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Texas Recruiting Notes 2020


Reese Bennett

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No surprise there. 

Jones is Caden Sterns' former teammate at Steele. I think there were like 3-4 DBs that from those 2 classes that got D1 rides. (Sterns, JayVeon Cardwell and Xavier Player at OkState, and at least 1 more I'm forgetting). 

 

 

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IT

From: Eric Nahlin

HOUSTON CAMP

Tom Herman, Todd Orlando, Tim Beck, Oscar Giles, and Herb Hand all participated in the U of H camp this past Saturday. Herman was just one of three head coaches in attendance, along with Texas State's Everett Withers and of course Major Applewhite. Other schools with representatives were Ohio State, Georgia, and Alabama.

Here's what's really interesting: Texas quarterback commit Roschon Johnson was there to throw and all-everything 2020 running back Zachary Evans also participated.

I asked a college coaching buddy in attendance how Johnson threw and heard back, "we're not getting him so I didn't watch." I like it!

In other news, Johnson's teammate, 2020 offensive tackle Jaylen Garth, chose to compete at the camp rather than picnic in College Station. The current three-star holds offers from A&M, Arkansas, Nebraska, Ohio State, and now Texas.

It speaks well of him that he competed for more offers rather than take an unofficial visit.

Texas obviously has a built in advantage in this recruitment, like it does with newly offered camp participant, Jaylon Jones. The 2020 Holton Hill starter kit hails from Cibolo Steele. Texas should be considered the favorite for both early on.

I'll have a post on Malik Hornsby tomorrow.

From: Justin Wells

MOOKIE COOPER

Lightning in a bottle. Percy Harvin-lite. All descriptions when speaking to sources close to the Trinity Catholic (St. Louis, MO) all-purpose back.

So when the 5-foot-9, 185-pounder started getting offers, it was amazing and overwhelming at the same time.

“I love most of it, " said Cooper, about the recruiting process. "Just being able to talk to and meet coaches and be evaluated by high D1 colleges. I don’t like the rule of waiting to actually talk to a coach because I want to be able to build a relationship early.”

Sorry, Mookie. That's the NCAA and its outdated rules. But Cooper has had his fill on seeing some of the best programs in the country, and he's yet to take a junior snap.

“Illinois, Michigan, Mizzou, Notre Dame, Iowa State, Nebraska, and then I'll see Texas next weekend," Cooper said. "I’m excited to see Austin. I expect to have a great time.”

Lake Travis QB and UT verbal pledge Hudson Card has one job this weekend; take care of Mookie. He's up to the task. Cooper is too.

“I’m excited to be around the coaches and the environment," said Cooper. "From what I hear, its lit. Texas itself is a fun place to be and I just can’t wait to experience it firsthand.”

Texas sees the 4-star as a APB, slot, and kick/punt return specialist. Cooper sees this as well. It's early, but UT has some connections in Missouri, and are also recruiting his 2019 WR teammate Marcus Washington, who might see Austin later this summer. For now, it's focus is on Mookie.

WEEKEND VISITORS (first draft)

Javonne Shepherd, Houston North Forest - OT (2019) (maybe)
Bryson Washington, Mater Dei (California) - S (2020)
Kenyatta Watson II, Grayson (GA) - CB (2019) TEXAS
Roschon Johnson, Port Neches-Groves - QB (2019) TEXAS
Jaylen Garth, Port Neches-Groves - OL (2020)
Jermaine Johnson, Independence CC (KS) - LB/DE (2019)
Mookie Cooper, Trinity Catholic (MO) - APB (2020)
Hudson Card, Lake Travis - QB (2020) TEXAS

We will go more in-depth on the visitor list this week. We expect more names to be added. I'll also have a post on Jaylen Garth this week who told me, "the Texas offer is like a dream."

From: Joe Cook

PRINCE DORBAH

There were a few hundred more players at Sunday’s Texas camp compared to Tuesdays. In addition, there were more players there with Texas offers.

2020 Highland Park DE Prince Dorbah was one of those there with a scholarship offer from Texas. He made the trek to Austin, his first time seeing the University of Texas and just his third college visit.

Obviously, recruiting is very new to Dorbah and as he explains he sounds open to everyone. Texas liked getting him on campus, and he got to spend time with Oscar Giles during the day.

On what he showed people at the camp:
“I just went out there and showed my quickness and my ability to get off the ball fast, and just get to the quarterback. I was just trying to work on my hips, rely on my technique, pursuit angles, and all that stuff.”

On why he camped with a Texas offer in hand:
“This is my first time up here. I just wanted to come up here and experience it for myself, and see what all the hype is about. I just like to come out here, learn some stuff, take it back to my school, and just have fun with it."

On what he was able to see in his first trip to Austin:
“I saw the campus. I went on a little tour. I saw the locker room. I saw that stuff. A lot of nice stuff, I like it.”

On where Texas stands in the big picture:
“I don’t know yet. They’re like all the other schools that have offered me. They’re all the same because I’ve only been to three schools so far. I’m talking to other schools until I make my decision.”

