priority.

LB Marcus Tillman, Jones (Orlando, FL): He was a surprise summer visitor who wasted no time committing to Orlando. That's just how the no nonsense, early enrollee rolls.

CB Marques Caldwell, Alvin (Alvin, TX): 6’2” corner was an Oregon pledge for awhile, but when Texas missed on Marcus Banks, Caldwell got the call he always wanted. It was UT.

CB Kenyatta Watson II, Grayson (Loganville, GA): The Watson family reached out to Texas late in 2017 and the relationship grew from there. Once he de-committed from Florida State, it came down to Texas and Notre Dame. Kenyatta Jr. fell in love with Austin and knew in early spring he'd be a Longhorn. When taking visits with teammates to other schools, he never put his name on his ID badge because he didn't want fans thinking he was considering Georgia, Auburn, and Tennessee. He was personally always sold on UT. This is one recruitment where you can say location played a role.

S Chris Adimora, Mayfair (Lakewood, CA): He felt at home the second he got off the plane from Southern California and it was all up from there. One of the most underrated recruits in the nation for the cycle.

S Tyler Owens, Plano East (Plano, TX): Based on junior tape he was a reach; based on his size and athleticism he was a steal. Dude was so good even Chip Kelly recruited him. Average junior tape turned into remarkable senior footage and UT landed one of the most uncommon athletes the state has produced in years.

ATH Jake Smith, Notre Dame Prep (Scottsdale, AZ): The Gatorade NPOY confided in us late in the Spring that he was going to Texas even before he took his official visit to his dream school of USC. In fact, he was so sure of where he was going to school he already planned on attending the UT/USC game in September. He was shown the campus with Jordan and Jaxon Shipley, who told him they'd like him to wear No. 8 at UT. Now that's a blessing. Alabama and A&M pursued hard but the staff had him locked up.

ATH Jordan Whittington, Cuero (Cuero, TX): RB, slot, KR, PR, and water boy. Jordan is in his own league and was a strong Texas lean throughout his entire recruitment. He flirted with some other schools, namely Florida and A&M, but he always knew he wanted to attend UT

 

I forgot that the staff pitched him split playing time at WR and edge rusher and the McCoys likes that idea. People have only mentioned WR with Bru lately. It’ll be interesting to see if the staff tries to use him as a pass rusher at some point during his career. He’s such a polished receiver that he could definitely afford to spend some of his practice time on pass rush.

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MrPhlegm

MrPhlegm 3413

Posted
Posted
My contribution on the way to 1,000.
Very happy with 2018  and with the class we brought in, especially the way it looked early in the year with OU and A$M jumping out of the gates.
Looking forward to melding in the new guys with what's coming back.
Hook' em! 
 
Choco melk is best in life!

0f4a16af26d3ee1e787d090feb5f4672.jpg25f0012f64a91581dae930f7f6865819.jpg59ffbe8d865dce1600c6551e04b0c782.jpg65b8006ebc0e55137ee8158b5dd9c7ed.jpg6d4fcb6a5da67db38150f19b32755349.jpg65c06937d276e409f94db69c5cbab635.jpg3be1f2de01ceb71ac48a5a95f4577a0a.gif
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sushihorn

sushihorn 3233

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1 hour ago, Burt Macklin said:

but I think the biggest element we added to the team with this class if formational flexibility. Liebrock is by far the best pass catching TE prospect we have and when you combine him with Whittington (and Brown is also a good route runner if he can return to football) at RB, we can go from a heavy set to 5 wide without letting the defense sub. Bru will end up playing at around 225 and he’s already a punishing blocker, so we could easily motion him inside and have essentially a 2 TE set where Bru chips an outside defender and Liebrock works as the lead blocker for Whit. Next play, we can shift to a legitimate 5 wide because Whittington is a full blown WR and  Liebrock is already an elite route runner.

I also like the idea of motioning Bru late so he can crack back on a LB in the box with a full head of steam right after the snap.  Do that and the LBs will be paying a little less attention to their primary gap responsibility.

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Burt Macklin

Burt Macklin 18998

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5 minutes ago, sushihorn said:

I also like the idea of motioning Bru late so he can crack back on a LB in the box with a full head of steam right after the snap.  Do that and the LBs will be paying a little less attention to their primary gap responsibility.

Yep. Bru can never be used as a full on TE/H-back, but with his size and strength he can be really effective in executing some of the blocks you would ask of a more traditional second TE. A little creativity in scheme like you mentioned above will allow this team to have the same effect as a 2 TE set. Not to mention that Bru will be murderous in blocking corners in WR screens to Smith.

