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Texas Recruiting Notes 2020


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9 hours ago, Hagbard Celine said:

I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that.

You can’t say that and I can’t process that on Surly!

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17 minutes ago, UTPhil2006 said:

What does the Josh Moore 247 update say 

Remember his 27-yard touchdown catch against USC in 2018 that turned a 16-14 lead into a 23-14 advantage and helped break the game open in a 37-14 Longhorns’ victory?

Well, it appears he’s finally about to put his legal trouble from a misdemeanor gun possession charge behind him, according to sources.

Moore’s attorney Mark Sampson wouldn’t comment other than to say a court date was likely to be set soon that would bring resolution to the matter.

Another source close to the situation said County Attorney David Escamilla’s office was close to signing off on an agreement to reduce the charge because Moore had met a requirement to undergo gun education as well as a number of community service hours.

After suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in 2018, Moore basically served a year-long suspension in 2019 after being charged with a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully possessing a firearm.

The year-long suspension is suitable for violating one of Tom Herman’s core values for the Texas program along with no drugs and treating women with respect, a UT source said.

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Remember his 27-yard touchdown catch against USC in 2018 that turned a 16-14 lead into a 23-14 advantage and helped break the game open in a 37-14 Longhorns’ victory?
Well, it appears he’s finally about to put his legal trouble from a misdemeanor gun possession charge behind him, according to sources.
Moore’s attorney Mark Sampson wouldn’t comment other than to say a court date was likely to be set soon that would bring resolution to the matter.
Another source close to the situation said County Attorney David Escamilla’s office was close to signing off on an agreement to reduce the charge because Moore had met a requirement to undergo gun education as well as a number of community service hours.
After suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in 2018, Moore basically served a year-long suspension in 2019 after being charged with a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully possessing a firearm.
The year-long suspension is suitable for violating one of Tom Herman’s core values for the Texas program along with no drugs and treating women with respect, a UT source said.


Ya that no drugs core value isn’t being followed very well.
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37 minutes ago, Fud said:

Remember his 27-yard touchdown catch against USC in 2018 that turned a 16-14 lead into a 23-14 advantage and helped break the game open in a 37-14 Longhorns’ victory?

Well, it appears he’s finally about to put his legal trouble from a misdemeanor gun possession charge behind him, according to sources.

Moore’s attorney Mark Sampson wouldn’t comment other than to say a court date was likely to be set soon that would bring resolution to the matter.

Another source close to the situation said County Attorney David Escamilla’s office was close to signing off on an agreement to reduce the charge because Moore had met a requirement to undergo gun education as well as a number of community service hours.

After suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in 2018, Moore basically served a year-long suspension in 2019 after being charged with a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully possessing a firearm.

The year-long suspension is suitable for violating one of Tom Herman’s core values for the Texas program along with no drugs and treating women with respect, a UT source said.

 

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44 minutes ago, Fud said:

Remember his 27-yard touchdown catch against USC in 2018 that turned a 16-14 lead into a 23-14 advantage and helped break the game open in a 37-14 Longhorns’ victory?

Well, it appears he’s finally about to put his legal trouble from a misdemeanor gun possession charge behind him, according to sources.

Moore’s attorney Mark Sampson wouldn’t comment other than to say a court date was likely to be set soon that would bring resolution to the matter.

Another source close to the situation said County Attorney David Escamilla’s office was close to signing off on an agreement to reduce the charge because Moore had met a requirement to undergo gun education as well as a number of community service hours.

After suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in 2018, Moore basically served a year-long suspension in 2019 after being charged with a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully possessing a firearm.

The year-long suspension is suitable for violating one of Tom Herman’s core values for the Texas program along with no drugs and treating women with respect, a UT source said.

3ohqok.gif

 

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Not sure exactly which thread to throw this in, but this seems as good as any. This was really interesting to put together. A lot of people have taken to hating Tom Herman and that's fine but this roster is a far cry from where we were just a few years ago and I don't think anyone can deny that. Let me know if there are people that need to be removed or out of position, etc ... I just pulled them from an earlier list. This should give us a good idea what the depth chart/roster will look like over the next 2 seasons as we start rolling in our RS guys, etc ... 

Texas rolling 3 class compilation 2018/2019/2020 ::  

QB 
Thompson
Johnson (RB?)
Card 
JQJ

RB 
Ingram
Robinson

WR 
Eagles
Moore
Woodard
Epps (TE?) 
Whittington
Smith
Washington
Lewis
Omeire
Dixon
Harrison

TE
Liebrock 
Wiley

OL
Angilau
Moore
Jones
Johnson
Hookfin
Tyler
Garth
Karic
Ghirmai
Majors
Parr

ATH 
Hullaby (LB/H-B?)

DL 
Coburn
Ojomo
Sweat
Goram-Welch 
Ossai
Carson
Jones 
Collins
Broughton
Dorbah (LB?)

