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Texas Recruiting Notes 2023: Strippers, Monkeys, and 5-Stars


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On 5/6/2022 at 8:58 AM, BurntOrange&White said:

Jaden Greathouse, WR, Austin (Texas) Westlake: The local talent dropped his top four last Sunday - Texas, Notre Dame, OU, and South Carolina. After catching up with sources this week, it appears the Fighting Irish have the lead for the highly productive four-star.

Greathouse wants to take his four officials in June and have a decision by July, at the earliest. UT will need to thwart the Notre Dame push to keep Greathouse in the 512.

One of these things is not like the other one. 

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1 hour ago, ousux said:
1 hour ago, RollLeft said:
Starts? Finkley?

Thats one player, if we can get to the point where we can grab the occasional bluechip out of the state on the regular it will go a long way to helping us in the SEC.

I guess you don’t realize this but the guy you linked is Finkley’s HS teammate, so even if we get him, Finkley would be the one to start the Bama kids to Texas pipeline you’re hoping for. 

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12 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

I guess you don’t realize this but the guy you linked is Finkley’s HS teammate, so even if we get him, Finkley would be the one to start the Bama kids to Texas pipeline you’re hoping for. 

that was his point, numbnuts. 

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I guess you don’t realize this but the guy you linked is Finkley’s HS teammate, so even if we get him, Finkley would be the one to start the Bama kids to Texas pipeline you’re hoping for. 
I'm aware, dont care how it happens...just normalize Bama kids going to Texas. All it takes is for Finkley to make a name for himself here.
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On 5/6/2022 at 3:53 PM, gmr548 said:


You joke, but getting up to find other things to do while the defense is on the field would probably maximize enjoyment of the season

I’ve taken up knitting for this very reason. 

13 hours ago, gmr548 said:

At this point I'm willing to try fake recruits at LB and Edge.

I don’t know if you deployed your “find other things to do besides watching the defense” plan early on in 2021 or what, but kudos if you did so because I’m pretty sure the staff already attempted this tactic of playing fake recruits at Edge and LB and it turns out, the results were … not good. 

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The Stampede: Updates on several important out of state targets
MIKE ROACH

 

Spoiler

 

The Stampede: Updates on several important out of state targets
MIKE ROACH

 

The weekend took Horns247 recruiting coverage outside of the state of Texas to see some talented athletes in Louisiana. On Saturday, Horns247 attended the LHSAA State Track Meet and spent time talking to several sources within the state.

While there, we also worked the phones to talk to several other sources about a few out-of-state targets. To build an elite class, you have to be able to reach into other states and pull talent, and the Longhorns are trying to do that.

We should start to see those recruitments really shake out as we move into the summer with official visits, decisions and more cuts coming for top recruits. Out-of-state recruitments are typically more difficult to win but the Longhorns have had their fair share of success outside of the state borders.

In this week’s edition of The Stampede, Horns247’s weekly gathering of recruiting intel, we discuss several high profile out of state recruitments including boots on the ground intel from the weekend’s trip to Louisiana.

 

JORDAN MATTHEWS
Baton Rouge (LA.) Woodlawn cornerback Jordan Matthews competed in four events at the LHSAA State Track Meet on Saturday and had good showings throughout the day reaching the medal stand in three of the events. Woodlawn took third in both the 4x100 and 4x200 relays where Matthews ran on the anchor leg, and he finished with a silver medal in the 200 meters with a time of 21.29. Matthews finished 4th in the 100 meters with a time of 10.66 and put a bow on what has been a marvelous track season.

Those times are extremely encouraging for a few reasons. Texas has been able to gain an advantage because of their relentless recruitment of Matthews, but it also helps that some schools in the region haven’t gone all in on him. When I asked around, I was told there were some concerns about how well he runs. Eyeballing Matthews during the meet, I saw a tall and long corner and those times prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he can absolutely run

Matthews has a visit scheduled to Tennessee on June 24 and he will be releasing some more visit dates soon. I don’t expect Texas to get a trip until the fall. Last time I talked to Matthews, he said that he was looking at making a summer decision. On Saturday, I asked if pushing his Texas visit to the fall meant he might also push his timeframe, but he said he still plans to decide before the season. Read into that what you will, but I think it’s a positive for Texas.


