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Texas Recruiting Notes 2020


Reese Bennett

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2 hours ago, bEastTexas said:

To add on when I was in HS a Kansas assistant coming through to recruit told our coaches that he couldn’t physically wipe his own ass hole, either somebody else had to do it for him or he had to get In the shower. 

No wonder they've had trouble recruiting.

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8 hours ago, sushihorn said:

You're really improving.  The transition is almost seamless here.  I don't know if this would interest you but the texasfootball Instagram put up this picture of Junior Angilau.  I immediately thought of Jason Momoa's Aquaman.

 

Does anyone know how to get unblocked by Texas Instagram account?

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EJ after dark: Notes on elite DB targets

— I mentioned earlier this week that four-star Salpointe Catholic (AZ) defensive back Lathan Ransom would be visiting Texas soon. Ransom is now zeroing in on a date for the end of May. Ransom is looking to visit both Texas and Texas A&M at that time on unofficial visits. He will also make an official visit to Oklahoma in April. Ransom is very interested in playing his college ball in this part of the country and is intrigued by UT early on.

—Elite Duncanville defensive back Chris Thompson is looking to get back to Texas at some point in the very near future. While he hasn’t been to campus recently, we still feel good about where the Longhorns stand. LSU is making a strong push, though, and Clemson impressed him during his time there. I have heard that Texas A&M has dropped off a bit here.

— We’ve talked a lot about five-star California linebacker Justin Flowe, but don’t forget Texas also offered his little brother, 2021 linebacker Jonathan Flowe. Like Justin, Jonathan is also interested in the Longhorns and is looking to visit at some point this offseason. He holds close to 20 total offers.

— Texas offered 2021 Spring Dekaney tight end Var’Keyes Gumms today. He is actually the first tight end the Longhorns have offered for the 2021 cycle, which speaks volumes about their interest level. Gumms attends the same high school that produced Malcolm Epps and was at junior day over the weekend.

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22 hours ago, Fud said:

I've always thought it was interesting how Jimbo would try to fit odd front ends into a 4-3, so I wondered how his DL faired in the draft since they seemed to be frequently misused 

Here are the DL he's recruited that were .9000+, and where they were drafted

Eddie Goldman .9995 Pick 39

Josh Sweat .995 Pick 130

Mario Edwards .9944 Pick 35

Timmy Jernigan .9927 Pick 48

Chris Casher .987 Undrafted

DeMarcus Walker .9829 Pick 51

Tank Carradine .9622 Pick 40

Janarius Robinson .9571 Still at FSU (not expected to be drafted)

Derrick Nnadi .9554 Pick 75

Demarcus Christmas .9399 Still at FSU (likely a mid to late round pick)

Justin Shanks .9374 Undrafted

Darious Cummings .9358 Undrafted

Keith Bryant .9196 Undrafted

Darvin Taylor .9196 Undrafted

Cedric Wood .9058 Still at FSU (not expected to be drafted)

 

He's recruited very well on the DL, and most of his higher rated guys ended up in the 2nd round (5 of his top 7 in the 2nd round, one undrafted, one 4th round), however for all the 5*s and high 4*s he's had, he's never produced a first round draft pick off the DL. Also, his lower rated 4*s tend to go undrafted.

It seems to me his elite DL recruits don't reach their ceilings but are good enough to get drafted in the 2nd, while he doesn't develop the others very well. 

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Jimbo had an ace recruiter for a D line coach at FSU: Odell Haggins. Elijah Robinson is no Odell Haggins.

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IT

LET THE GAMES BEGIN

Tour of Duty is a three-week competition designed to get guys pushing themselves to their limits ahead of spring practice beginning March 11th. 

By now they've worked out the bumps and bruises from the season as well as the soreness and fatigue from the strains of weight lifting and running. Oh, you guys are used to the workouts, let's up the ante.

How it works is, the coaches drafted teams in order to keep things evenly matched, or as evenly as the coaches' general manager skills allowed. Some of these guys aren't front office types.