LB
Adeoye 
Vaughns (DE?)
Gbenda
Tillman
Mitchell
Ford

CB 
Green
Cook
Jamison
Watson
Caldwell
Crawford

S
Sterns
Foster
Overshown
Owens
Adimora
Alford
Thompson

K/P
Bujcevski
Dicker

Gone/Retired/Portal : 
Rising
Grandy
Wiliams
McCoy
Floyd
Shepherd
Johnson
Braun

Medical unknowns?

Brown(??) 
Mpagi(??) 

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47 minutes ago, BonzoMontreaux said:

Holton Hill says "High!"

I took Toms rule to more reference being involved with drugs like the mafia. If you choose to do drugs that’s on you, but no selling or hanging out with people who do. I thought HH just loved the green but was just a stoner not a hookup? The only others I can think of off hand who were legit in the game are Ramonce and Hardeman. Am I missing anyone?

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14 minutes ago, golfclap said:

Not sure exactly which thread to throw this in, but this seems as good as any. This was really interesting to put together. A lot of people have taken to hating Tom Herman and that's fine but this roster is a far cry from where we were just a few years ago and I don't think anyone can deny that. Let me know if there are people that need to be removed or out of position, etc ... I just pulled them from an earlier list. This should give us a good idea what the depth chart/roster will look like over the next 2 seasons as we start rolling in our RS guys, etc ... 

Texas rolling 3 class compilation 2018/2019/2020 ::  

QB 
Thompson
Johnson (RB?)
Card 
JQJ

RB 
Ingram
Robinson

WR 
Eagles
Moore
Woodard
Epps (TE?) 
Whittington
Smith
Washington
Lewis
Omeire
Dixon
Harrison

TE
Liebrock 
Wiley

OL
Angilau
Moore
Jones
Johnson
Hookfin
Tyler
Garth
Karic
Ghirmai
Majors
Parr

ATH 
Hullaby (LB/H-B?)

DL 
Coburn
Ojomo
Sweat
Goram-Welch 
Ossai
Carson
Jones 
Collins
Broughton
Dorbah (LB?)

LB
Adeoye 
Vaughns (DE?)
Gbenda
Tillman
Mitchell
Ford

CB 
Green
Cook
Jamison
Watson
Caldwell
Crawford

S
Sterns
Foster
Overshown
Owens
Adimora
Alford
Thompson

K/P
Bujcevski
Dicker

Gone/Retired/Portal : 
Rising
Grandy
Wiliams
McCoy
Floyd
Shepherd
Johnson
Braun

Medical unknowns?

Brown(??) 
Mpagi(??) 

Yeah, there’s no doubt that this is the healthiest roster we’ve had in over a decade and Herman should get credit for that. He also deserves fan rage for being on the precipice of having a playoff-caliber roster for the foreseeable future but then fucking it up with the bad season/bad coaches.


I think we have a playoff-caliber roster this season, but 2021 was always going to see a dip with losing both Sams and the 2018 class early entrants. but the attrition from 2019 combined with a small 2020 class that failed to address some key positions of need means it might take multiple years to build back up.
 

We’ll see, if Herman wins big on the field and kills it with the 2021 class, then this could all just be a blip on the radar, but he really snatched defeat from the jaws of victory this season, and Texas fans are justified for being mad at him for that. If he wastes the 2020 roster, including Sam’s senior year, then I’ll go into full-blown Shawn Watson-level hatred for him and still have some hatred left over for CDC. 

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I was just going back through the pages from a year ago because I knew I made predictions for the 2020 class and wanted to see how close I ended up being, and what others predicted as well. It's always fun if, gasp!!!, you're okay with being present-day wrong on a past prediction with an entire offseason and season between it and now. Honestly, a lot of the takes weren't that bad considering how fucked this season was for the trajectory of the 2020 class and the program overall.

Here's a link to that page if anyone else wants to read through a few pages of various folks thoughts: 

 

On 2/10/2019 at 12:21 PM, closetojumping said:

Hahahaha. I don’t follow the CB stuff this early for the most part, but what is it with the aggie mods? Are they just down the line picking ATM with their CBs if the player is in Texas and can fog a mirror? Absurd. Evans has not shown a single sign at any point in his recruitment that he’s interested in ATM, much less leaning there. I guess naming them in the top 11 is something.

A year later and, let's face it, Evans still really, really isn't interested in going to ATM and now the numbers say he won't, even as a last resort. hahahahaha this fucking guy and ATM actually deserve each other though.

On 2/7/2019 at 9:44 AM, closetojumping said:

So now that the 2019 classes are finished across the nation, anyone care to make some predictions for 2020 on this thread? 

Top 5 for 2020:

(in no order)

Bama, Georgia, Texas, Ohio State, Clemson

Surprise Class on the positive? North Carolina - it's deep in-state and Mack Brown has a good recruiting staff. On top of that he's energized and hitting the area hard already. 

Surprise Class on the negative? Michigan - In spite of everything with Meyer, I still think Harbaugh's staff turnover and personal flaws are going to limit Michigan ascending.

OU rank: Top 10 with more Mackovickian lopsided offensive talent vs defensive talent.

