Jump to content

Texas Recruiting Notes 2020


Reese Bennett

Recommended Posts

13 minutes ago, Machinator said:

 

— Perhaps the biggest target on campus this weekend was five-star North Shore running back Zachary Evans. While he arrived late, Evans was still able to take in speeches from Tom Herman, Sam Ehlinger and Matthew McConaughey before the Longhorns took down Oklahoma on the hardwood. Herman spent a lot of individual time with Evans during the basketball game and got to know him on a personal level. Away from the game, the UT staff really pitched Evans on the lack of depth at the running back position and coming and being the guy from Day 1. Evans has visited Texas more than any school over the last year, and the Longhorns are continuing to build momentum for the generational back.

— Four-star offensive lineman Damieon George joined Evans on the visit this weekend. Look, SEC schools like Alabama and LSU were thought to be the early favorites for George, but from what I have been able to gather, Texas is right up there with those programs and could be close to moving into the pole position. I’m told the Sugar Bowl win made one of the biggest impacts with George out of any recruit on the board. George also had a great film session with Herb Hand, and the two are building a strong relationship. George and Evans released their top schools on the same day and really want to play together at the next level. Texas is in a great spot to land both. With that said, they both want to take their time with the process.

— Texas arguably made the biggest impression on four-star offensive lineman Chad Lindberg. The Longhorns have been surging in his recruitment and should be considered the team to beat. Lindberg and his family had lunch with Texas quarterback commit Hudson Card and his family before the visit and spent a lot of time with Logan Parr and his family during the visit. The 4Ever Texas program really caught the attention of Lindberg’s mother, and the general direction of the program as well as the coaching staff has the Longhorns high on Lindberg’s mind. Both Card and Parr have done a tremendous job of recruiting Lindberg. And remember, Lindberg’s brother is a student at Texas.

— While I really like where Texas stands with Lindberg right now, there is still reason for concern with Stanford. Lindberg and his family plan to visit Stanford next month, and his mother has been developing a friendship with Sara Little, the mother of former five-star offensive lineman Walker Little. The Lindberg family is really looking forward to that visit, and it will have major implications on his recruitment. Lindberg also plans to visit Clemson and LSU in the near future.

— I asked Evans a few weeks ago what the most important factor in his recruitment was, and he mentioned offensive linemen. I’m told the two linemen Evans really wants in the same class as him are George and Lindberg. If Texas can get Lindberg on the boat sooner than his decision timeline, it would go along way with landing both Evans and George. The three have formed a great friendship and talk about playing together on a consistent basis. I’m also told that Herman made it clear to Lindberg that he can ‘be the Caden Sterns of this class’ and help bring others to Austin.

— I mentioned that Prosper offensive lineman Jake Majors was a prospect to keep an eye on this weekend. While he didn’t pull the trigger, Texas really cemented itself as the team to beat in his recruitment. Stanford is the other school in the mix, but Majors wants to be closer to home, and he feels comfortable at Texas. I still feel very confident that Texas will get him to join the class sooner rather than later.

— Four-star Port Neches-Groves offensive lineman Jaylen Garth was another key target in the trenches on campus over the weekend. Like I’ve been reporting, there is reason to believe that Texas holds the edge over Texas A&M at this time. There seems to be a lot of optimism in this recruitment, and it helps that Garth views Texas quarterback signee Roschon Johnson as an older brother. Garth bonded with some of the other offensive linemen on campus and had some great conversations with both Herman and Herb Hand.

— Getting Lindberg, George, Parr, Garth and Majors on campus along with Evans was absolutely genius by Texas. This is exactly the type of weekend they needed with all of these guys. Texas doesn’t usually push for guys this early, but the Longhorns have a great understanding of the dynamics of this 2020 recruiting class. Herman and company have put themselves in a strong position to get every guy just mentioned. They just have to close.

— While there was a large focus on offensive line targets, the Longhorns also hosted a handful of key defensive line targets, including four-star Highland Park end Prince Dorbah. Unlike other recruits, Dorbah received a private visit on Saturday morning as he made his way to Austin with a close friend looking to attend UT. Dorbah got to try on the unis, see the facilities and spend some time with the coaching staff. Dorbah is growing extremely close to the Texas coaches, specifically Oscar Giles and Tim Beck. I would give Texas a good edge coming out of the visit.