Twice a week the competition centers around agility drills, sleds, and tug-o-war. Players race and compete against each other and accumulate points along the way.

Once a week the players do mat drills, which are pure evil. This will often involve a little more physical contact but agility is still important as well.

While Tour of Duty is three days a week, lifting is still four times a week with a lower body/upper body split done twice. Weights are heavy and if they get lighter more reps are added which allows for no break whatsoever.

It sounds like the team is in good condition as evidenced by some guys looking quicker than ever, at least per sources. Some guys who needed to lose weight have (Jeffrey McCulloch), while others have gained weight (Anthony Cook, Keaontay Ingram).

One guy who was surprisingly mentioned specifically was Jamari Chisholm. The staff intentionally red-shirted him and it sounds like he's competing hard for snaps. He's always "looked" the part, which is why the red-shirt didn't really surprise me, but now he's moving better than ever. He's slated to compete at defensive end.

I also heard D'Andre Christmas has looked good. Quickness has always been his game and with agility part of the equation this isn't too surprising, however this is highly intense work. If he's holding up in this regard he's going to see a good amount of snaps. Nose tackle will be highly competitive this spring but it'll probably shake out with Gerald Wilbon, Keondre Coburn, and Christmas all playing quite a bit. Ta'Quon Graham too, depending on down and distance.

We always hear good things about Graham when it comes to these scenarios; he's a hard-working and competitive guy so that's no surprise. Ditto for Joseph Ossai who is in phenomenal shape. 

"Jalen Green is competing his ass off," is a direct quote. They need to muscle him up some but he's getting after it. He hasn't quite filled out like Cook, which is a bit of a surprise, but he has tons of time and adding weight on your body's timeline is preferred to forcing it. While you feel around your midsection in disgust, I'll continue.

I'm still hearing good things about the freshmen enrollees. Mentioned by name were Roschon Johnson, Bru McCoy, and Jordan Whittington. Judging by some pictures that have been made public, Jared Wiley is adapting well to the weight room. That should come as no surprise.

On Roschon we've heard he's already becoming more vocal. He showed up quiet, which is the right thing to do, but he's already getting more comfortable with his role as a leader by default, both vocally and by example. My guy was really excited about him. "Would he be ready this year? Heck no, but will he be ready when Sam leaves? Definitely." His speed in this setting has been noticed and as a dual-threat that's good to hear.

On McCoy I heard he's doing a better job of learning to finish each rep but what sticks out is he's fast. Speed wasn't the main thrust of his evaluation so that's a good thing to hear.

On Whittington I hear he's hyper-competitive and maybe even quicker than Keaontay Ingram. Those guys have had some spirited battles. In fairness to Ingram he's apparently north of 215 pounds already. That probably isn't yet permanent weight, but he's working to add even more so he'll play the season at 215 or more. What's important for him is striking the balance between weight that helps durability while not losing his trademark cutting ability.

The team has done some positional work but it's been limited.

If a player wasn't mentioned it doesn't mean he's been cut from the team, sucks, or is in the doghouse and/or Portal. It just means he wasn't mentioned to me this week.

STATE OF RECRUITING

The success of the 2018 is supplying momentum for 2019 recruiting. Since January 1st, the Horns have been one of the hottest programs in college football. Even before the Sugar Bowl win, the stove was heating up in Austin. 

Since the start of the year, Texas has hosted an Elite Day, gained three four-star commits, and hosted a packed Junior Day Weekend. Texas finds itself in a position of strength with both the 2020 and 2021 classes.

The present cycle always takes precedent as who that class lands will affect who the staff pursues in the next class. Sometimes it works in reverse, like 2019 running back recruiting, but more often than not immediacy takes priority. 

We'll take a look at what we believe to be the big board at two of the most important positions within the class. The board seems to be ever-changing, especially as new names are added. This complicates the understanding of who the staff is prioritizing, and how the numbers might shake out, but we got you covered. 

