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Posts posted by Teryor
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https://surlyx.com/Hayesfawcett3/status/1893111804194107472
Did I miss something on us losing ground
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1 hour ago, Huckleberry said:
No it's not. If everyone would stop being pussies then you would see that posting information about a player on the thread about the player makes perfect sense.
But instead "omg I was so scared!" is the thing to do on surly.
It's the recruiting forum and he's a sophomore. Take it to the football board
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1 hour ago, Machinator said:
I don't know if Zach Barnett has special insight on this or not just in the FootballScoop article posted above he said Orphey was hired as cornerbacks coach.
He's a Texas alum so good shot he has some connection to let him know what they've decided. He's also pretty reliable in my experience.
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So Banks and Nansen just had raises/extensions announced by the school. Obviously doesn't guarantee either staying but it's a notable point.
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If Ashley/Aneesa go home next week am I supposed to just not watch after the elimination? The edit last week showing the Kellyanne/Sylvia fight for seemingly no reason only for them to be thrown in now felt really hamfisted and now we know why. And ya, Aneesa sucks in every aspect of this game.
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Glad we can go to our old reliable and get another Rutgers coach
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Thought they were going to post this next week
Behind the Scenes: How the 2025 class came together for Texas, Part II (Defense)
QuoteThe Texas Longhorns capped off the No. 1-ranked recruiting class in the country for 2025, per the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings. It's the first time UT has achieved the feat in the 247Sports era.
A lot of work went on throughout the cycle on the Forty Acres, with some highs and some lows. In the end, Texas came out on top.
As Horns247 does every year after National Signing Day, we take a look behind the scenes of how the class came together, including stories that haven't been told, fun notes from each recruitment of relevance, and more.
Horns247's Hank South, Jordan Scruggs, as well as Texas regional analyst Mike Roach and national analyst Tom Loy contributed to this report. On specific players each writer is notated as to who handled that note.
In Part II of today's Behind the Scenes, we cover the defensive side of the ball.
ICYMI: In Part I we covered the offensive side of the ball.
Let's dive in!
Defensive line
Texas DL signee Josiah Sharma. (Photo: Brandon Huffman, 247Sports)
Folsom (Calif.) 4-star Josiah Sharma -- Texas signee
-- A candidate for one of the more wild recruitments of 2025, Sharma, a one-time Washington commit, backed off his Huskies pledge after Kalen DeBoer left Seattle. The logical next stop would be Alabama, however, that never materialized for whatever reason. Sharma was enamored with Texas early, seeing what the Longhorns had done with Byron Murphy II, one of the players he looks up to. Texas got him on campus for an unofficial visit in the spring and then again in the summer for an official visit. After the weekend spent in Austin in June, Texas was the team to beat. In fact, Sharma had decided on Texas and even given 247Sports an interview on why he picked Texas just hours before his announcement. However, Oregon stepped in just before his public commitment and was able to swing things their way in a crazy turn of events. Obviously NIL played a factor. Sharma announced for the Ducks in what began a few weeks of some panicked Texas recruiting followers. But it was just that — a few weeks. Texas worked hard to get Sharma back on campus for the Texas Bash Pool Party at the end of July where he showed up and flipped his commitment to what he had originally intended to do. Things went quiet from that point on until the moment in each cycle where recruiting starts getting silly — November. USC got Sharma on campus for an official visit the final weekend before the Early Signing Period, and several in Los Angeles felt the Trojans were making major progress in efforts to flip the big DL. Texas stayed its course here throughout. That's not to say there weren't some nervous moments. The night before Early Signing Day and even the morning of, sources told Horns247 some on the USC side expected Sharma to sign with the Trojans. But it was still fluid and there was some back-and-forth in the hours leading up. Texas wasn't going to budge from what it had ultimately laid out from an NIL perspective. Ultimately Sharma stuck with his original plan. (SOUTH)Port Charlotte (Fla.) 4-star Myron Charles -- Texas signee
-- The Port Charlotte's product felt a lot like Josiah Sharma's recruitment to me. Sources close to the situation felt great about where the Longhorns stood coming out of official visit season. It was the second time UT had hosted Charles and Texas seemed to have struck a chord. So much so that I entered a Crystal Ball prediction in favor of the Longhorns for Charles in late June. Not only did Texas impress Charles from a program standpoint, but we heard NIL was also keeping the ball in Texas' court on this one. Joke was on me, though, as Florida State upped the ante and got him to commit heading into July. The Longhorns didn't stop there, though. Texas kept its foot on the gas. Charles was actually expected back in Austin for the Texas Bash Pool Party (with Josiah Sharma) but couldn't ultimately make it. At the very least we knew Charles was at least considering other options despite his pledge. FSU got off to a rough start, and Texas a hot one. Charles flipped to UT moments after Texas beat Michigan on the road in Week 2. Charles still maintained he was listening to other schols throughout the fall, but nothing really came of it until he took a trip to Florida in November during the Gators' strong finish to the season. UF went all out trying to keep Charles home. Texas stood its ground. The staff stayed in constant contact with Charles' camp, including his mother, throughout the month. Texas sources never felt they were going to lose him, but were obviously taking into consideration the situation of a top out-of-state recruit being courted by the flagship program of his home state. In the end Charles was one of the first to send his Letter of Intent to Texas on Early Signing Day. (SOUTH)
Manchester (Ga.) 5-star Justus Terry -- Texas signee
-- These are the types of recruitments top SEC programs win, and Texas did just that. The Longhorns started to make a move for Terry early in the fall, scheduling the five-star defensive lineman on an official visit for the Georgia game. Logic would tell you Georgia beating Texas, in particular beating up on the Texas OL in the Oct. 19 matchup in Austin, would have helped the Bulldogs keep the Manchester (Ga.) standout home. But it was almost the opposite. Texas enamored Terry and his parents on the visit, and placed UT squarely in contention for the elite DL. Throughout the rest of the fall, sources near the recruitment kept reiterating to keep an eye on Terry. Still this was one I didn't think Georgia was going to let get away. He had been committed to both the Bulldogs and USC Trojans throughout his recruitment and it just appeared UGA was going to get it done. Texas didn't let that stop them. Chris Gilbert went out to the Peach State in late November to see Terry play. And a little known fact: Kenny Baker was the first coach to ever offer Terry way back with Western Kentucky. So, in the age of NIL, relationships still matter. One of the biggest wins for Texas in recent memory, Terry could compete to play right away in Austin. (SOUTH)Loganville (Ga.) Grayson 4-star Joseph Mbatchou
-- Props to Florida here for identifying Joseph Mbatchou and offering him before the rest of the SEC. New to football and originally from Cameroon, Mbatchou possesses upside not many in this class have. Texas offered him shortly after he committed to the Gators, as did many others. Mbatchou visited Austin for the UTSA game in September and set a return official visit for the Georgia game. Coming off UGA weekend, it was clear Texas had surged ahead in his recruitment. He de-committed from UF shortly after returning home. Still, he had a busy November slate of visits and schools to see. But Texas was at the very least tied atop his list. Mbtachou made a surprise return to Austin for the Kentucky game where he committed. Once we learned he was on the Forty Acres we expected an announcement from him shortly. In fact, I was in San Francisco that weekend for a wedding and was walking across the Golden Gate Bridge when he announced. That's my first — and probably only — commitment I'll ever cover on the Golden Gate Bridge. Luckily technology allows us to work anywhere with a phone signal. A week later Florida punched back and snuck Mbatchou in for one last look at the Gators. He held UF in high regard considering their pursuit of him early, and with UF trending up late in the season and Billy Napier getting the backing of at least one more year as head coach, Mbtachou opted to stick with Florida and flipped back. (SOUTH)DL continued ...
Belleville 4-star DJ Sanders
-- Early in the process everyone had DJ Sanders pegged to Texas A&M. Myself included. After his unofficial visit to Austin for the Longhorns City Limits on April 6, Texas started to generate some more buzz. Still it was unclear just how much a factor UT would be as Sanders got to know Kenny Baker. After his official visit to Austin in June, I felt the Longhorns were the team to beat and placed a Crystal Ball prediction in favor of UT at that point. It seemed to me Texas had won over not only Sanders, but also his mom. Had he committed shortly after his OV, I think Texas would have been the pick. He waited, through. That gave the Aggies time to work their way back to the top of his list and get his commitment. Sanders still appeared willing to listen to Texas, though. Communication throughout the fall was spotty. Sanders wasn't a huge talker to begin with. Texas never stopped trying. The Longhorns were in contact with his camp in the days leading up to Early Signing Day. Ultimately A&M was able to fend Texas off, but it was closer than people thought down the stretch. (SOUTH)Greensboro (Ga.) Greene County 4-star Kevin Wynn
-- In what feels like a come-from-behind win for Florida State, the Seminoles held on to Kevin Wynn despite a number of programs working to flip him. South Carolina, Texas, USC and others were all in the mix. Wynn himself told us at the All-American Bowl that he did consider flipping on a few occasions but he had trust in the vision the FSU staff had for him, plus he liked the academic program for the hospitality management program he wanted to follow. See … academics still matter, too. Texas really, really liked Wynn, but he just never budged from FSU when all signs seemed to point that he would. UT never got him back on campus after his official visit in the summer. (SOUTH)Saraland (Ala.) 4-star Antonio Coleman
-- An Alabama commit, an Auburn commit, an Alabama commit, and back to Auburn, with a sprinkle of Texas in between. KJ Lacey's teammate, Coleman visited Austin at the end of July, still committed to the Crimson Tide at the time. Texas really liked Coleman and would have taken his commitment had he wanted to hop on board at that point in time. However, it was the Tigers that got him in the fold shortly after his time in Austin. Still, Coleman was more than willing to take an official visit to the Forty Aces if Texas would have him, even though he had been back and forth so many times before. Texas never reached out in the fall to set anything up, though, opting to focus on its other targets. Coleman did ultimately sign with Auburn. (SOUTH)Nashville (Tenn.) Ensworth 4-star Ethan Utley
-- This was a recruitment that was very one-sided in the sense that Ethan Utley had more interest in Texas than Texas had in him. The Longhorns just didn't see him as a fit in the defense and didn't pursue. He landed on his feet at Tennessee, though. Perhaps the Longhorns would have made more of a push here under Bo Davis, but Kenny Baker set his sights on others early in his career with Texas. (SOUTH)Melbourne (Fla.) Eau Gallie 3-star Brandon Brown
-- This one was pretty simple to diagnose. If Bo Davis stayed at Texas, Brandon Brown would have signed with the Longhorns. That's not a slight to anybody on the Longhorns staff. That's just simply how it was. Brown, and maybe most notably his mom, were extremely partial towards the former Texas DL coach. That's why we saw Brown commit to the Longhorns when he did in December of 2023. To Brown's credit, he still gave everybody an equal shot, Texas included. In fact, after his official visit to Austin in the summer, it seemed liked things were looking up for Texas in its effort to keep Brown. Still, the connection to Davis was too great to overcome. Remember, he committed to the Longhorns sight unseen, so without Davis there, there wasn't a huge connection. And it didn't leave Kenny Baker a whole lot of opportunity to change that. (SOUTH)Randall 4-star Chace Sims
-- The Longhorns offered Sims in March about a month after Texas A&M did, but the Richmond Randle product was lower on the board then other guys and wasn't much of a priority for the Longhorns. He visited Texas a time or two in the spring on unofficial visits but by the time Texas brought up an OV, his schedule was already full as it was too late in the month of June. Sims took summer OVs to Texas Tech, SMU, Washington, and Texas A&M and ended the circuit with the trip to College Station. The Aggies landed Sims a week or so after the A&M OV and he shut it down and was locked in with A&M going forward. Texas never threw in the towel however and was able to become a serious flip candidate in the fall, but everytime Texas scheduled an OV with Sims the Aggies' staff would find out and convince him to cancel it before he was able to make it to Austin. Eventually the Longhorns snuck Sims on campus for an unofficial visit for the Georgia game, but Texas lost and didn't end up meeting with Sims' family on the visit which basically shut down the recruitment in favor of Sims sticking with the Aggies. When we spoke with Sims in San Antonio at the All-American Bowl, he told us he had legitimate interest in Texas and seriously considered flipping but that each time it got close he wasn't able to do it because of how much more of a priority he was from start to finish for the Aggies. Sims is a really bright kid and was smart enough to know based on the communication level with Texas that he wasn't a real priority until the Longhorns got into the summer and started missing on DL prospects that were above Sims on the board. A&M on the other hand pursued him heavily since they offered in February, and each time things got close with Texas they made sure to remind Sims and his camp they were the first school to really believe in him as being their guy. That message continued to be emphasized by the Aggies throughout the season as Sims rose from a mid three-star to a Top247 prospect with Texas increasing the pressure as the season went on, but once the Texas-Georgia visit happened, the Sims ship sailed. (SCRUGGS)New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr 4-star Jahkeem Stewart
-- Stewart had a fascinating last three years of high school and only played about a dozen career games. While he did visit Texas two or three times early on, things never felt serious and an official was never taken as the Longhorns weren't in the mix. There was a lot going in with that recruitment and I think Texas eventually decided the work for Stewart wasn't going to be worth it with the list of other guys the Longhorns were targeting on the DL. At Under Armour Houston I remember someone in Stewart's camp telling me the Longhorns were in the top three on his list at the time and I said no way and didn't believe them, then it came time to interview Stewart and he told me he'd barely talked to Kenny Baker or anyone at Texas since Bo Davis left earlier in the year. With recruitments that are all over the place like that one ws, Texas usually makes the decision on if it's worth it or not. And for how big of a need the DL position was in 2025, Texas had to be smart about their budget and I think it was the right call for the Longhorns to pursue other guys. (SCRUGGS)Cy-Fair 3-star Landon Rink