— As mentioned, Beck is doing a really good job in the recruitment of Dorbah. Remember, Beck recently attended Dorbah’s basketball game and stopped by to see him at school. Beck actually has a pretty strong tie in Dorbah’s recruitment as he coached former NFL player Michael Hawkins, who has served as Dorbah’s mentor since he was a kid. Beck actually spent time with Hawkins during his time recruiting in the Dallas-area.

— Texas has also built a ton of momentum with fellow four-star defensive lineman Vernon Broughton. This weekend served as an opportunity to really make an impact on Broughton’s father as it was his first time on campus. As some of y’all might have seen, Broughton and his father had a little bit of fun trying on the Texas uniforms together. It was actually Oscar Giles’ idea, and the UT defensive line coach really got to know Broughton and his father on a personal level. From what I have been able to gather, they left Austin feeling like Giles can turn Broughton into a monster at the next level.

— The visit weekend resulted in an offer for four-star Bishop Dunne linebacker Brennon Scott. This one was a long time coming as Scott also visited in the fall and had been on the radar for a while. You can look at this as a ‘late offer,’ but Scott viewed it as a meaningful offer. While Texas A&M has the better relationship and Texas hasn’t had much success at Bishop Dunne, the Longhorns have made a big impression on Scott. UT has some work to do, but the Longhorns will be a top school in his recruitment moving forward.

— Texas A&M built some early momentum with four-star Cibolo Steele defensive back Jaylon Jones, but Texas has come storming back and after this visit, I feel like the Longhorns hold the slight edge at this time. Herman spent a lot of time with Jones and his father at the basketball game, and Jason Washington was actively involved on this visit. Jones views Washington as a father figure, and Jones’ actual father, Virgil, absolutely loves and trusts him. Texas safety Caden Sterns spent a lot of time with Jones as well. Sterns is his former teammate and a big brother type. Washington actually spoke to Jones about enrolling early like Sterns and the need for corner depth.


— So what in the world happened with five-star wide receiver Demond Demas? The Texas A&M commit made yet another visit to Texas this weekend — he’s visited UT more than A&M at this point. Let me preface this by saying, this recruitment is going to be just as wild as the Shepherd recruitment. A lot will be said and nothing will really matter until he signs — just like Shepherd. We’re just getting started here. Let’s start with the positive side, Card has grown close to Demas and recruited him during the visit. He met with Herman and also spent a ton of time with the offensive staff. From what I was told, there was no worry about Demas after he left campus.

— But of course, there were some negative reports in regards to Demas’ time at Texas. So what really happened? I’m told that the speeches before the basketball game from Herman, Ehlinger and McConaughey featured some bragging about UT’s Sugar Bowl win over SEC power Georgia as well as a few jokes about rival Texas A&M — from Ehlinger and McConaughey not Herman. I was told by a couple of people in the room that Demas laughed at said jokes. However, I’m also told that Demas called someone close to him and informed him of the speeches, which then resulted in negative reports. Another thing I was told was that Texas pushed really hard to flip Demas, but that it wasn’t necessarily taken well on his end. With that said, I don’t think Texas did anything wrong here.

— Overall, I think this whole issue is a little overblown. It looks like there was some misconstrued information, and that the truth is in the middle. I’m sure Texas will smooth things over — if it opts to continue to push for Demas and Shepherd. These recruitments have been nothing short of whirlwinds. We can’t go a week without drama, so I would advise to take caution when consuming information on them.

— The other committed recruit on campus was five-star running back and Oklahoma pledge Jase McClellan. While Evans is the prize, McClellan is a prospect the Longhorns are going to continue to work hard on. McClellan has always loved Texas and had the Longhorns offered before OU, I feel like they would have gotten him onboard. McClellan is a cousin of former running back Jonathan Gray, and his mother, who joined him on the visit, is very high on the program. There are only two schools that have a chance to create movement with McClellan — Texas and Georgia. Right now, I feel like he will stick with OU. But this visit was a step in the right direction.

