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Longhornfrenzy

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  1. Decision time approaching for 5-star DL Dominick McKinley Billy Embody 5-star DL Dominick McKinley. (On3) 2024 Acadiana (La.) defensive lineman Dominick McKinley is approaching his decision on Sept. 1, knocking out his decision before his senior season. The five-star prospect has LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M among the programs heavily in the mix for him. Texas leads the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine over LSU right now, but will that change? I can see another program landing McKinley. I could see him ending up at Texas. That said, like Shea Dixon reported last week, sources will vary on where they see McKinley landing. LSU had him on campus for the Bayou Splash, offering his brother and 2026 prospect Darryus McKinley. His family and coaches were with him in Baton Rouge for the visit, which was the most positive visit the Tigers had of the recruitment. McKinley opened up more than he had previously and sources left the visit feeling better. There’s the reality though that other programs over the spring and into summer built a stronger base with McKinley and his family. Texas is certainly one of those programs as is Ohio State, Oklahoma and Texas A&M. LSU was playing catch-up here in a sense. Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson, Texas A&M defensive line coach Elijah Robinson, Oklahoma defensive line coach Todd Bates and Texas defensive line coach Bo Davis all have impressive recruiting resumes and are strong relationship builders. The first two are two of the best in the nation right now. Ohio State carried a large amount of buzz behind the scenes lately, but there was a thought LSU punched back against the Buckeyes with their visit and the staff putting in work behind the scenes. While I do think Oklahoma has done a good job, I don’t get the sense the Sooners are in that lead group right now. I do think LSU, Ohio State, Texas and Texas A&M are among that top group battling away. I could see any of these schools winning out. While there’s been more of a buzz from Ohio State and Texas over the summer, don’t sleep on Texas A&M either. Robinson is one of the best in the country for a reason. LSU isn’t by any means done with their pitches, which will come over the next two weeks. There’s an eternity in this recruitment, at this point. There’s lots of time to make a move. I do think it’s critical that LSU gets McKinley now vs. trying to flip him late. With how he’s handled the recruiting process, I don’t get the sense he’s really about keeping it going any longer
  2. Fall Camp Report: Offensive observations from A&M's first two weeks By Billy Liucci August 16, 2023 In the first of two installments of his Fall Camp Report from Texas A&M's opening two weeks of camp, TexAgs' co-owner and executive editor Billy Liucci offers plenty of notes, observations and pieces of information regarding Jimbo Fisher's and Bobby Petrino's offensive unit. Entering camp, there were a couple of discussion topics that few outside of TexAgs would acknowledge, much less report on or say out loud. A legitimate quarterback battle would take place in August, and the Texas A&M offensive line — while needing to show significant improvement over last season — would be one of the deepest spots on the roster. Both of those things have been made crystal clear as A&M is now two full weeks into camp. At quarterback, Conner Weigman started strong, has progressed steadily and is playing good ball. The sophomore has had an impressive August thus far. However, both quarterbacks had their struggles in the first scrimmage, and Max Johnson has since strung together a pair of outstanding practices — the best two he's had in August. With a decision by Jimbo Fisher probably at least a week away (possibly not until game week), it's still too early to name a favorite. I know the reaction here, so let me tell you ahead of time: You're wasting your energy if you turn this into any sort of negative. Jamie Maury, TexAgs Both Max Johnson and Conner Weigman are in their first fall camp with new Texas A&M offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. These two are pushing each other, and it's leading the entire team to practice better as a result. The offensive line has been a very interesting position to track. Reuben Fatheree is still on schedule and should be ready in time for the season. He recently returned to practice and is noticeably lighter and leaner than he was at this time a year ago. However, Fatheree missing time did allow for a couple of younger tackles to get more practice time with and against the ones, and both Chase Bisontis and Dametrious Crownover have been pretty damn impressive from wire to wire. Crownover would be on my very short list