ATM rank: Top 15 with smaller numbers and less new car smell.

Total number in Texas' class: 24 - I've been passing on the premise of less than 20 and I can't make the numbers believable to myself at this point. Hudson and Brown not being in the program makes the starting point something like 19 available scholarships, so losing another 5 for various reasons over the next 18 months seems not just logical but probable. Of course, if they're viewing the transfer portal as a place where they're going to add 2-3 guys each year that have multiple years of eligibility left, then that might continue to push numbers below 25 if the program remains stable.

Top 5? Well, I got 4 of the 5 right. Thanks, Hermanitard. LSU was the other top 5 finisher.

North Carolina finished 19th. Whoops. Honestly, Auburn finishing 7th is my surprise positive class. 

Michigan finished 14th. I'll argue that's a weak class for them, but I don't know if you can call it very surprising to the negative. Michigan is like Texas. They should finish in the top 10 in every season in which there isn't a coaching transition. That said, USC was clearly the surprise class to the negative in 2020. Holy shit.

OU finished 11th and, when including transfers in the class, signed 16 offensive players and 10 defensive players. Their 4 highest rated players in the class are on the offensive side of the ball. This shit will continue. Yeah, I feel like I nailed this one, but you can make the same prediction every year with Riley there and probably get it right perpetually.

ATM finished 6th. I missed on the ranking and class size, for sure. I didn't think they'd wind up running 15 guys off or having that many transfer, but I'll be damned if they won't wind up exceeding that number. Those idiots don't lack for ruthlessness to meet their craven needs, I'll give them that. The new car smell wearing off though? Yeah, they had to leave the state and moneywhip some folks to fill needs and no matter how they want to spin that, it's not a great sign. Beyond that, a bunch of bread to sort out half the class. A miss here in the prediction, but I feel good about the direction for ATM being aligned with where we wanted it headed.

Class size ended up being 19. It's clear Texas never really angled towards signing a full class, irrespective of how the season was going. That was accurate from folks who know such things. I should have just stayed with that with my prediction, but of course I have to be so fucking smart. I wish we'd have signed 24, though, and that guys like Washington, Thompson JR, Johnston, Umanly, Rogers, JSN, White, and Fuonji would have filled out the other 4-6 spots, but our head coach is an even bigger retard than most of us on this board, which will remain our cross to bear. 

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40 minutes ago, Doc Reeves said:

I took Toms rule to more reference being involved with drugs like the mafia. If you choose to do drugs that’s on you, but no selling or hanging out with people who do. I thought HH just loved the green but was just a stoner not a hookup? The only others I can think of off hand who were legit in the game are Ramonce and Hardeman. Am I missing anyone?

Brandon Collins really fucked us for 2009.  We have him and OU and Nebraska would have eaten our scrum.

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9 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

I think we have a playoff-caliber roster this season, but 2021 was always going to see a dip with losing both Sams and the 2018 class early entrants. but the attrition from 2019 combined with a small 2020 class that failed to address some key positions of need means it might take multiple years to build back up.

We’ll see, if Herman wins big on the field and kills it with the 2021 class, then this could all just be a blip on the radar, but he really snatched defeat from the jaws of victory this season, and Texas fans are justified for being mad at him for that. If he wastes the 2020 roster, including Sam’s senior year, then I’ll go into full-blown Shawn Watson-level hatred for him and still have some hatred left over for CDC. 

I don't think the 2021 dip is really preventable. Best case for that team will probably be 10 wins.

2020 is the best roster fielded by Texas in recent memory. Offensive play calling, WR development, and defensive game planning are all addressed. Anything less than 12 wins including a conf championship in 2020 is an abject failure. Playoff potential exists, but there's no time for the units to "come together" under new coordinators because LSU is a must win. 

 

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6 minutes ago, Fondren & Main said:

Brandon Collins really fucked us for 2009.  We have him and OU and Nebraska would have eaten our scrum.

I think what he means by "legit in the game" is those two mentioned were more than users.

As far as the Neb game, the one play that kept that game closer than it had to be was the dropped pass that Kirkendoll let go through his hands.  We score there and its not close. 

But i do agree, losing Collins in the off season that year was a big loss.

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10 minutes ago, Ricky's one-hitter said:

I don't think the 2021 dip is really preventable. Best case for that team will probably be 10 wins.

2020 is the best roster fielded by Texas in recent memory. Offensive play calling, WR development, and defensive game planning are all addressed. Anything less than 12 wins including a conf championship in 2020 is an abject failure. Playoff potential exists, but there's no time for the units to "come together" under new coordinators because LSU is a must win. 

 

We hope

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3 minutes ago, jdhorn92 said:

I think what he means by "legit in the game" is those two mentioned were more than users.

As far as the Neb game, the one play that kept that game closer than it had to be was the dropped pass that Kirkendoll let go through his hands.  We score there and its not close. 

But i do agree, losing Collins in the off season that year was a big loss.

Collins got busted on a coke sale same way Hardeman did.  Colt used to pick him up to go to practice to keep him out of trouble.  Collins was dealing.