It's important to remember that for the first time in a long time Texas will be telling prospects it covets that they're out of room. This creates leverage and in some cases we might see guys jump their timeline.

Offensive Line

They for sure want the foursome of Logan Parr, Jake Majors, Jaylen Garth, and Chad Lindberg. Those four have been the priority since the summer. They want Damieon George too, especially with him potentially affecting the Zach Evans sweepstakes. 

If George goes elsewhere, like say, Alabama, the worst part about it is it makes procuring Evans a little more difficult, at least at this time. After being put on high alert yesterday morning about George potentially committing to Alabama, we learned late last night he's likely going to wait. He's somewhat impressionable and susceptible to the hard sell. This is a kid who absolutely loved Elite Day in Austin. Loved it. 

If George were to select Bama or another school du jour, they’ll take Lindberg if they can get him and then see which out-of-state studs they can get on campus. They really like the upside of Tosh Baker from Arizona. Tennesee's Chris Morris might also return.

In-state guys they like that might be on a longer timeline are:

Andreji Karic, Southlake Carroll: Lean for the position, but athletic and mean. Finishes blocks. Significant upside. He'll end up somewhere like Nebraska where they'll get him to a comfortable 300 pounds and he'll wreck-shop.

Ty’Kieast Crawford, Carthage: Again, significant upside player who made great strides this past year. It's too bad he's not at North Shore. Still committed to Baylor but Arkansas is lurking. 

Wesley Ndago, Waco Midway: Timing is everything and Ndago's is bad. With UT needing a center in the 2019 class he would have been a great candidate. UT already has two G/C prospects in Parr and Majors. If they move on a guy like Ndago or Braedon Nutter, then it's clear the staff views one of Parr or Majors as a potential tackle (likely Majors). 

These three require further evaluation and you may see an effort to get them to camp. Surely new targets will emerge. They'll be judicious with that fifth spot.

So it’s the Four plus George (call it Five if you want) or an elite OOS kid. As of today, getting Baker on campus is a priority. You may recall that Baker's mother attended Texas. 

While o-line recruiting is interesting, it has nothing on the secondary.

Cornerback

From our vantage three appears to be the goal which means the overall number in the defensive backfield is more than we originally thought -- call it six for now.

Texas views Josh Eaton (Aldine MacArthur), Ryan Watts (Little Elm), and Jahari Rogers (Arlington) similarly. Each of the three could pick up the phone and commit immediately.

Don't be surprised if Eaton makes it back to campus very soon, perhaps even this weekend. 

Rogers is an OU legacy, so account for that. 

Watts loved his Texas visit and is looking to be on a summer timeline.

Jaylon Jones and Kelee Ringo have committable offers until NSD2 regardless of who is already committed.

They'll continue to work on getting five-star Elias Ricks (Mater Dei) to campus but if he doesn't they'll be all right.

Kitan Crawford (John Tyler) was recently offered but appears to be in the on-deck circle for Eaton, Watts, and Rogers.

They like Jalen Kimber and Avery Helm but they don't seem to be quite as high on the board as others.

The staff straight up passed on pursuing Lorando Johnson and RJ Mickens.

Safety/Nickel

Texas made a big move for Xavion Alford (Shadow Creek) recently with his offer and visit. He could return to campus soon. Right now it looks to be a UT/LSU battle. He's important because he could be safety or nickel. 

The staff is still likely to get a visit from Clark Phillips (La Habra, CA) who is another nickel candidate but right now the staff has to make up ground as fast as he does on the field.

Bryson Washington (C.E. King) could be back on campus this weekend. He probably has his favorite little AirBnB spot by now. They're all over Washington and right now he appears to be a strong lean, but it's curious he moved his stated decision date from January to NSD1. 

Chris Thompson (Duncanville) is the other priority safety on the board. He hasn't visited in a while and his recruitment has been quiet but we have no reason to believe UT isn't still in good standing. Obviously they need to get him back this spring. He's supposed to make a summer decision. 

