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Texas Recruiting Notes 2020


Reese Bennett

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Wells on NSD and the 2020 class

Spoiler

Here we are. (inserts gif of Paul Rudd saying "Look at us”) Remember when this was a Top 5 class?

After the late season collapse on the field, the heart of UT's Class of 2020 is still intact despite the latest attrition. Princely, Eaton, Pouncey, Fillinger, Jordan, and Quentin Johnston all departed for the proverbial greener pastures. Others were heavily pursued, and will likely receive calls until tomorrow morning. But the meat and potatoes of this squad is still here.

QB Hudson Card, Lake Travis (Austin, TX): Georgia, Auburn, and others really want the elite passer from down the road. Thank God not having an OC didn't screw this up. EE

QB Ja'Quinden Jackson, Duncanville (Duncanville, TX): Others pursued here too, but JQJ was locked in even before Herman's Kid-n-Play dance in the Duncanville stands. Nothing on his injury yet.

RB Bijan Robinson, Salpointe Catholic (Tucson, AZ): The jewel of the class. Five stars, Arizona HS records, late pushes from LSU, Ohio State, and USC. Still, Mr. Robinson stays faithful. He's rare, y'all.

WR Troy Omeire, Fort Bend Austin (Sugar Land, TX): It had been awhile since Texas had flipped an A&M pledge. TO noticed the high-octane numbers of the Horns' first few games and decided he wanted to catch passes in Austin. Lucky not having a WR coach didn't cost them here. Dude was filthy as a senior.

OL Jaylen Garth, Port Neches-Groves (Port Neches, TX): The knee injury cost the four-star his senior year. He's back rehabbing to ensure he's good to go in June.

OL Andrej Karic, Carroll (Southlake, TX): Late bloomer who helped protect the state's best QB for 2021 (Quinn Ewers), Karic is a keeper.

OL Jake Majors, Prosper (Prosper, TX): A solid senior season for the interior protector. He jumped in the boat when the boat was basically empty. EE

OL Logan Parr, O'Connor (San Antonio, TX): Mr. Incredible will join Majors in getting a head start in Austin. EE

DT Sawyer Goram-Welch, Longview (Longview, TX): The underrated defensive lineman who got a Twitter shoutout from former Lobo Matthew McConaughey jumped on board as soon as he could. "The (official) visit was better than expected. My parents really enjoyed it. All of us are now more excited for the future." Ash's system of 4-man "will definitely be fun to play in." EE

DE Vernon Broughton, Cypress Ridge (Houston, TX): One of the biggest, and most important gets for the 2020 class, the four-star from Cypress has been locked in for the long haul. Oscar Giles reeled this one in. EE

LB Prince Dorbah, Highland Park (Dallas, TX): You know how many schools contacted Dorbah after Orlando's dismissal? Zero. They already know.

CB Kitan Crawford, John Tyler (Tyler, TX): A dozen schools tried to pounce on this four-star from ETX. But Crawford wasn't having that. The only true corner for NSD1. There'll be another before NSD2. Think Jahdae Barron or Isaiah Dunson (read below). Both aren't signing early and both will likely visit UT in January.

S Xavion Alford, Shadow Creek (Pearland, TX): The spokesman of the 2020 class, once Alford made his pledge, he's been tremendous behind the scenes. He's the landlord, and he'll be coming for rent the first week in January. EE

S Jerrin Thompson, Lufkin (Lufkin, TX): The consummate leader, ball hawk, motivator, and adversity destroyer, Thompson will be one of the hardest workers/hitters when he arrives in two weeks. EE

ATH Dajon Harrison, Hutto (Hutto, TX): For some kids, it's a dream to play for Texas. For the Hutto stud, it's becoming a reality.

ATH Jaden Hullaby, Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, TX): Stellar athlete with a stellar senior season, Hullaby could be a lot of things, maybe a linebacker.

All of the above are expected to sign in the morning. With 16 virtually in, that leaves Texas with 6-7 spots to fill.

Linebacker or two, corner, another d-lineman, and another wide receiver or two, give or take. Unlike other times, Texas will be more active in the second NSD window.