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10 minutes ago, Ricky's one-hitter said:

I don't think the 2021 dip is really preventable. Best case for that team will probably be 10 wins.

2020 is the best roster fielded by Texas in recent memory. Offensive play calling, WR development, and defensive game planning are all addressed. Anything less than 12 wins including a conf championship in 2020 is an abject failure. Playoff potential exists, but there's no time for the units to "come together" under new coordinators because LSU is a must win. 

 

2021 dip isn’t, barring an absolute revelation at QB, but I think our struggles in the 2020 class and losing the early momentum we had for the 2021 class will hurt us in the 2022 season as well, unless Herman pulls off a playoff appearance in 2020. 

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21 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Class size ended up being 19. It's clear Texas never really angled towards signing a full class, irrespective of how the season was going. That was accurate from folks who know such things. I should have just stayed with that with my prediction, but of course I have to be so fucking smart. I wish we'd have signed 24, though, and that guys like Washington, Thompson JR, Johnston, Umanly, Rogers, JSN, White, and Fuonji would have filled out the other 4-6 spots, but our head coach is an even bigger retard than most of us on this board, which will remain our cross to bear. 

giphy.gif

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SiAP

(Eric Nahlin) Inside the Humidor: 2020 Class Recap

Quote

THE HITS

QB Hudson Card, Lake Travis (Austin, TX): Texas had its eyes on the hometown player from the start. He played wide receiver his sophomore year and committed to UT before officially becoming the man at Lake Travis. Former Texas OC Tim Beck thought he was the second best QB in the nation, behind DJ Uiagalelei (the correct answer is Bryce Young). Card played it straight throughout his commitment. The final month could've gone bad in a hurry when Herman's coaching upheaval had Georgia and Auburn smelling blood. Chad Morris was definitely snooping around his former place of employment but Card was bought into Texas the school for a long time even before he committed.

QB Ja'Quinden Jackson, Duncanville (Duncanville, TX): Every school in the country wanted JQJ, just not all of them wanted him at QB. When it was apparent Texas wanted Jackson at signal-caller, the competition faded faster than the questions about his ability to play the position. He had the look of a Longhorn from the time he was a sophomore. He chose his best option to play quarterback and it happened to be his favorite school.

RB Bijan Robinson, Salpointe Catholic (Tucson, AZ): This was one for the ages. He started a relationship with Texas and Stan Drayton early in 2019, and after an unofficial visit to Texas for the Spring game he had thoughts of becoming a Longhorn. He returned in June for an official visit that by all accounts went well. Before that visit, in early June, we heard he might even commit on that official visit. When that didn't happen, we still weren't worried. He talked at length on his visit with people we talk to and all indications were very, very positive. You can tell by what questions a recruit asks, if he asks questions at all, about how interested they are. Bijan was asking about the finer details. Then things appeared to take a turn for the worse. Ohio State, USC, and LSU really wanted Robinson. At the Rivals Camp immediately after his Texas visit, he gave reporters the sense he'd be a Buckeye (he took an official to Columbus earlier in the month), while every indicator we had led us to believe Texas was in favorable position. The Ohio State talk didn't compute. Texas sources were quietly confident but also leery of the Buckeyes. During the month of July, Texas picked up some momentum and his favorable sense of Ohio State began to wear off. As we said in real time, we believed his family preferred Texas to Ohio State, and the longer things played out the better for UT. He committed the second day of August and stayed true until NSD1. Stan Drayton did a great job in this recruitment.

WR Troy Omeire, Fort Bend Austin (Sugar Land, TX): It had been a long time since Texas flipped an Aggie pledge, but that's exactly what happened. Reason? "I watched the film." He also felt pressure to commit to A&M, but a few weeks into that commitment he was already having second thoughts with Texas as his favorite. He was decently vocal in the UT group chat even while committed to A&M. Texas received some outside help, too. Joseph Ossai's family was a good sounding board. You know how bought in Ossai is. There were also influential coaches who thought he'd get more targets in the Texas passing game. Him flipping to UT in September with some data on the Texas passing game was no coincidence. That sealed it and he was solid even through the coaching changes.

OL Jaylen Garth, Port Neches-Groves (Port Neches, TX): This one was over before it really started. Garth gained notice after coaches watched his HS QB, Roschon Johnson. Garth could barely bench 135 pounds earlier in high school, but through hard work he reshaped his body and became a four-star recruit. Texas A&M thought he was an Aggie for a while, but people quickly learned that he loved playing with Johnson. Plus, Herb Hand made him a priority. A quiet kid, Logan Parr and Jake Majors reached out to make him feel welcome. From there it was party on.

OL Andrej Karic, Carroll (Southlake, TX): Nobody really had a read on Karic until he visited Texas. He was thought to have interest in TCU and Ole Miss but when UT offered, our TCU source texted "uh oh." Karic was offered the same day Chad Lindberg was going to visit Georgia. Hand called Lindberg as the big o-lineman was boarding a flight and told him his offer was still good but they had to expand their scope. Karic was a no frills recruitment and proof that Texas can execute contingency planning.