On his Oklahoma and Oklahoma State visits:
“Those are great schools. The coaches are awesome. Coach Gundy from OSU is a good coach and his brother is the offensive coordinator at OU. It’s kind of funny seeing that family.”

On what stands out about Texas:
“It’s a great school. It’s a very good education, and you’re going to graduate. I was talking to their director of academics and he said if you come here, we’re going to graduate you. I said that’s what I want to do. There’s life after football. You’re not going to be playing football forever. That’s the main thing.”

On his future position:
“Here, they run a 3-4 defense. They have a b-backer, like a strongside linebacker. They want me to play that b-backer position where I could be a rush end, and be a linebacker and drop back too.”

On upcoming visits:
“I’m going to Arkansas on Thursday, then I’ll be at Alabama on the 23rd. That should be it for my visits.”

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56 minutes ago, Machinator said:

IT

 

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“I’m excited to be around the coaches and the environment," said Cooper. "From what I hear, its lit. Texas itself is a fun place to be and I just can’t wait to experience it firsthand.”

 

He must have gotten Austin confused with College Station obviously

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IT on Hornsby: http://insidetexas.com/the-particulars-on-dual-threat-quarterback-malik-hornsby/

Quote

What if I told you the kid who plays quarterback in 3rd Ward is further along in his mechanical development than the one from Lake Travis?

That’s no slight to Hudson Card, who I’m confident will expel any questions of whether or not he’s an athlete or quarterback this year. He’s a quarterback who is an athlete, not the other way around, at least in the long run. It’s more of an appreciation for the way Malik Hornsby transfers the ball from his gifted arm to his target.

In 2018 Tom Herman landed Casey Thompson and Cameron Rising. Both are promising.

For 2019, Herman has his #1 target, Roschon Johnson locked up. Also promising.

The 2020 cycle looks like another two quarterback class. Card is in. Hornsby, from Houston Austin, is a prime candidate to join the 2020 class and assume dual leadership.

I’m a big fan of observing players from afar. Who is camping versus who is visiting? Hornsby didn’t have to camp at Texas last week but he chose to. That speaks well of him. After that camp he spoke to a pool of writers.

On the two quarterback class:
“They told me it’s a battle, you gotta battle. I really don’t have a problem battling nobody.”

Hornsby works with Houston-based quarterback coach JP Tillman:
“Coach JP is a great guy. He helped me with my footwork, pointing my shoulder to my target. Opening up and to keep more power in my back leg.”

Becoming more well-rounded as a quarterback:
“I see myself throwing the ball first this year. My freshman year I always looked to run. That’s what I worked on more this year; giving my receivers time to get open instead of taking off. I call myself a dual-threat quarterback because I can do both.”

The importance of QB mentality:
“I see myself as a great leader. My teammates tell me I’m a great leader. I expect my teammates to follow in my footsteps and to believe and trust in me.” (this was stated genuinely, not cocky)

He wouldn’t be the first Southside Houston Texas quarterback at Texas:
“Vince Young? I actually like Vince Young. He’s a great guy. I used to watch his highlights — I still watch his highlights — to learn more things that he did that I can do better.”

The takeaway is he’s not going to shy away from competition. That doesn’t just extend to who else is in his recruiting class, but also to whoever is already on campus.

It’s clear Hornsby is a physical talent. It’s telling he holds offers from such disparate offenses as Kevin Sumlin’s, Tom Herman’s, and Gus Malzahn’s. As with any player, though, there is a lot of work left to be done. Toward that end, Hornsby works with one of the better quarterback coaches I’ve come across in JP Tillman.

Tillman’s bonafides as a player are as a celebrated high school quarterback from Cy Falls. From there he signed with Missouri where he backed up Chase Daniel. He learned under Gary Pinkel, David Yost, and Dave Christensen. From there he transferred to Grambling State where he helped lead the storied program to an 11-2 record in 2008. That was as a player. As a coach he caught my attention as he mentored Kansas State signee John Holcombe. Holcombe blossomed from football athlete to quarterback under Tillman’s watch. Holcombe deserves credit for that, but so to does Tillman.

In an effort to get to know Hornsby better I caught up with Tillman.

Hornsby’s speed was recently on display:
It was the Adrian Peterson All Day camp. Hornsby won the fastest man. I’m not sure how many participants there were but there were five heats. Every time it was the same result, Malik crossing the finish line first.

How he threw on that day: 
To QB drills. Slide adjustments based on reads. Pocket work. Did excellent. He’s a passer and not a thrower, can throw a heavy ball but can put touch in there.

He can run, he can throw, what else:
I was impressed with his demeanor, competitive but also having fun with the other quarterbacks. Was social. He wanted to be challenged so we challenged him with routes.