A few guys like Pflugerville Connally DB, Baylor four-star commit Jahdae Barron won't sign tomorrow. Tucker (GA) four-star corner Isaiah Dunson won't either and will visit in January. The list of names will grow over the next month or so. As of today, Texas still owns a Top 10 recruiting class (247) despite the recent defections. With UT filling in spots over the next six weeks, it'll be interesting how much they climb when this class is signed and sealed.

Early start tomorrow. The faxes (screenshots) will begin coming in at 7am. We'll be here with extra coffee. Someone bring the donuts.

 

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37 minutes ago, Ricky Butler said:

Counterpoint: Gundy hired him. If you just go by that, history says you'll probably be ok.

And that’s fair. Though I would point out that guys like Holgo, Monken, and Yurcich had a lot better years under Gundy than Gleeson so far. 
 

Really my favorite thing about Gleeson as an OC candidate is that he’s not Courtney Messingham.
 

 

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1 minute ago, Armybrat said:

Yeah, but why is he still here?

I agree with you in principle, but after the statement Perrin put out regarding the Horny hire, it didn't seem like CDC had the leeway to force Horny to remove him immediately. There is however no excuse for CDC not to ask Herman to send Horny on his way now that changes are being made.

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15 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

And that’s fair. Though I would point out that guys like Holgo, Monken, and Yurcich had a lot better years under Gundy than Gleeson so far. 
 

Really my favorite thing about Gleeson as an OC candidate is that he’s not Courtney Messingham.
 

 

I think your criticism if fair, but compared to Herman, Mike Gundy is the Vince Lombardi of hiring offensive coordinators.

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13 minutes ago, UDontKnow said:

I agree with you in principle, but after the statement Perrin put out regarding the Horny hire, it didn't seem like CDC had the leeway to force Horny to remove him immediately. There is however no excuse for CDC not to ask Herman to send Horny on his way now that changes are being made.

Lmao

That’s not how it works.

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37 minutes ago, joeycovers said:

So does anyone have any names that we might be targeting to close out this class? Collins? Princely? Anyone else?

Dixon

An outside WR to replace Johnston, which could be Savion Williams, Caleb Medford, tbd 

 

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And it's one of them or none of them.

I'd wager there's a roughly zero percent chance they turn away Collins if he decides he wants to be in the class, regardless of whether or not Princely signs. The other way around, maybe, but they're not passing on the consensus top DL in Texas.

Moot point though, writing is on the wall. He's not coming.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

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10 minutes ago, gmr548 said:


I'd wager there's a roughly zero percent chance they turn away Collins if he decides he wants to be in the class, regardless of whether or not Princely signs. The other way around, maybe, but they're not passing on the consensus top DL in Texas.

Moot point though, writing is on the wall. He's not coming.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 

Pretty sure "he's not coming" is what @jeevsie meant

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3 hours ago, Burt Macklin said:

It is, but I think it’s a bigger question with Card than most high level QB prospects. Sam showed way more ability to navigate a messy pocket and get to secondary options in HS than Card has. 
 

 Like I said, I’m not saying he sucks and he’ll develop in college, but it’s a bigger question for him at this point IMO.

i think that was kind of true last year. but not even remotely close this year. card has advanced a lot and is a much better and more mature qb now. and he doesnt struggle when his first read is covered. he goes through his progressions well. kid is more dangerous when he is scrambling outside the pocket and looking for the backside third read than he is in the pocket. card ad-libbed a lot this year and looked much better doing that than playing within the confines of stein's predictable offense.

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247 / Blair Angulo - Source:  Kelee Ringo not expected to sign early

Spoiler

Kelee Ringo is one of the most revered and touted prospects heading into the Early Signing Period.

Having taken official visits to Oregon and Georgia, as well as numerous unofficial trips to campuses across the country, the five-star cornerback from Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro has a lot of interested parties as crunch time looms.

Yet, according to a source, it appears that one of the top un-committed players in the land will remain on the board past the Early Signing Period.

Ringo tentatively plans to reveal his college choice during a live announcement at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio. There was some thought that he would sign this Wednesday and keep that decision secret until the all-star event on Jan. 4, but the source claims that Ringo is not expected to sign alongside his Saguaro teammates.

Georgia holds 12 of the 13 votes in the 247Sports Crystal Ball for the 6-foot-2, 205-pound prospect, who is the No. 1 player at his position in the 2020 class according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite rankings. Texas has the other vote.