OL Jake Majors, Prosper (Prosper, TX): Texas was on Majors early and really turned up the heat. We were still in the throes of our Stanford concerns after Texas lost Branson Bragg the year before. Turns out Majors wasn't going to go that far from home and he became the center of the future.

OL Logan Parr, O'Connor (San Antonio, TX): Logan was pretty much a done deal from the beginning. He stated he was going to compile a notebook of pros and cons for each school and then deliberate. He committed to Texas not too long after. I imagine he asked leading questions in which all the answers pointed towards Texas. 1. School must have an 'x' in it because x marks the spot. Oklahoma, Alabama, LSU, TCU

DT Sawyer Goram-Welch, Longview (Longview, TX): Under the radar most of the cycle, Texas was acutely aware of what SGW might become even before his junior year. Oscar Giles was always open and honest with Goram-Welch's standing with Texas and when Van Fillinger flipped to the Utes, the ETX native decommitted from Oklahoma State and quickly went into UT's 2020 calculator.

DE Vernon Broughton, Cypress Ridge (Houston, TX): One of the biggest fishes in the class, this recruitment came with a little more drama than anticipated. The four-star took all of his official visits - Arkansas, Ohio State, LSU, A&M, and UT - and most sites would have him pegged for whatever school he most recently visited. Despite all the chatter, other than a moment of hesitance or two, we stayed strong in our belief that Broughton would be a Longhorn. There were some anti-Texas voices in the ears of the Broughtons but that recruitment was Mama Broughton's show from the beginning. She would solicit advice but was also quick to fact check. The Broughtons showed high character when it was intimated Vernon's sister would be able to play basketball at the school of Vernon's choosing, but "we want her to find her own path." In the end the overall pitch of the University of Texas, not just football, won out. Football was only a small part of it. Kevin Washington played a solid role here, as did Oscar Giles. This was OG's shining recruiting moment.

DE Alfred Collins, Cedar Creek (Bastrop, TX): Initially we thought this recruitment wouldn't take long, and it almost didn't. Texas nearly received an early commitment. Collins was never the biggest fan of the media, and when he told us he'd announce on NSD2, we kind of thought it wouldn't last. But it did. Until 4:05 pm on Wednesday. We heard the big man from Bastrop actually gave a silent commit to the good guys in early September when he visited for the opener. Only Alfred knows how big of a threat other schools truly were and why he took this recruitment all the way to the end, but we never heard anything too persuasive about him ending up at another school. There was always more speculation about his recruitment than hard information. If he was still wavering in December, we heard that came to an end while he was in San Antonio for the All-American game. He was a done deal throughout January.

LB Prince Dorbah, Highland Park (Dallas, TX): The Fresh Prince of Highland Park was one of the early recruits that was a Longhorn before he was actually committed. OU, LSU, Notre Dame, and Ohio State made pushes, but Dorbah was leaning UT for about as long as we've covered him. It may have helped some that new OU DC Alex Grinch was said to have concerns about Dorbah's fit. Dorbah pledged UT in early July and never looked back.

LB Jaylan Ford, Lone Star (Frisco, TX): The most secretive signee of 2020, Ford was fully set on signing with Utah until Texas stopped by Lone Star High School twice in two weeks. Interim linebacker coach Jeremiah George gets some credit here. When UT put its cards on the table, Ford and his family decided to flip, very quietly. Only 48 hours after NSD1, Ford was in despite not taking a visit to Austin. Steal.

CB Kitan Crawford, John Tyler (Tyler, TX): This recruitment was easier than expected as Texas reaped the rewards of offering really early. Jason Washington built a strong relationship, and after numerous unofficial visits, the Tyler native became a Longhorn. OU, Texas A&M, and TCU all made credible pushes, but Crawford was sold on UT. I wish they were all this easy.

S Xavion Alford, Shadow Creek (Pearland, TX): He was a silent to Alabama for a while which had us thinking, hey, Alabama's going to try to stop the spread! We're not sure exactly how that fizzled (Bama's decision most likely) but it did and Alford started showing interest in LSU, A&M, and UT. Texas stayed on him pretty diligently and after visiting a couple of times he built a good relationship with the current defensive backs. He committed and remained solid once he did, but there was fluctuation in level of interest in various schools before he committed to Texas.

S Jerrin Thompson, Lufkin (Lufkin, TX): Thompson is a prime example of out-of-state offers that aren't really offers. LSU and Notre Dame offered after a solid junior year, and Thompson was fully prepared to commit to either one on his visits. But both told him to slow down. Oklahoma State and TCU came on early last summer, and he was probably a week from pledging to Gary Patterson until Texas stepped up with an offer. That changed everything. He wasted little time and was orange house during an unofficial visit in early August.