— Some of the most talked about things from the visit weekend were: McConaughey (apparently everyone not named Demas loved his speech and his presence), the staff’s personalized meetings (Hand had his wife meet with mother of top offensive line recruits, Herman spent a lot of individual time with key targets), the 4Ever Texas program (parents loved it) and the players (Ehlinger and Sterns worked hard to help the Longhorns recruit). Overall, it was a weekend to remember and could set the tone for a big cycle on the recruiting trail.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Couple of things:

Garth looks to be about 6'5/6'6.  Tackle all the way.

If that's Majors between Lindberg and Garth he does look a little on the short side.

Who is on the far right and the 2 on far left?

Bryson Washington on the far left and '21 OLB Derrick Harris Jr on the far right.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Couple of things:

Garth looks to be about 6'5/6'6.  Tackle all the way.

If that's Majors between Lindberg and Garth he does look a little on the short side.

Who is on the far right and the 2 on far left?

Majors definitely looks small. Would be nice to see him go to a camp to accurate measurements, but he definitely seems like a Guard or Center prospect, which is fine. We have guys like Lindberg, Garth, and George as tackles in this class. Still think he’s a take based on his film. If he can even just get to 6’3, 300 lbs, he’ll be able to be a solid Guard in college.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

Majors definitely looks small. Would be nice to see him go to a camp to accurate measurements, but he definitely seems like a Guard or Center prospect, which is fine. We have guys like Lindberg, Garth, and George as tackles in this class. Still think he’s a take based on his film. If he can even just get to 6’3, 300 lbs, he’ll be able to be a solid Guard in college.

Are we all just dancing around the fact that, with his film and frame, he's basically Jake Raulerson 2.0?

Now, with an actual modern day training regimen and nutrition team, I don't think there's anything wrong with him as a take.  But that's the comp. I can't shake when I watch his film.

ChangeMyMindONLINE_Zeze_preview.jpeg?fit

Edited by Katfid54
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote

— I mentioned that Prosper offensive lineman Jake Majors was a prospect to keep an eye on this weekend. While he didn’t pull the trigger, Texas really cemented itself as the team to beat in his recruitment. Stanford is the other school in the mix, but Majors wants to be closer to home, and he feels comfortable at Texas. I still feel very confident that Texas will get him to join the class sooner rather than later.

Sure sounds like Majors is the silent.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's the one I can find (and also the one I remember watching at/around the time he made his "bell cow" commitment).  It's his Jr. year offensive highlights.  The senior year highlights I found were all on defense.  It's basically 7 minutes of him just blasting folks.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Katfid54 said:

Are we all just dancing around the fact that, with his film and frame, he's basically Jake Raulerson 2.0?

Now, with an actual modern day training regimen and nutrition team, I don't think there's anything wrong with him as a take.  But that's the comp. I can't shake when I watch his film.

ChangeMyMindONLINE_Zeze_preview.jpeg?fit

To me, that’s the concern, but I’m with huck. Raulerson never showed the type of explosion and power that Majors shows. Majors is prettt elite in his ankle, knee, hip flexion and he uses it to stay low and explode through his blocks. He’s also nasty as hell, which Raulerson never was I think these attributes separate him from a guy like Raulerson and will negate concerns about his size, but it all depends on how small Majors actually is. FWIW, Raulerson seemed smaller in HS and he was listed at like 265 coming out of HS. I don’t think Majors will have the same trouble getting his weight above 300 like Raulerson did. majors is already listed at like 280 by his junior year. 

Hand likes tall OL, even for interior guys, so if we take Majors, I think that’s a sign they think he’s a stud and can get big enough to play.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Katfid54 said:

Are we all just dancing around the fact that, with his film and frame, he's basically Jake Raulerson 2.0?

Now, with an actual modern day training regimen and nutrition team, I don't think there's anything wrong with him as a take.  But that's the comp. I can't shake when I watch his film.

ChangeMyMindONLINE_Zeze_preview.jpeg?fit

So you guys think Majors looks small from a picture where you can only see his head. Got it.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Burt Macklin said:

FWIW, Raulerson seemed smaller in HS and he was listed at like 265 coming out of HS. I don’t think Majors will have the same trouble getting his weight above 300 like Raulerson did. majors is already listed at like 280 by his junior year. 

