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Texas Recruiting Notes 2020


Reese Bennett

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LA Times article today about Johnny Wilson https://www.latimes.com/sports/more/la-sp-high-school-recruiting-20190305-story.html

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Johnny Wilson’s regular seven-on-seven team wasn’t participating in the Pylon 7v7 championship series in Mesquite, Nev. So, the Calabasas High receiver called fellow national recruit Sav’ell Smalls to see if his team might have room for a 6-foot-6 playmaker.

The Ford Sports Performance team Smalls plays for is based in Seattle, but the FSP Blue Chip team invited Wilson to team up with one of the top offensive units in the nation.

Wilson was used sparingly early in the tournament. Washington quarterback commit Sam Huard had Ohio State receiver commit Gee Scott Jr. to throw to as well as one of the top running backs (Sam Adams) and tight ends (D.J. Rogers) in the nation.

Wilson’s opportunities increased as the weekend tournament progressed. He showed why he’s such a dynamic pass catcher, running by defenders and jumping over them to snag throws in jump-ball situations.

 

“I’m a big receiver but at the same time I’m not the typical slow receiver,” Wilson said. “I’m not slow. I can run some pretty routes.

He showed that by scoring several times in the final stretch of bracket play, playing a pivotal part in helping FSP Blue Chip win the title.

The 247Sports composite five-star receiver is being recruited hard by programs that hope his addition could lead them to titles as well. In January, Wilson narrowed his recruiting focus to Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, UCLA and Washington.

“This recruiting process, the decision, it’s creeped up on me and it came up a lot faster than I thought it would,” Wilson said. “I had to sit down with my family and really consider decision time is coming up soon, so we got to start narrowing my options down. Seeing what’s really best for me and everything.”

Wilson is looking into how each of his final schools uses receivers, particularly tall ones. He’s enamored with the way Texas has deployed Collin Johnson, who has the same 6-6, 220-pound measurements as Wilson.

“It’s something that I haven’t seen ever since I started playing football,” Wilson said of Johnson’s usage. “And Washington, they got a couple of big receivers there, so seeing how they use them and how they can fit into that offense is something that I’m really looking into, same with the other schools too.”

Wilson has been in contact with Texas, Washington and UCLA most frequently, calling communication with the Bruins “an everyday thing.” He said his decision will likely come in December when the NCAA’s early-signing period opens.

“It’s going to be a difficult decision,” Wilson said. “But at the end of the day, I’m going to have to do what’s best for me and my family, and what’s going to help me for the bigger picture.”

 

 

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34 minutes ago, Chopper said:

LA Times article today about Johnny Wilson https://www.latimes.com/sports/more/la-sp-high-school-recruiting-20190305-story.html

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Nice, the LA TImes is writing articles about Texas Recruiting. Clay Helton is the best thing to happen to Texas Football since John Blake. 

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Mike at Night: Intel on four-star cornerback Jalen Kimber

—I spoke to sources near four-star cornerback Jalen Kimber. I’ve actually known Kimber since his ninth-grade year, and I’ve been a vocal supporter of him as a recruit since the first time I saw him. Kimber already had a pretty healthy offer list, but things are exploding again after he put his athleticism on display during The Opening’s Dallas regional camp.

—It sounds like Kimber is hitting the reset button on his recruitment. Texas A&M was one of Kimber’s earlier offers, and the Aggies once held a big lead in this recruitment. Kimber said during The Opening that the Aggies have slowed communication with him a bit, but they are still talking to him. In speaking with a source on the A&M side, I was told that he is still an important target for the Aggies, and they are recruiting him.

—In the meantime, Texas was able to grab some momentum after hosting Kimber for a weekend visit. Texas hit all of the right notes on that visit, and I’m told that the highlight was the time spent with Jason Washington watching film, and meeting between Jalen and Tom Herman. Kimber was not a frequent visitor to Austin during the fall, and he never got the full tour and pitch from Texas before now. Washington engaged Kimber’s mind for the game by running through several in-game scenarios and showing how their defensive responsibilities are similar to what Kimber does in high school.