ATH Kelvontay Dixon, Carthage (Carthage, TX): We've felt Dixon, on the strength of his versatility, would end up at Texas one way or the other for over a year. But it was always going to depend on if Herman took his pledge. When Mookie Cooper committed early in the process we wondered what that might mean for Dixon. Texas pulled back the reins for some time. Around October, Texas decided Dixon was a take. He then decommitted from Arkansas a month later, and it seemed over. That is, until Jeff Traylor took the UTSA job and tried to convince Dixon he would be better in San Antonio. Dixon flirted with the idea briefly, but like we said for the longest time; if Texas wanted Dixon, they were getting him.

ATH Dajon Harrison, Hutto (Hutto, TX): If there is one thing Tom Herman likes, it's flipping TCU commits. And vice versa. When wide receivers were flying off the board, Harrison jumped on the Longhorn ship a little over a month after his offer. He decommitted from TCU in May, hoping UT would come around. Being related to Jamaal Charles makes the story sound better too. He could end up being one of the steals of the class. If he had junior tape similar to his senior footage he would have been a bigger name.

ATH Jaden Hullaby, Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, TX): This one didn't take long. Hullaby committed to Texas shortly after being offered. Texas was up front with him about being an offensive weapon and Hullaby said that sounds great. Done deal.

THE MISSES

These are the guys Texas recruited hard to no avail. Some were committed at one point.

RB Jase McClellan, Aledo (Aledo, TX) - Alabama: Texas had him high on the running back board early but were hesitant to offer and pursue because they were fearful of the workload he'd sustain at Aledo. McClellan, maybe wanting an insurance policy himself, wanted to commit very early and did to OU. Texas jumped back into the mix with a hard push a year ago, even getting McClellan in for an unofficial visit and official visit, but he stuck to his OU commitment. Until he didn't. He might have been fool's gold for Texas all along as he broke off his long held engagement to OU on National Signing Day. He eloped with Bama. It's the most coldblooded move since Daphne left Donnie at the altar for Niles. Those two dashed away in a motorhome, which in Oklahoma, is burglary of a habitation.

RB Quentin Johnston, Temple (Temple, TX) - TCU: Losing QJ was a combination of Mehringer being fired, Herman not properly applying a tourniquet, and Malcolm Kelly's budding ability and persistence as a recruiter. Johnston started looking for a reason to decommitt earlier in the fall, finally doing so in December just days away from National Signing Day. This is probably the worst beat of the cycle.

RB Ty Jordan, West Mesquite (Mesquite, TX) - Utah: All the gadget back wanted was a Texas offer since the first time we saw him at Prime 21 in 2018. UT did offer early but wasn't consistent with its effort level recruiting him. His senior year was tough off the field with his mother's illness. Jordan was set to sign with Texas but listened to his mother's advice. She wanted him in a smaller environment with less distractions even if it meant he would go further away from home. She did this while being very ill. It says a lot about her.

WR Loic Fouonji, Lee (Midland, TX) - Texas Tech: UT started the relationship with the raw, athletic Fouonji fairly early, setting him up for a hard push later in the cycle if needed. A solid plan; poor execution. Coaches never won over the parents while Texas Tech held the proximity advantage and recruited him like a priority throughout. If Nick Saban recruits his backup plans like priorities, perhaps Texas should do the same.

WR Mookie Cooper, Pattonville (St. Louis, MO) - Ohio State: The second commitment in UT’s 2020 class lasted a month. The summer before, he took an unofficial visit to Austin after eventual UT signee Marcus Washington told him about the campus. It was then he started really liking Texas. Bryan Carrington also worked hard to lay the groundwork. He committed at Junior Day, then changed his mind five weeks later. UT stayed in pursuit, and if not for Ohio State, he’s probably a Longhorn.

OL Chad Lindberg, Clear Creek (League City) - Georgia: The baby-faced giant was part of the initial group of in-state offensive linemen that heavily considered playing together at Texas. After Parr, Majors, and Garth committed, Lindberg took an official visit to Texas last spring with committing on his mind. That commitment didn't take place, a surprise to many, including perhaps his own parents. After that, the relationship between him and the staff cooled and Texas started to look around, ultimately pursuing Karic. Georgia always loved him and he rewarded the Bulldogs with a signature. We get asked about this one a lot. People think there's some wild reason he didn't pick Texas. He simply liked Georgia more.

DE Van Fillinger, Corner Canyon (Draper, UT) - Utah: The one-time under the radar defensive lineman burst on the scene after making a visit to Austin. He had already been picking up good offers, though many of those schools were playing the long game. Texas decided it was better to push and land a commitment
while those schools were lying in wait rather than having to fight for him in October. Good plan; good execution. The problem is the hometown Utes had a strong season that was buoyed by its defensive line. The Utes would go on to flip him.

DE Princely Umanmielen, Manor (Manor, TX) - Florida: This recruitment belongs partly in this section and partly in the one below, but UT did hold a commitment at one point and were pushing late.

LB Josh White, Cy Creek (Houston, TX) - LSU: Texas waited too long to offer. By the time it did it was just another school White had interest in but was nothing special. Texas did do well to separate from the also-rans and may have taken the lead after his visit with Troy Omeire last spring, but LSU won out. That loss may not be UT's fault, other than offering a bit later than it should have. Hopefully UT upgraded its linebacker recruiting.