This is fair.  After watching Raulerson's highlights this morning and then re-watching Majors' film, Majors is already a lot thicker than Raulerson was at the same age.

Like I said up front, I don't think there's anything wrong with the take, and I trust Yancy to develop him into a stud.

As for your comment on nastiness, do you think Shackelford is a better comp?  Shack seems a bit bigger/longer than Majors, to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Katfid54 said:

Here's the one I can find (and also the one I remember watching at/around the time he made his "bell cow" commitment).  It's his Jr. year offensive highlights.  The senior year highlights I found were all on defense.  It's basically 7 minutes of him just blasting folks.

 

 

 A couple things to note. That video listed Raulerson at 250 as a junior and he looks smaller than Majors does as a junior in that video. His frame looks real skinny. Also notice at 0:58, he gets stonewalled by a LB when Raulerson has a 5 yard head start. I doubt that would happen to Majors, and I don’t see the explosive power from raulerson that you see with Majors. 

Final thought, if Raulerson got 4-5 years to develop with Hand and Yancy instead of a revolving door of OL coaches and shitty strength training, his career may have turned out very differently.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Schulz2.0 said:

So you guys think Majors looks small from a picture where you can only see his head. Got it.

Lulz. He looked small to me on film and I made that comment at the time. The picture is just another data point that way. And for me, it was more a question of if he could ever be a tackle, not if he’s too small to ply guard.  

This is all just speculative eval talk because it’s the offseason and we’re on a recruiting board. I’m sure the staff has Majors full measurements and if they take his commit, then I’ll trust their bet that he can get up to size in college.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

 A couple things to note. That video listed Raulerson at 250 as a junior and he looks smaller than Majors does as a junior in that video. His frame looks real skinny. Also notice at 0:58, he gets stonewalled by a LB when Raulerson has a 5 yard head start. I doubt that would happen to Majors, and I don’t see the explosive power from raulerson that you see with Majors. 

Final thought, if Raulerson got 4-5 years to develop with Hand and Yancy instead of a revolving door of OL coaches and shitty strength training, his career may have turned out very differently. 

So now we're saying the exact same thing.  Cool beans.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Burt Macklin said:

Lulz. He looked small to me on film and I made that comment at the time. The picture is just another data point that way. And for me, it was more a question of if he could ever be a tackle, not if he’s too small to ply guard.  

This is all just speculative eval talk because it’s the offseason and we’re on a recruiting board. I’m sure the staff has Majors full measurements and if they take his commit, then I’ll trust their bet that he can get up to size in college.

He’s a C/G. I don’t see the “he’s too small argument.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

IT

Texas hosted several of the state's top 2020 and 2021 prospects over the previous weekend. After utilizing a patient methodology last year recruiting elite juniors and sophomores, Texas made an effort to get a jump on several of those recruitments. Here's the latest from the weekend.

From: Eric Nahlin

OL Chad Lindberg, Clear Creek: He might be the most important player in the class. Lindberg is at a major need position, could play early, would help recruit others, and eff Stanford. "Spent a lot of time with Hand, Meekins, and the OL GA Garrett Graf, he did a great job," Lindberg said. As for players, Lindberg spent a lot of time with potential line-mates Logan Parr and Jake Majors. "Damieon [George] and Zach [Evans] showed up late, if they were there earlier I would have been with them." Lindberg and Evans definitely want to play together. It isn't a foregone conclusion they will, but right now that's the goal. Schools that are under consideration are Texas, Clemson, LSU, Georgia, and Oklahoma. Lindberg has liked Clemson since the early stages of his recruitment process. It isn't a new development new based off of their recent destruction of Alabama. Texas still looks good. I expect Chad to take spring official visits and to make a summer decision.

DL Vernon Broughton, Cy Ridge: He's the second most important get in the class to me. Texas was early on him and has always seen him as a difference maker. He's visited Texas with his mother before, but this time he brought his dad. He said the visit was "amazing, to be honest. What stood out was Giles and Herman and everything they were talking about." Texas has probably positioned itself as a favorite but there could be a ways to go in this one. I'm feeling cautiously optimistic.