when asked about the most improved player on the Aggie roster over last spring, and I'm telling you right now: Bisontis is good enough to start in the SEC as a true freshman if the need arises. The New Jersey product is going to be special. That said, the Aggies return both starting tackles, and the guy no one talks about is quietly putting together an outstanding month of August. That's third-year man Trey Zuhn, and the 6-foot-6, 315-pounder has been healthy and has performed as well as anyone on Steve Addazio's starting five. In summary, the tackle position has been a fun one to watch this fall, and along with a pretty experienced Akinola Ogunbiyi also factoring in, the Ags appear to have finally built some quality depth at the position. On the inside, Bryce Foster is your center and should be as good as any in the SEC. The Aggie offensive line was a different unit with #61 in the middle last fall and missed him dearly. Foster did miss some time last week and was out for spring ball. He's back in action, and the Ags need him Sophomore Mark Nabou received important reps at center during the spring, and his versatility offers Steve Addazio a number of interior options. Still, Foster's absence has given Addazio and Fisher to develop much better depth in the all-important middle, with Mark Nabou getting plenty of work and looking very good. The guard/center from Seattle needs continued work on snaps, but he's more than a capable backup and remains one of the most underrated signings in that record-setting 2022 class. Nabou will provide depth and push to play at any of the three spots in the middle. Remington Strickland is also beginning to look like a guy who could not only provide invaluable center depth but also potentially step in and start a little later in his career. As expected, the running backs have essentially taken turns showing out. Veteran Amari Daniels is still very much in the mix, but I will say that I'm hearing the names Le'Veon Moss and Rueben Owens a lot lately. I'm particularly excited to see the five-star freshman in the early going, as he's begun to establish himself as a big-play threat out of the Aggie backfield. Here's a name at running back folks might not want to sleep on: Colorado State transfer David Bailey. The 235-pound back caught our eye during the open practice, and I was told the former Boston College starter ripped off a couple of long runs in the first-team scrimmage last Saturday. He brings something different to the backfield stable, which is worth noting when it comes to Fisher and Bobby Petrino looking for someone to wear on a defense with hard yards between the tackles. Losing Donovan Green for the season at tight end is a crushing blow, as he was a returning starter at the spot and one of the more likable guys in that locker room. Green isn't just good at football, but he also really cares about football, which makes him a real loss. That said, depth at tight end means that it's a loss that the Aggies should be able to absorb. The position has seen a few guys miss some time since last spring due to a series of bumps and bruises (including Green prior to the season-ending injury), but there has been some positive buzz coming out of the first two weeks of camp. Max Wright returns for a sixth season at Texas A&M and is an important piece for the Aggie tight ends, both on and off the gridiron. Max Wright is returning for year six on campus, and he means a lot more to that huddle than many realize. As far as Wright the player, I think the coaching staff has the most confidence in the veteran when it comes to his knowledge of the offense and his blocking ability. Wright can also make plays in the passing game, even if not as dangerous a weapon as Green. That's where guys like Jake Johnson and Theo Melin Öhrström come in. Fisher mentioned Öhrströ snagging around eight passes in Saturday's scrimmage setting, and the 6-foot-5, 260-pound Swede is now likely to be thrown into the mix, ready or not. He's close, and we probably would have seen him work his way into the mix as the season wore on regardless. As for Jake Johnson, he was turning heads in a big way before suffering a minor injury that cost him a couple of days. Personally, Jake is the guy I believe has the biggest opportunity in front of him with Donovan out. The second-year tight end was going to play a ton anyway and now has a chance to see his number of reps and targets soar. When it comes to true freshman Jaden Platt, he's probably the most gifted player at the position in terms of frame and all-around athleticism. Give him some time, and we'll see if he contributes later in the season. The Ags lost their most proven player at the position, but there is healthy competition for first-team rep distribution at tight end. Time for the next man (or men) to step up. At receiver, Evan Stewart has been doing Evan Stewart