Lathan Ransom (Tucson, AZ) could emerge as a priority. He's supposed to visit this spring and if that goes well the staff will have more leverage with others. He's a really good player they'd love to have.

Dwight McGlother (Trinity Christian) visited Austin this past weekend and will probably upload more pictures to his travel blog this week as proof, but we don't get the sense the staff is pressing hard. 

Graduate Transfers and Kendall Milton:

Georgia Tech offensive guard Parker Braun is The One. He’ll be on campus next weekend for his official visit. 

Rutgers’ Jonah Jackson will visit Austin in March and they would likely take him if they can get him but Jackson is high on OU and Ohio State. 

Virginia's RJ Proctor is awaiting an offer. 

Texas needs has to land one of Braun or Jackson. Landing both would be two of the seven deadly sins with neither being sloth.

JUCO Willie Tyler is more of a project rather than immediate help. View him for the 2019 take he'd be. We'd call an offer unlikely.

When the coaches and support staff aren't hosting recruiting events, they're bringing in a trickle of targets for more personal interaction. Texas has national appeal right now, so getting in Buchanan (Clovis, CA) five-star RB Kendall Milton this weekend didn't prove too difficult.

As we've mentioned since this offer went out long ago, Texas has the chance to accelerate out of the turn with Milton and his father, Chris. Draytona 500, foot always on the gas, has built a strong relationship with the Miltons and the school fits Kendall's profile in many ways. 

Milton is visiting OU currently. He and Evans often talk about playing together. While that likely won't happen (see Noah Cain and Trey Sanders last cycle) the staff would be perfectly happy to split aces.

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Thanks to @rvm96 for posting this - Anwar on assistants and analysts

(From Anwar)

Texas football coach Tom Herman’s loyalty has been evident again this offseason.

Herman could have made staff changes after the season ended if he wanted to shake things up. The contracts of running backs coach Stan Drayton, receivers coach Drew Mehringer, tight ends coach Derek Warehime, defensive line coach Oscar Giles, defensive backs coach/recruiting coordinator Jason Washington, special teams coordinator/safeties coach Craig Naivar and receivers coach Corby Meekins were going to expire on March 31. Herman signed each coach to a two-year deal when they were hired, and had to decide their future. Just for clarity, Texas offensive coordinator Tim Beck and defensive coordinator Todd Orlando’s contracts expire in 2020, while Herb Hand is under contract until 2021.

As I reported early in January, Herman individually met with his coaches to discuss their futures at Texas and informed each he intends to retain him. Herman wanted to give his staff assurances about its positions at Texas before the American Football Coaches Association Annual Conference in San Antonio.

In fact, the main changes Herman made this offseason were promoting Warehime to special teams coordinator while Naivar has added the title of co-defensive coordinator.

However, there is another detail about Herman’s retention of his coaches that I discovered.

Each signed a one-year deal.

According to multiple sources, nobody was given a two-year or three-year deal after the season. Instead, Herman decided to create an environment where nobody on his staff becomes complacent.

When I asked a source close to Herman about the decision to give each coach a one-year deal, I was given several interesting tidbits.

--- Former Texas football coach Charlie Strong handed out multi-year deals to most of his staff during his tenure. After two 5-7 seasons, Strong was allowed to sign offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert to a three-year, $850,000 contract. Offensive line coach Matt Mattox signed a three-year contract worth $550,000 each year. Gilbert and Mattox coached for only one season and Texas was on the hook for those contracts after Strong and his staff were fired.

In fact, Texas owed Strong $10 million, plus the salaries of several fired assistants.

I learned Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte does not want his program to be in that position again. Del Conte does not want to spend money just because he can. Instead, Del Conte and Herman are working together to be smart about money spent annually.

--- One source wanted to make it very clear to me that Herman’s decision for his coaches to be on one-year deals is not an indictment on the football staff.