RB Zach Evans, North Shore: The most important thing I heard regarding this trip is that he really likes Herman. Back in October I mentioned for Texas to win this recruitment, Herman would have to assume a front and center role. He's done that. Herman spent a good bit of time with Evans and teammate Damieon George. They also watched run-game film with Stan Drayton. Knowing this recruitment has a very long way to go, I asked one source how Texas looks and he said, "well, he went to Texas over A&M this weekend. He could have easily asked his coach to drive him to College Station." The staff just needs to keep plugging away and having positive interactions. Oh, and it sounds like they need to land George too. Evans wanting to play with George sounds pretty real. I could see George and Evans at LSU, but I have a difficult time seeing Lindberg there. This might get amusing to watch.

RB Jase McClellan, Aledo: His mom said they had a blast and multiple recruits said Herman gave them a ton of attention. Even when he committed to Oklahoma, I felt like Texas was one to watch. I believe he would have committed to Texas instead of OU when he made his very early decision. At the time he seemed upset UT wasn't recruiting him harder, but again, it was very early. I'll be interested to hear more. If he's still open to Texas they have to take him if they can get him.

OL Jake Majors, Prosper: Majors had a great visit and enjoyed bonding more with Parr and Lindberg. Those three can see themselves playing together. If I had to guess, I'd say UT is the favorite to land him. My guy eye-balled him at 6-4, 290-295. Majors will likely enroll early.

DB Bryson Washington, C.E. King: "Best unofficial so far. The players made this trip feel like home and I've only been here less than 24 hours," Washington said. He would go on to say the staff didn't press him to commit. They wanted him to interact with the players, get a better feel for the campus and experience what it would be like to be a student at Texas. Essentially, they could tell him it's a great place or let him explore and find out for himself. He stayed the night with Caden Sterns. Currently this is a Texas/OU battle but Washington said it isn't too late for new schools to make things interesting, though no particular schools stood out in that regard. He's working to enroll early. He said his fit would be "whatever they ask of me, I can play in the box or back deep. I think I'd be the fastest safety they have and hope to show that at the Texas Relays." Washington says he might take a mix of spring and fall official visits. I really like Texas here if they do press, but safety numbers may prove difficult to navigate. If he's right behind Tyler Owens in the fastest DB category, it'd be tough to not take the 6-2, 200 pounder. I thought he was a great program fit before this weekend, now even more so.

I'll probably have more on the weekend. It went extremely well and I'd caution anyone to not get too wrapped up into side-stories that will have little to no impact on the weekend's effectiveness. 

From: Justin Wells

Instead of waiting for February to host the state’s top prospects on Junior Day, the staff decided to utilize this weekend and bring in some of the cream of the crop. Elite Day was born. 

The 30+ recruits on campus Saturday and Sunday was a way to let the in-state juniors see the 40 Acres, some for the first time, before the Junior Day season and 7–on-7 season arrives. 

With Nike and Under Armour holding its camps in February/March, coupled with other college program’s Junior weekend festivities, it gave the Texas staff an advantage; get in front, and the rest get in line. 

Texas made the offensive line a focus, and that should come to fruition soon. This was a perfect example of using the momentum after the Sugar Bowl win to their advantage. They also watched the men’s basketball team and the Minister of Culture top OU. It was a weekend that we might look back on in 10 months and call the foundation for the #cloUT2020. 

We’ll start with Port Neches-Groves OL Jaylen Garth, the 6’4", 280-pound tackle from the Golden Triangle. 

“The visit went really good,” said Garth. “It was cool to see all the other recruits there and kick it with them.”

LSU threw out an offer earlier in the weekend, but Garth wasn’t about to post that while in Austin. 

“Yes, (LSU) offered me Saturday morning before I got on campus at UT,” said Garth. “I didn’t want to be disrespectful and post it yesterday.”

Joining him in the event was the recent enrollee and former HS teammate, Roschon Johnson. 

It’s almost like his leadershipping QB has rubbed off on him. 