-- Texas, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma were the early front runners for the Texas legacy who was teammates with Texas 2024 QB Trey Owens at Cy Fair. The Longhorns were the early favorite for obvious reasons and at one point I put in an early crystal ball prediction in favor of Texas. The Longhorns were always in a good spot with Rink with Bo Davis recruiting him to Texas, but I never got a clear read of where Texas actually had Rink on the board at the time. I always assumed he would've been a take at the time and I think that's true considering Texas was communicating enough with him to be the leader in the recruitment above other bigtime programs, but things with Rink and Texas quickly went downhill in January. Bo Davis left Austin on Jan. 10 and Kenny Baker was hired on Jan. 30, but there wasn't a DL coach present for the Junior Day between those dates. Other coaches stepped up and Sark helped things go smoothly for the DL that were visiting Texas while they didn't have a DL coach, but Rink got lost in the shuffle and didn't really communicate with any coaches that day. Heading into the Junior Day Rink was also under the impression he'd meet with Sark on the visit, so when that didn't happen things basically ended with Rink and Texas. I don't think he ever returned for a visit but I also think part of it was just because Kenny Baker wanted to go in other directions once he got to Austin and started evaluating the DL in the 2025 cycle. If Bo Davis never left for LSU I strongly believe Rink would've eventually ended up at Texas, but Davis and Baker targeted different types of DL prospects and the Longhorns were looking for bigger bodies at the position. After the Junior Day visit a few weeks passed and the Longhorns fell way down the list and eventually Texas A&M, Ohio State, and USC became the contenders. We didn't learn of what happened at the Junior Day till a few weeks after, but once we did it was clear Rink wasn't going to Texas so we went ahead and deleted our crystal ball picks sometime in February or March. Rink committed to the Aggies in early April and cancelled his remaining official visits and he never wavered from his A&M pledge in the leadup to signing day. (SCRUGGS)Lufkin 3-star Zion Williams
-- Williams was another top target for Bo Davis that I also have confidence in that he would've ended up at Texas had Davis not left for LSU. Early on it was clear Williams wasn't going to lead the region, and for the large majority of his junior season the two schools leading the race were Texas and TCU. Williams had a lifelong relationship with JaMarkus McFarland who also hailed from Lufkin, but I had a lot of confidence Texas would be able to beat out the Horned Frogs. Then Davis left for LSU and continued to recruit the East Texas native as a top priority and the Tigers also built up a lead. We didn't know about it till later in the spring or the early summer, but Williams has a girlfriend a grade above him who we were told decided she was going to attend LSU around the same time Davis and the Tigers were beginning to build a lead with Williams. The Tigers were leading Texas headed into the official visits, and the order of trips went like this: TCU, LSU, Arkansas, Texas A&M, and Texas. Williams silently committed to LSU while he was in Baton Rouge on the OV but still took the remaining official visits to Arkansas and Texas A&M. However, he did not show up for the Texas official visit and before the month of June was over Williams had filmed his commitment video and released his commitment date of July 4th. Following the commitment to LSU, I can't remember Williams wavering from his commitment or visiting anywhere else besides Baton Rouge. (SCRUGGS)Mansfield Timberview 3-star Dilan Battle
-- Battle was another guy Bo Davis was a big fan of but the same can't be said for Kenny Baker. They're two different defensive line coaches and typically targeted different types of d-linemen in the 2025 cycle. Davis also obviously had a head start on the 2025 cycle since he'd been building relationships with those prospects since he was in Austin. Texas was in the mix with Michigan, USC, and a few other programs for Battle when Davis was still at Texas but both parties ended up going separate ways and Battle eventually ended up committing to play for Davis at LSU. (SCRUGGS)Spring 3-star Floyd Guidry
-- Another Bo Davis target, Kenny Baker didn't view Guidry in as high of regard. The Longhorns were the first big time program to offer Guidry in December of his junior season and we found out about a month later that Texas was his dream school growing up and that he had a closet full of burnt orange gear. It was very obvious he was going to end up at Texas as long as he was a take, but days after he told us Texas was the dream school Bo Davis happened to leave for LSU. Texas still invited him to the Junior Day later in the month of January and he either tried to commit to Texas on the visit or he had a similar experience to Rink where he didn't speak with any coaches. That was very obvious to us when we spoke with Guidry in the parking lot following the Junior Day visit, because while he tried to hide it, you could clearly tell he was pretty disappointed in how the day went. We assumed the Longhorns would officially be done recruiting him once Kenny Baker got to Austin and that was confirmed not too long into Baker's tenure. Guidry never visited Texas again to my knowledge and just two months later ended up finding a home at TCU where he committed in March. (SCRUGGS)Oak Park (Ill.) Fenwick 4-star Nathaniel Marshall
-- Marshall being a Texas target came completely out of the blue once he showed up for an official visit the weekend of the Kentucky game. Texas kept the whole thing completely quiet until he was already on campus, but Auburn was aware and was given a heads up from Marshall and his camp. The whole thing was a little weird to me, as although he had the DL listing at the end (since been changed to EDGE), he was clearly an EDGE prospect and I didn't really think Texas needed more EDGE prospects with Smith Orogbo and Lance Jackson already in the class. We were never able to get feedback on the visit from Marshall but the early returns from sources were that a flip from Auburn to Texas wasn't gonna happen. The sources were correct, and the day before early signing day Marshall flipped from Auburn to Michigan. (SCRUGGS)EDGE
Pleasant Grove 4-star Lance Jackson -- Texas signee
-- Jackson's dream school was always Texas and once the Longhorns offered in spring of Jackson's sophomore year it was pretty clear Texas would have a great shot to pull it off. Texas had some built in advantages over the competition with Pete Kwiatkowski having built a relationship with Jackson when he was in middle school due to PK recruiting Landon Jackson to Washington years earlier. A few people thought Arkansas could provide some competition to Texas due to his older brother being in the Razorbacks' program, but for the most part it always felt like Texas was the team to beat. Things were pretty consistent and then Jackson showed up to Texas' Junior Day in early 2024 and ended up silently committing on the visit before announcing it to the world the following day. I don't really remember Jackson ever having a true timeline but I don't think he was planning on committing heading into the Junior Day visit. But once he got to campus that day, he knew Texas was where he'd eventually end up and he figured he'd just get it over with and he went ahead and committed. Jackson pledged to the Longhorns without an NIL package in place and ended up rising in the rankings and finishing as the fourth highest rated prospect (per the composite) in Texas' No. 1 class. (SCRUGGS)Alief Hastings 4-star Smith Orogbo
-- The Longhorns offered Orogbo in January but he didn't take many visits in the spring so the recruitment didn't really get rolling until officials. I stopped by Alief Hastings in the spring and Orogbo mentioned SMU, Missouri, Arizona State, Kansas, Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma as his list of favorites. He'd already taken OVs to Arizona State and SMU by then, but he had the remaining trips scheduled for the month of June. I was told by a source at Hastings that Orogbo was gonna end up at either Texas, Oklahoma, or Texas Tech before interviewing him and the quotes he gave on record aligned with what the source said. Orogbo's parents were always going to let him make the decision himself, but they made it very clear education should be the most important factor and they didn't care to talk with coaches in the recruitment unless it was about academics or how that program would develop their son into a quality man. The parents were high on Texas and loved the academics the school offered and especially for the career path of real estate that Orogbo has always wanted to work in after football. The June OVs came around, and while the trips to Kansas and Missouri were cancelled, the other ones to Washington, Texas Tech, Texas, and Oklahoma were all taken and in that order. Texas Tech ended up getting Orogbo to silently commit while on the OV in Lubbock, and I changed my crystal ball prediction from Texas to Texas Tech after finding that out an hour or two after he gave the silent pledge. The intel I had suggested a public commitment was coming soon and there was a possibility the remaining OVs to Texas and OU would be cancelled, but Orogbo decided to take his last two visits to make sure he saw all the schools he was actually considering. Texas hit his OV out of the park and were able to change the momentum to Texas leading, but an Oklahoma OV still loomed large with the Sooners being the last program to host him before the dead period. The Sooners did a pretty good job on their visit and ended up overtaking Tech to where the decision on July 1 was down to the Red River rivals, but Orogbo would end up choosing the Longhorns when it came time to announce his decision. Things got hairy for a sec with Texas Tech and it was major that he didn't shut down his recruitment and commit on the OV to Lubbock because Orogbo is a super solid kid that always said once he committed his recruitment was over and that he'd only visit the school he was pledged to. (SCRUGGS)EDGE continued ...
Texas EDGE signee Lance Jackson. (Photo: Texas Athletics)
Cocoa (Fla.) 4-star Javion Hilson
-- Texas was the No. 2 school coming out of the summer for Hilson behind his commitment to FSU (he was also committed to Alabama at one point in time). After he backed off his pledge, several sources felt as thought it was Texas' to lose at that point in time. Emphasis on the "at that point in time." Whether it was a silent commit or a heavy lean, there was confidence Texas was in the driver's seat early in the fall. But the longer it went on, the more opportunity other schools would have. Come late November, sources on the Texas end felt as though Texas A&M was going to ultimately win out for Hilson with momentum the Aggies had built for themselves. But there was a consensus of uncertainty of what he would do. We got the general vibe it just wasn't going to be Texas. In the end Missouri pulled a rabbit out of their hat and were able to land the elite edge rusher late. Obviously it was a very NIL-driven recruitment, hence Missouri landing Hilson after offering him on Nov. 20. (SOUTH)Danville (Calif.) San Ramon Valley 4-star Marco Jones
-- Another elite edge rusher Texas got on campus for an official visit in June, there was just never a solid connection with the Texas staff and Jones despite the efforts. Baseball was also a factor for Jones in his decision-making process. And with Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle leaving College Station for Austin, you'd think that would help Texas' efforts in landing the California native. However it was new Aggies head coach Michael Earley that had connected the most with Jones, which kept the Aggies in strong contention. Had Earley not gotten the TAMU job, then maybe it's a different story right now. Texas finished on the short list, but it was playing from behind for most of the process. (SOUTH)South Oak Cliff 4-star Kamauryn Morgan
-- Morgan was one of the first EDGE prospects to emerge in the 2025 cycle due to his sophomore film and the top tier measurements that paired with it. The Longhorns offered Morgan three days after they offered Lance Jackson in April of their sophomore year, and the early intel suggested that Morgan would not be leaving the state of Texas to play at the next level. I felt great about Texas' chances and knew they were a leader at times throughout his junior season, but the Longhorns and Morgan eventually went separate ways once Texas did a ton of DL/EDGE evaluations in the beginning of 2024. They pivoted off of Morgan to other targets after they landed Lance Jackson and started digging deep in the recruitments of Orogbo and a few others. Morgan's recruitment came down to Baylor and A&M and the Bears were able to win out and Morgan became one of the faces of their 2025 class. (SCRUGGS)Summer Creek 4-star Chad Woodfork
-- Woodfork's story is pretty similar to Morgan's. He was an early offer that frequently visited and was high on the Longhorns from the jump, but eventually Texas went separate ways and it was also at the beginning of the year like they did with Morgan. Bo Davis was also the primary recruiter for Woodfork and the communication dried up once he left for LSU, and the last time that I can remember Woodfork or Morgan were on campus was for the 2024 January Junior Day. Had Texas continued to recruit Woodfork, I think they would've eventually won out. Woodfork looked up to his fellow Summer Creek Bulldog Kelvin Banks a lot and academics were always going to be a focal point in the recruitment, and it did feel like the Longhorns were leading for most of the time between when he was offered and when the two parties went separate ways.Isaiah Gibson, Jared Smith, Zion Grady, Hayden Lowe, Zahir Mathis, Damien Shanklin, and Makel Green, were all guys Texas liked at different times but were never able to get to campus.
Linebacker
Skyline 4-star Elijah "Bo" Barnes -- Texas signee
-- There are some recruitments you can just tell are going to go a certain way early on. Bo Barnes ending up at Texas felt inevitable. Even with the change at LB coach with Jeff Choate going to Nevada and Texas hiring Johnny Nansen, the Longhorns never missed beat with the Skyline 'backer, landing his pledge in April. Barnes became a leader of the class and helped recruit others. And not just Bo, his family helped out, too, connecting with other families whenever they were on visits to the Forty Acres throughout the summer and into the fall. They helped foster a tight-knit bond between Texas signee families. Everyone remembers Barnes showing up to Oregon Week 1 to see the Ducks play. But that was the extent of any drama there ever was in his recruitment. And it's hard to really call it drama. Barnes and many kids growing up saw the Oregon craze and all wished to see it in person at one point or another. The Ducks staff invited Barnes up for a game and that was that. He didn't take any visits elsewhere after except for Texas. His sent in his Letter of Intent a little bit later than maybe some Texas fans would have liked, but that was more due to the fact that everyone else sent theirs in extremely early. Barnes was waiting for everyone to arrive at his ceremony before making it official. (SOUTH)North Crowley 3-star Jonathan Cunningham
-- Texas offered Cunningham on Feb. 1 and were in a good spot headed forward, but for the large majority of the time he didn't think he was really a true target for the Longhorns. Other schools like TCU and Utah were recruiting him pretty hard but Texas was just in a weird place for Cunningham because he didn't feel like a priority but was still attracted to the program and liked what Texas could offer if he was to go there. Texas hosted him for an unofficial in April and then again for an official visit in June, and on the official visit Texas made it clear to him that they very much wanted him in the program and that he was a priority. That made Texas the runaway favorite heading into the summer dead period, and he committed to Texas on July 12 after announcing a top three of TCU, Utah, and Texas just days before. (SCRUGGS)San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) JSerra Catholic 4-star Madden Faraimo
Faraimo and Texas kinda came a bit out of nowhere, and it came from Johnny Nansen's addition to the staff and the rest of the west coast ties the staff already had. Faraimo booked an official visit with the Longhorns either late in the spring or early into the summer, but by the time Texas actually got Faraimo to campus Notre Dame had already built a big lead. I was told Faraimo silently committed to the Fighting Irish while on his OV to South Bend, and that visit took place two weeks before he made it to Austin for the Texas OV. For whatever reason though, Faraimo continued to push his commitment date back after previously having a summer timeline and as things got further from the Texas OV the Longhorns chances only decreased. USC slowly got into the recruitment in the final six to seven months of the year, but ultimately Faraimo decided on Notre Dame over the Trojans and announced his decision on early signing day. (SCRUGGS)Seffner (Fla.) Armwood 4-star Kellen Wiley
Texas offered Wiley super late in the process and ended up getting him on campus for an official visit less than two weeks after the Longhorns sent out the offer. Things moved quickly and the Longhorns seemed to overtake Miami as the leader and especially after the Hurricanes cancelled Wiley's official visit. The Miami OV wasn't cancelled because Miami didn't want Wiley, but it was cancelled because it was logistically going to be almost impossible for Miami to host him for an OV before signing day. We continued to have confidence in Texas ever after he announced he'd be committing on signing day, but all of the confidence was zapped after Wiley went live on instagram for his ceremony and accidentally revealed he was wearing a Miami shirt under his zip up jacket. Before Wiley would actually reveal the shirt I received a text that Miami sealed the deal right before Wiley went on live and shortly after Wiley officially announced he'd be a Hurricane. The source in Florida speculated it was going to be Texas and that a last minute NIL offer from Miami changed things, which made sense considering Miami needed linebackers just as badly as Texas and they'd also been recruiting Wiley for a few months before Texas jumped in the picture in October. (SCRUGGS)LB continued ...