Herman is very happy with his football staff and is not looking to make any changes.

Instead, I was told that the one-year deals, “Doesn’t speak to anything other than [Herman’s] guys staying on their toes.” In the past, some coaches have arrived in Austin with great resumés, but did not achieve the same level of success after becoming complacent. Coaches at Texas are paid well, the football program is under a huge spotlight, and they get to live in Austin. Herman does not want anybody on his staff to think “I’ve arrived” and coast on the job. He wants them to have the same sense of urgency they instill into their players every day.

I was told Herman’s message to his staff was very simple. A person close to the situation told me Herman said, “If you’re elite at your job, you never have to worry. Be one of the best in the country at what you do and you’ll never have to worry about losing your job.”

--- A source close to Herman noted one-year deals are the college football standard, and his decision is not out of the ordinary.

In reality, most college football coaches receive one-year deals. Handing out multiple year deals to every coach on staff was an anomaly, not the norm. When Oklahoma football coach Lincoln Riley was hired in 2017, four of his coaches received only a one-year extension. Five coaches received a two-year extension.

Herman is loyal to his staff.

He just refuses to be complacent during the process.

******

I have been asked so much about the analyst position at Texas that I made flushing out those details for you my top priority this week.

Earlier this week, I reported North Carolina coach Larry Fedora accepted an analyst position at Texas. He flew into Austin last week and attended a staff meeting. After discussing the opportunity with his family, Fedora decided to take the job and will join Herman’s support staff.

Here is a little nugget for you – Fedora should be in Austin by the first week of March, according to my sources.

Okay, so what the heck is Fedora’s job, Anwar?

Typically, analysts do a lot of dirty work. They break down film, chase kids around campus and make sure players are in class, making playbooks, etc. Just think about what your first job looked like.

Fedora is going to do way more than that.

As a former coach, Fedora’s skills will be utilized more during the regular season. That is why he will be asked to do advanced scouting by always staying a week or two ahead. Some of his tasks will involve self-scouting. He will also have the task of scouting opposing teams.

I asked a source to give me an example and was given a scenario.

Herman could approach Fedora and say he heard Oklahoma is really good at running counter plays. Fedora could be asked to pull all the counter plays Oklahoma has run and analyze why the team is successful. After completing that task, Fedora could be asked to present his findings to Herman, or the entire staff.

Fedora will also need to compile scouting reports on opponents. Not a game plan, but a scouting report that entails the strengths and weaknesses of an opponent. Basically, share with the staff everything he sees on video.

The advantage for Texas is having a veteran coach share his expertise with Herman’s staff. Instead of getting that information from a young person who is learning on the job, Herman can hear an analysis from a former coach who is an expert in his profession.

Conversely, the advantage for Fedora is his buyout if worth over $12 million, and this analyst job does not affect that paycheck. Fedora will receive medical benefits as an analyst. In addition, Fedora gets to experience at least nine months of tossing ideas back-and-forth with Herman and discovering a different approach to coaching and running a program. Coaches attend clinics each year, while staffs often visit different programs to exchange ideas. Fedora’s new position is similar to those traditional experiences.

Additionally, Fedora will receive a break from the pressure of recruiting. Fedora can help Texas recruit players on campus (he is not allowed to travel). However, anything thing he contributes will be viewed as a bonus and not a requirement.

Two more analyst nuggets to pass along:

1. A person close to Herman told me Fedora was not hired under the guise of him replacing anyone on staff. During a staff meeting Fedora attended, I was told Herman made it clear to everyone the former coach will be an analyst and this position is not a job interview.

2. There is a possibility Herman will hire six or seven analysts, with three of those positions filled by former head coaches and at least three grad assistants. Former Kansas coach David Beaty is a candidate for an analyst position at Texas, but I do not currently have names of other coaches who could be in the mix. I will keep you posted.