“(Roschon) is so excited,” said Garth. “It'd be special and a great experience for both of us to play here.” Johnson agreed. 

At this point, I’m starting to really like Garth. I’ve had him as a silent Texas lean for a while, but I think you can turn that up a couple notches after this visit. 

Of course, if you read the Humidor, you knew Highland Park’s Prince Dorbah was more than a possibility. Sure enough, he arrived early with teammate/good friend Benjamin Smith, who also has interest in being a student at UT.

“Always great getting back to Austin,” said Dorbah. “I wasn’t really going to visit, they just wanted me to come down and stay for a while. After they came to see me twice in last two weeks, it’s the least I could do.” 

Dorbah will still visit Oklahoma , Oregon, and maybe a few others during the Spring evaluations period. 

On Jaylon Jones... the 6’2, 195, corner from Cibolo Steele returned to Austin for another helping of hospitality. 

“We had an amazing time up in Austin with my family and the coaches.”

With the proximity, DBU’s moniker coming on strong, and a little hand from Caden Sterns, Texas has set itself up nicely in Jones’ pursuit. 

Texas and Florida stand out currently. 

On North Shore duo, Zach Evans and Damieon George... 

“We had a good time out there,” said George about him and Evans. “I hung out with Chad (Lindberg), Logan (Parr), Jaylen (Garth) and Jake (Majors).”

The ginormous offensive lineman and 5-star tailback soaked up everything Austin had to offer. 

“The coaches and players stand out the most,” George said. “It’s a real family.” 

Both left with the strong sense other prospects had; Texas is on to something.

Evans has been adamant about committing to a program with a plus-level offensive front. Texas is well on its way of accomplishing that. 

While both didn’t tip their hand, George says he expects both to be on the 40 Acres again. 

Kelvontay Dixon

“It was good everything about it was good. The coaches, by far, stood out. This place is already like home."

Keaontay Ingram’s little brother was a regular at Longhorn games last fall. He hasn’t narrowed down his list schools yet and plans to see TCU, Arkansas, and Missouri. 

On Herbert Gums... The 6’2.5, 230-pounder from Dibol is a very intriguing prospect from the piney woods. 

“Everything was really cool," said Gums. “Nice to experience this event and see other top prospects.”

Defensive line is his future, but RB and LB are his present entering his senior year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, Katfid54 said:

 

As for your comment on nastiness, do you think Shackelford is a better comp?  Shack seems a bit bigger/longer than Majors, to me.

I’d say no. Shack, even in HS, would stand straight up and use his upper body to overpower guys. He doesn’t have the same explosion/flexibility to stay low out of his stance and drive like Majors, and it shows now in college. Shack rarely gets straight up beat by a DL, but he rarely beats his man because he gets too high out of his stance.

In relation to this year’s team, the problem  was that’s vahe, Erod and Anderson also rarely pushed their man off the LOS, which is why our traditional running game was somewhat poor. If we can get Okafor and another guard who can really drive guys plus cosmi at LT,  then Shack’s weakness will be covered up some and our running game should take a big step forward and hopefully allow us to close out games much more effectively.

Edited by Burt Macklin
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, Machinator said:

IT

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Texas hosted several of the state's top 2020 and 2021 prospects over the previous weekend. After utilizing a patient methodology last year recruiting elite juniors and sophomores, Texas made an effort to get a jump on several of those recruitments. Here's the latest from the weekend.

From: Eric Nahlin

OL Chad Lindberg, Clear Creek: He might be the most important player in the class. Lindberg is at a major need position, could play early, would help recruit others, and eff Stanford. "Spent a lot of time with Hand, Meekins, and the OL GA Garrett Graf, he did a great job," Lindberg said. As for players, Lindberg spent a lot of time with potential line-mates Logan Parr and Jake Majors. "Damieon [George] and Zach [Evans] showed up late, if they were there earlier I would have been with them." Lindberg and Evans definitely want to play together. It isn't a foregone conclusion they will, but right now that's the goal. Schools that are under consideration are Texas, Clemson, LSU, Georgia, and Oklahoma. Lindberg has liked Clemson since the early stages of his recruitment process. It isn't a new development new based off of their recent destruction of Alabama. Texas still looks good. I expect Chad to take spring official visits and to make a summer decision.