McKinney 4-star Riley Pettijohn
-- It's likely that Riley Pettijohn would be enrolled at Texas right now had Jeff Choate not left for Nevada. The Longhorns were in a prime position with Pettijohn throughout his junior year and heading into the spring, but they couldn't bridge the relationship gap after losing Choate. Not all of that was on Johnny Nansen. He was thrown into the recruitment in the middle of a class and tasked with replacing a top relationship builder in Choate. Ohio State began to make a move on Pettijohn and USC was also heavily in the mix. By the time Pettijohn made his decision several people around him were indicating that Texas had fallen as low as fourth sliding behind Texas A&M as well. From what we were told, there were some missteps on the official visit that could have been avoided. I don't know if that would have changed anything, but it could have been avoided. (ROACH)Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy 4-star Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng
-- The IMG product scheduled an in-season Texas official visit either late in the summer or early into the fall but the visit ended up getting cancelled and Owusu-Boateng never made it to Austin. (SCRUGGS)Shadow Creek 3-star Anthony "Deuce" Williams
-- The Williams recruitment towards the end was frustrating to deal with. Everything was just fine early on. He camped at the Elite Camp in June heading into his junior year and the Longhorns wanted to offer him but according to a source they wanted to offer him in Sarkisian's office and make it special. With the timing of everything that went on that day at the camp the meeting wasn't able to happen, but before leaving campus that day he set plans to return in July for the pool party. Williams ended up having his meeting with the Texas coaches and left with an offer after the pool party, and immediately Texas was the leader. That continued all throughout the season and eventually we hit December and a source close to Williams told me he had silently committed to Texas and the source was asking for my help in setting up a livestream so that Williams could commit on the 247Sports YouTube channel. Williams was locked in and shut down communication with other schools but once we got further into the spring things changed. It was a unique situation. Texas didn't really have a linebackers coach when Williams committed to Texas because while Jeff Choate was still on the staff coaching through the playoffs, he had already accepted the Nevada job. Williams and Nansen communicated a few times early into Nansen's tenure, but as the spring went on a period began where Williams couldn't get ahold of Nansen. Williams was eventually told he still needed to be evaluated by Nansen, and with Williams being a Texas commit at that time you could tell what was bound to happen. Williams knew he was getting dropped by Texas but remained committed for a few weeks for whatever reason before decommitting in April. Less than two months after that, Williams landed at TCU and was able to stay in-state again like he had hoped. The whole thing was really frustrating because we at Horns247 already knew Nansen was very likely to get the LB coach job about a week before Williams silently committed. Texas of course took the commitment originally, but Williams was a target Choate wanted and like some of the DL recruitments with Bo Davis and Kenny Baker, Williams was not a guy that checked Nansen's boxes. He's not the first kid Texas has dropped and he won't be the last, but the whole thing could've been avoided if Texas just told him to wait until they had a new hire when he silently committed in December. It's not like Williams played any football or got better or worse as a prospect in the timespan between when he committed and when Texas decided they didn't want him in the class anymore. Williams was crushed by it and it hurt Texas' chances with Cobey Sellers too because Sellers and Williams were quite literally each others' best friends and Sellers was aware of what happened. That isn't what lost Sellers' recruitment with Texas but it definitely was what made Texas start to descend on Sellers' favorites list. (SCRUGGS)La Verne (Calif.) Bonita 4-star Noah Mikhail
-- A Choate target, Mikhail visited Texas a time or two before Choate left for Nevada but once Nansen got the job he never returned or seemed to be seriously recruited by the Longhorns. (SCRUGGS)San Clemente (Calif.) 4-star Matai Tagoa'i
-- Both Choate and Mikhail went after Tagoa'i hard and at different times but the Longhorns were never able to get him to campus. (SCRUGGS)Jadon Perlotte, Jaedon Harmon, Javar Thomas, Landon McComber, Ko'o Kia, Kelvion Riggins, Jayden Shelton, Keylan Moses: Perlotte, Harmon, McComber, and Kia were guys that held Texas offers but never visited. Riggins and Shelton were offered early on and visited a few times but eventually Texas went separate ways with both guys. Moses visited a few times but he was a Baton Rouge kid that was gonna be hard to pull from LSU so I don't think Texas ever invested a ton of time or effort into this recruitment. Thomas was a guy a lot of schools liked but he was impossible to get a hold of for reporters and a lot of college coaches that were interested in talking to him. He was high on Texas after receiving the offer at the end of his junior season but eventually Thomas and Texas went their separate ways. Thomas is a power four talent that ended up at Texas Southern due to grades according to a source. (SCRUGGS)
Cornerback
Texas CB signee Kade Phillips. (Photo: Texas Athletics)
Tampa (Fla.) Wiregrass Ranch 4-star Graceson Littleton -- Texas signee
-- If I were to really take a hard look at Graceson Littleton's decision to part ways with Clemson and move on to eventually picking Texas, I would simply say the Longhorns did a much better job of presenting a brighter future on and off the field. Texas made it clear to him how important he was in a variety of ways and that resonated well with him. On the Field, Littleton is extremely, extremely competitive. He wants to win a national championship and he saw that happening at Texas alongside many players he knows and respects from their time together on the 7-on-7 circuit. On the field and off the field, there was no better fit for him than the Longhorns. Michigan made it close and made it interesting, but he found a home in Austin and from what I've gathered, couldn't be happier. (LOY)-- To add to Tom's comments, the last week before Early Signing Day, we started getting wind of Michigan taking one last swing to try and flip Littleton. I don't believe much came out of it that concerned Texas based off who I've talked with, but it was enough to keep a close eye on things leading up to that Wednesday. On Tuesday, Dec. 3, Littleton's mother informed Horns247 that Littleton was locked in and signing with Texas on Wednesday. (SOUTH)
Hightower 5-star Kade Phillips -- Texas signee
-- A&M was the early leader for Phillips and the Jimbo Fisher staff actually deserves a ton of credit for how they had Phillips at the top of their defensive back board back when he was a sophomore. However, the recruitment was opened up after Phillips' junior season when the Fisher staff was fired and the Longhorns threw their hat in the ring a few weeks after hosting Phillips on campus for the 2024 Junior Day. When the offer went out I was told from a source in Houston that Phillips' father is a huge Texas fan and that the Longhorns should probably be considered the favorite from that point on. LSU actually became the leader for most of the spring and the Tigers were pursuing Phillips at cornerback like everyone else was while Texas wanted him at safety. Phillips always mentioned he had no positional preference but off record had told me several times he wanted to play corner. Texas was still able to close the gap on LSU's lead and heading into the summer the Tigers and Longhorns were pretty much tied at the front of the race with A&M in third by the time OV season rolled around. The Aggies filled up on defensive backs right before June and ended up cancelling his official visit because there weren't any spots left in the DB class so it turned to a true LSU vs. Texas battle. The Longhorns crushed their official visit and ended up getting Phillips to commit to playing safety in Austin. However, LSU never threw in the towel after the commitment with Corey Raymond staying in constant communication with Phillips throughout July. Phillips flipped from Texas to LSU in private in the first or second week of August but waited a while to post it. I found out from a source outside the program and confirmed it with Phillips and he asked me to keep it quiet but that he'd let me know when he knew when he was posting it. I had a board post on Phillips and communication with LSU that gave a bit of a hint that a flip was in the works but the flip was already done and a few days after that Phillips announced the flip to the Tigers. Texas knew they wanted to get Phillips back in the class before signing day but took a patient approach and let things breathe for a while before reengaging and ramping up communication as signing day got closer and closer. Behind the scenes Texas had a lot of momentum from changing their pitch from safety to corner and with the Longhorns secondary and overall defense playing out of its mind down the stretch of the season. Things seemed to be moving fast and to make sure things went from high possibility to certainty, a new NIL offer was put on the table from the Longhorns and Phillips ended up flipping back to Texas where his parents always wanted him. (SCRUGGS)Fort Bend Marshall 3-star Caleb Chester
-- Chester picked up his offer from the Longhorns in spring of his junior year and Texas an immediate favorite. Chester had a relationship with Jaylon Guilbeau and a few other Texas players that had always spoken well of the program, and when Chester was growing up the Longhorns were one of his favorite programs as well. He frequently visited and over time it became pretty apparent that he wasn't going to leave the region, then it became apparent he wasn't going to leave the state. Chester visited Texas for the pool party recruiting event in July of 2023, and while I was interviewing Chester on his visit experience a family member told Hank that Chester was either going to Texas or Texas A&M and that the family didn't want him to leave the state. Eventually Texas, Texas A&M, Arkansas, and LSU emerged as the top four and all four schools booked OVs with the Fort Bend Marshall product. The A&M visit was cancelled for the same reasons Phillips' was cancelled as the Aggies filled up on DBs, but Texas hosted him the first weekend of June and landed his commitment while he was still in Austin on the OV. Chester went public with the commitment a few days later and ended up cancelling the rest of his scheduled OVs. (SCRUGGS)CB continued ...
North Shore 5-star Devin Sanchez
-- Sanchez camped at Texas in the summer heading into his sophomore season and landed an offer before leaving. I only remember one other time when Sanchez visited, and it was for the 2023 January Junior Day where he was one of the last prospects to leave campus that day. The Longhorns seemed to be in a good early spot, but the entire country wanted Sanchez and he was the top cornerback on everyone's board from the beginning of the cycle. Sanchez based a lot of his recruitment off of development and resumes of cornerback coaches, and he started to love Tim Walton and the Buckeyes around the beginning of his junior season. The family asked a ton of questions to staffs all across the country and did a ton of research as well, and they felt like top to bottom the best decision for Devin would be to go to Ohio State. It was never anything personal with Texas or any of the in-state schools or other schools in the region, he just felt like Ohio State would have the best chance to develop him and make sure he turns into a draft pick. Sanchez silently committed to Ohio State on a gameday visit in November of his junior season and later announced it on NBC during the 2024 All-American Bowl. Sanchez never wavered from his commitment or visited other schools after he committed to the Buckeyes. (SCRUGGS)Conroe 4-star Dorian Brew
-- Brew moved into Texas in his junior season and immediately became a bigger priority for Texas compared to when he was still living in Ohio. The Longhorns got Brew on campus for the second time at the Junior Day and later hosted him in the spring for a practice visit, but it was always hard to get a clear read on the recruitment as Brew and his camp always kept their cards hidden. Eventually the top five emerged with Ohio State, Texas, LSU, Oregon, and USC being the contenders. Brew was actually silently committed to Ohio State late in his junior season and even had a commitment date, but then the Buckeyes landed two five-star corners in Devin Sanchez and Naeem Offord and Brew backed out of the commitment date and eventually his silent Buckeyes pledge. Once we got into the spring I was told by a source that NIL was going to be one of, if not the very most important part of the recruitment and that the father preferred LSU and the mother preferred Texas though I never was able to confirm that. The source was also adamant that while Ohio State was gonna get an OV, there was no way Brew was going to Ohio State with both Sanchez and Offord committed there. LSU had a great shot with Brew's father being a Tigers alum, but the NIL offer from LSU was low and the Tigers dropped off the list after the OV. USC, Oregon, and Texas all did a good job on their official visits and I was able to confirm Oregon was in first, Texas was in second, and USC was in third. Brew never had a set commitment date after the original one fell apart in January, but the source felt Brew was close to settling in on a decision after he took the last OV to Ohio State. The source thought it'd be Oregon and said Texas would have to improve their NIL offer to change that, and a day or two later Brew committed to Oregon out of the blue. The source was adamant Brew was going to sign with Oregon and I checked out of the recruitment for a bit after the commitment to the Ducks. Then buzz emerged that Texas was making a run at Brew and went to go see him at his school in the season, and the Longhorns were able to get a return unofficial visit scheduled for Brew to be at the Georgia game. I kept it quiet until I could confirm Brew was on campus, but Texas losing the game didn't help the Longhorns' flip chances because Brew watched Oregon beat Ohio State in Eugene to become the nation's No. 1 team the weekend before he saw Texas-Georgia. The Longhorns still would've had a shot at a flip even with the loss, but the ship with Texas sailed after Brew didn't meet with either Blake Gideon or Terry Joseph that day and he ended up sticking with Oregon. (SCRUGGS)Mission Viejo (Calif.) 5-star Dijon Lee
-- Lee visited for an official in the summer but never returned. That's about all there is to this recruitment in regards to Texas. (SCRUGGS)Ruston (La.) 4-star Aidan Anding
-- Anding emerged later than he should've but the Longhorns offered in March and hosted for an unofficial visit a few days later and were in a good spot. Sources at Ruston were adamant Texas was leading ahead of Miami, Arkansas, and TCU but LSU was lurking. A few sources at Ruston were adamant Anding wouldn't go to LSU even if they offered late as Anding felt disrespected by the Tigers due to being a top in-state DB and he played at a high school program that has countless ties to the LSU program. I never really bought it because I knew what the purple and gold means to people in that state, but also because Ruston had its connections to LSU and I mean their defensive coordinator is literally LSU and Bills legend Kyle Williams. Texas led through the spring and into the summer and things were trending towards a Texas commitment that was going to be given at the end of June. We actually heard June 29 was the commitment date the day before, and then later that night of the 28th LSU happened to offer Anding at 9:00 PM. I talked to a source on the 29th who told me Anding would delay his commitment and wait till he was able to visit LSU, but I already knew what that meant and I changed my crystal ball from Texas to LSU a day or two after the offer. Anding ended up committing to LSU in August after visiting at the end of July and he never wavered. (SCRUGGS)Upland (Calif.) 4-star Trestin Castro
-- Castro visited for an official in the summer but never returned. That's about all there is to this recruitment in regards to Texas. (SCRUGGS)New Iberia (La.) Westgate 4-star Jaboree Antoine
-- Antoine was a top target early on and visited a handful of times early in his high school career. Antoine's father is the head coach at Westgate who also produced Derek Williams, so when Williams would visit Texas it was usually because Antoine's father drove him down and he'd often bring other Westgate prospects on the visit as well. Texas seemed to be the main competition to LSU early on but then LSU rehired Corey Raymond and Antoine committed to the Tigers shortly after. I checked out of the recruitment then I think Texas might've as well, and Antoine later ended up flipping to Miami where he signed. (SCRUGGS)Shadow Creek 4-star Cobey Sellers
-- Sellers held the Longhorns in high regard early on but eventually Texas A&M and Oklahoma were able to creep into the recruitment starting in January. Texas started dropping from the list as the Anthony Williams situation unfolded, and the Longhorns were behind the Aggies and Sooners heading into the end of the spring. Sellers told me A&M and Oklahoma also jumped Texas because he felt like he was learning more about the programs when he was on their campus compared to Texas. Texas was included in the top three with OU and A&M, but by then I was already pretty confident Sellers wouldn't end up in Austin based on the situation. Sellers scheduled OVs for all three programs but would end up committing to A&M in early May. I heard Sellers reached out to a program or two when A&M was struggling early into the season, but Texas was not one of those programs. (SCRUGGS)Klein Oak 4-star Courtland Guillory
-- Guillory's recruitment happened pretty quick. He blew up and landed all of his offers in January and February and was committed by the end of April. Texas was high on the list immediately after offering and when he visited in March or April I was hearing a lot of positive returns about the Longhorns and threw in a crystal ball pick for Texas as that's where things were trending at the time. Oklahoma ended up getting their own unofficial visit from Guillory in April and absolutely crushed it and before he left Norman another unofficial visit to OU was scheduled for two weeks later. Guillory showed up to the second visit for the spring game and felt good enough about the Sooners to go ahead and commit on the spot in warmups of the spring game. I changed my crystal ball prediction from Texas to OU the day after the OU spring game and exactly a week after that Guillory went public with his OU commitment. (SCRUGGS)Safety
Galveston Ball 5-star Jonah Williams -- Texas signee
-- At one point he was going to Oklahoma, at one point he was going to Texas A&M, and at one point he was going to Oregon, at least that's where various reports had Jonah Williams pegged. The No. 1 "Freak" in the 2025 class, per 247Sports, is a playmaker on both the gridiron and the diamond, and the opportunity to play both sports at the next level guided his decision. Texas was somewhat of an afterthought in the summer. Not that he didn't have interest, but Texas wasn't among Williams' official visits and appeared he would be heading elsewhere throughout the month of June. Then came a new wrinkle. Texas hired Jim Schlossnagle as its next head baseball coach and from Texas A&M. "It would definitely move Texas up," Williams told Horns247 shortly after the news broke. Horns247 checked in with a source that day who still felt it was either going to be LSU or Texas A&M for Williams in the end. Texas turned up the heat, though. The Longhorns pressed to get Williams and his family on campus for the Texas Bash Pool Party and that paid dividends. It should be noted that Blake Gideon worked this one tirelessly. Gideon was still recruiting Williams daily, even when he (Gideon) was on vacation with his family in the two-week window coaches can catch their breath in the summer. After the visit to Austin, optimism started to grow on Texas' end. And it wasn't just your visit-high variety. Texas had turned a corner. It also helped UT's case that Williams' older brother, Nick, a former MLB player, lives in Austin. Williams committed to Texas in late August and the rest is history. He was all Texas from that point on. (SOUTH)Carrollton (Ga.) 4-star Zelus Hicks -- Texas signee
-- Zelus Hicks was somewhat of a surprise addition to the 2025 class in that he was originally a 2026 recruit. A big-bodied safety, Hicks camped at Texas in early June and it was clear at that point that we needed to pay attention to this recruitment. The Longhorns loved Hicks and considered him a top target, even when the talk of reclassification came into play. Texas wanted him in 2025 and '26, the decision was his. Hicks was able to make things work, even enrolling early. Think about that. He could technically be a junior in high school right now. But he's on the Forty Acres getting ready for his freshman year of football. With Hicks reclassifying came some November visits. His recruitment became very abbreviated, so it made sense. Georgia Tech, Tennessee, and Florida all worked to flip him. The Gators were probably runner-ups to Texas, but even with some message board rumors here and there about his flip potential, there was never any concern about where Hicks stood with the Longhorns. He signed on Early Signing Day and the rest is history. (SOUTH)S continued ...
Texas S signee Jonah Williams. (Photo: Hank South, 247Sports)
Mansfield Timberview 3-star Nathan Tilmon
-- Tilmon committed to SMU in early February after receiving an offer from the Mustangs just two weeks prior. The Longhorns offered out of the blue on June 1 and the immediate feedback from a source in DFW was that Texas would eventually land Tilmon as long as he was a take. I put in a Texas crystal ball and the Longhorns set up an official visit in mid June and five days after the OV Tilmon backed out of his SMU commitment. Things were lining up for the Longhorns but for whatever reason Tilmon continued to wait to make a decision and he was also considering Utah and TCU. The intel continued to suggest he'd eventually end up at Texas, but the clock was ticking. Texas was creeping back into the Jonah Williams recruitment and eventually Tilmon just took too long and his offer wasn't committable anymore. A source at Texas told Horns247 Tilmon was no longer a take the day after Williams visited at the end of July and that nugget gave us confidence that Texas was going to be able to pull it off with Williams. (SCRUGGS)-
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Behind the Scenes: How the 2025 class came together for Texas, Part I (Offense)
QuoteThe Texas Longhorns capped off the No. 1-ranked recruiting class in the country for 2025, per the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings. It's the first time UT has achieved the feat in the 247Sports era.
A lot of work went on throughout the cycle on the Forty Acres, with some highs and some lows. In the end, Texas came out on top.
As Horns247 does every year after National Signing Day, we take a look behind the scenes of how the class came together, including stories that haven't been told, fun notes from each recruitment of relevance, and more.
Horns247's Hank South, Jordan Scruggs, as well as Texas regional analyst Mike Roach contributed to this report. On specific players each writer is notated as to who handled that note.