Again, the options for scheme with this personnel is endless. I like our 2018 WR takes a lot, but they’re much more limited to traditional roles and we didn’t get a pass catching TE out of that group. Getting 3 guys who are this unbelievably versatile in Bru, Whitt, and Smith plus a pass catching TE who can’t really be covered by a S or LB in man because he runs routes as cleanly as Liebrock all in one class is absurd. Most teams would simply hope to compile that many versatile weapons over the course of three separate classes.

Edited by Burt Macklin
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Katfid54

Katfid54 8592

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2 minutes ago, golfclap said:

I honestly don't think anyone has broken them as bad as Tyler Owens and his 5th star did this year. 

Yes. And Barton Simmons totally blowing off the scheduled aggy Q&A a couple of days after answering a ton of Texas fans' rankings questions made it so much sweeter too. 

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texifornia

texifornia 56520

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Posted (edited)
1 minute ago, Katfid54 said:

Yes. And Barton Simmons totally blowing off the scheduled aggy Q&A a couple of days after answering a ton of Texas fans' rankings questions made it so much sweeter too. 

Well they brought that upon themselves by being incredibly rude when he did one earlier - lots of "can you explain when you decided to become Bobby Burton's whore and give Tyler Owens a 5th star?" type questions

Edited by texifornia
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Harry Ellis

Harry Ellis 445

Posted
Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, Machinator said:

 

 

  Hide contents

 

Dylan Wright: Hmmm. UT was a little bit behind when this recruitment took off but made up significant ground in a hurry, even taking the lead. A trip to A&M changed that. Dameyune Craig is a good recruiter.

 

winking_lucille_arrested_development.gif

Edited by Harry Ellis
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closetojumping

closetojumping 62245

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3 hours ago, Snotrocket said:

Anyone know more about the P. Powell lie?

 

This has been answered up above, but to be clear, it was an ego thing for Herman. It will be interesting to watch Powell's career. 

On a separate note, one of the write-ups talks about Jake Smith knowing it was going to be Texas, and I guess that's true, but he had a visit set up to ATM with Brewster. Brewster left for UNC and Smith dropped the visit plans. Brewster is good and he's a sneaky fucker. 

Damieune Craig is a piece of human shit. Any player he's recruiting actively and for any period of time can be assumed dirty. I don't care where they sign. I would like to see this guy be thrown from an 80 story building. I'd cackle at him the entire way down, as women and sarvanaash shrieked in horror. He's exactly the problem with the recruiting arena at this juncture and I despise his existence for that. 

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Acropora

Acropora 856

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2 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

This has been answered up above, but to be clear, it was an ego thing for Herman. It will be interesting to watch Powell's career. 

On a separate note, one of the write-ups talks about Jake Smith knowing it was going to be Texas, and I guess that's true, but he had a visit set up to ATM with Brewster. Brewster left for UNC and Smith dropped the visit plans. Brewster is good and he's a sneaky fucker. 

Damieune Craig is a piece of human shit. Any player he's recruiting actively and for any period of time can be assumed dirty. I don't care where they sign. I would like to see this guy be thrown from an 80 story building. I'd cackle at him the entire way down, as women and sarvanaash shrieked in horror. He's exactly the problem with the recruiting arena at this juncture and I despise his existence for that. 

So how do you really feel about Craig?  Please don't keep sugar coating it.  

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George Clooney

George Clooney 378

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4 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Damieune Craig is a piece of human shit. Any player he's recruiting actively and for any period of time can be assumed dirty. I don't care where they sign. I would like to see this guy be thrown from an 80 story building. I'd cackle at him the entire way down, as women and sarvanaash shrieked in horror. He's exactly the problem with the recruiting arena at this juncture and I despise his existence for that. 

It's fucking hilarious how butthurt Craig is at LSU for firing him once Ogre took over full time. He was talking shit and yelling at LSU staff members after their game against aggy and helped set off the infamous punch chain reaction.

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Machinator

Machinator 32097

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Posted (edited)
8 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

On a separate note, one of the write-ups talks about Jake Smith knowing it was going to be Texas, and I guess that's true, but he had a visit set up to ATM with Brewster. Brewster left for UNC and Smith dropped the visit plans. Brewster is good and he's a sneaky fucker. 

 

I believe IT acknowledged that. They said Smith knew it was Texas early on before he committed, but that A&M and Bama both pushed late in the cycle (they didn't say why things fell through, though, which is where your information fills in the gaps).

Edited by Machinator
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