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TFB Open Post:

Weekend Visitors
– Super K

***As most of you know, Texas will host 5-star running back, Kendall Milton this upcoming weekend.

Intersting trio that will be be back in town this upcoming weekend…

***Recently offered 2020 CB and one of my favorites in the class, Joshua Eaton will take a return trip down to Texas. He and the others have track meets in Austin this weekend.

***2020 DB, Bryson Washington (C.E. King) will also make a return trip to Texas this weekend.

***And lastly, 2020 DB Xavion Alford (Shadow Creek) will be on return trip to Texas this weekend, as well.

Texas is sitting in such a good spot for so many prospects in this class it’s going to be interesting how they prioritize everything.

Updates | Jahari Rogers Favorite Visit & More
– Super K

***I’ll have a full write up with quotes coming from my conversation with 2020 ATH and recent Texas visitor and offer, Jahari Rogers (Arlington).

I did want to pass along something that caught my attention. Rogers has recently taken visits to Texas, TCU, OU and LSU.

As many of you know, he is an OU legacy. His grandfather played for the Sooners.

So it surprised me a bit to here him say that his best visit so far of the four schools was Texas.

This one is a lot tougher to call than I had originally expected. I’d imagine the Sooners win out in the end but it’s not certain. What is certain is it’s going to be harder than I would’ve originally thought.

***It sounds like Texas has begun communicating with 2020 Sooners DB commit, Darion Green–Warren (Mater Dei).

In speaking to folks around DGW, I’m told that coach Jason Washington has been in touch and an offer could happen within the next week.

If it does, it sounds like the family will likely visit for the Spring Game.

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I haven't seen any reports of any Spring OVs for us. OU is hosting one or two OVs soon from big names guys on the West Coast. Those guys also look like they are taking unofficials to us (and aggy). Have the coaches decided Spring OVs don't pay off or will we see some OVs during Spring Practice/Game?

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Just now, rickyspub said:

I haven't seen any reports of any Spring OVs for us. OU is hosting one or two OVs soon from big names guys on the West Coast. Those guys also look like they are taking unofficials to us (and aggy). Have the coaches decided Spring OVs don't pay off or will we see some OVs during Spring Practice/Game?

Can't do spring OVs until April 1. I'm sure names will pop up starting next month.

Edited by Machinator
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4 minutes ago, Machinator said:

Can't do spring OVs until April 1. I'm sure names will pop up starting next month.

Thanks. EJ's post says Ransom is taking an OV to OU in April and I think Phillips and maybe Robinson were also noted as taking OVs to OU this Spring. It seems they have prioritized setting up OVs for the Spring. You can still only host 5 guys in the Spring, right? 

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2 minutes ago, rickyspub said:

Thanks. EJ's post says Ransom is taking an OV to OU in April and I think Phillips and maybe Robinson were also noted as taking OVs to OU this Spring. It seems they have prioritized setting up OVs for the Spring. You can still only host 5 guys in the Spring, right? 

You can host however many spots you still have open for that year. I'm not sure what the total is or how many we hosted in the fall so no clue what that number is for us. 

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21 minutes ago, Bodacious Bevo said:

You can host however many spots you still have open for that year. I'm not sure what the total is or how many we hosted in the fall so no clue what that number is for us. 

The limit is 56 official visits per academic year, I believe

Edited by Machinator
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The recruiting calendar needs to be posted - I know it helps me:

September (last year): Electronic communications and mailers are allowed.  This is unlimited.  Official camps can be held.

April - June: Recruits are allowed one Spring OV. Starting April 15, Coaches can make one phone call to each recruit.

July - ~September: No phone calls, but face-contact is allowed going forward.

~September: OVs allowed (5 total).  One call per week in general (more or less during a contact/silent period).

Official camps supersede other contact rules; however, a school cannot use your OV during a camp (they can't fund your trip to camp).  And no contact with sophomores and freshman even if they camp.

At any time recruits can initiate a phone call, but missed or cut-short calls can't be returned.  So these types of calls usually get prearranged through a HS coach or "handler."

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