things. No surprise here, as I'm not sure I've seen a more athletically-gifted player at the position at A&M. Re-read that. I mean it. We all know Stewart can make the incredible grab look routine, but his quickness and athletic ability in his routes are simply next-level. Noah Thomas has continued to impress on the outside, and nothing has changed when it comes to the Aggie coaches and players expecting a breakout season from the 6-foot-5 pass-catcher. To nobody’s surprise, do-it-all man Ainias Smith is doing it all. “Sub Zero” has seen time at receiver, running back and on special teams throughout fall camp. How about Ainias Smith? He's healthy and has recently been demonstrating why he should be considered a prime candidate for first-team All-SEC honors at the 'all purpose' spot. In recent practices, “Sub Zero” has gotten some extra work in the backfield, and to no one's surprise, Smith has looked exceptional running the football. Those three, plus proven playmaker Moose Muhammad, give Dameyune Craig a group that most position coaches around the country would envy...and that's without anyone knowing about “All Dae.” Jahdae Walker was a largely unheralded portal addition out of Grand Valley State, but the dynamic receiving threat has turned heads and won over coaches and teammates alike with his energy and work ethic since stepping foot on campus. However, where Walker has really stood out is on the field. Standing around 6-foot-4, Walker's combination of size and speed is NFL starter-type stuff, and his work ethic and practice production have been elite since the beginning of fall camp. No matter how crowded things may seem at wideout, Walker looks like a fall camp standout who will work his way onto the field early and often. Quick note about something we don't talk about enough around here: Punter Nik Constantinou and kicker Randy Bond have been outstanding through a couple of weeks of camp. I've also heard quite a bit of positive buzz from backup kicker and second-year man Ethan Moczulski. The Aggies have a chance to be pretty strong on special teams this fall, in the kicking game and with guys like Smith, Muhammad, Bryce Anderson and Moss leading the way in the return game.
  3. By Billy Liucci TexAgs co-owner and executive editor Billy Liucci joined TexAgs Radio Monday morning to share his thoughts as week three of fall camp kicks off. Liucci also discussed his takeaways from football's scrimmage, players who are emerging and more. Segment 1 (00:00:00 - 19:32:29) The weekend was good. Texas A&M had its first scrimmage. In the weeks' worth of practice, there are plenty of notes. We have the press conference and practice today. I will go to lunch with my scouting buddies that are coming to watch the seniors. Long story short, the first-team defense looked really good. People are trying to say we are and banged-up football team right now. That is not true. They had a significant injury, and we will see if Jimbo Fisher talks about it today. We don't do that crap. We let the coach be the word on anything season-ending. Luckily, they didn't practice yesterday. Maybe someone's parents heard about an injury on the TexAgs boards. Posters are mentioning kids that are hurt that aren't. I understand the why of it. We wonder why practices aren't open. Tempers flare. There are fights. I wish we had a little more time out there to see more football play, but there should be a cutoff. I like the idea of staying out there in the spring but turning the cameras off. I will be interested in what Jimbo Fisher says. There was a thread that said Evan Stewart was hurt. Stewart is not hurt. Other schools can take that and run with it. Guys will be banged up. They will have knicks and bruises that keep them out. Those things accumulate. I don’t consider that to be a banged-out football team. They had guys out at safety, but we saw that depth. The first-team offense started off Conner Weigman and then Max Johnson. The red zone stuff shined. The main takeaway is your first-team defense looked really strong. Some will say, ”Omg, bad offensive line play.” Defense is usually ahead at this time of the year. You want it to be back and forth. Defense has an advantage in practice, but Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy and Bryce Anderson said with Bobby Petrino that you don't know what is coming. Guys will miss the first game and be out for Miami, but as of today, if you are to ask how many guys miss the first two games, the list might include one player. Athletically, this team is the best for Jimbo since the 2016 Florida State squad. They won the title in 2013 with Dalvin Cook and Derwin James. They had a loaded roster. They do need to stay healthy. I still come back to the offensive line and defensive line. I worry about corner. I don't think they are great at corner. I want to see who steps up. Your defensive