DL Vernon Broughton, Cy Ridge: He's the second most important get in the class to me. Texas was early on him and has always seen him as a difference maker. He's visited Texas with his mother before, but this time he brought his dad. He said the visit was "amazing, to be honest. What stood out was Giles and Herman and everything they were talking about." Texas has probably positioned itself as a favorite but there could be a ways to go in this one. I'm feeling cautiously optimistic.

RB Zach Evans, North Shore: The most important thing I heard regarding this trip is that he really likes Herman. Back in October I mentioned for Texas to win this recruitment, Herman would have to assume a front and center role. He's done that. Herman spent a good bit of time with Evans and teammate Damieon George. They also watched run-game film with Stan Drayton. Knowing this recruitment has a very long way to go, I asked one source how Texas looks and he said, "well, he went to Texas over A&M this weekend. He could have easily asked his coach to drive him to College Station." The staff just needs to keep plugging away and having positive interactions. Oh, and it sounds like they need to land George too. Evans wanting to play with George sounds pretty real. I could see George and Evans at LSU, but I have a difficult time seeing Lindberg there. This might get amusing to watch.

RB Jase McClellan, Aledo: His mom said they had a blast and multiple recruits said Herman gave them a ton of attention. Even when he committed to Oklahoma, I felt like Texas was one to watch. I believe he would have committed to Texas instead of OU when he made his very early decision. At the time he seemed upset UT wasn't recruiting him harder, but again, it was very early. I'll be interested to hear more. If he's still open to Texas they have to take him if they can get him.

OL Jake Majors, Prosper: Majors had a great visit and enjoyed bonding more with Parr and Lindberg. Those three can see themselves playing together. If I had to guess, I'd say UT is the favorite to land him. My guy eye-balled him at 6-4, 290-295. Majors will likely enroll early.

DB Bryson Washington, C.E. King: "Best unofficial so far. The players made this trip feel like home and I've only been here less than 24 hours," Washington said. He would go on to say the staff didn't press him to commit. They wanted him to interact with the players, get a better feel for the campus and experience what it would be like to be a student at Texas. Essentially, they could tell him it's a great place or let him explore and find out for himself. He stayed the night with Caden Sterns. Currently this is a Texas/OU battle but Washington said it isn't too late for new schools to make things interesting, though no particular schools stood out in that regard. He's working to enroll early. He said his fit would be "whatever they ask of me, I can play in the box or back deep. I think I'd be the fastest safety they have and hope to show that at the Texas Relays." Washington says he might take a mix of spring and fall official visits. I really like Texas here if they do press, but safety numbers may prove difficult to navigate. If he's right behind Tyler Owens in the fastest DB category, it'd be tough to not take the 6-2, 200 pounder. I thought he was a great program fit before this weekend, now even more so.

I'll probably have more on the weekend. It went extremely well and I'd caution anyone to not get too wrapped up into side-stories that will have little to no impact on the weekend's effectiveness. 

From: Justin Wells

Instead of waiting for February to host the state’s top prospects on Junior Day, the staff decided to utilize this weekend and bring in some of the cream of the crop. Elite Day was born. 

The 30+ recruits on campus Saturday and Sunday was a way to let the in-state juniors see the 40 Acres, some for the first time, before the Junior Day season and 7–on-7 season arrives. 

With Nike and Under Armour holding its camps in February/March, coupled with other college program’s Junior weekend festivities, it gave the Texas staff an advantage; get in front, and the rest get in line. 

Texas made the offensive line a focus, and that should come to fruition soon. This was a perfect example of using the momentum after the Sugar Bowl win to their advantage. They also watched the men’s basketball team and the Minister of Culture top OU. It was a weekend that we might look back on in 10 months and call the foundation for the #cloUT2020. 

We’ll start with Port Neches-Groves OL Jaylen Garth, the 6’4", 280-pound tackle from the Golden Triangle. 

“The visit went really good,” said Garth. “It was cool to see all the other recruits there and kick it with them.”