What he needs to work on:
He can put the ball anywhere, but anticipation is something we work on. Putting the ball on time. I want him to throw to windows, not wide open guys. That’s something we have to work on. Rhythm and timing. Three step, full field progression, those types of things. Reading a mismatch. Your guy is going to have a step on a defender, lay the ball out. Read that in advance. Timing. Malik was more of an arm thrower but I wouldn’t say raw. He was very in tune with his throwing motion, very fluid. We worked on efficiency with his movement. A lot of kids waste movement and energy. Don’t rely on arm talent. We work on that. Those aren’t high percentage throws. We can improve on those types of throws, but we want a solid base. We worked on synchronizing the upper and lower body into one strong power source. That’s really what we’ve worked on the most. He’s been a QB since the 3rd or 4th grade. I wasn’t teaching someone who never played the position before. He was well versed on his throwing form. I told his mom, ‘we’re working on the small things.’ How we do the small things is how we do all things. Let’s be detailed, everything is intentional. He can be a hell of a quarterback.

Strengths:
I snuck some strengths in there but naturally he can throw. He’s raw in anticipation, doesn’t necessarily know when to let it go. But he’s naturally accurate. He had that before I got him. He can have his feet the opposite way and make the throw. When chaos comes, I told him he can still make the play. He can throw all the routes accurately. You can tell he’s taken a lot of drops. You can tell he’s comfortable in his base. Here’s the thing, quarterbacks don’t have to be athletes. They can be nerds, as long as they understand bio-mechanics; how the body works. It doesn’t require athleticism but if you put athleticism into it, then you can take off. We need him in the right posture, to be in the right position. Get your body ready to throw. It’s the calm before the storm, and it all feeds back into his anticipation. He’s one of the most intuitive kids I’ve come across. It comes from a place where he wants better for himself. He loves his mom, his mom loves him. Football is a vessel for him to have unlimited possibilities for him and his mother.

When evaluating you want to answer as many questions about player as you can. Coach Tillman just answered a bunch and I suspect Hornsby will answer the rest in upcoming seasons.

 

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26 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Disclaimer: I've looked into Hornsby less than any other QB we've taken at Texas, so there may be some flaws that become apparent if I were to dive in more. Having said that, if he were to come to Texas, he'd be my top-ranked QB that's signed under Herman.

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1 hour ago, UT Lawnghorn said:

Disclaimer: I've looked into Hornsby less than any other QB we've taken at Texas, so there may be some flaws that become apparent if I were to dive in more. Having said that, if he were to come to Texas, he'd be my top-ranked QB that's signed under Herman.

Just out of curiosity: you post a lot here. Do you have an actual job, is all this done on the client's dime? Are you rpongett reborn?

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7 minutes ago, Spawn of Cthulhu said:

Just out of curiosity: you post a lot here. Do you have an actual job, is all this done on the client's dime? Are you rpongett reborn?

I'm a $9.95er sock posing as a lawyer. I needed a new account after killing rpongett.

My job ebbs and flows a lot, but I definitely waste way too much time on here. Shockingly, I was really ahead on my hours until about March 25th. Can't seem to figure out what changed.  Things are picking up quite a bit, so I'll probably be off the site for a while. 

Edited by UT Lawnghorn
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4 minutes ago, Machinator said:

EJ is the only one saying Evans is confirmed to make it right now. Both TFB and IT are saying he's a maybe. TFB says if he doesn't make it in this weekend, he'll visit within a month or so.

No biggie.  He blew off the aggy picnic to come to the Houston camp that some of our staff was at.

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2 minutes ago, texifornia said:

He's not terribly accurate - he's an OU guy and tends to slant away from Texas.

And if you are guessing it makes sense to an outsider to think "Texas got their qb. Hornsby will stay near home, aggie is paying top dollar..."

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22 minutes ago, texifornia said:

While I am super down for more Madison Prep players, methinks he doesn't have a perfect grasp on proper use of quotation marks.

Also nice to see Malc was (obviously) around

 

Or maybe him earning an offer is a direct quote from Herman?

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Some Jaylon Jones Kool Aid in these quotes from Roach/247 ::

Camp season provides the opportunity for prospects to earn their offers in front of college coaches.

Jaylon Jones notched a big one over the weekend after impressing the Texas staff on campus during their final summer minicamp. The 2020 four-star cornerback from Cibolo Steele announced his offer on Twitter following the event. Jones spoke with Horns247 shortly after receiving the news, and he said the camp went very well.

“I did pretty well,” Jones said. “I wasn’t perfect, and I had a lot of coaching points, but I did what I had to do.”

Texas cornerback coach Jason Washington doubles as the area-recruiter for Steele. He had his eye on Jones during the spring, and he was able to pull the trigger on an offer after seeing him in person. Jones described the experience as amazing.

“It was amazing,” he said. “I was too excited. It’s just one of those things I’ve wanted, and I still can’t believe I’ve got it.”

So what is it about Texas that has Jones so interested? It turns out that the allure of playing for the state’s flagship school is special to him. “I just love the tradition, and the image of being in a Longhorn uniform feels special," he said. "It’s my home state team." Despite that effusive praise, Jones is content to take his time with the recruiting process. Though he wants to carefully evaluate each school, the Longhorns should remain near the top of his recruitment.

“It’s early in the process right now, so I’m just evaluating, but best believe they are in there at the top,” Jones said.

Along with Texas, Jones holds offers from Baylor, Colorado, Houston, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Texas State. At 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, Jones is ranked as the No. 15 cornerback in the nation and No. 19 overall prospect in Texas, according to 247Sports Composite.

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