line needs to dominate. Haynes King got smoked every time he dropped back against Alabama. That was his most historic performance, and if they finished it off, it would have been legendary. I think Will Anderson had seven or eight hurries. A&M's defensive line got the best of Alabama’s offensive line. The Aggies got to Jalen Milroe five or six times at Kyle Field. Milroe hung onto the football. Pressure is pressure. They will have to play like they did against LSU all year. They have one of the top three defensive lines in the SEC. Now the Offensive line? If it’s a top-five or six unit in the league, this is a double-digit-win football team. Segment 2 (19:33:00 - 27:37:17) The Florida game last year pisses me off. There are a lot of games for A&M that are do-over games. If I could let you change a couple of games that are reasonable to change in a tenure, what would it be so far? I agree with LSU in 2021. They could have got a fourth down stop. Max Johnson made the play. I would probably include Ole Miss from that year, which was the game before that. They had a chance to win that in the fourth. With those, you finish 10-2. You would have been 6-2 in the SEC and beat Alabama and LSU. That would have been back-to-back New Years Six bowl games. It would have changed the whole perception. I would go with Appalachian State too because of what it did to the locker room and morale. You would have been 5-0 going into Mississippi State. I could also go with Alabama last year instead of Appalachian State. You were close to winning that game. If they would have won, I wonder what effect it would have had on the following games. I think it would have changed so much. There is a world where A&M's one two-yard play away from being 4-0 in the last two years vs. LSU and Alabama. Segment 3 (27:37:18 - 31:21:08) Jahdae Walker has been one of the... I wouldn't say “surprises” because the guys this summer would tell you that he is a breath of fresh air out there. With his approach to everything, the guys have embraced him. To come from Grand Valley State and seamlessly transition into Texas A&M football with the locker room and loaded receiving room. He was 5-foot-11 in high school. Now, he is 6-foot-3. He has NFL-caliber running numbers. He has had some really good days. Physically and athletically, this dude has got it and has three years of eligibility. He can make an impact this year
  4. Shea Dixon Publisher Staff member On3 will be hosting the announcements for Duncanville's Caden Durham and Colin Simmons. You can watch it all on the On3 YouTube page. The announcements will start at 2 p.m. Durham up first, the Simmons. Some thoughts as we enter the final hours. *** Durham will choose between LSU, Oklahoma and Texas A&M. I've got my On3 RPM confidence score on LSU at 90%. The work done here by Frank Wilson and the Tigers has been really impressive. He was once considered a heavy lean to the Sooners, but LSU just kept chipping away. They really buckled in over the summer months, and getting him back for the Bayou Splash was really key. The pitch of RB development was huge here for LSU. They zeroed in on a "Durham or Bust" approach, and confidence is high that it pays off here in a few hours. The Tigers see him as a true game changer. *** With Simmons, I can't offering anything more than an educated guess at this stage. LSU felt great about things coming out of the Bayou Splash, and when he immediately set up a decision day for the same time as Durham, the confidence increased that the Tigers could pull it off. Then came another big surge from the Texas side, and sources on the LSU end have had their confidence drop from where it was 10 days ago. To this point, Simmons has not told LSU no. That doesn't mean they're the pick though, and multiple schools have indicated that at different points in the 5-star's recruitment, he's given both Texas and LSU reasons to feel confident. As we inch closer to a decision, I'm leaning the Longhorns based off speaking with sources and then the reality of just how big of a need he is to Texas this cycle. As I mentioned on Wednesday evening, Texas has only signed the No. 1 prospect in the Lone Star State once over the past decade. And across those 10 years, the Longhorns have missed out on both 5-star EDGE rushers the state has produced (Myles Garrett and Clayton Smith). With a move to the SEC coming, all the pressure is on Texas to get a win in a recruitment like this. With Simmons ranked as the No. 1 player in Texas and No. 1 edge rusher in America, sources close to the Longhorns are calling this a "make or break" recruitment. That tells me Texas is going to do all they can to keep the 5-star+ prospect at home for college. I am not surprised that Simmons has not told any of the three schools that they are not the pick. It plays into how he's handled his recruitment all along, which is to keep people guessing. For LSU fans, I would enter the announcement ready to celebrate a Top 10 RB addition in Durham, then if somehow the Tigers pull it off with Simmons, great. If not, it's not a surprise at all. If we get anything concrete, we will pass it along. Until then, it's wait-and-see mode. I won't pretend to know what Simmons is actually going to do. As I've mentioned before, when LSU went into Duncanville to chase both guys more than a year ago, I said that given LSU's lack of ever signing a Duncanville player, I would be impressed if they could get just one of them. They are on track to do that, and now we will wait and see how the domino falls for Simmons