DB Bryson Washington, C.E. King (Houston, TX) - Oklahoma: Texas had a solid lead in this recruitment early on but OU gained quickly as it sold early playing time. Craig Naivar pulled out all the stops on Washington's visit. Washington wants to study forensics and Naivar took him to spend time with his buddy in law enforcement. That was nice attention to detail, but Washington ended up siding with OU. We think he may have preferred a bit of distance from home coupled with earlier play time.

DB Chris Thompson, Duncanville (Duncanville, TX) - Auburn: He gave a silent to Texas and was supposed to be the voice on the phone in Ja'Quinden Jackson's commitment video. He even filmed a Texas commitment video of his own. We're still not sure what exactly happened here. A day before he announced he released a hype video of sorts that made it known how important academics were to him. The next day he chose Auburn.

CB Jahari Rogers, Arlington (Arlington, TX) - Florida: Another player who made a Texas commitment video. Many thought he'd end up at OU early on but it was Texas who had his attention the whole time. OU's defensive back coach even negative recruited Jason Washington (which may be fair in hindsight) on behalf of Florida. Losing Ra'Shaad Samples was the final straw. Florida won out. Thompson and Rogers served as good indicators the cycle was going to be a fight.

CB Jaylon Jones, Steele (Cibolo, TX) - A&M: This might be the biggest surprise of the cycle, at least from the point of view from the staff. Texas was in great shape but he said he wanted to take his five official visits. A&M was barely mentioned. Two weeks later he was committed to the Aggies and never looked back.

CB Ethan Pouncey, Winter Park (Winter Park, FL) - Florida: Though the staff was late to offer Pouncey, Texas was on on him for over two years. Having his older brother Jordan on the team gave Texas a bit of a hometown advantage. Pouncey snuck into town to hang with his brother in July, a visit we didn't know took place. With that visit in mind it's not surprising he committed a little while later, but at the time the commitment came out of nowhere. When the elder sibling decided to leave Texas, Pouncey decommitted and followed his brother to Florida.

CB Kelee Ringo, Sauguaro (AZ): The nation’s top corner was a Texas lean at one time. He even spent his spring break watching Texas football practice. Then Georgia called and he gave a silent commitment last summer. By then we were already dispelling the Ringo to Texas fan fiction. Texas always stayed in touch, and Ringo had a genuine affection for Austin and Jason Washington, but Georgia oh look Ennis Rakestraw...

CB Ennis Rakestraw, Duncanville (Duncanville, TX)Texas was late on the draw. Jay Valai did a good job of trying to get Texas caught up but it was too little too late. Relationships matter especially when you're wired to be loyal like Rakestraw. Early identification of players also matters, as does building relationships with players you may not offer.

(It's frustrating to hear of Texas coaches going to a school with a bunch of FBS kids but only focusing on the one with a Texas offer. Contingency planning hasn't been a strong suit, consequently they don't fill numbers in a class)

THE OTHERS

Players Texas liked enough to offer but backed off for one reason or another.

QB Malik Hornsby, Fort Bend Marshall (Missouri City, TX): Hornsby was a legit target two years ago. Texas was one of his first offers, but then Malik Mania set in at the Hornsby home. He had five trainers at one point. He transferred from Houston Austin to FB Marshall, but was ineligible for part of his junior year. He was supposed to commit to Texas A&M until Mack Brown and Tim Brewster got involved. His UNC pledge didn't last too long. That's a whole other story but not for these pages. He was headed to Baylor until Matt Rhule moved to...North Carolina. Arkansas might be perfect for the talented QB. He's had a long standing relationship with Kendall Briles.

RB Kevontre Bradford, Lancaster (Lancaster, TX): This was a lesson in how to not pursue a recruit. Texas failed to build any sort of relationship prior to December, then when they pushed, it was too late. As soon as he knew he was a take for LSU, he was a Bayou Bengal.

RB Zachary Evans, Galena Park North Shore (Houston, TX): Oh boy. For a good spell, Texas was the leader in these sweepstakes but ended up becoming the first school to move on from him. Thank the Lord for Bijan Robinson. When Evans visited Texas one last time in the summer it infuriated some of the staff that was working hard on Robinson, but luckily no ill-will came of it. The book here is still being written and fortunately this market doesn't have to write it.

RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Dalton (Dalton, GA): Gibbs was in the other group of RBs that Texas targeted late. He flirted with an Austin trip but LSU pushed that aside. Then he stuck with Georgia Tech. Funny thing, after @TexasStrong sent Gibbs to us to take a look, we laddered it. At the time Gibbs had no recruiting profiles.

WR Jaxon Smith-Ngjiba, Rockwall: After his sophomore year, JSN told us Texas was a school he was very interested in, but after evaluating, UT decided they weren’t going to offer. JSN had a very good junior year, but still no interest from Texas. Then early this season, Texas and JSN connected (we've heard instigated by JSN). We heard that UT would get him on campus and push for a flip. Then, just like that it went up in smoke. We believe Texas pulled back the reins once again. If someone wants to clarify that, I'm sure they're reading this.