The Longhorns have had a lot of momentum in this recruitment throughout the spring, and I think it’s possible they carry that into the summer and add Matthews to the class. I feel very good about my pick, but there’s always the possibility something changes with a visit elsewhere. We will see how the summer plays out, but Matthews said he’s growing weary of the recruitment process and is looking forward to ending it.

 

TAUSILI AKANA
I spoke to the father of Lehi (Utah) Skyridge EDGE Tausili Akana over the weekend. He and his family will be in Austin this week for an official visit. That visit could be big for the chances of landing Akana, but Tausili won’t be on the trip. His sister Keonilei is in the NCAA Transfer Portal as a star volleyball player from Nebraska, and Texas is one of their options. The family will arrive on Tuesday for the trip, and her choosing Texas would help the Longhorns in their pursuit of her little brother

The two are very close and have discussed the possibility of playing together at the next level. They’ve also joked about the possibility of an NIL deal for a brother and sister at the college level. I’m told the family is also in the process of scheduling an unofficial visit in early June to get back on campus before a possible official visit later in the year. Akana is a talented edge prospect and is also close with Texas linebacker target Liona Lefau who is also high on the Longhorns. If Texas lands Akana, it can only help in the pursuit of Lefau to give Texas two big out-of-state weapons in the 2023 class.

 

CEDRIC BAXTER
I mentioned this on the podcast last week, but I think Texas is in a really good position with Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater running back Cedric Baxter following his spring visit. Texas running back coach Tashard Choice came to Austin holding a strong relationship with Baxter, and that’s translating to Texas as well. Several folks I’ve talked with feel the Longhorns are in a good spot and Choice probably has the best overall relationship with Baxter out of the schools recruiting him.

I asked around regarding Baxter and was told that NIL will play a big role in the recruitment, so I expect Florida, Miami and Texas A&M to all be players from that aspect. The Longhorns have diversified their board enough that all of their eggs aren’t in one basket. Texas already holds a commitment from Desoto running back Tre Wisner and they are in pursuit of several other backs including in-state five-star Rueben Owens. The Owens recruitment has been back and forth between Texas and Texas A&M with schools like Georgia and USC also factoring in.

As of late, it sounds like Texas A&M has some momentum with Owens. A big reason for that, I’m told, is that his mother really liked College Station and their visit experiences there. She did come to Texas with Owens in the spring and enjoyed the trip, but reading the tea leaves, I think she prefers A&M a bit more. Of course a lot of what happens with Owens could depend on where Arch Manning ends up. Regardless, Choice isn’t limiting himself to one or two targets, and the Baxter news is positive for Texas who has playing time to sell with the expected loss of 2-3 backs after this season.

 

DEREK WILLIAMS

I didn’t get to see New Iberia (LA.) Westgate safety Derek Williams while in the Pelican State, but I was able to ask a few people about his recruitment and gather some info. I’ve mentioned in the fast that there’s some confidence in the potential of landing the elite safety, and the word is that Texas has been able to establish itself as a legitimate contender. LSU and Alabama have been mentioned as the two programs who will pose the biggest threat. In talking to a trusted source, it sounds like Alabama is probably the biggest worry at this point. The Crimson Tide are obviously a formidable force on the recruiting trail, and they’ve been in it for a while with Williams. Still, Texas has been able to host Williams a few times unofficially and will likely get him back for an official visit this year.

 

 

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1 hour ago, closetojumping said:

I don’t know if you deployed your “find other things to do besides watching the defense” plan early on in 2021 or what, but kudos if you did so because I’m pretty sure the staff already attempted this tactic of playing fake recruits at Edge and LB and it turns out, the results were … not good. 

Guess we were watching different games. Looked like they were employing phantom recruits at edge and lb.

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9 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

I will not believe Cedric Baxter is coming here until the LOI is in. 

That is not a type of recruitment we have ever won. Feels a little like Trey Sanders minus the IMG angle.

Sure helps that we got Bijan in '20, his success on the field and OFF the field with his NIL branding is a PLUS.  Why wouldn't RBs want to come here and have the chance of being the feature back for Texas (and all the possibilities it can bring, financially)?

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4 minutes ago, Thiefery said:

Sure helps that we got Bijan in '20, his success on the field and OFF the field with his NIL branding is a PLUS.  Why wouldn't RBs want to come here and have the chance of being the feature back for Texas (and all the possibilities it can bring, financially)?

Maybe in previous cycles we somehow steal him, but with Miami and Florida finally getting their heads out of their asses I don't see a way that kid leaves the state.

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