  5. Thursday Recruiting Nuggets: Latest I'm hearing in DuncanvilleVIP Sonny Shipp I did not wake up feeling good about my LSU pick on Simmons, but I had not changed it as of 8 a.m. Since my Wednesday update on where I was on that front, I know LSU worked all day and into the night. Some sources I’ve spoken to expressed a little more confidence than Wednesday, but I caution you against getting your hopes up much, because that was when it seemed this stage of the recruitment was dead. Too many sources expressed to me how much the family loved the Baton Rouge area and Zachary school system, and how much his younger brother loved LSU. I believe that is where some of the increased confidence comes from combined with some additional NIL opportunities. The Texas side remains very confident and nothing appears to have changed from its point of view. Miami is still mentioned, but I see this as a lot more of LSU vs. Texas for today’s news. Just a headsup on where I am right now as I continue to dig
  6. Just posted Wednesday Night Thoughts: 5-star Colin Simmons Shea Dixon I will try to lay this out in the best way I can to give you a feel for where my head is at right now. For starters, the more people I talk with around the industry, the more I get the sense that everyone felt this was going to be a recruitment where Simmons wanted everyone guessing - we just thought it would be on the eve of National Signing Day and not in August. Simmons said he wants to "shock the world", so he's not going to do much to tip his hand at this stage. We're not surprised at all by that. When I look at the few times Simmons went on record with the media this offseason, I circle the On3 NIL Elite Series in Nashville when he said LSU and Texas were out front, but it was still an open race for all teams. And his actions backed it up. Over the past 16 months, he has visited both schools six times. He has Miami as the other team in his final three, and at this stage, that's the pick that would really shock everyone. His actions speak to him being most interested in the Tigers and Longhorns. TCU, one of his local offers, was the only other school he made more than three visits to during his recruitment, and they aren't part of his final three. Texas landed the final official visit in June, and from speaking with a number of people on the UT side, I've gathered that is when the confidence really picked up. That weekend, he evidently did enough to make the Longhorns staff feel very good about landing his commitment. What really shook things up was when Simmons made the visit for the Bayou Splash. LSU had been working a ton of angles behind the scenes to get the visit set up, and when he and his family came in for a multiple day stay, that was telling. Even when he was setting the visit up before it went public, I had some doubts that it would come to fruition. Certainly he wouldn't only visit LSU and not any other college across an entire week following a month-long dead period. But, it panned out as LSU said it would. Simmons didn't visit any other school during that 7-day window in between the NCAA's two dead periods, and staying on the LSU campus from late Thursday evening until Sunday certainly gave the Tigers reason to feel good. After the weekend, the confidence was as high as I had seen it from LSU sources, which told me there was a reason they were feeling good. When I talked to some commitments who were there, as well as sources, I got the feeling the Tigers were starting to really feel good about pulling this off. They had Simmons there at the same time as Duncanville RB Caden Durham and two other teammates (including five-star Dakorien Moore), and the more people I spoke with, the more I got word back that the weekend may well have tipped the scales in LSU's favor. At least that's how the Tigers were left feeling. When he got home and revealed that he wasn't going to wait until the Early Signing Period and instead would announce August 10, that's when my confidence really went up. I never viewed him and Durham as a package deal and still don't, but if he was ready to announce following an extended stay in Baton Rouge, that had to be good for LSU, right? Then