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Texas recruiting notes 2019


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Thursdays in the Humidor - Recruiting Edition (10/11/18)

By: IT Staff 

STATE OF RECRUITING 

The month of October brings many things: The leaves begin to turn, the weather starts to cool (usually), and college football reaches the midway point. For Texas Football, the first six games have brought a sense of satisfaction unseen in some time. Texas is on a five-game winning streak. It is the only team in the Big 12 to win Offensive, Defensive, Newcomer, and Special Teams Player of the Week honors. As we hit the final stretch for the Class of 2019, these are undeniable selling points for the program. When it comes to recruiting, things are starting to become a bit more clear. Just a bit. The cocktail is still a touch cloudy, and with a splash of bitters, but we're expecting a pretty smooth finish. It won't end up on the rocks.

TRENDING UP 

Elijah Higgins. The local big-time playmaker from Austin Bowie has been somewhat of a roller-coaster during the last 10 months since his breakout at the Army All-American Combine last December. Add his dominating performance at The Opening in late June (with an injured wrist) and his stock remained on an upward trend. Stanford, Florida, Ohio State all jumped into the mix along with the hometown Horns. It seems each team had at least a small lead at some point. With word he was reapplying to the Palo Alto Trees, Stanford seemed like the preferred destination. Then something happened; Texas started having a passing attack. Lil' Jordan Humphrey's and Collin Johnson's consistent success caught his attention. He's set to receive his Under Armour jersey tomorrow at his school. He's also looking at an official visit to Texas for the West Virginia game (weekend of 11/2). There is still a lot to navigate, but I could see Texas taking Marcus Washington and Higgins, and wrapping up wide receiver recruiting. That's not set in stone, but UT is in much better shape than just a few weeks ago.

HOLDING PATTERN

Jalen Catalon. This one is where crazy and unexpected cross paths. The ass-kicking Arkansas took last weekend at the hands of Alabama during his official visit made a big impression on him. Yeah, funny how that works. The Hogs are his leader at this point, in part because Chad Morris, who we've mentioned multiple times, is the only coach that he speaks with. It's an exclusivity thing. But...he's still set to visit Austin this weekend and will likely take his official visit in early December. If you just gave a school a silent commit, then decided to set up multiple trips to an old rival, that means the silent may not actually be that real. A source close to the Razorbacks told me they feel more confident than last week, but there's a long way to go and they won't feel good until he signs. One thing that could be clouding Catalon's thoughts is being reminded by multiple schools that Texas' secondary depth chart is absolutely loaded, while Arkansas can sell immediate playing time. UT's mission is to make the 4-star from Mansfield Legacy realize he'll be able to compete at the nickel spot in 2019. To be completely honest, nickel could be the only spot where he sees the field with guys like Brandon Jones, Caden Sterns, BJ Foster, and Chris Adimora in the mix at boundary and field safety. That's fine, because nickel is where he best projects.

Peyton Powell. Hopefully the third time's a charm. He's missed his last two appointments on the 40 Acres, but this time it's an official and I believe he'll see Austin for the first time. At 6-foot-2, 185, Powell's list of offers is quite nice - Ohio State, Oklahoma (where cousin Sterling Shepard played), Georgia Tech, Nebraska, and Ole Miss among the 20+ invitations. "I can’t wait to finally see Austin," said Powell, who is being looked at for wide receiver and defensive back. I think it's one of those recruitments where you figure out where he best fits once he arrives on campus. He's a great athlete who I actually like at defensive back. “Most know QB is my position and has been for a while,” said Powell. “So they all are giving me a shot at it and if I feel like I want in the game faster, if I'm not starting at QB then WR for every school besides Ohio state they want me at CB.” Powell notices the proximity even if it’s in West Texas. “UT is close to home, culture is changing for the better and they got something special,” Powell said. “And the coaches make sure to keep in touch with me and let me know exactly their plans for me.” The 4-star has had some injury issues of late but hopes to be back soon. “I had a hamstring problem because the bottom of my cleat came off in a scrimmage but I'm back to 100% now trying to put up 100 on Friday.”

