CJ Vogel
Recapping the visits for Xavier Griffin and Brayden Rouse
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Xavier Griffin, LB, Gainesville (Ga.) High
One of the top targets on the board for the Longhorns this weekend and major priority for the 2026 class, Xavier Griffin, recapped his official visit. The Longhorns are right in the thick of things here for the five-star linebacker.
"I would just say being around the guys," Griffin said about the highlights of his trip. "It was a good time. I just enjoyed the visit."
LaAllen Clark has been running point on this recruitment and the relationship with Griffin has been paying off thus far.
"(He was) trying to stress how bad they want me," Griffin said about Clark. "Just trying to show me how they can use me and take me to the next level."
Of course, Clark coaches on the defensive edge spot, and that is a position that Griffin has been receptive to play. At 6-feet-4-inches and 205 pounds, Clark has some Anthony Hill Jr. tendencies to his game that Texas envisions using off the edge and in the middle of the field. That idea of getting after the passer and playing off ball linebacker is something that Griffin is open to.
Griffin told me that he hears a mix from each school in his recruitment about their plan to use him at the next level. Some pitch off ball only, some off the edge, and others with a mix of both.
Zelus Hicks and Bo Barnes were singled out as two of the guys Griffin was able to spend most of his time with during the trip. Griffin also said he was able to sit down with Steve Sarkisian on Sunday morning and discuss how he would fit in at Texas should he choose the Longhorns.
There is a decision date for Griffin set for June 29.
"A lot of talks with my mom, my family, my circle," Griffin said.
Griffin says he doesn't have a "leader" currently in his recruitment. But with that decision date closing in, there will be some big decisions made here in the next two weeks. Florida State will host the five-star backer next weekend.
Texas is right in the thick of things. Alabama remains the biggest threat and Florida State will get the final crack this weekend.
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Brayden Rouse, LB, Kell (Ga.) High
Continuing the theme of elite Georgia prospects on campus this weekend was LB Brayden Rouse, out of Kell High. The three-sport star was offered by the Horns back in late January and Texas has done a great job of climbing the ranks in this out of state recruitment.
There remains work to do, but Texas gave Rouse a lot to think about this weekend.
"It was a great," Rouse said. "This is my second time being on campus, obviously, so coming down and just continuing to build those relationships with the coaches and players was huge. Getting to see the town more and Austin, itself was great."
Bo Barnes was once again mentioned as one of the hosts this weekend. It sounded like Barnes put in a good word about his time so far on campus and laid out why he ended up committing to the Longhorns.
"His message was, 'It's going to be hard when you come in, but they are going to help you with the transition obviously. But you are going to have to come in and work,'" Rouse said. "I expected that, but for him to relay that message, shows that what they are saying is real. He told me several times during the visit that what (the coaches) were telling him before he came is actually what they do when you get here. It was the same way they were acting during the recruiting process, is how they act when you get here."
Texas was able to sit down with Rouse on the official visit and pitch where he would fit in the defensive picture. The 6-foot-3-inch, 210-pound linebacker fits more of the traditional middle of the defense than what is being pitched to Griffin above.
"Seeing how I would fit in their scheme, I mean that was my biggest question coming into the visit," Rouse said. "Seeing how I would fit into their scheme and seeing that they have a plan for me is huge. That was the biggest thing for me."
The visit to watch in this recruitment comes next weekend. Rouse will return to Tennessee for his final official visit, a campus that he is the most familiar with in his recruitment. Rouse visited the Vols April 12 and May 24 of this spring, and of course returns this weekend.
Rouse has been to Tennessee the most of any school that has been recruiting him and my expectation is that the Vols do whatever they can to ensure that he does not leave the trip with any questions about where he wants to be.
Still, Rouse mentioned he is hoping to stick to his commitment play of the first or second week in July.
The decision process will come down to a sit down with his parents after each visit. There will be deliberation between the visit, the campus, the football scheme, the education and everything in between. Rouse said he and his family will break down the pros and cons, then assign each visit a score before doing the same process again once all of his official visits have concluded.
Steve Sarkisian made it clear to Rouse on the trip that the Longhorns are recruiting him as a top priority this cycle, but the work done by Tennessee should not be discounted.