came a back-and-forth battle that picked up even more steam over the past 10+ days. Sources on both sides said the two staffs were going back-and-forth a lot with Simmons and his family as they continued to make final pitches. It was clear that it was playing out like everyone expected, which was a wild recruitment that would come down to the final days and nights. Now that we're here, Simmons hasn't tipped his hand. But we've seen optimism growing on the Texas end, even if reserved. I think that's just how everyone approaches this recruitment. Meanwhile, sources on the LSU end didn't feel it was completely over, but also admitted that confidence was waning. It's clear that the conversations from his visit and those happening a week-plus later in crunch time were not matching up 100%. It's not the first time that happens with recruits, and it won't be the last. Could it be because Simmons was leaning towards another school, or is it simply the uncertainty you take into the recruitment of a high-profile out-of-state prospect like this when he's keeping things close to the vest by design? It's another thing that has left both LSU and Texas folks hesitant to matter of factly say what's going to happen. The truth is, I don't know what he's going to do. I can talk to sources in both spots and put together all my thoughts from his recruitment, but at the end of the day, it's nothing more than me spelling it out and taking a guess. When I senses LSU didn't feel it was 100% done, I moved my confidence back score down to 55% on my On3 RPM. I was back to a coin flip after feeling LSU had taken the lead following the Bayou Splash. I knew the Texas push would come again, and it did. And we're starting to see folks on that side gain a little bit of confidence in standing behind their picks for the Longhorns. When I stepped back and really looked at it, here's my take. From the LSU perspective, you have to weigh how much this recruitment means to the Longhorns. I was pointed in the direction of two facts that I didn't even realize. 1) Over the past 10 years, the state of Texas has only produced two On3 Industry 5-star EDGE rushers. Myles Garrett was the first, and he signed with Texas A&M. Clayton Smith was the other, and he signed with Oklahoma. Even if you branch out beyond 5-star EDGE rushers and just look at Top 50 overall recruits who were EDGE rushers out of Texas over the past decade, the list only grows to K'Lavon Chaisson and Erick Fowler. Chaisson obviously went to LSU, while Fowler landed at Texas and later transferred out. For the Longhorns, this is their chance to finally land a 5-star EDGE rusher out of Texas. 2) Over the past 10 years, the Longhorns have only signed the No. 1 overall prospect in Texas one time. That was safety BJ Foster. The other nine guys all went elsewhere. When that was pointed out to me, it came with the commentary that Texas - as they gear up to enter the SEC - knows they need these kind of recruiting wins. And that starts with keeping a guy like Simmons in-state when he's got you among his final three teams, and you're the only in-state team still in it. Another person who is very tied to the Texas side told me that this is a "Leonard Fournette type of moment for Texas" in terms of landing a 5-star and Top 5 overall prospect out of their home state. When I think back to Fournette, LSU was going to do everything they could to make sure he stayed home. There might have been nervous moments along the way, but in the end LSU got it done. When I view it through that lens, I see why the Longhorns would do all they could to make sure they kept Simmons in Texas. If not, it's a "heads will roll" type of feeling in losing him after the Longhorns had confidence for so long. I figured by this evening we would hear whether this was completely done or not on LSU's end, but I don't think that final conversation has happened. With a 2 p.m announcement, my guess is LSU, Texas and Miami are all on the phone with him and his mom in the morning. Perhaps we hear something definitive, but if not, I won't be surprised at all. It's how Simmons has wanted it to unfold with the public. If I'm an LSU fan, I enter tomorrow with excitement first over the likely addition of Duncanville four-star RB Caden Durham. LSU feels he can be an absolute game changer. And for Frank Wilson to only offer and go after one RB this cycle, it tells me he's the real deal. Then, I would approach the Simmons announcement with the knowledge that LSU did about all they could here, but this one means a TON to Texas. If LSU gets him, rejoice. If they miss out, don't be surprised. I know it's not an answer to his choice, but I don't have that to offer up at this stage. So, instead this was my insight into how things have unfolded and where we sit now entering the eve of the decision
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