In Part I of today's Behind the Scenes, we cover the offensive side of the ball.
In Part II, which will be released later in the day on Monday, we'll tackle defense.
Let's dive in!
Quarterback
Texas QB signee KJ Lacey. (Photo: Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports)
Saraland (Ala.) four-star KJ Lacey -- Texas signee
-- KJ Lacey gave the Longhorns their first commitment in the class of 2025 way back in June of 2023 on his second trip to Austin. An Alabama native, Lacey loved the city, the campus environment, and Steve Sarkisian's vision of him as a "Bryce Young 2.0." And while Lacey never backed off his pledge, there wasn't any lack of programs still pursuing the talented four-star passer. Auburn had the most buzz. The in-state Tigers never relented and hosted Lacey multiple times on the Plains after his commitment to the Longhorns. Throughout the process, Lacey also reaffirmed he was solid with Texas, but never fully shut down his recruitment until later during his senior year. Auburn eventually flipped quarterback Deuce Knight from Notre Dame. That essentially shut the door on any possibility that Lacey would choose the Tigers instead of the Longhorns. But that didn't close the door on his recruitment all together. Sources close to the situation told Horns247 that as late as the day before Early Signing Day, Ole Miss made a "big push" to flip the Saraland standout. Obviously Lacey stuck with Texas and signed with the Longhorns. One source close to his recruitment said if everything was equal between Texas, Auburn, and Ole Miss, the Longhorns would have always won out. On top of Lacey just simply preferring Texas, UT maintained a competitive edge in NIL and program resources throughout the process. (SOUTH)Duncanville 5-star Keelon Russell
-- Nobody boosted their stock more in the year 2024 than Keelon Russell. An early SMU commit, 247Sports identified him as a top quarterback in the class, boosting his ranking ahead of the 2024 offseason. Texas was communicating with the talented signal caller and appeared as though they would eventually offer. Russell welcomed the potential development in his recruitment and appeared excited at the opportunity to compete with KJ Lacey in a two-quarterback class. There was a point in the spring the Longhorns intended on taking two scholarship quarterbacks, simply from a depth perspective. It became clear that Russell was going to be a central piece to any program he joined, and the idea of being part of a two-quarterback class seemed less and less likely. He did make it down for a visit to Austin in April one Sunday. That didn't result in an offer and somewhat marked the end of any potential he would end up in the class. Kalen DeBoer at Alabama threw his hat into the ring early in the spring, and similar to Texas' surge for Jaime Ffrench, began trending for the five-star quarterback. DeBoer has a strong resumé, coming off his College Football Playoff run with Michael Penix Jr., and Alabama offered Russell the chance to potentially go in and start Year 1. Bama landed Russell early in the summer and he never looked back. There was some buzz that he might visit Colorado in the fall, but that never materialized. Texas loved/loves what it has in Lacey. That never changed even with the rise of Russell. (SOUTH)
-- Russell had a fascinating last few years. Originally Duncanville's backup as a sophomore, the starter (who was a senior) tore his ACL in week one when the Panther played South Oak Cliff on ESPN and Russell was thrust into the starting role and never looked back. His first start was actually vs. Orlando Jones who had D'Antre Robinson as a junior, and Duncanville had Dakorien Moore as a sophomore and Colin Simmons, Alex January, and Caden Durham as juniors. I was there too as it was an out of state double header in Fort Worth that had DeSoto and St. Frances Academy kicking off later in the afternoon with Tre Wisner and Johntay Cook committed to Texas as seniors, but little did I know at the time that that skinny sophomore quarterback making his first varsity start for Duncanville would go on to be the highest ranked prospect I saw that day. I saw Russell later that spring at an Elite 11 regional showcase and he didn't jump out to many as elite power four prospect, but once I saw him in his junior season opener vs. SOC at SMU in late August of 2023, I started to realize that Russell was elite after making an incredibly developmental jump that offseason. Around that time Russell had mostly regional offers with a few other out of state power four programs here and there, but he shut things down and committed to SMU before the month of September was over. Russell would proceed to have an unreal finish to his junior season and brought Duncanville their second state championship in a row. By the end of Russell's junior season schools were becoming aware of how good he actually was, but the schools poking around were an interesting mix because most of them already had their quarterback. Texas already had theirs in Lacey, but in the early part of 2024 began to establish communication with the Duncanville star while several programs like Florida and UCLA amongst others were officially throwing their hats in the ring with offers. Russell then showed up to Under Armour Dallas around this time last year and put on a show and won Alpha Dog MVP of the camp and it wasn't even remotely close. I remember coming away from that camp and thinking he was the best quarterback in the state and could be worth a five-star bump one day. We had heard from sources at Texas that the staff was considering taking two quarterbacks in the 2025 cycle around the same time as the camp, and with Texas' weeks of shown interest in Russell, Hank interviewed him after the camp. Russell has always oozed confidence and that day he told Hank he'd be open to being in a two man quarterback class with Lacey, and in the same interview said "I feel like if I go to Texas I'm going to beat out Lacey." Horns247 didn't publish that quote at the time because Russell didn't even have an offer and even if he did, you just don't publish quotes like that or at least in that situation. It was a weird time to look back on because I do think Texas had genuine interest in Russell but I think they knew they'd probably lose Lacey's commitment if they were to offer Russell, and they obviously didn't want that to happen with Lacey who they identified first. A bunch of other big time programs were evaluating Russell throughout the spring with a few schools extending offers, but SMU managed to hold onto him due to his relationship with the Mustangs staff and a hefty NIL package. At one point in the spring I was told SMU had things in order to where they could've made Russell one of the highest paid athletes in college sports, so I did think chances were relatively low of a flip for the most part and that if one was going to happen it was going to be because it had nothing to do with money and that Russell actually wanted to be at that new program. The Longhorns continued their dialogue with Russell into April and ended up hosting Russell for an unofficial visit at the spring game, but an offer was not extended the trip. Just four days later Alabama ended up extending their offer to Russell and a few days after that he took an official visit to Ole Miss, and the Tide joined Florida in scheduling a June official visit with Russell shortly after. The Tide were able to get Russell to commit on the official visit in early June and the rest was history as the flip was done all remaining official visits were cancelled. (SCRUGGS)
Bellville (Mich.) 5-star Bryce Underwood
-- Underwood was offered before Lacey was but he never made it down to campus on a visit. That's about all there was between Underwood and Texas. The Longhorns will play him in Austin in non-conference play in the first few weeks of the 2027 season and he'll likely be in his last year at Michigan then too. (SCRUGGS)Carrollton (Ga.) 4-star Julian Lewis
-- Lewis was actually offered before either Lacey or Underwood was and it's a little wild to think about when you factor in Lewis was originally in the 2026 class. Lewis picked up his offer from Texas after camping in the summer heading into his freshman year of high school and the same day several sources told Horns247 that Sark was telling folks in the program that Lewis was the most advanced quarterback prospect he's ever seen at that age. Lewis ended up coming back for at least one visit for a game that same fall, but I don't think he ever returned after that. Things might've turned out differently between Lewis and Texas had he not reclassed to 2025, but it was widespread knowledge amongst the coaching world and recruiting industry that Lewis would eventually reclass way before he officially announced it himself in January of 2024. (SCRUGGS)Running back
Shreveport (La.) Calvary Baptist 4-star James Simon -- Texas signee
-- For the longest time I viewed Simon as a lock to end up at LSU and Tashard Choice deserves a ton of credit in this recruitment for maintaining a relationship with the Shreveport native after offering Simon in the spring of his sophomore year. Simon visited Texas a time or two early on after the offer but again I was viewing LSU as the team to beat for nearly the whole recruitment. Then April came and LSU already had a running back commitment from Harlem Berry, and the Tigers were down to two in-state backs in Simon and JT Lindsey. According to a source, LSU wanted one of them to shut it down and choose the Tigers, and while Simon was wanting to take a bit longer to make a decision, Lindsey was ready to go ahead and get it over with. LSU ended up taking Lindsey and both spots in the running back class were filled up, and almost immediately after that things got much more serious with Texas. Simon scheduled a weekend-long unofficial visit to Austin for the spring game, and before leaving the Forty Acres had an official visit locked in to see Texas in June. We felt like things were pretty close to a done deal following that visit. Texas continued to be the only school to have locked in an OV with Simon as the month of May continued on, and before the month was over, Simon shut it down in favor of the Longhorns. (SCRUGGS)Tyler Chapel Hill 3-star Rickey Stewart -- Texas signee
-- Stewart was one of the first running backs to emerge in the in-state 2025 class and he went ahead and pledged to SMU in June heading into his junior year. Following a junior season in which he ran for nearly 3,000 yards en route to leading Tyler Chapel Hill to a State Championship berth, several schools reevaluated the East Texan and he became a higher priority for programs around the state in early 2024. The Longhorns got Stewart on campus for the Junior Day in January where Stewart left with a new offer from Texas and when speaking to Stewart after the Junior Day, it was pretty easy to sense he'd eventually end up at Texas. Stewart couldn't stop smiling and he was unable to control his excitement after landing the offer from the Longhorns, and most of that came from Texas being his lifelong dream school even though he was currently committed to SMU. Stewart would end up decommitting from the Mustangs just 11 days after receiving the offer from Texas and months later in April he'd announce his decision to flip to Texas while still on a visit to campus for the Apr. 6 Longhorns CIty Limits recruiting event. In speaking with a few source in and outside of the building, I was told Tashard Choice felt as if Stewart was the best running back in state of Texas' 2025 class once in-state reevalutions were made in the spring, and not too longer Choice began to sink his teeth into his East Texas running back target. And if you've followed Longhorns recruiting, you'll know that Texas and Choice have an incredibly high hit rate once he's able to sink his teeth into his targets and that's exactly what happened with Stewart.Metairie (La.) St. Martin's Episcopal 4-star Harlem Berry
-- Berry emerged early out of small school Louisiana and immediately had the entire country intrigued with his sub-11 speed and immense production in his first two years of high school. Plenty of schools including Texas made pitches and tried to get competitive, but just about everyone I know always expected Berry to end up at LSU from the jump and that's exactly what ended up happening. He visited Texas for the Elite Camp going into his junior year after Texas offered him in the fall as a sophomore, but I can't remember any other times he made it to campus for a visit. Berry was tired of the recruiting process and wanted to shut things down early and in mid November of 2023 he dropped a top three that included Florida, LSU, and Texas before committing to LSU in mid December. A few LSU sites reported Texas came out of nowhere right before signing day with a push that featured a massive NIL offer, but Horns247 was never able to confirm that and when you look at the big picture for Texas and the guys they needed towards the buzzer, I did not think Berry made much sense for that even if we were able to confirm if it was true.Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei 4-star Jordon Davison
-- Another running back that emerged early on the national scene, the Longhorns were early in offering the Mater Dei product and ended up getting him on campus a bunch early on due to Davison overlapping with several other Mater Dei kids Texas recruited that were older and younger than him. Oftentimes when one Mater Dei kid visited it meant there would be two to three more, and that's still the case years later in the present. Davison was able to make his way to campus a few times early on and the Longhorns were in good standing, but it was clear this was going to be a national recruitment that'd eventually turn into a dog fight. At one point I think Hank might've thrown in a Crystal Ball prediction in favor of Texas, but if not, there were several times throughout the early stages of this recruitment where I felt like Davison had the best chances to end up as one of the two running backs in the class. Then the spring after his junior season came, and Davison and Texas went separate ways over time. Davison visited for the Junior Day in January of last year, but if I remember correctly that would've been the last time he was on campus. As we got further into the spring I heard Texas was still in the picture but that Ohio State was his favorite school and that Carlos Locklyn was his favorite relationship he had with a coach, so once Ohio State ended up hiring Locklyn from Oregon later in the spring, the Buckeyes became the immediate favorite. Things were officially over between Texas and Davison once the Longhorns weren't on the official visit list that included Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, and Michigan, and Davison ended up at Oregon as a surprise to a few that had him pinned to Ohio State. I checked out of this recruitment around this time so I'm not sure who finished second or what Oregon necessarily did to win out the recruitment, but I do think looking back in retrospect that it was good for both parties to split ways. I see why Texas and plenty of other programs across America had high interest in Davison or at one point in time did, but I was always lower than most on Davison and a lot of that comes from his PR in the 100M being in the 11.4s. Yes, I understand he's a power back that's 6-foot, 216 pounds, but I was never really sold and the injury he suffered that ended his junior season did nothing to help with changing that.Aledo 3-star Raycine Guillory
-- Guillory originally burst onto the scene as a freshman varsity starter at Mansfield Lake Ridge, but following his freshman season Guillory transferred out west to Aledo where he immediately took the Bearcats team to a new level. Guillory starred as a sophomore at Aledo and helped lead them deep into the playoffs before sustaining a season ending injury in the fourth or fifth round that kept him out of the state championship game. Guillory's recruitment took off that fall and the Longhorns offered in October just weeks after he made his first visit to the Forty Acres to see Texas take down Wyoming in October of 2023. I spoke with Guillory after the state championship game and he gave off the vibe Texas was towards the top of his list, but I'd be lying if I told you we expected him to commit at the Texas Junior Day. Guillory showed up that day with a cameraman and when he was walking into the facility with his crew, something just felt off. The day went by and we ended up hearing Guillory had silently committed to Texas while on the visit while we were still in the parking lot getting reactions from other visitors. Once we heard about the silent pledge, Hank and I checked in with each and every source we had to make sure Guillory was actually a take. We knew he checked the boxes from a player evaluation standpoint, but we weren't so sure about the mental eval and figured taking Guillory at that point would make things much murkier for the 2026 running back outlook. That said, we were a bit surprised once we confirmed that his commitment was in fact taken by Texas, and we quickly went to work gathering quotes from Guillory while also writing his commitment story. To put this into perspective how surprising it was, once Guillory got off the bus with his crew and his videographer We got the story done in the parking lot right before Guillory popped and announced it himself just an hour or two after leaving campus, but the entire thing just felt off and like something that had no chance of actually sticking come early signing day in December of 2025. I remember watching the Texas visit video Guillory released and thinking there's no way this thing would last for 24 more months. It felt so off, that I actually wrote the skeleton/shell for Guillory's decommitment story less then a month after he gave his commitment at Junior Day. From that point we did our best to describe him as a "soft commit" because he was still taking visits elsewhere, and after a few months passed Guillory was eventually let go from the class. I think Texas had several reasons for the move but I was told the tipping point happened when someone in Guillory's camp rubbed the Texas staff the complete wrong way and the rest was history. Guillory opened his recruitment back up and somehow found a way to reclass from 2026 to 2025 in the middle of what was originally his junior season, and the DFW area native chose the Utes on Early Signing Day after taking November official visits to Ole Miss and Utah.