LSU threw out an offer earlier in the weekend, but Garth wasn’t about to post that while in Austin. 

“Yes, (LSU) offered me Saturday morning before I got on campus at UT,” said Garth. “I didn’t want to be disrespectful and post it yesterday.”

Joining him in the event was the recent enrollee and former HS teammate, Roschon Johnson. 

It’s almost like his leadershipping QB has rubbed off on him. 

“(Roschon) is so excited,” said Garth. “It'd be special and a great experience for both of us to play here.” Johnson agreed. 

At this point, I’m starting to really like Garth. I’ve had him as a silent Texas lean for a while, but I think you can turn that up a couple notches after this visit. 

Of course, if you read the Humidor, you knew Highland Park’s Prince Dorbah was more than a possibility. Sure enough, he arrived early with teammate/good friend Benjamin Smith, who also has interest in being a student at UT.

“Always great getting back to Austin,” said Dorbah. “I wasn’t really going to visit, they just wanted me to come down and stay for a while. After they came to see me twice in last two weeks, it’s the least I could do.” 

Dorbah will still visit Oklahoma , Oregon, and maybe a few others during the Spring evaluations period. 

On Jaylon Jones... the 6’2, 195, corner from Cibolo Steele returned to Austin for another helping of hospitality. 

“We had an amazing time up in Austin with my family and the coaches.”

With the proximity, DBU’s moniker coming on strong, and a little hand from Caden Sterns, Texas has set itself up nicely in Jones’ pursuit. 

Texas and Florida stand out currently. 

On North Shore duo, Zach Evans and Damieon George... 

“We had a good time out there,” said George about him and Evans. “I hung out with Chad (Lindberg), Logan (Parr), Jaylen (Garth) and Jake (Majors).”

The ginormous offensive lineman and 5-star tailback soaked up everything Austin had to offer. 

“The coaches and players stand out the most,” George said. “It’s a real family.” 

Both left with the strong sense other prospects had; Texas is on to something.

Evans has been adamant about committing to a program with a plus-level offensive front. Texas is well on its way of accomplishing that. 

While both didn’t tip their hand, George says he expects both to be on the 40 Acres again. 

Kelvontay Dixon

“It was good everything about it was good. The coaches, by far, stood out. This place is already like home."

Keaontay Ingram’s little brother was a regular at Longhorn games last fall. He hasn’t narrowed down his list schools yet and plans to see TCU, Arkansas, and Missouri. 

On Herbert Gums... The 6’2.5, 230-pounder from Dibol is a very intriguing prospect from the piney woods. 

“Everything was really cool," said Gums. “Nice to experience this event and see other top prospects.”

Defensive line is his future, but RB and LB are his present entering his senior year.

 

Majors eye-balled at 6'4.  End of discussion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

To me, that’s the concern, but I’m with huck. Raulerson never showed the type of explosion and power that Majors shows. Majors is prettt elite in his ankle, knee, hip flexion and he uses it to stay low and explode through his blocks. He’s also nasty as hell, which Raulerson never was I think these attributes separate him from a guy like Raulerson and will negate concerns about his size, but it all depends on how small Majors actually is. FWIW, Raulerson seemed smaller in HS and he was listed at like 265 coming out of HS. I don’t think Majors will have the same trouble getting his weight above 300 like Raulerson did. majors is already listed at like 280 by his junior year. 

Hand likes tall OL, even for interior guys, so if we take Majors, I think that’s a sign they think he’s a stud and can get big enough to play.

Also, didn't Jake get mono or some shit and drop another 30 pounds to an already light frame? It's be hard to gain that weight back and contribute, especially since he was having trouble gaining weight in the first place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, TankedBevo said:

Also, didn't Jake get mono or some shit and drop another 30 pounds to an already light frame? It's be hard to gain that weight back and contribute, especially since he was having trouble gaining weight in the first place. 

I thought he had like some kind of weird deviated septum surgery or something?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Bodacious Bevo said:

All the aggies are so focused on this Demas drama that they're completely oblivious to how well this weekend went for us

There are a lot of people on this board and other Longhorn boards who are fixated on the Demas drama, too. Pretty annoying, actually.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...