Myron Warren. It's not a bad idea to grab a few Louisiana-bred athletes each cycle. Strong snagged Malcolm Roach and Gerald Wilbon. Herman stole Mike Williams. It only makes sense to go back to Da Boot for more under-appreciated talent. "I talk to them all the time," said Warren. "I’ve been getting close to (Giles and Orlando) for awhile now. The Texas offer is something I wanted." The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder de-committed from TCU less than a day after garnering the Texas invitation. Expect more offers to come for the defensive end just scratching the surface on his ability.  He holds offers from Colorado, Kansas State, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, and Oregon. As for the Longhorns' chances, Warren says a lot of things stand out with the No. 9 ranked Texas squad. "The program, the school, and I love the coaches," said Warren. "I'm also talking to some more schools like Oklahoma, Mississippi State, Mississippi, and Notre Dame. I’m trying to setup a visit soon to UT." One school to watch is LSU. Everyone who follows recruiting knows nobody keeps in-state talent home better than the Bayou Bengals. For now, Warren seems genuinely excited about the UT offer and eager to see what Austin has to offer. 

BAYLOR VISITOR LIST 

2019

Peyton Powell, Odessa Permian - ATH (Official visit): Read above. 

Kennedy Lewis, Melissa - WR (Official visit) (TCU): Texas offered the 6-foot-3 receiver last May, who then committed to the Horned Frogs less than a month later. This has a Tommy Bush feel to it. 

Jalen Catalon, Mansfield Legacy - DB: Read above. 

Javonne Shepherd, Houston North Forest - OT (TEXAS): This recruitment could drive you bonkers if you listened to every tidbit or deleted tweet that comes out about the giant offensive lineman. For now, he's a Longhorn and Austin is the most likely destination. I'll just leave it at that. 

2020

Hudson Card, Lake Travis - QB (TEXAS): When Card isn't putting up obscene numbers on Friday nights, he's hitting every UT home game the next day. Give Tim Beck and the Texas staff a lot of credit here; everyone knew he was a D1 prospect, but he's staking a strong claim as the best quarterback in the state for 2020. 

Zach Evans, GP North Shore - RB: The best prospect in Texas, regardless of class, is another recruitment that might send UT fans into the mental hospital. Just understand schools, coaches, and reporters are coming at Adrian Peterson-like levels. Luckily, he's got an older brother who is helping guide him through the sea of madness so that Evans can make the best choice. Getting back on campus is cool. Hell, anytime that kids walks onto the 40 Acres, it's a big deal. 

Logan Parr, O'Connor (Helotes, TX) - OL: The 6-foot-4, 270-pound lineman has seen his stock shoot up. He's already grabbed 20+ offers and will only add to that list. He likes Texas, along with a few others. If UT can bridge the need at center for one more class, he could be your guy.

We'll have the full visitor list tomorrow as we're certain more names will come up. Of course we'll have team information as well.

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5 minutes ago, satyanash said:

Zach Evans, GP North Shore - RB: The best prospect in Texas, regardless of class, is another recruitment that might send UT fans into the mental hospital. Just understand schools, coaches, and reporters are coming at Adrian Peterson-like levels. Luckily, he's got an older brother who is helping guide him through the sea of madness so that Evans can make the best choice. Getting back on campus is cool. Hell, anytime that kids walks onto the 40 Acres, it's a big deal. 

Lulz

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10 minutes ago, markstanco said:
6 hours ago, Machinator said:
Dicker and Rowland. Bujcevski at punter.

Is naggar not that good? Seems like he is a junior now. His YouTube videos were good (yea, I know, edited)

Naggar is a freshman dude. Not only that, Dicker may be the best PK we've seen here in a long time 

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38 minutes ago, markstanco said:
6 hours ago, Machinator said:
Dicker and Rowland. Bujcevski at punter.

Is naggar not that good? Seems like he is a junior now. His YouTube videos were good (yea, I know, edited)

The question was who are the scholarship players. Naggar is not on scholarship last I checked.

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3 hours ago, Longhorn94 said:

agreed. those two are very similar prospects. 