Additional running back notes
Akylin Dear, Alvin Henderson, Anthony Rogers, Taevion Swint, and Deandre Desinor were all guys Texas sent out offers to, but traction was never really built as I don't think any of these five names ever made it to campus for a visit.Tory Blaylock, Deondrae Riden, and Riley Wormley were all in-state names Texas offered early but ended up splitting ways with. Blaylock was a great tester but I think his high running, outside the tackle playstyle didn't match up well with what Texas was looking for. I'd have more for you in regards to how he ended up committing to OU but I don't know because I checked out of that recruitment somewhat early due to Texas and Blaylock not being a possibility. Early on Riden was pigeonholed into going to Texas by a lot of folks because he was the starting sophomore running back on a team that had two seniors committed to Texas in Johntay Cook and Tre Wisner. When I went out to see DeSoto play in the playoffs during Riden's junior season, a longtime source at DeSoto told me I was wasting my time covering Riden in regards to Texas because the source said the depth in the Texas running back room was too much and that it's resulted in Riden not having Texas as a legitimate option unlike most others thought. Texas liked Riden but I don't think they ever loved him, and after the source told me that information I checked out of his recruitment and I don't think he ever visited Texas again. He ended up committing to A&M early in the spring and was one of Mike Elko's first commitments of his A&M head coaching tenure. Wormley was another early offer and early on it looked like he was going to come down to Oklahoma and Texas as long as he was a take at either school. That last part is important though, and eventually Texas and Oklahoma separated from Wormley as time went on. It looked like TCU was going to lock him down in the spring and then USC hired the Frogs' RB coach and Wormley ended up committing to the Trojans less than a month later. (SCRUGGS)
Wide receiver
Texas WR signee Jaime Ffrench. (Photo: Hank South, 247Sports)
Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin 4-star Jaime Ffrench -- Texas signee
-- Texas offered Jaime Ffrench later than most on Jan. 29, 2024. At the time he had recently de-committed from Alabama after Nick Saban abruptly retired. Aside from Saban leaving, former Bama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins departing hurt Bama, too, as both recruited him heavily. This didn't help new head coach Kalen DeBoer's chances of getting Ffrench back. The Longhorns seemed somewhat of an afterthought in his recruitment simply because they joined the race well after other contenders like Ohio State, the perceived favorite, did. In fact, Ffrench was at one point silently committed to the Buckeyes. His 7on7 organization, SFE, has had guys go to Columbus before, so it was a natural connection. Ffrench's family, however, wasn't as comfortable with the Buckeyes, and he decided to look at every option. UT wide receivers coach Chris Jackson attacked this one head-on, and got Ffrench to take an unofficial visit to Austin for the Longhorns City Limits event in early April. If you look back on Ffrench's comments at the time, you could argue it was Texas' recruitment to lose at that point. Ffrench returned to Texas for an official visit the last weekend in June. He silently committed to Texas on that trip. He wanted to wait until Aug. 30, his mom's birthday, to announce his decision. Everything calmed down from that point until mid-November when Florida, revitalized on a strong back-half of its 2024 season and the renewed confidence in head coach Billy Napier, tried to make a push to flip Ffrench. The Gators got him on campus for their win over LSU. On the UF side, there was growing buzz about Ffrench changing his mind on the Longhorns and staying home. DJ Lagway looked like the next big thing at UF and Ffrench had teammates committing to the Gators from his Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin program. If you followed Horns247 throughout the saga, we consistently reported that from the Texas side of things, there was strong confidence he would stick with his commitment, which he obviously did. From the get-go, communication with Texas was strong, the family signed off on UT, the offense fits Ffrench's skillset, and it didn't hurt that he would be catching passes from Arch Manning. You never say never in recruiting with the way things operate, but it seemed like it would be a long shot get Ffrench to move off of Texas once he informed the staff he was committing back in June. (SOUTH)Sachse 5-star Kaliq Lockett -- Texas signee
-- Lockett appeared to be a longshot to end up a Longhorn a year ago. After coming to campus several times as an underclassman without getting an offer, Lockett and his family were content to look at other options, but Texas offered after a strong junior season and wide receiver coach Chris Jackson clicked with his family. Still, it looked like it could be too little too late as Lockett had his eyes on several other schools. The spring saw several swings in his recruitment with Florida State grabbing his attention early before LSU came very close to landing a commitment. In the late spring, Texas A&M emerged as the top contender for Lockett. While the Aggies looked like they would eventually win out, there were still some questions about the future of the program while Texas was seen as more of an established unit. After his official visit, Lockett and his family sat down and decided that Texas checked the boxes they were looking for. In the end, Chris Jackson was a difference maker, and Chris Gilbert played a role as well building a relationship with Lockett's family. (ROACH)Lovejoy 4-star Daylan McCutcheon -- Texas signee
-- The four-star pass catcher from Lovejoy perhaps never got the credit he deserved. It's not his fault, though, being in a class with high-profile wideouts like Dakorien Moore and Kaliq Lockett in the state of Texas. But he's probably the last person who would care about getting recognized. McCutcheon had/has a lot of fans inside the building at Texas. In fact, one source told Horns247 that some viewed the four-star pass catcher as the second-best receiver in the state only to Moore, if that tells you a little bit about how much UT coveted him. McCutcheon opted to commit to Florida State in the summer, shortly after we saw Moore head to Oregon. Some would argue he wasn't a "take" for Texas. That's not the case. In fact, the day after he committed to the Noles, McCutcheon called the Longhorns staff and said he was still open to listening to them and it was a long way to National Signing Day. And after FSU began its nightmarish 2024 campaign, it seemed only a matter of time that McCutcheon would change his mind and join the Longhorns. It wasn't just because FSU was down, though. Texas sold McCutcheon on the opportunity to come in, work and contribute. Talk to anyone that has been around him and that's the kind of player he is. McCutcheon has a workmanship attitude towards the game of football that will serve him well on the Forty Acres. (SOUTH)Duncanville 5-star Dakorien Moore
-- Texas was in the picture for Dakorien Moore from the beginning, and there were several links to Moore and the Longhorns that felt like it would eventually end up with the Longhorns on top for the nation's No. 1 wide receiver. Perhaps had Texas never lost Chris Gilbert, who left for a position at North Texas only to return to Austin last spring, they wouldn't have lost Moore to LSU the first time around. While everyone looks for a single point of failure in recruitments, sometimes you run the best race you can and just get beat. That best describes how it played out with Moore. Oregon was making push all along, and sources told 247Sports in the spring even before he decommitted from LSU that the Ducks were in the best position. Moore has a lot of family in the Austin area and I think that colored some of the recruitment, but in the end he wanted to do his own thing and his family supported that. (ROACH)Hitchcock 4-star Kelshaun Johnson
-- The Longhorns loved the speedy pass catcher from Hitchcock. He was a top target for the staff and one they hoped to get in the fold last spring. On a couple of occasions it looked like he was close to committing to the Longhorns. On Horns247 we had a shell story ready for such an occasion. Texas was coming off a strong 2023 season that featured three NFL Draft picks from the wide receiver position. As time went on Texas A&M began to pick up steam for Johnson, led by wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins, who coveted the in-state talent. Texas kept working on Johnson but he ultimately chose the Aggies in July of last summer. Not until after he pushed back his announcement time and even considered committing to Texas in that window. Johnson still maintained he would consider the Longhorns, and even showed up for the Georgia game in October on an unofficial visit. At that point, however, Texas had already filled up at the wide receiver position with Kaliq Lockett, Jaime Ffrench, and Daylan McCutcheon. Had Johnson tried to flip, it's unclear whether UT would have accepted a commitment. They certainly pulled back on their press to try and flip him, per sources. Communication quieted between the two parties and Johnson signed with the Aggies in December. (SOUTH)Tampa Bay (Fla.) Tampa Bay Tech 4-star Dallas Wilson --
-- Wilson committed to Oregon in January right after his sophomore season and the Longhorns came to the party with an offer of their own later that fall. The Longhorns had a lot of interest in Wilson as everyone else in the country did too, but we were never able to confirm visit plans besides when Texas snuck him on campus in June for an unofficial visit this past summer. However, it wasn't enough and the Ducks ended up holding onto Wilson for nearly two years before Wilson asked out of his paperwork 15 days after signing with Oregon before ending up at home-state Florida a few weeks later. (SCRUGGS)Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei 3-star Marcus Harris --
-- Harris was another Mater Dei kid like Davison that frequently visited Texas early on with a bunch of other Mater Dei kids. The Longhorns offered Harris early and were recruiting him hard early, but he didn't continue developing as the staff would've liked throughout his junior season. The staff kept him warm in case they'd miss on one of the higher receiver targets, but once Texas got further into the spring and realized that they were going to shoot a high clip going after their main receiver targets, Harris' June official visit to Texas was eventually cancelled and the Longhorns officially moved on. Had that not happened, Harris likely would've ended up at Texas and we felt good enough about that to have thrown in a Texas Crystal Ball prediction at some point as well. Oregon also cancelled their OV with Harris, so by early June he had already taken two official visits to UCLA and Georgia but he didn't have any plans for June trips. Oklahoma needed wide receivers badly and with a lot of their targets elsewhere, they called Harris out of the blue and invited him on campus and a few days later he was on an official visit in Norman. Harris announced his commitment to the Sooners the day after his Oklahoma OV ended, and the Sooners kept his commitment until they dropped him from the class just three days before early signing day. I was told the move had nothing to do with Harris as a prospect, but it was to create more room for transfer receivers heading into the 2025 season because the Oklahoma staff needed playmakers who could be ready to play in 2025 since the Sooners need to have a good season in order for the staff to come back to Norman in 2026. I understand the move but thought it was a horrible idea considering Harris comes from quite literally the biggest prospect factory on the west coast in Mater Dei. Harris had to move quickly after OU dropped him three days before early signing day, and he ended up signing with Washington. (SCRUGGS)Lancaster 3-star Emmanuel Choice
-- Texas offered Choice right after his junior season, but the Oklahoma staff and Emmett Jones had already given Choice his first offer half a year earlier in the spring. With Emmett Jones being a south Dallas native who's one of the most respected coaches in the metroplex, the Sooners quickly built a lead and never looked back. The Longhorns hosted Choice only once for the Texas Junior Day and continued recruiting him throughout the spring and even would've taken Choice's commitment had he wanted to join the class, but he never showed much interest in the Longhorns and again only visited once. I think a big part of that came from OU having such a lead and him being tight with Jones to where he didn't want to flirt with the Sooners' main rival. Regardless, the Longhorns were never really able to make a dent in his recruitment and eventually the two sides moved on. Choice took five OVs to Nebraska, TCU, USC, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma and ended up pledging to the Sooners just two days after his official visit to Norman ended. (SCRUGGS)Shadow Creek 3-star Jacorey Watson
-- Watson emerged super early as a rare freshman contributor on Shadow Creek's varsity squad and picked up an offer from the Longhorns at the June Elite Camp in the summer heading into his sophomore year. I don't remember the full quote of what exactly was said, but Watson was so promising early on that Brennan Marion was telling folks in the facility something along the lines of that he thought Watson was either the best 2025 receiver in the state at the time or he was the best receiver at the camp which was loaded. Shadow Creek's starting quarterback suffered a season ending injury in Watson's sophomore season and he was moved to quarterback for the rest of the season which definitely hurt his recruitment since he was clearly a receiver prospect playing out of position. Watson took a fair amount of visits the summer between his sophomore and junior year but he was once again playing quarterback as a junior. The junior season ended early due to a season ending injury, and as the spring of his junior year went on schools began to pull back a bit and Baylor and Houston emerged as the favorites. Watson's last visit to Texas was the Junior Day of last year but prior to that he had to have visited Texas at least half a dozen times. Watson missed spring ball and the spring evaluation period as he was still coming back from his injury, but he committed to Baylor in the summer over the Cougars. Then just five games into his senior season where he was finally able to move back to receiver, Watson suffered another season ending injury and his high school career was over. I always loved Watson as a kid and early on as a player, but his recruitment was derailed from having to play quarterback and from the injuries he suffered which is incredibly unfortunate. I'm incredibly intrigued to see what he does at Baylor because if he can recover to full strength and overcome the injuries, he's a special talent and one that Baylor very rarely lands in normal circumstances. (SCRUGGS)Red Oak 3-star Taz Williams Jr.
-- Williams popped onto the scene pretty early and picked up a ton of offers and made it to campus for a few visits throughout the first two and a half years of his high school career. However, the Longhorns eventually moved on and started parting ways in early 2024. (SCRUGGS)Additional wide receiver notes
Caleb Cunningham, Quincy Porter, Derick Smith, De'zie Jones, Winston Watkins Jr., Jayvan Boggs, Daylyn Upshaw, Carterrious Brown, James Johnson, and Jadyn Robinson were all guys that held offers but never got serious with Texas. Jones visited Texas ahead of his junior season for the Texas Elite camp but I don't think he ever returned. Same with Robinson and Brown but I can't remember any of the others ever visiting. (SCRUGGS)Athlete
Alamo Heights 4-star Michael Terry III -- Texas signee
-- Michael Terry III is slotted to play wide receiver at Texas but the staff's pitch to the nation's No. 2 athlete as a hybrid Jordan Whittington/Roschon Johnson/Ja'Tavion Sanders is what really pushed the Longhorns up the latest for the San Antonio-area standout. Texas offered Terry at last year's Junior Day, immediately jumping into his top three favorites. As we drew closer to the summer things had quieted down on the Terry front and there wasn't a lot to go off of until right before summer official visit season started. That's shortly after Chris Jackson stopped in during the spring evaluation period and the Longhorns made a renewed effort at pressing for Terry, getting him on campus for the first weekend of official visits in June. Terry had already done one official visit to Nebraska in late April. Once he made it back to the Forty Acres the feeling started to shift around Terry's recruitment, and that was that UT was trending for the elite do-it-all playmaker. Jordan Scruggs placed a Crystal Ball prediction in favor of the Longhorns on July 1 after his OV slate concluded. Terry also saw Texas A&M and Oregon in June. Quietly behind the scenes Texas was trending. At that point we were gearing up for a commitment announcement in August, which then got pushed to September, to October, and so on ... Terry didn't announce his decision until Early Signing Day. That obviously leaves the door open for speculation on what was going to happen. We maintained we felt the Longhorns remained in pole position for Terry. He had narrowed down his options to Texas, Nebraska and Oregon, and at times both the Cornhuskers and Ducks made noise in his recruitment. Nebraska made a valiant eleventh hour press for Terry, but the grip Texas had on this recruitment was too great at that point in time. Even Texas A&M tried to make a play last season, inviting Terry to the Texas-Texas A&M game, a visit he did take. As far as the NIL side of things goes, sources relayed to Horns247 that Terry stayed out of those conversations for the most part, instead opting to choose where he felt he fit best, which was Texas. (SOUTH)Tight end
Texas TE signee Nick Townsend. (Photo: Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports)
Spring Dekaney 4-star Nick Townsend -- Texas signee
Townsend landed the large majority of his offers in his junior season and he took his second ever visit of his recruitment when he tripped to last year's Texas Junior Day after previously only visiting Houston prior. In talking with Townsend after the Junior Day visit, it was pretty easy to tell the Longhorns were going to be a serious player headed forward. But as things got further into the spring, Texas actually lost footing in the recruitment. The communication level wasn't what it was from Alabama, Texas A&M, and USC and the Crimson Tide were able to build a lead. Then the spring evaluation period came in May, and the Longhorns sent Jeff Banks, Johnny Nansen, and Chris Jackson to Dekaney to meet with Townsend and Tanook Hines. All three coaches were present for the meeting with Townsend and became the first school to offer him as an athlete (TE/LB). According to sources at Dekaney, it was also an important meeting because Texas effectively apologized for how the last few months had gone and made it clear to Townsend he was going to be a top priority going forward and that they very much wanted him to be in the program. The Longhorns did just that and put the pedal to the metal at the perfect time heading into official visits. Townsend actually took an official visit to Arizona State at the end of April but he was never actually going there and that was the only visit he took to Tempe to my knowledge. The order of Townsend's four OVs were USC, Alabama, Texas A&M, and Texas and the schedule could not have worked out better for Texas. Heading into the OVs, 'Bama was in first place, Texas in second, Texas A&M in third, and USC in fourth. USC did a good job on the official visit and had been in the top two for Townsend's teammate Tanook Hines for several months by that point, but Hines and Townsend never really cared that much about going to school together so the USC OV didn't do much to change the recruitment. Alabama did a great job on their official visit with Townsend and maintained their position as the leader in front of Texas heading into the third OV to Texas A&M. Around this time proximity became a bit of a focal point behind the scenes. Don't get it twisted, the decision was always going to be Townsend's to make. His parents made sure he knew he'd be supported no matter where he went, but they also did let it be known that they preferred him to go out of state. A source close to the family told me that it came from Townsend's older brother having attended Texas State where he'd frequently return home to Houston on weekends between schoolweeks. The parents wanted Townsend to get a true college experience where he could grow and flourish, and they liked Townsend's fit and the space the out of states provided being a flight away. Townsend on the other hand always told me off record he wanted to be in-state and that he hoped he could only be a drive away from home once he's in college. That's part of what gave me confidence that Texas would eventually unseat Alabama as the leader even in the spring as it was already kind of a two team race. Texas A&M was an interesting contender earlier in the race because Townsend was intrigued in what the staff had done at their past stops, but he wanted to see it happen in College Station. As things got further into the spring Texas A&M eventually fell pretty far below Texas and the Aggies were in the third spot. When I stopped by Dekaney in the spring it was a week after Texas sent their coaches to get things rolling with Townsend. Two sources at Dekaney told me that day they didn't think there was any way he'd end up at Texas A&M and that they felt it was going to be Texas or 'Bama. After the trip to Alabama, I think things got serious with Townsend where he started to believe it was only going to be Texas or 'Bama himself. The night before Townsend's A&M official visit I was told he called a coach at Dekaney and told them he didn't want to go to College Station for the official visit because he didn't feel like a priority and knew he wasn't going there. The coach told him he had to go because it wasn't right to cancel the night before and that he should go into the visit with open ears, and Townsend listened and went through with the trip. While I did think it was already final he wasn't going to end up at