—EJ Holland spoke to some sources on the Texas side who felt very good about the way the visit played out. Texas pitched Kimber on the depth chart and his fit in their defense. They pitched him on versatility to play at cornerback or nickel. Texas has another advantage in Kenyatta Watson Sr. The father of the 2019 Texas signee had a pre-existing relationship with Kimber’s dad, and he’s been a pro-Texas voice in their ear so far. Texas was encouraged by the visit, but there isn’t an overwhelming amount of confidence at this point.

—There isn’t really an overwhelming amount of confidence for any school right now from what I was able to gather. That’s a credit to how open Kimber is right now. I was told by one source that Texas and Notre Dame probably have the momentum for him right now. Kimber and his family are originally from the Indiana area, and South Bend is close to family. Kimber is an exceptional student, so it would make sense to look into both programs. Kimber is set to visit Notre Dame and Alabama soon along with Arkansas.

—Outside of Texas and Notre Dame, I can confirm Steve Wiltfong’s report that Alabama is a player for Kimber. A source told me that Jalen wanted to play for a team in contention for the playoffs, and Alabama certainly fits that bill. Nick Saban’s history as a defensive back coach, and the program’s history of producing NFL corners is a huge factor. Kimber has been speaking with 2019 Alabama signee Marcus Banks.

—Kimber and his father are taking a methodical approach to this recruitment. Kimber is a very smart kid, and he’s not about the hype of recruiting. He’s on track to graduate early, and he’d like to take spring official visits and make a decision before the season. If it’s close at the end, I believe proximity may be the deciding factor.

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12 minutes ago, maninblack said:

Watching how the DB dominoes fall will probably be the most interesting positional storyline.

For safety at least, our board seems pretty set - Washington, CTJ, and Alford (nickel?) in-state + Lathan Ransom OOS.

Corner seems more up in the air. Kimber, Watts, Eaton, Rogers, Crawford... we can't take them all, and there's also the possibility of Ringo to consider.

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15 hours ago, Keef said:

Can report it was gross and rainy all weekend in SF. Hopefully it poured on Lindberg the entire time in Palo Alto. 

It was shitty from at least LA County on up the coast. Ventura, Ojai, Santa Barbara... so Coastal California was pretty gray & dreary.

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9 hours ago, Napoleon said:

It was shitty from at least LA County on up the coast. Ventura, Ojai, Santa Barbara... so Coastal California was pretty gray & dreary.

Weekend weather in Stanford, CA was wet and cold (by California standards certainly).  Daytime temps in the 50s, constant cloud cover and near constant rain.

https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/timeseries.php?sid=LOAC1&num=168&wfo=mtr

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E.J. Holland: Five-star A&M WR commit Demond Demas talks Texas, recruiting process

Demond Demas is already getting worn down with the recruiting process. The five-star wide receiver out of Tomball recently expressed his frustration on social media and is tired of the constant questions regarding his commitment to Texas A&M. “I have to watch myself,” Demas said. “I know people dislike things, but I can’t control everybody’s thoughts. I got to a point where if people say something negative, I’m just not going to respond. That’s their opinion. I have to respect their opinion. It’s not a fact.My fact is I’m 100 percent committed to Texas A&M. If I decide to decommit, that’s my decision. But right now, I’m 100 percent Texas A&M.”

Demas committed to Texas A&M over several major programs back in September but has continued to make visits. In fact, Demas has been to Texas on several occasions since he gave his verbal pledge. The latest was for UT’s elite prospect day. While there was a bit of controversy on the trip, Demas said Texas is in good standing. “It went fine,” Demas said. “I talked to Coach (Corby) Meekins and Coach (Tom) Herman. It did go up and down on a bumpy road, but everything is solved. Everything is okay. (Herman) came by to see me at school. He's just telling me to come to Texas and come be great.”

So where does Texas stand at this point in the process? “Don’t get me wrong, my recruitment is still open,” Demas said. “I’m just 100 percent to A&M right now. You know, I’ve always liked Texas. Of course, Javonne (Shepherd) is trying to recruit me. He just tells me UT is where it’s at. I’m not blocking him out. I’m just neutral right now.” Demas will continue to make visits. He is looking to see out-of-state programs like Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Miami and Ohio State in the near future. At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, Demas is ranked as the No. 3 wide receiver and No. 24 overall recruit in the country, per 247Sports Composite.

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