 

3 hours ago, victory88 said:

I don’t know man.  RoJo is electric with the ball in his hands when he runs.  But it’s good to have all these QBs that can run.

Card doesn't run all that much possibly because they have a chance to play for another title but they won't go far with their backup. He's a really small kid who is a terrific athlete.  Carter got a dose of losing QB1 last year and I'm sure wants to avoid that at almost all cost.  He's hesitant, looks like the directions are "run if you need to but don't put yourself at unnecessary risk"

last season Card was opposite wilson, and while they were double teaming the best receiver in the state, card was getting a ton of catches.  He's a freak in space, LT was dominant on offense last year because of the card/wilson duo with a good passer throwing to them.  Card was far and away a better receiver than passer last year, not even close   Made big strides in the past year though  

 

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6 hours ago, ApocalyseTexas said:

Dude I know very little about this kid but I know you are full of shit because Hirschi did not play any of these teams. I don’t even think they scrimmaged any of these teams.

Burk and Vernon. And they did scrimmage Rider and WF hs because I FUCKING LIVE HERE AND IT'S ON OUR NEWS. They played IP, and Decatur last season. 

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6 hours ago, ApocalyseTexas said:

Dude I know very little about this kid but I know you are full of shit because Hirschi did not play any of these teams. I don’t even think they scrimmaged any of these teams.

And since you know little about this kid, and I've seen him play, keep your comments to yourself, k?

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2 hours ago, Quasimofo said:
4 hours ago, Spider2YBanana said:
Burk and Vernon. And they did scrimmage Rider and WF hs because I FUCKING LIVE HERE AND IT'S ON OUR NEWS. They played IP, and Decatur last season. 

Hey, we gotta live somewhere.

Well do yourself a favor and don't come here. It's boring as fuck, but we do have a shitty mall....feel free to shop. Oh, and the best part? If curses don't exist, then explain to me why Iive close to so many "tee shirt" dirt burglers.

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additional IT comments from the last few days


 

Spoiler

 

Q: Is the recruitment for Powell as positive as his comments in


Wells: Hard to say. I’ll know more post-visit.

///

Q: I must have missed the part about Chad Morris being the only coach that talks with Jalon Catalon. Unless that’s sarcasm, in which case I really missed it.

Wells: Not sarcasm. Looks pretty damn smart right now.

///

Q: JW silence on Catalon is deafening. I’ll wait and see if he shows up to the baylor game.


Wells: I’ve written about Catalon every few weeks for over a year. Not much has changed.

He likes Texas, Arkansas, and TCU. And honestly, I don’t think he has a clue where he’s going.

Catalon is a mature kid. He thinks things through. He analyzes all angles. Probably why it’s a Dec/Jan decision.

Does the amount of talent at DB in Austin scare him? Maybe, maybe not.

But right now, he’s scheduled to see Texas, again, for an UOV this weekend. And Texas is the school he’s visited the most.

///

Q: What’s the chance those plans change and he and Carter both commit to Arky and shut it down before Texas gets him back on campus.

Wells: There’s a chance, but it goes against everything he’s said and done over the last two years.

////

Q: Something else to watch is that Kennedy Lewis has a relative who plays QB for Melissa in the 2020 class.

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/7929951/5bbf6a9b38642e0fcc7f8198


Wells: His little brother.

I kinda wish this would’ve stayed quiet. Patterson might go into labor.

They like Lewis at X.

 

 

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18 minutes ago, Machinator said:

i know he projects well to the next level based on his size and frame and athleticism but, those highlights are kinda meh....

he is not particularly quick off the ball nor is he all that strong at the point of attack. I know we want him badly but i am less impressed with his senior highlights than when i watched him last year. 

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12 hours ago, CfRhTxStBobcats said:

Vidor and Jasper are 2 scary places, and I'm white. I guess it's just the history of those towns that gives me an uneasy feeling. 

Not to derail, and get into "that" type of discussion, but I hear you. On our way back from visiting a friend in GA, we  took the back roads through LA on our way back down to the Houston area, which put us through Jasper. I got that same feeling, just based on the history. Got to our first stoplight in Jasper and there were two teenagers, one black, other white, riding in the back of a truck bullshitting and laughing. I kinda laughed in relief, from the image I rode into that town with. 