Ringo had locked in an official visit to Texas for the Nov. 30 weekend, but given his own loaded practice schedule ahead of the Arizona Open Division state championship game, sitting at the top of the priority list, a return trip to Austin was canceled last minute. He officially visited the Bulldogs this past weekend and saw the childhood favorite Ducks during the season.

Ringo is the nation's No. 8 overall prospect and top player in the Grand Canyon State, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite rankings.

 

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17 minutes ago, longhornmatt said:

Speaking of Monken, if the Browns fire their staff we should give him a serious look for OC.  Since we apparently aren’t going to hire anyone soon, I guess we will probably have a chance.

He was the best OC at Oklahoma State.  He even had a really good offense the year after Weeden and Blackmon left, and they had way less offensive talent on that team than the Weeden/Rudolph teams the other OCs coached to big numbers.

Monken left as Head Coach of a Southern Miss team he built into a 9-5 team (with a top 20 offense) to be an OC in the NFL. Has he given any indication he’s interested in coming back to the college game?

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247 / Wiltfong - Signing Day Eve: Recruiting buzz from across the nation

(Among other updates, expects Arizona State to land LV Bunkley-Shelton and flip Johnny Wilson ... wow.)

Spoiler

What I think I know going into Wednesday, the first day of the Early Signing Period.

(All info subject to change, it's recruiting!)

The Fight For Flowe

As you know by now, we have USC and we have Oregon for Upland (Calif.) High five-star linebacker Justin Flowe, who also strongly considered Clemson at one point and has Miami among his finalists as well.

My 247Sports Crystal Ball is with Oregon. Confidence certainly isn’t as strong as it was on Saturday when the pick was logged, but a couple sources still like the Ducks. Flowe took his official visit to USC over the weekend, the hometown school, close to his family, particularly his grandmother, and it’s a trip that certainly moved the needle.

This one is tight and seems like it could go either way with more sources seeming to be in USC’s corner the closer the announcement gets.

The Battle For Burch

Been working the phone lines on this one and I think the LSU chatter for the last month is very real but it’s picking up loudly for Georgia heading into Wednesday’s announcement. I think Ed Orgeron and the Tigers staff has done a nice job with Burch and his mother (regular dialogue), but they are very familiar with Athens having visited several times including this past weekend. I’m leaning more towards these two than Clemson and South Carolina (but there are sources that like them too) with Alabama rounding out the top five.

One source says this has an “Arik Gilbert” type feel to it. Meaning we won’t know until he steps to the podium and makes the call. My gut has been LSU for the last week but I can’t shake Georgia down the stretch. Clemson was the favorite in my opinion in the spring and we've seen South Carolina be hot and cold here as well.

Heat check on five-stars not expected to announce

Five-star cornerback Kelee Ringo, I like Georgia but think Oregon has made it tough down the stretch. On the flipside, I like Oregon for Top247 cornerback Dontae Manning but think Georgia has made it interesting. Ringo is slated to announce at the All-American Bowl and Manning the Under Armour Game respectively.

Still like Georgia a lot for five-star tight end Darnell Washington. Alabama, Tennessee and Miami are among the other contenders. He too is expected to announce at the Under Armour Game.

LSU is the 247Sports Crystal Ball favorite for five-star running back Zachary Evans, and if that’s the true pulse, Texas A&M is in the thick of it making it very interesting going into his Under Armour Game announcement. Running back is a major priority for the Aggies to close this cycle, as they sit No. 5 in the team rankings.

Love LSU for two

Regardless of what happens with Burch, Ed Orgeron and company head into the day the heavy favorite for the No. 4 outside linebacker in the 247Sports Composite Phillip Webb and the No. 11 offensive tackle Marcus Dumervil. The Tigers start the day with the nation’s No. 3 recruiting class and these two should help them as they battle Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State and Georgia for the No. 1 haul in 2020.

Speaking of Georgia

We’ve talked Burch, Ringo, Manning and Washington. So what else?

It would be a surprise to see the No. 11 receiver in the country in Arian Smith land elsewhere. And speaking of receivers, I’ve talked to some around LSU that thinks the No. 8 receiver Jermaine Burton, who is the Tigers only early enrollee receiver sticks. However the smoke seems real regarding Georgia flipping this past weekend’s surprise official visitor who is from the Peach State and has a lot of relationships in the locker room.