A&M, the Aggies put the nails in their own coffin with the recruitment on the official visit. Both Townsend and Kiotti Armstrong were on the same visit. Armstrong posted his A&M commitment the first night of the official visit and his announcement came just a few hours after Townsend was told by the A&M staff he was the Aggies' No. 1 tight end target and the main priority at the position. Not sure what happened on the rest of the visit but the ship had sailed with A&M by Friday night of the weekend. The timing was a bit hilarious because Dekaney happened to be participating in the Texas A&M (school) 7on7 camp in College Station where Townsend had been just two or three days prior for his official visit. In the days heading into the Texas official visit, I made calls to every source I had around the recruitment and the consensus feedback from folks on the Townsend side of it was that Texas would win the recruitment if they were able to have a good official visit. Armstrong going to A&M the week before made things much more clearer for Texas pitching Townsend on being the true TE1 on the board and the true main priority and the timing of everything was great as Texas was also the last official visit before the dead period when everyone knew Townsend would commit. Led by Jeff Banks, the Longhorns sold Townsend on why he was needed at Texas and Banks was given an assist by Juan Davis, Arch Manning, and a few other members of the team that made sure to spend time around Townsend on his Texas OV. The Longhorns were the leader and he knew he'd eventually end up in Austin coming out of the OV, and Townsend told me that himself while he was on the road to Houston leaving Austin. Townsend committed to Texas over the phone a week or two after the Texas OV ended and we immediately began trying to set up a livestream so he and Tanook Hines could commit on the 247Sports YouTube channel. The livestream kept getting pushed back in July because a storm knocked out power to every Spring ISD building for about a week and a half and the Dekaney duo was planning on hosting their ceremony in one of the district's buildings. After enough delays both guys ended up wanting to just get it over with and they posted their commitments on July 15. Things went pretty smoothly the rest of the summer and into the season and Townsend returned to the Forty Acres several times for visits. But as things got further into the fall, Townsend showed up at A&M for a game. While things seemed a bit hectic, everything was smooth behind the scenes. A source told me they believed there was someone in the camp pushing A&M and they also believed part of it was because of a leverage play, but the source also maintained that Townsend himself was happy with and wanted to be at Texas and wasn't going to flip, and that he was just in College Station because he wanted to see the game. I heard similar feedback from other sources too and never felt as if Townsend wasn't going to sign with Texas once he committed. In retrospect, I think Armstrong pulling the trigger on A&M early made things less stressful for both the Longhorns and the Aggies. At times both schools were trying to dance with both guys and make sure both guys felt like a priority and it felt a bit like how the CJ Baxter and Reuben Owens recruitments went down. And to be honest, it always felt like Townsend and Armstrong were going to go to different schools. I think Texas handled the situation better than A&M did but part of that was also because Armstrong kept taking visit after visit to A&M in the spring and most felt confident he'd end up an Aggie by the time things were heading into the summer. The two of them will be fascinating to compare going into the future, as both guys were the best tight end prospects to come out of the state since JT Sanders in 2021, and they both happened to somehow be in the same cycle. Townsend was a fun recruitment to cover because it had a lot of old school vibes as he only visited each campus once unofficially and once officially before making a decision. There were several months between those visits, so each staff in the recruitment really had to actually build a relationship and I think Texas deserves a lot of credit for how they handled things with the meeting at Dekaney in May. If they hadn't done that at the time they did, I think Townsend would've probably ended up at Alabama. (SCRUGGS)Calhoun (Ga.) 3-star Emaree Winston -- Texas signee
Winston was a somewhat early emerging intriguing tight end prospect out of Georgia that also had a really good hoops background and a decent chunk of bigtime programs threw their hats in the ring before Winston's sophomore year was over. The Longhorns offered in April of 2023 and would end up having him in the class by the end of the year. Texas hosted Winston as a game visitor at the Cotton Bowl before later hosting him in Austin for a real visit in early November that was a weekend long. Just a week or two after the unofficial trip to Austin, Winston released a December commitment date and a top three of Texas, Ohio State, and UCF in the same announcement, but he had already been silently committed to Texas since the visit to Austin in early November. Several schools tried to make runs at Winston throughout the spring but he didn't really budge much. He did however end up taking June OVs to Auburn and UCF before seeing Texas last, but there was never much concern from us in regards to his Texas commitment. A few schools tried to circle back late ahead of early signing day, but Winston was happy with his decision and signed with the Longhorns on Dec. 4 before enrolling early in Austin about a month later. (SCRUGGS)Jasper 4-star Kiotti Armstrong
-- The Armstrong recruitment lines up a lot with Nick Townsend's recruitment and it shares a fair amount of similarities with Ty'Anthony Smith's recruitment as well. Anyone who did enough work into digging into Armstrong's recruitment quickly realized that while he did show some form of interest in a few out of state schools, he was always going to end up at one of the two main in-state schools. And with Armstrong being a kid who emerged onto the scene relatively early or at least in comparison to most southeast Texas kids, there wasn't a ton of noteworthy activity for the large duration of the recruitment. Armstrong frequently visited both Texas and Texas A&M and always gave high praise to both while also keeping his cards a bit revealed, so we viewed the recruitment as being 50/50 for a lot of it. Eventually the spring of 2024 came and Armstrong visited A&M more than all of the trips he took to other schools combined, and like I said in Townsend's section, a lot of folks were aware Armstrong was an A&M lean by late spring/early summer. After committing to A&M on the first day of the official visit, Armstrong cancelled his remaining OVs that were scheduled for LSU and Texas. Armstrong confirmed that Texas finished second for him behind A&M at the Navy All-American bowl week. Texas swung back around several times between the A&M commitment and signing day, but Armstrong was happy with his decision to choose the Aggies. (SCRUGGS)El Dorado Hills (Calif.) Oak Ridge 4-star Kaleb Edwards
-- In hindsight it was going to be a tough ask for any program not named Alabama to win out for Kaleb Edwards, even with him being over 2,000 miles away. Kalen DeBoer and Nick Sheridan identified him early when they were at Washington. That relationship extended to T-Town. Edwards and his family had a comfort level with the Alabama staff they didn't with any other staff recruiting them. Texas still contended, though. They had him on campus for the Orange-White Game and then again for an official visit in the summer. In the end, the sense of connection with Bama was too much to overcome. (SOUTH)Additional tight end notes
Jack Van Dorselaer, Keiundre Johnson, Linkon Cure, Hollis Davidson, Ethan Barbour, AJ Ia, Ryan Ghea, Bear Tenney: Van Dorselaer was a guy that intrigued the Texas staff but he hated the recruitment process and committed to Tennessee super early and didn't pick up the phone for anyone else after. I think he could've developed into a true Texas target but I think he just shut it down before Texas or a lot of other schools really got to get to know him well as a player and a prospect. Johnson got moved to EDGE in his junior year of high school because of his team's need and basically became an EDGE prospect for a few schools around then. Cure and Barbour visited Texas in March with their 7on7 teams and met with Jeff Banks on the visit but neither had been to Texas before then or had really much dialogue with the Longhorns. I spoke with both Barbour and Cure at a 7on7 tournament the day after they visited, and they both said it was just too late in their processes for Texas to be a true contender for either of them. Davidson, Ia, and Ghea were all out of state guys that had offers but I don't remember them visiting. (SCRUGGS)Offensive line
Loganville (Ga.) Grayson 4-star Nick Brooks -- Texas signee
-- Nick Brooks showed up to the Texas Orange-White Game last April and not much was made of it other than he had a great trip and intended to return for an official visit in the summer. At the time he resided in Iowa, he had recently de-committed from the Hawkeyes and was looking for his next home. Everything changed on the official visit to Austin in the summer. As Horns247 reported at the time, there was a growing sense of optimism that Texas would win out, even with the program still awaiting decisions from prospects like Michael Fasusi. Brooks returned home to the state of Georgia for his senior year, joining powerhouse Grayson. That didn't impede any efforts from the Texas end, even with Georgia pushing for Brooks and having home-state advantage. And even though Texas was trending, there was still some pause as to what he might do on our end. It appeared in the summer that every program he was visiting felt good about its chances to land Brooks by the end of the weekend. Texas' optimism just extended into late summer. By the time Brooks was ready to announce in August, most felt confident UT would win out over Georgia and USC. That's what happened. Later in the fall, Auburn made a big push to try and get Brooks to take a late official visit. He did unofficially visit the Plains, but it was more to just join friends from Grayson than it was to actually consider the Tigers. One source close to the recruitment said once he committed it was done. And the fact that Texas made back-to-back playoff appearances was a huge selling point that "absolutely helped" the Longhorns wrap this one up. (SOUTH)Port Neches-Groves 3-star Jackson Christian -- Texas signee
-- The Longhorns offered Christian at a camp in mid June heading into his junior year and immediately it became the favorite. Texas originally wanted Christian to come camp a week earlier for the invite-only elite camp, but Christian didn't show up because he only had a few G5 offers and he didn't think he was good enough. After no-showing the elite camp, Jeff Banks called him and asked him what he was thinking and eventually convinced Christian to attend another camp later in the month. Christian showed up at the camp later in the month, performed well, and left with an offer. The Longhorns led the entirety of the junior season and were the runaway favorite until Texas A&M's recently hired staff offered Christian in early January. It was 50/50 for a little bit, but the Longhorns eventually pulled away once Christian visited both schools during practices in the spring and he felt much more drawn to Texas' style of things. He knew he was going to Texas after those practice visits, and instead of waiting till the summer, Christian just went ahead and knocked it out and committed to Texas on May 13. I happened to be making the rounds for spring ball practices myself and was in the middle of driving from Ruston to Jasper when I saw Christian committed to Texas, and the next day I made it my scheduled stop at PNG and caught up with Christian where he gave me that camp story. Christian never wavered from his commitment and was always super locked into his Texas pledge. (SCRUGGS)Cedar Hill 3-stars Jordan Coleman, Devin Coleman -- Texas signees
-- These two get put in the same section because they were always going to go to the same school together. Jordan was offered at the same camp Christian was offered at in June heading into their junior year. Devin was also there that day but left the camp unoffered. The early feedback I got on Jordan was that Texas was the dream school and was gonna have a great shot, but that an offer would have to go out to Devin because the brothers were wanting to go to the same program together. I checked out of the recruitment a bit but then the Longhorns offered Devin in February and the quick feedback was that Texas was going to be really hard to beat for both of them. The Longhorns were the favorite throughout the spring but they were also considering schools like Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and SMU. Once Jackson Christian committed on May 13, Kyle Flood reached out to someone in the brothers' camp and brought up that other prospects were calling about spots in the class after the Christian commitment, and Flood wanted those spots to be the Coleman brothers. He made that clear to the person close to the brothers and the memo was understood, and about a week and a half after the Christian commitment the brothers posted they were joining the class too. (SCRUGGS)Lewisville 5-star Michael Fasusi
-- Texas and Oklahoma were the frontrunners at the beginning of the race but Oklahoma was recruiting Fasusi the hardest at the very very beginning. Eventually Texas got Fasusi on campus and then they did several more times and a lead developed. Other schools were always involved, but it just also always felt like it would end up being Texas or Oklahoma. As we got into the first half of 2024, Texas was still the leader but the gap between the Longhorns and the Sooners shrunk the closer and closer we got to the summer. When I stopped by Mesquite Horn in March Lamont Rogers told me Fasusi was peer recruiting him to Texas. But again, as the spring went on Texas' lead continued to shrink. Official visits were taken to Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M but the Tigers were never really in it in my eyes. Oklahoma hit a grand slam on Fasusi's official visit and were able to win him and his family over with Bill Bedenbaugh's resume and the Sooners pitch of development off and on the field. Coming out of the OV to Norman, the Sooners had the lead and all eyes were on Texas with the Longhorns being the last official visit. Fasusi said all the right things about the Texas OV when catching up with the media afterwards but it wasn't enough and the camp wasn't completely won over like how they were with the Sooners according to a source. Oklahoma maintained their lead out of the official visit and were looking to hold on for the next month and a half before Fasusi made his decision. That they did, and Fasusi still ended up picking the Sooners in August even after Texas put an NIL offer on the table that was the highest number I'd heard the Longhorns offered someone in 2025 up to that point. Fasusi was firm on his commitment to the Sooners for months, but as we got closer and closer to early signing day Texas began to creep back into the picture due to the work Chris Gilbert did while Oklahoma suffered loss after loss on the field. Gilbert and Steve Sarkisian swung by Lewisville Nov. 1 to watch Fasusi play on senior night, and earlier in the day Gilbert swung by the school to meet with Fasusi during the school day as well. Texas was beginning to get the ball rolling and things were trending towards Fasusi visiting again and a few weeks later he ended up showing up to Austin for the Kentucky game the same day Oklahoma blew out Alabama in Norman. Things continued to be pretty close heading into signing day and both schools increased their NIL offers in the run up to signing day, but ultimately Oklahoma ended up winning out with the smaller number once more and Fasusi finalized his decision by signing with the Sooners. (SCRUGGS)San Francisco (Calif.) St. Ignatius 3-star John Mills
-- It's recruiting tradition to see a three-star recruit de-commit or flip late and assume the program they were committed to just moved on. That's not the case with John Mills. The big offensive tackle from San Francisco simply had a change of heart. Texas wanted him in the class. It was well-documented the family ties to Washington. His grandfather won a Rose Bowl with the Huskies and that was the childhood favorite. The UW staff offered Mills early but never really pressed for him under former OL coach Scott Huff. Former UW OC and O-line coach Brennan Carroll, Pete Carroll's son, did prioritize Mills and continued working on the talented OL into his senior season. Mills' head coach also played for Pete Carroll at USC and had worked alongside Brennan at USC as a GA, so there was that connection as well. Washington also made a competitive NIL offer, we're told, that helped sweeten the flip prospects. Coincidentally, Brennan Carroll has now joined his dad in Las Vegas with the Raiders. (SOUTH)Denton Ryan 4-star Ty Haywood
-- The Sooners were the early leader for Haywood and for a while was the only school he'd visited outside the metroplex. Once Haywood put together a stellar junior season, schools from coast to coast increased their interest level including the Longhorns and Haywood set up a visit to see Texas for the first time at the Junior Day. Haywood ended up no showing and never actually ended up visiting when on campus later in the spring for a track meet. After that, I checked out of the recruitment and watched it unfold as he took OVs before committing to Alabama only to end up at Michigan come February. (SCRUGGS)Mesquite Horn 4-star Lamont Rogers
-- Oklahoma hit the 2025 offensive tackle class with a ton of emphasis early on, and the Sooners are the main program I can remember being in a good early spot. Barely any visits were taken by Rogers early on in the process and things didn't seem to really get rolling until after Rogers' junior season. Oklahoma, Missouri, and Texas A&M began to emerge as the favorites the further we got into the spring, and Texas was behind that pack with the other schools on Rogers' offer list. It's worth bringing up Texas felt great about Fasusi at this point and probably thought they wouldn't be able to land both of them, but the Longhorns were able to really get into the recruitment for the first time once Chris Gilbert returned back to Austin from UNT and was back helping the Longhorns in recruiting. The large majority of the Mesquite Horn staff came up under Gilbert and he was able to establish a great relationship with Rogers that was built up rather quickly with meaningful conversation after meaningful conversation with Gilbert really putting in work over the phone. Because of Gilbert's work, the Longhorns were able to host Rogers on campus in April and while they appeared in fourth place behind the group of Oklahoma, Missouri, and Texas A&M, the Longhorns had actually become a legitimate contender coming out of the April visit. After the official visit circuit Rogers ended up committing to Missouri and the Tigers won out due to his relationship with Brandon Jones and because he was able to be the face of Mizzou's offensive line class. Eventually proximity became much more important the closer we got to signing day, and the Aggies were able to push the right buttons and pulled off the flip. (SCRUGGS)
Texas signee Nick Brooks. (Photo: Nick Brooks Instagram)
DeSoto 3-star Byron Washington
-- Washington was offered at the July Texas Bash pool party heading into his junior season and he immediately became a fan favorite due to his massive size. I threw in an early crystal ball in favor of Texas once we got into Washington's junior season because I strongly believed and still believe that Washington would have ended up at Texas had he been a take. Kyle Flood loves his big human takes, but Washington didn't check off the mobility boxes and his weight was a question as well. (SCRUGGS)Bridgeland 4-star Ryan Fodje
-- The Sooners identified Fodje early and immediately recruited him as a priority whereas Texas joined the race too late and offered him about two weeks before he shut it down and committed to Oklahoma in February. (SCRUGGS)Atlana (Ga.) Westlake 5-star Juan Gaston
-- Gaston visited Texas in the summer between his sophomore and junior year but never returned for a visit. Gaston had a Texas OV scheduled at one point but he committed to Georgia on his OV to Athens and canceled the rest of his trips. Every single person I talked to in the southeast always felt as if that was going to be Georgia from the jump so it never came as a surprise. (SCRUGGS)Dickinson 3-star Tyler Thomas
-- Tyler Thomas is a "big human" Texas really liked. One the Longhorns had secured pledges from the Coleman brothers and Jackson Christian, space was limited along the interior offensive line. That doesn't mean there wasn't still interest. It just allowed other programs to push harder. Thomas was likely always going to be a Texas-Texas A&M battle. The Aggies made him more of a priority and were able to get him on board. He only took one official visit to College Station and that was that. (SOUTH)Prosper 3-star Connor Carty
-- Carty was offered at the Junior Day but I don't think he ever returned. The Longhorns liked him and had Jake Majors talk to him to do a little recruiting between the Prosper Eagles, but guys like Jackson Christian and the Coleman brothers seemed higher on the board and things seemed to part ways as soon as they started. (SCRUGGS)-
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1 minute ago, BurntOrange&White said:
Which one is his dad? Or no relation?
https://www.abcactionnews.com/sports/family-comes-first-for-the-gramatica-kicking-family
Martin is dad
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The Stampede: Top out-of-state targets for Texas in 2026
QuoteWhen you're the Texas Longhorns, you don't have to go far to find the talent to field a championship-level program. Texas high school football has about all you need to build a playoff-worthy roster. But still, you have to expand your recruiting footprint and dot your i's and cross your t's in this day and age. Kids are taking notice of the Longhorns more from a national level as the program continues to ascend. Therefore, Texas has an added advantage on the recruiting trail with top tier prospects out of state.