 

Whatever. Back to 'Crootin

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2 hours ago, Quasimofo said:
4 hours ago, Spider2YBanana said:
Well do yourself a favor and don't come here. It's boring as fuck, but we do have a shitty mall....feel free to shop. Oh, and the best part? If curses don't exist, then explain to me why Iive close to so many "tee shirt" dirt burglers.

I feel your pain. I live near Burk.

We gotta spread the word how bad our "city" sucks. Lol

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TFB Open Post: https://texas.thefootballbrainiacs.com/2018/10/open-post-weekend-october-12th-14th/

Quick Hitter | Vibe on Campus
– CJ Vogel

There has been a gradual increase of burnt orange on campus over the past couple of weeks as expected.

Students I’ve talked to are beginning to look into the future about possible trips to Dallas for a Big 12 Championship game, or even brainstorming about where Texas will end up come bowl season.

Though there is some hesitancy, as we have all been through the tumultuous ride over the last 8-9 years, some are slower to buy into the hype surrounding the 9th ranked Longhorns. Many are still anticipating outcomes like last year’s Oklahoma State or Texas Tech games to spout up at any moment this season.

Regardless, the excitement surrounding the student body is the highest I’ve ever seen. Obviously winning on the field plays a large role in the revival of students taking exuberant pride in their team again, but praise should also be directed at Chris Del Conte for constructing an actual student section environment at DKR.

Quick-Hitters | JUCO LB + Committed Interest
– Super K

***Later today I’ll be heading over to Fullerton College to get a look at Texas JUCO LB target, Caleb Johnson. As you know, Johnson is expected to be in Austin this upcoming weekend.

***Some of you have asked about a rumor regarding a particular Texas target committed elsewhere who recently reached out to the Longhorns staff.

That did indeed happen, however, I’ll note two things.

a) While the player has long been a top target for Texas, I’m starting to wonder if Texas will have room for him, even if he did decide to flip.

b) Obviously, him being committed elsewhere has kept the player and the family pretty quiet but I wouldn’t be surprised if they make it to Texas, quietly, for a visit.

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4 minutes ago, Machinator said:

***Later today I’ll be heading over to Fullerton College to get a look at Texas JUCO LB target, Caleb Johnson. As you know, Johnson is expected to be in Austin this upcoming weekend. 

Every time Super K goes somewhere in person, I assume it's to film a commit video.

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5 minutes ago, Machinator said:

***Some of you have asked about a rumor regarding a particular Texas target committed elsewhere who recently reached out to the Longhorns staff.

That did indeed happen, however, I’ll note two things.

a) While the player has long been a top target for Texas, I’m starting to wonder if Texas will have room for him, even if he did decide to flip.

b) Obviously, him being committed elsewhere has kept the player and the family pretty quiet but I wouldn’t be surprised if they make it to Texas, quietly, for a visit.

I hope he's talking about Kennedy Lewis here and not Bobby fucking Wolfe.

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1 hour ago, Longhorn94 said:

i know he projects well to the next level based on his size and frame and athleticism but, those highlights are kinda meh....

he is not particularly quick off the ball nor is he all that strong at the point of attack. I know we want him badly but i am less impressed with his senior highlights than when i watched him last year. 

I didn't see many 5* plays; hardly any plays where he drives his guys back into the backfield or even causes TFL disruption with freakish quick or powerful moves, mostly just standing up and then making a play either down the line or for a couple of yards gained, which while fine, isn't what you expect to see on a presumed 5*'s highlights of his best plays of the year. His disruption plays are all schemed where he runs to an open hole to get to the backfield. 

I will say that my favorite part of his game from being able to catch a couple of full games last year was his motor, which runs really hot for a big guy in high school, but that won't show up on a hudl. 

To me, he was on pace to be a future 5* coming out by appears to have plateaued his senior year, and while still an easy take for Texas and probably a top ten prospect in the state, he doesn't look like a 5* based on that hudl and him being a top ten guy in the state might have more to do with how weak this class is. 

We could see three 4i prospects in 2020 better than him

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