Then you have Top247 safety Eric Reed who has a tremendous relationship with new assistant coach Matt Luke and seems like he’s trending hard to UGA, while some of my colleagues at 247Sports including Director of Scouting Barton Simmons says in-state linebacker Kobe Wilson is likely to flip to the Bulldogs from Memphis.

And there is Top247 quarterback CJ Stroud…

Who gets CJ Stroud

Stroud is the top uncommitted quarterback and I like Ohio State coming into his decision with the Bulldogs the one giving chase and Michigan in the three spot. Stroud visited the Buckeyes for a game in the fall and returned for his official this past weekend. One source said Stroud's favorite college player to watch is Justin Fields. He’s close with a lot of the Buckeyes commits from time spent at the summer's The Opening Finals and the relationship has blossomed with Ryan Day and his staff since July. Smart and his offensive coordinator James Coley have invested a lot of time and created a lot of intrigue as well but my pick is staying with the Big Ten Champs.

More Quarterback Chatter

Logged a Tuesday night Crystal Ball forecast in favor of Oregon for four-star quarterback Robby Ashford, a former Ole Miss commit who took his official to Eugene this past weekend. Also an All-American baseball player, I believe the Pac 12 champs have done enough to move into pole position for the Hoover (Ala.) High standout.

Meanwhile I like Georgia Tech for Top247 quarterback Jeff Sims. The Jacksonville (Fla.) Sandalwood standout is also considering Maryland. The Yellow Jackets start the day with the No. 23 class and are looking for their first Top25 finish since the 2007 class that finished No. 15 where first-year head coach Geoff Collins was then running the recruiting office as an off-field guy.

Utah may have the most Early Signing Period fun

And when I say fun, I talking pure volume and a ton of talent.

Kyle Whittingham and his staff are looking good for at least six commits. We have Top247 defensive linemen Van Fillinger and Xavier Carlton looking like leans to the Utes, same goes for safety Nate Ritchie. Tight end Connor O'Toole appears to be favoring Utah as his recruitment nears an end, as does linebacker Sione Fotu and offensive tackle Solatoa Moea’i.

The big name on the board is the nation’s No. 3 cornerback Clark Phillips III. A long-time Ohio State commit, he won’t announce till Thursday but there is still a lot of buzz saying he is more likely to end up in Whittingham’s class.

My 247Sports Crystal Ball is with Notre Dame for four-star cornerback Ramon Henderson but there is some level of confidence he could be a Ute as well.

Utah is going to start the day with just 11 commits and the nation’s No. 84 recruiting class. By the end of Thursday if they land all these guys with the exception of Henderson they’d get in range of the backside of the Top25 and potentially in the top four of the Pac 12.

Also in the Pac 12, how about Herm Edwards and Arizona State

The Sun Devils begin the morning at No. 46 nationally but it should be a busy day in Tempe.

I like Arizona State to flip Top247 receiver Johnny Wilson and land another Top247 pass catcher in LV Bunkley-Shelton. Top247 athlete Elijhah Badger should be considered a heavy lean as well and my 247Sports Crystal Ball is also with ASU for Louisiana speedster Corey Wren.

Edwards and company are still pushing for Top247 all-purpose back Daniyel Ngata and long-time Alabama receiver commit Traeshon Holden as well. Ngata would seem much more likely than Holden at this point, and he’s not expected to announce until the Under Armour Game.

This could be a Top25 class when all said and done and linebackers coach Antonio Pierce is in the hunt for Pac 12 Recruiter of the Year.

Should be rocking in Knoxville as well

I like Tennessee for at least four commitments Wednesday. It seems like the Vols are going to win out for Top247 linebacker Len'Neth Whitehead who some schools also recruited to play running back. One of the top throwers in the country, he’s expected to do track and field at the school of his choosing and I believe that aspect has helped the Vols as well. While Kentucky and Ohio State have maybe made the recruitment of Top247 prospect Tyler Baron interesting, I think he’ll choose to play for Jeremy Pruitt and company who like him at outside linebacker. An official visit to see the Vols beat Vanderbilt to conclude the season seemed to put them in front for defensive lineman Reginald Perry and talking to quarterback/athlete Jimmy Holiday at this past week’s Alabama-Mississippi All-Star I got the sense the momentum was with Tennessee to flip him from TCU.