In 2025, the Longhorns signed 10 out-of-state recruits in its No. 1-ranked class.
Now, in 2026, the Longhorns have plenty of top out-of-state targets to choose from.
Here, Horns247 breaks down 10 out-of-state targets we believe could top the list of most coveted targets outside the state of Texas for the Longhorns staff.
Take a look!
(this is not in any particular order)
Mark Bowman, 4-star TE, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei
Mark Bowman (Photo: Blair Angulo, 247Sports)
The nation's No. 1 tight end prospect even after he recently reclassified from the class of 2027 to the class of 2026, Mark Bowman is one of the higher profile prospects to come out of the famous prospect factory known as Mater Dei. Bowman fell from the No. 5 overall prospect in 2027 to the No. 30 overall prospect in 2026 when he reclassed, but the 6-foot-4.5, 225 pounder has remained atop the tight end board for 247Sports and for countless blue bloods across the country.
Originally from the Denver area, Bowman moved out to the Los Angeles area ahead of high school in order to play on a big stage on Friday night lights. Bowman happened to grow up pulling for the Longhorns, as his father grew up in Austin and later raised his son to cheer for the burnt orange. The nation's No. 1 tight end prospect has been to campus twice in the past. Once we stopped by in March of last year with his 7on7 team while in the state for a 7on7 tournament, and once when he and a few of his Mater teammates tripped down to Austin for a three day unofficial visit experience the weekend the Longhorns blew out Florida 49-17.
Following the trip, Bowman said "they're number one for sure" when referencing the Longhorns' position in his recruitment after breaking down the three day visit experience to Austin. Texas' main competition at the top of Bowman's list has been Georgia and Oregon thus far, but make no mistake the entire country wants Bowman and other schools like Alabama, Miami, Florida, Florida State, Tennessee, Ohio State, and USC are all in the running too.
Texas will have plenty of pitches to make in this recruitment whether it be their success with another tight end who hails from the Denver area (Gunnar Helm), the Mater Dei alumni in the program (Brandon Baker, Spencer Shannon, Chris Jackson), Texas' quarterback room, and of course the need for the tight end position in Steve Sarkisian's offense. Sarkisian's son Brady Sarkisian, who's a walk-on at Texas, also attended Mater Dei his first two years of high school.
In the same story Bowman named Texas as his leader with Horns247 back in November, he also mentioned his growing relationship with Spencer Shannon and highlighted spending a lot of time with Shannon as well as Brandon Baker when in town during the Florida game weekend. Bowman is expected to take a bunch of spring unofficial visits to programs he's never seen before so the Longhorns might not get a return visit from Bowman till later in the spring or possibly until official visits roll around in June, but regardless Texas has put themselves in a favorable spot heading into the spring. The No. 1 tight end prospect has yet to decide on a timeline for a decision but he'll take official visits before announcing a commitment with the possibility his recruitment stays open all the way until early signing day. (JORDAN SCRUGGS)
Jett Washington, 4-star S, Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman
Before Blake Gideon traveled to Las Vegas to see Washington at his basketball game on Thursday, there hadn't been much buzz between the Longhorns and the nation's top safety since the team offered last August. Earlier this year, Washington told Horns247 that a visit to the Forty Acres would be in his plans for later in the spring, but nothing has materialized to this point. While no visits prior to the spring of his junior year may not seem like an incredibly promising sign, Washington has been busy on the court, following in the footsteps of his late uncle and NBA legend Kobe Bryant, and it's not like he's been taking visits to others schools as of late. Oregon, Texas A&M, Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame are also in the mix here. (WILL TURBOFF)Heze Kent, 4-star OT/TE, Brunswick (Ga.)
Heze Kent with Jeff Banks last week. (Photo: Twitter: @HezeKent)
One of the most unique prospects in all of America, Heze Kent was measured at 6-foot-5, 315 pounds on a visit this fall and in 12 games junior posted 41 receptions for 983 yards and eight touchdowns on an average of 24 yards per catch, while also rushing for 211 yards and eight more touchdowns on 32 carries. Those numbers had Kent finish as the 35th leading receiver in the state of Georgia and on the basketball court, Kent is currently averaging 15.7 points per game, 13.9 rebounds per game, and at least one steal, assist, and block per game as well through 17 contests in Kent's junior hoops season. Kent's numbers currently have him 9th in rebounds in the state of Georgia and 12th in double doubles in the state of Georgia according to MaxPreps.
The Georgia native projects at either offensive tackle or as an inline tight end, but with the caliber of athlete Kent is, he's someone you just sign and get in the building first before figuring out the positional home later. Kent released a top five a few weeks ago that featured Miami, Florida, Florida State, Texas, and Alabama and he's already set up official visits to four of those schools to see the Gators May 31-June 2, the Hurricanes June 6-8, the Longhorns June 13-15, and the Crimson Tide June 20-22.
Jeff Banks recently swung by Brunswick in January and the Georgia native has already visited Texas once when he stopped by the Forty Acres for the Texas-Kentucky game weekend in late November. (JORDAN SCRUGGS)
Dylan Berymon, 4-star DL, Monroe (La.) Ouachita Parish
We recently wrote about Berymon being one of the war daddy targets in the class of 2026. Between him and Jaimeon Winfield, Texas has to premier interior defensive line prospects atop their board, and are in strong position for both. Of course Berymon resides in Monroe, La., but that hasn't kept him from expressing serious interest in the Longhorns. Plus, Monroe isn't as close to Baton Rouge as other LSU strongholds in the Bayou State. The 6-foot-1.5, 305-pound Berymon has family ties near the Austin area and has been to Texas on more than one occasion in the post Bo Davis era. He's a big fan of D-line coach Kenny Baker as well. This recruitment will more than likely come down to Texas or LSU. (HANK SOUTH)Valdin Sone, 4-star DL, Dyke (Va.) Blue Ridge School
Valdine Sone (Photo: Andrew Ivins, 247Sports)
Another incredibly intriguing prospect, Valdin Sone hails from Sweden and grew up playing soccer and participating in taekwondo and ju-jitsu before picking up American football and later moving to the United States to chase dreams on the gridiron. The 6-foot-3, 320 pounder is a widely built bumper car type of defensive line prospect that 10 of the 16 SEC teams have already offered, and he's just now beginning to tap into his potential having played only one season of football in the states.
Originally a 2027 prospect, Sone made history when he became the first international prospect to ever make the initial 247Sports debut top 100 rankings for any recruiting cycle when he debuted at No. 96 overall in the 2027 rankings in August of 2024. In the time since, Sone has reclassified from the 2027 class to the 2026 class in order for his age to line up more in sync with his grade level.
Now the nation's No. 247 overall prospect in the 2026 class, Sone is trending upwards and has the chance to finish even higher in the rankings. As far as Texas and Sone goes, the international prospect visited Texas in late January after previously stopping by campus once the week of the Texas-Texas A&M game. The January trip was taken with Hero Kanu, who Sone happens to share the same mentor with in Brandon Collier who's the lead man running PPI Recruits, the top international prospect "placement program". Collier was on the trip in January and he was also on the trip in November, where after stopping by the Forty Acres to visit the Longhorns, Sone and Collier stayed in the Lone Star State a few more days to catch Texas beat Texas A&M 17-7 as visitors of the Aggies.
Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, Nebraska, and Penn State seem to be the main competition as things currently stand, but once more college staffs do more digging on Sone, he'll become a much bigger priority across the country. Texas has given themselves a good early shot having already hosted Sone twice and from having the connecting through Kanu, but there is a long way to go in this one and the Longhorns will have to outlast several other top programs to land Sone's commitment. (JORDAN SCRUGGS)
Shaun Scott, 4-star EDGE, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei
For a time early last fall, it appeared that Tennessee, Ohio State and USC were leading the charge in Scott's recruitment. Given that the Mater Dei prospect has returned to Austin twice in the last few months to see the Longhorns in action against Kentucky in November, as well as for Texas' Junior Day late last month, Pete Kwiatkowski, Johnny Nansen, and the rest of the staff seem to be back near the top as Scott begins to plan his official visit schedule. Texas is already in a good position for in-state option Jamarion Carlton, as well as Kevin Ford Jr. to an extent, so this apparent full-court press for Scott makes it seem that he could eventually join the Longhorns' class. (WILL TURBOFF)Jabari Mack, 4-star WR, Destrehan (La.)
Jabari Mack (Photo: Hank South, 247Sports)
Take your pick for which out-of-state wide receiver Texas is currently recruiting. It was hard to just select one in Mack, as the Longhorns are extremely high on Mississippi product Tristen Keys, Jacksonville area standout Naeem Burroughs, or Texas A&M commit and Georgia native Aaron Gregory. We went with Mack for the fact that 1.) Texas considers him a top target and. 2.) he's been on campus more than once, most recently for Junior Day last weekend. Chris Jackson was in the Bayou State last week to visit with Mack. He told Horns247 at Junior Day that Texas and Texas A&M were standing out to him, but that he's really starting to like the Longhorns. He was at LSU this past weekend and the Tigers are naturally going to present the biggest challenge. You have to like UT's positioning right now, however, for the 6-foot, 192-pounder. (HANK SOUTH)
Jordan Thomas, 4-star CB, Oradell (NJ.) Bergen Catholic
The New Jersey native is one of the most sought after cornerbacks in the nation as Jordan Thomas checks every box you look for in a defensive back whether at corner or safety. Holding three dozen offers and counting, Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Miami, Texas A&M, Michigan, Penn State, Auburn, Ohio State, USC, and Notre Dame are the main schools in the hunt and all have either hosted the Bergen Catholic product for a visit in the last month, or Thomas hosted a coach from one of those schools at either his school or his home in the last month.Terry Joseph made the trip up to the northeast to see Thomas in an in home visit on Jan. 22, and Thomas has also already been on campus when he stopped by last July for the Texas Bash Pool Party recruiting event. Thomas was also in attendance as a Michigan visitor when Texas knocked off the defending national champs in Ann Arbor 31-12.
Texas has good positioning with in-state cornerback targets Jalen Lott and Jermaine Bishop and might not have to trek up to the northeast to fill a cornerback spot, but nonetheless Thomas is a versatile 6-foot-1, 185 pounder that could play any position in the secondary. If Texas wants to win this one they'll have to win out a national dog fight, but Terry Joseph has a Thorpe Award winner and a rolling Texas defense to pitch Thomas' way and he already has several impressive out of state skins on the wall in Derek Williams Jr., Wardell Mack, and Graceson Littleton. (JORDAN SCRUGGS)
Xavier Griffin, 4-star LB, Gainesville (Ga.) -- USC commit
USC LB commit Xavier Griffin (Photo: Chris Trevino | USCfootball.com, 247Sports)
Out of all of the prospects on this list, it feels like Griffin may have the longest odds to commit to Texas. Over the last six months that 247Sports' No. 1 linebacker has been committed to USC, Griffin has been communicating with the Longhorns, alongside Tennessee, Alabama, and the home state Bulldogs among several others, but his connection to the latter two seem to be his strongest outside of the Trojans. Griffin told Horns247 that he plans to take several official visits this summer, which opens the door for Texas to roll out the red carpet in hopes of a flip commitment, but he did not specify if that would necessarily be in the cards. (WILL TURBOFF)
Amari Latimer, 3-star RB, Tyrone (Ga.) Sandy Creek
Texas has been extremely high on Latimer for the better part of the last year. The Georgia native fits the big, bruising style of back the Longhorns covet in at least one of their RB takes each cycle. My thoughts on this one are simple: as long as Tashard Choice is the running backs coach in Austin, I believe Latimer is going to end up with the Longhorns. I placed a Crystal Ball prediction in favor of UT last summer and still like it a lot. Wisconsin is making some noise in this one with Latimer's older brother transferring into the Badger's program, but I'm not sure if that's put too much of a dent in the Longhorns' chances to this point. (HANK SOUTH)-
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54 minutes ago, AbeFroman said:
Nice pic. Really captured the moment
I just wanted to use the small version of the tweet from the app I use for Twitter because it's smaller and I'm lazy, I could have used the website version that has the full pic but I don't think anyone cares what he looks like
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Recruiting news and notes from Pylon Dallas
QuoteWith the Super Bowl being the only football game left to play from the 2024 season, we're just now getting into the thick of the offseason.
Although there's never a true offseason when it comes to recruiting, there are 7on7 tournaments, showcases, spring ball practices, and college camps all over the spring and summer calendar that provide useful information if you're able to attend whether it be interviews, measurements, or getting a better feel for a prospects playstyle, projection, and overall skill level with an in person evaluation.
7on7 tournaments are usually able to check most of those boxes and today I attended a Pylon 7on7 tournament at Duncanville High School in the southern sector of Dallas where I was able to evaluate and catch up with several intriguing prospects including a young group of Texas targets in the 2027 class.
Let's get into it!
Mansfield Top247 WR Zion Robinson
(Photo: Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports)
Zion Robinson is one of the quietest kids I've covered and he never says much when he's being interviewed. That said, it's hard to get a read on where the top 100 prospect is leaning towards but the schools that seem to be in the mix right now include TCU, Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma. Robinson has barely taken any visits yet due to his football, basketball, and track schedule and he's approached his recruitment incredibly patiently, so getting out on visits this spring will be extremely important for the DFW area speedster. Robinson's father ran track at TCU before running in the Olympics and later returning to Fort Worth to be TCU's director of track and field, so the Frogs are in this one with family ties and proximity.Academics are extremely important to this recruitment which is why Stanford is in the mix, and the Cardinal will have a good shot going forward. Robinson hasn't been on the Texas campus since this past summer and is working on setting up visits in the spring with a trip to Austin as one of those visits Robinson is hoping to take. A bit of a wild card at this current juncture as I could see Robinson heading to several different programs to play at the next level, we'll have a better idea of where Texas stands and where the recruitment is headed the further we get into the spring.