WR LV Bunkley-Shelton, Junipero Serra (Gardena, CA): There was a period where we thought LVBS was going to be a Longhorn. Former offensive coordinator Tim Beck loved him, but the staff quickly learned he had issues in and out of the classroom. Arizona State took him.

WR Savion Williams, Marshall (Marshall, TX): Despite knowing about Williams for over two years, Texas decided to offer right before NSD2. Bad idea and bad timing, because Williams wondered out loud for 24 months why UT didn't want him. Texas wide receivers coach Andre Coleman made a final push, but fell short to the Frogs.

WR JJ Hester, Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, OK): He wanted to be a Longhorn but the staff cooled on him and he chose Missouri. He'll very likely turn into a good player at Mizzou, but who knows if he would have ascended the depth chart in Austin. It's possible he would have. He's a solid to good prospect. It's noteworthy that Oklahoma State never offered.

OL Nate Anderson, Reedy (Frisco) - Oklahoma: This came down to the staff having Karic higher on the board. Herb Hand was in contact with Anderson and visited the school but he preferred Karic. Anderson was very interested in Texas, even immediately after committing to OU. We'll see how the Karic vs. Anderson decision plays out. It might tell us a lot about Hand and Bedenbaugh.

OL Damieon George, Galena Park North Shore (Houston, TX): He was attached to Zach Evans for a while, thus the Texas pursuit. But like most "package deals," it never came to fruition. The interesting thing about the package deal here is it was something Evans was pushing more than George. George wanted to commit early so as not to be seen as following Evans. Of course Bama doesn't have to put up with the Evans circus and quit recruiting the running back. They still signed George.

CB Isaiah Dunson, Tucker (Tucker, GA): Texas came on late in November, and the former Florida State four-star was set to commit on his OV in early January. Texas called and canceled the OV after offering Ennis Rakestraw. Turns out the new staff wasn't too thrilled with Dunson as a corner so it's probably best they canceled regardless of missing on Rakestraw.

Bring on 2021.

 

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DB Chris Thompson, Duncanville (Duncanville, TX) - Auburn: He gave a silent to Texas and was supposed to be the voice on the phone in Ja'Quinden Jackson's commitment video. He even filmed a Texas commitment video of his own. We're still not sure what exactly happened here. A day before he announced he released a hype video of sorts that made it known how important academics were to him. The next day he chose Auburn.

 

I seem to have missed the part where Auburn offered Thompson's dad a job.  Pretty much made a huge difference in his recruitment.    

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12 minutes ago, Mdhorn said:

DB Chris Thompson, Duncanville (Duncanville, TX) - Auburn: He gave a silent to Texas and was supposed to be the voice on the phone in Ja'Quinden Jackson's commitment video. He even filmed a Texas commitment video of his own. We're still not sure what exactly happened here. A day before he announced he released a hype video of sorts that made it known how important academics were to him. The next day he chose Auburn.

 

I seem to have missed the part where Auburn offered Thompson's dad a job.  Pretty much made a huge difference in his recruitment.    

You can piece together info on surly and write these 995 "tell all" post NSD articles.

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3 hours ago, satyanash said:

THE MISSES

These are the guys Texas recruited hard to no avail. Some were committed at one point.

RB Jase McClellan, Aledo (Aledo, TX) - Didn’t push until we left the ZE roller coaster and missed on Bijan, which was too late. 

RB Quentin Johnston, Temple (Temple, TX) - Herman is an idiot. 

RB Ty Jordan, West Mesquite (Mesquite, TX) - winning matters

WR Loic Fouonji, Lee (Midland, TX) - Mehringer sucks 

WR Mookie Cooper, Pattonville (St. Louis, MO) - winning matters 

OL Chad Lindberg, Clear Creek (League City) - no idea 

DE Van Fillinger, Corner Canyon (Draper, UT) - Texas season tanked 

DE Princely Umanmielen, Manor (Manor, TX) - Who the fuck knows

LB Josh White, Cy Creek (Houston, TX) - Bought by LSU

DB Bryson Washington, C.E. King (Houston, TX) - winning matters

DB Chris Thompson, Duncanville (Duncanville, TX) - Bought by Auburn 

CB Jahari Rogers, Arlington (Arlington, TX) - Texas tanking sealed this 

CB Jaylon Jones, Steele (Cibolo, TX) - Bought by A&M

CB Ethan Pouncey, Winter Park (Winter Park, FL) - : Texas season started tanking. Mehringer was universally hated. Jordan Pulled the rip cord and followed brother. I’m sure the better brother said let’s go to Florida. 

CB Kelee Ringo, Sauguaro (AZ): Bought by Georgia 

CB Ennis Rakestraw, Duncanville (Duncanville, TX): Maybe Valai isn’t the recruiter he was predicted to be by the 9.95rs

 

I thought I would add the incredibly obvious 

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