Linebackers that can rush the passer is a major priority and nobody is higher on the list than Morven Joseph. I like Tennessee’s position for the former FSU commit who is also looking at Florida.

Scott Frost and Nebraska closing strong

Nebraska has been climbing up the Top25 currently sitting at No. 19 and more is coming. I feel great about them securing signatures from JUCO defensive tackle Pheldarius Payne and four-star receiver Marcus Fleming. They could also hit on Jaiden Francois and Alante Brown. I'm close to predicting both to the Huskers.

Then you have the battle with Arkansas to flip Top247 safety Myles Slusher.

More Flip Watch

Jase McClellan - Alabama appears to be on track to flip the prolific Texas back from Oklahoma.

Demouy Kennedy - I think he sticks with Alabama but the dialogue with LSU has been strong.

Donell Harris - I think he sticks with Texas A&M

Clyde Pinder Jr. - I believe he’ll stick with North Carolina

Timothy Smith - I believe Alabama hangs on there as well

Reggie Grimes - If he doesn’t sign with Oklahoma I’ll like South Carolina’s chances down the road.

Jayson Jones - Georgia Tech is among the schools pushing hard for the massive Alabama defensive line commit.

Potential Crystal Ball Dance For Top247 all-purpose back EJ Smith

My forecast is with Stanford for the Dallas (Texas) Jesuit four-star but by the time he makes his announcement in the late morning I may be riding with Texas A&M. That one is a battle down the stretch with both schools having different things he’s looking for.

Predicting the other high profile prospects who are announcing

Top247 linebacker Desmond Tisdol - Auburn (Announcing at 10 am with us on the CBSSports broadcast.)

Top247 outside linebacker Kaden Johnson - Wisconsin

Top247 tight end Jeremiah Pegues - I’ve liked Auburn since May.

Top247 athlete Jaheim Bell - South Carolina (Announcing at 12:45 p.m. with us on the CBSSports broadcast.)

Four-star cornerback Kendall Dennis - Oklahoma

Receiver Kentron Poitier - Florida State over Syracuse

Defensive tackle Octavious Oxendine - Kentucky

Four-star defensive back Joel Williams - Kentucky

Top247 receiver Darin Turner - Arkansas

Other 247Sports Crystal Ball Forecasts

Michigan is in line to receive good news at the quarterback position in Massapequa (NY) Plainedge quarterback Dan Villari who took an official visit this past weekend. A bit of a project but certainly having traits, he’s a guy that Jim Harbaugh and company had been keeping tabs on and want to have in the class.

I’m sticking with Michigan for Top247 cornerback Darion Green-Warren but I believe the USC smoke that has popped up from multiple sources since this last Friday.

Defensive end Khari Coleman and JUCO linebacker to TCU as the Horned Frogs work on the No. 3 class in the Big 12.

JUCO cornerback Geovonte Howard to Purdue as the Boilermakers flirt with a Top25 class for a second-straight cycle.

Athlete Khatavian Franks to Georgia Tech

Four-star defensive tackle Josaih Hayes to Ole Miss

 

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1 minute ago, Treefidy said:

No $hit.  Top 3 cla$$e$ every year, they aren't getting their money$ worth.  

I can't remember which poster broke down the numbers, but Georgia HSFB has the most inflated rankings of any state when it's compared to college production.

I think Wisconsin was the most underrated, which makes a shitload of sense.

How much of that is based on the strength of their in-state programs, and how much of the perceived over/under-achievement of those programs is based on that is tricky to tell, obviously.

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21 minutes ago, Spider2YBanana said:

Georgia better enjoy their 1980 championship, it's the last they'll see. The most underachieving program I've ever seen regarding talent and rankings. They'll never win another championship in our lifetime. They should thank Herschel Walker for that one. 

They were one play away from winning it all a few years ago, and they’re a modern OC away from turning into 2019 LSU 

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36 minutes ago, gmr548 said:


Don't get it? Texas is in the same damn boat.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 

Even Texas beat Georgia.  Plus Texas put up a hell of a lot more points on LSU than Georgia did.  The Horns just regressed as the season went on--some to injury, predictable play calling and coaching seemingly to check out. Actually, Georgia took a nose dive in their second game against LSU.  

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