Duncanville three-star TE Zach Turner
(Photo: Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports)
Zach Turner has been one of the most productive tight ends the state has seen in some time as the Duncanville native is heading into his senior year with nearly 1,800 receiving yards and 32 receiving touchdowns to his name with three seasons of varsity experience already under his belt. As far as his recruitment goes, Turner is yet to release a top schools list and didn't name any favorites, but he did mention Miami, Georgia, SMU, Oklahoma, USC, Ole Miss, and Texas as the schools he's hoping to visit this spring. Turner didn't take any visits in January and he's yet to schedule any spring visits to the schools mentioned above, so things seem relatively open right now. I get the vibe Texas isn't towards the front of the group and I think that might correlate with him being a bit of a tweener as a receiving threat tight end that's 6-foot-2, and 215 pounds.However, Jeff Banks paid Turner a visit when making the rounds last month so the communication is still ongoing. Turner's loved getting to see his former Duncanville teammate Colin Simmons put together a stellar true freshman season that earned him the Shaun Alexander freshman of the year award and he's fan of Texas' offensive system, but again, the vibe I got from speaking with Turner is that Texas is behind a few other schools. With Texas heavily in the mix for the nation's No. 1 tight end Mark Bowman and in a good spot with other guys like Heze Kent and JC Anderson, Turner isn't someone I'm expecting to end up in Texas' 2026 class as things currently stand in the early spring.
Flower Mound Marcus Top247 2027 QB Colton Nussmeier
(Photo: Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports)
I caught up with Colton Nussmeier who's the younger brother of LSU star quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, the son of longtime coach Doug Nussmeier, and the current No. 1 ranked quarterback in the Lone Star State's 2027 class. The Longhorns have yet to offer Nussmeier, but Texas quarterbacks coach AJ Milwee stopped by Marcus high school to see the gunslinger just a couple weeks ago. Nussmeier is currently working on setting up spring and summer visits and a visit to Texas could be a possibility, but not a certainty. The Longhorns have offered two quarterbacks in 2027 in Ohio State commit Brady Edmunds and Shreveport (La.) Evangel Christian Academy's Peyton Houston, and I would not be shocked to see one or two more offers go out before the Longhorns end up with their 2027 QB commit.I think Nussmeier is good enough and is a realistic name to be another signal caller Texas could potentially offer in 2027, but we'll cross that bridge if we get there. If they were to offer, the Longhorns could be an interesting contender with Texas' offense and the Longhorns being an in-state program a few hours away. Nussmeier's father is currently the Philadelphia Eagles QBs coach, but he coached under Steve Sarkisian as the offensive coordinator and QBs coach in Washington for two seasons and that relationship could potentially serve as a boost to Texas' chances if they were to offer. Nussmeier is a lefty and if he were to end up at Texas I'm pretty sure he'd be the first lefty signal caller Sarkisian has coached since Tua Tagovailoa, and that could also potentially serve as a boost to Texas' chances if the Longhorns ever offer.
Richmond Randle Top247 2027 RB Landen Williams-Callis
(Photo: Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports)
The nation's No. 1 ranked RB in the 2027 class, Landen Williams-Callis is a special prospect that's currently on pace to finish on the top ten all-time list in rushing yards in TXHSFB history, and if he continues at the rate he's currently on, he'll also have the least amount of carries of any rusher on the top ten all-time list. When I spoke with Williams-Callis he was unaware of the buzz around Tashard Choice and the Dallas Cowboys that started this morning, so unfortunately I was the one who passed on the news that he'd interviewed for the Cowboys running back job. If Choice was to leave for the NFL, Williams-Callis mentioned he'd view Texas differently with Choice no longer in Austin. However, it appears it's still early enough in the process for Williams-Callis where if Choice was to leave, whoever the new hire is would still have a shot in getting Texas towards the top of Williams-Callis' list like the Longhorns have been under Choice.The main reason for Texas' early standing in Williams-Callis' recruitment has been because of the work Choice has done and the relationship the two have built, and on the same note I've yet to see Choice put this much effort into recruiting a sophomore running back than he has with Williams-Callis in my time covering Texas. Williams-Callis is yet to set any dates, but he mentioned Oregon, Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Texas A&M, and LSU (if the Tigers offer) as schools he's looking to see on visits this spring. What ends up happening with Choice could have a major impact on this recruitment, as I did feel like Texas was the program set up best to eventually land Williams-Callis as things currently stand. If Choice ends up leaving for the NFL, whoever the new hire is will have some big shoes to fill.
DeSoto Top247 2027 WR Boobie Feaster(Photo: Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports)
The nation's No. 6 overall prospect and No. 2 receiver prospect in the 2027 class, Boobie Feaster had around a dozen offers entering high school and his recruitment has yet to slow down with Feaster just one offer away from hitting 50 total before the end of his sophomore year. Feaster is set to have two announcements coming up with one including a top schools list and the Longhorns will be included. Besides Texas, Feaster also mentioned Oregon, LSU, Alabama, Texas A&M, and Ohio State as the schools he's working on setting up spring visits for but at this current time dates are yet to be set for any programs.Expect the other five schools that he mentioned to make the top schools list cut as well. Feaster's most recent visit to Texas was for the Oct. 19 Georgia game and Chris Jackson has done a good job at building the relationship especially with Feaster being just a sophomore. Feaster loves Jackson's resume and the fact that not only has he coached players into the NFL, but that he's coached in the NFL and played in it as well. With Feaster being born and raised in Louisiana, I've long looked at LSU as the school that I think will eventually win out and I still feel that way for the most part, but this recruitment is far from over and it does not feel as if there's any one school actually leading the race as things currently stand.
Crowley 2027 WR Tay Ellis
(Photo: Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports)
Chris Jackson and the Longhorns have only offered three wide receiver prospects from Texas' 2027 cycle thus far, and like Feaster, Tay Ellis is one of the three. The Crowley product picked up his offer from the Longhorns when Jackson stopped by the school this past spring, and in the time since Ellis has been able to build relationships with both Jackson and Steve Sarkisian. Ellis hasn't been able to take many visits thus far and he's yet to get to the Forty Acres on a visit, but he mentioned Texas along with Ohio State, Oregon, and Texas A&M as the schools he's working on setting up dates for to see this spring.When he's able to get to Austin and visit Texas for the first time, he's hoping to get a better read on Texas' culture and the family atmosphere he's already heard so much about. Ellis last saw the Texas staff last when Jackson swung through Crowley in January while making his round of school visits in DFW, and the 2027 receiver prospect mentioned his favorite part of his conversation with Jackson was when the Texas receivers coach broke down the individual developments of his past and future draft picks Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell, Isaiah Bond, and Matthew Golden.
Euless Trinity 2027 CB John Meredith III(Photo: Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports)
I'm a huge fan of John Meredith III after getting to see Meredith in person for the first time earlier today. Now that I think about it, the state of Texas is on an unreal run in producing prospects that have the same name as their father and grandfather with guys like Meredith, John Turntine III, and Michael Terry III all coming to mind immediately. Meredith is a legit 6-foot-2.5 and I would not be shocked if he measured in at 6-foot-3. While the size is what catches your eye immediately, it's Meredith's ability to move at that size that has had him already pick up a dozen plus offers with his list steadily growing. Originally a quarterback/wide receiver, Meredith is just now starting to tap into his potential as he's only played defensive back for one season.As far as the recruitment goes, Meredith tripped to College Station for A&M's Junior Day in January and he's working on visiting Texas, TCU, and Baylor before the spring is over. Meredith was offered by Texas when he visited Austin for the Mississippi State game in December, and the spring visit to Austin will be his first time back on the Forty Acres since then. The Longhorns are an early standout alongside Baylor, Texas A&M, and TCU, but there's a long way to go in this recruitment as in my eyes Meredith is well on his way to eventually being a Top247 prospect. Texas seems to already be in a good spot for the DFW area native but the Longhorns might be able to boost their chances if they're able to close on 2026 IOL target Toa Katoa who also attends Euless Trinity.
North Crowley 2028 WR Damarion “Champ” Mays
(Photo: Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports)
I've heard about this kid since he was in eighth grade and have been a big fan since. But after seeing Damarion Mays in person for the first time today, he's easily the best 2028 WR prospect I've seen thus far and it isn't remotely close. Mays transferred into North Crowley just weeks ago, but as a freshman on varsity at Life Oak Cliff (which plays 3A-DI competition), Mays accounted for 68 receptions for 1,640 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns on an average of 24.12 yards per catch en route to a season in which he finished 17th in the nation and 3rd in the state of Texas in receiving yards.Again, this kid is a freshman and has only been in high school for about four and a half months. He's also already 6-foot-3, and 184 pounds. Mays has already picked up 17 offers and will likely finish with three dozen by the time all is said and done. Texas has yet to offer, but I doubt that'll last much longer with how much Texas recruits North Crowley and with how good Mays is. In talking with Mays, the Longhorns are a school he's yet to hear from but if Texas was to offer, they'd immediately be towards the top of his list. Although Mays is originally from Arkansas, he's spent most of his life in Texas and the Longhorns have long been a school that's caught his eye.
Life Oak Cliff 2029 ATH Sukora Cooper Jr.(Photo: Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports)
If you've followed my work for any amount of time you'll know how little I care about prospects when they're still in middle school due to obvious reasons. However, Sukora Cooper Jr. is an exception. I entered today not knowing he even existed but that quickly changed once he was pointed out to me as an eighth grader playing in the 18u division at the tournament. Less than a minute later, Cooper went deep and caught a full length of the field touchdown pass on his team's first play of the drive.North Texas has already offered and I would not be shocked to see more schools throw their hats in the ring before Cooper starts high school in August. Cooper is also already 6-foot-1 and likely has some growth ahead of him and if he's able to continue developing, he'll have a shot to end up as one of the top WR prospects in the state of Texas' 2029 class. Cooper is the first 2029 prospect I've noted down that doesn't have some familial tie to a former college or NFL player, and he's certainly a name to watch going forward for the Lone Star State's 2029 class.
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18 hours ago, shadow_operative2.0 said:
Veronica is even fatter than whatever season we saw her on last.
Eh she looks the same as the last season of all-stars
I have more questions for Sam who looks like she ate Veronica
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2 hours ago, OnAComputer said:
Have you seen the size of those baseball contracts? If you can get that, forget football.
At the risk of taking us on a tangent this feels very much like a 20 year old argument. Yes, Shohei's has an absurd contract but only top 10 type players get even close to that type of deal and you have to slog for years just to get that one single contract while most of the other contracts have stagnated/grown minimally. I think in the past almost every level of player would have been better going the MLB path if they were equalish in skill in both but now the entrenched starter/pro bowl/all-star player it could be argued has higher upside in the NFL. Hall of famers/journeymen/guys struggling to keep their spots you definitely prefer to be in MLB.
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The Stampede: Five visitors from Saturday's Junior Day that have the highest chances to end up at Texas
QuoteThe Texas Longhorns held their annual January Junior Day recruiting event this past Saturday and it was a busy day on campus.
With dozens of prospects on campus, several left with a new offer from the Longhorns, several left with Texas official visit dates, and several left with the burnt orange as the current leader in their individual recruitments.
Horns247 was on-site and spoke with nearly every prospect in attendance once the day was over, and in this story we're breaking down the five visitors from Saturday's Junior Day that have the highest chances to end up at Texas.
Let's get into it!
Javian Osborne, RB, Forney
Michigan, Georgia, Notre Dame and plenty of others are going to make Texas work for it, but at the end of the day, the groundwork the Longhorns have laid in the Forney product's recruitment, I feel, will be too much for an other school to overcome. Osborne has been to Austin countless times, and has held an offer from the staff since prior to his sophomore season in high school. He hasn't named leaders, but he's always maintained he holds Texas in high regard. Osborne told Horns247 after Junior Day that Texas running back coach Tashard Choice is probably his closest connection he's made in the recruiting process so far. (SOUTH)
Max Wright, OT, Melissa
When Texas offered Wright on back on July 25, you could tell at that moment where this thing was headed. Fast forward to January and the Longhorns remain firmly atop the Melissa product's leaderboard. The main challenger at this point in time is SMU. It should be noted other schools like Michigan, Arkansas, Stanford, and TCU have all offered this month. There are likely plenty more offers to come for the 6-foot-8, 310-pounder as well. Wright has an official visit locked in for June 20 at Texas and plans to narrow down his recruitment in the coming weeks. I placed a Crystal Ball prediction in favor of UT back in the summer when the staff offered and I still like that pick a lot as we draw closer to February. (SOUTH)
Nic Robertson, IOL, Klein
It's felt like Texas has been in the driver's seat for the 6-foot-3, 335 pounder since the Longhorns offered Robertson at the invite only June 1 Texas Elite Camp, and in the time since it's felt like Texas has maintained their momentum with the big human from the Houston area. Robertson has visited the Forty Acres five more times since then for the July Texas Bash Pool Party, the Texas-Mississippi State game, the Texas-Georgia game, the Texas-Kentucky game, and for this past weekend's Junior Day. Kyle Flood's work in this recruitment and his production of offensive linemen into the NFL are some of the main reasons for Texas' standing, and the Longhorns were quick to set up an official visit for the June 20-22 weekend with Robertson before he left campus on Saturday. The Aggies might be the main competition in this one, but Horns247 is getting closer and closer to entering in a 247Sports Crystal Ball Prediction in favor of the Longhorns eventually winning out for the big human from the Houston area. (SCRUGGS)
Chace Calicut, S, North Shore
The North Shore product named Texas as the No. 1 school in his recruitment just days after being offered by the Longhorns this past week, and he only doubled down and reaffirmed that statement when speaking with Horns247 following the conclusion of Saturday's Junior Day. Calicut also took a trip to Oregon between those comments of Texas being No. 1, and on the upcoming schedule are more unofficial trips to Michigan and Alabama. Those four programs along with LSU and Texas A&M round out the main competition for the North Shore product at this time, though there's a lot of time left before Calicut plans to make his decision in the summer. On Saturday Texas told Calicut they want him as a safety, and that also seems to be resonating well with him as safety is his positional preference over cornerback, though there's still a few programs recruiting Calicut purely as a defensive back with the long term positional home being something that'll be figured out once Calicut gets to campus. Calicut spoke incredibly high of Texas all throughout last spring and repeatedly told me they were his dream school before Texas was aware of who he was, and now that Calicut has blown up and picked up offers from all across the country, the Longhorns are in a great spot to eventually close on the 6-foot-3, 190 pound safety prospect from one of the state's top programs in North Shore. (SCRUGGS)
Jalen Lott, ATH, Frisco Panther Creek
Listed by 247Sports as a wide receiver after Lott previously said he was wanting to play wide receiver at the next level, there's a chance Lott's positional designation could end up being changed back to athlete with Texas and several other schools now pitching a role to lot in which he'd primarily play cornerback with a few additional snaps at the receiver position and potentially return position in special teams as well. Those pitches seem to be resonating well with Lott, and he's already set up two official visits for Texas (June 13-15) and Oregon (June 20-22). Lott also has unofficials coming up where he'll see Oklahoma, LSU, Alabama, and Georgia. Although it's a bit unclear who Texas' main competition is at this current juncture, the legacy factor and priority of the DFW area native has Horns247 feeling good about Texas' chances of eventually landing the two-way standout that has a ridiculous track and field profile. Horns247's Hank South has already gone ahead and entered a 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction in favor of the Longhorns. (SCRUGGS)
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A certified DIME couldn't convince Knowles to come to OU, melt incoming
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3 minutes ago, Zeus said:
He was doing it to get attention. It's so obvious lmao
Distractions
Also, you guys need a new name for your political adversaries. Calling everyone Nazi is so strange. Nazis have gone all the way down the drain but somehow they are still a popular term.
I can't figure out if you are talking about tattoo'ed neo-nazi degenerate prisoners or talking about methed out 1940s Germans.
Where are the hidden Nazi symbols?
ok why has he supported the AfD in Germany which are modern Nazis
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Former offer
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8 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:
A lot of wrong information about the Greathouse recruitment. I’m friends with a father of one of his hs teammates. Greathouse wanted to come to Texas, but early in the recruiting season Texas had him rated behind a few other guys. By the time Texas circled back around to him as a priority he was already locked into ND and Texas could not flip him.
This is how I remember it. And there were definitely people on here frustrated by that because of his tape.
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UT's next basketball coach - discussion/debate [Sean Miller Hired]
in Basketball
Posted
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/43974665/duke-associate-coach-jai-lucas-focus-miami-search
Not the type of candidate CDC has gone after but he was gonna be tied to the job