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Texas Recruiting Notes 2020


Reese Bennett

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1 hour ago, RGBIII said:

Not to go back to the draft talk but Todd McShay has Collin Johnson going to the Jaguars #9 overall in the first round in his way too early 2020 mock draft...for whatever that is worth...which is nothing

I will suck Todd McShay's mom's cock if Collin Johnson goes in the top 10 of the draft.

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1 hour ago, Machinator said:

Jahari Rogers will OV to Arkansas this weekend and Florida the weekend of May 18. His OV weekend for Texas is June 22.

I would like to see multiple successful shots in the endzone to CJ this season that highlights his size, body control, and hands in order to get him a first round draft pick.  

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25 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

I’m guessing Collin will run at least as “fast” as LJH, will catch the passes thrown to him in the drills, and do many more reps on the bench. 

Not that those things should put him in the first round, but he should test better than what LJH put out there. 

That’s about as low of a bar as you can imagine. 

2 minutes ago, ShowmeyourTDs said:

I would like to see multiple successful shots in the endzone to CJ this season that highlights his size, body control, and hands in order to get him a first round draft pick.  

All that can happen and he still won’t be a first round pick.

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Washington just got Garrett Wilson'd by Sav'ell Smalls: https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-husky-football/report-5-star-2020-linebacker-savell-smalls-eliminates-uw-from-contention-still-considering-washington-state/

Apparently Oregon negative recruited UW's lack of black players in the program.

As it relates to Texas: https://thespun.com/college-football/savell-smalls-washington-eliminated-top-schools-recruit

Quote

I want to definitely go see LSU.  I love what LSU is doing right now.  They’re putting together a crazy class.  They have a lot of guys from the West Coast in it,” said Smalls.  “I’m definitely going to consider all of the Florida schools- Florida State and my boy Tre’Shaun (Harrison, his former high school teammate) and Florida plus Miami.  Texas and Texas A&M too, they both have been really talking to me more. Georgia as well, that was a school that I was taking to, but it died down so I’m hoping it’ll pick back up.”

 

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1 minute ago, Machinator said:

Damn Cristobal, that's cold. Right out of the Bama bag of dirty tricks, though.

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1 hour ago, RGBIII said:

Not to go back to the draft talk but Todd McShay has Collin Johnson going to the Jaguars #9 overall in the first round in his way too early 2020 mock draft...for whatever that is worth...which is nothing

99% sure Adam Ulatoski was mocked as #10 pick going into his senior year. That's gotta be on a short list of the all time swings and misses for an early mock.

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44 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

I will suck Todd McShay's mom's cock if Collin Johnson goes in the top 10 of the draft.

I doubt CJ is drafted in the top 10 but, if so, quoted for posterity and surly shenanigans. 

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18 minutes ago, Machinator said:

LSU is putting together a crazy class?  You’re killing me, smalls. 

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39 minutes ago, longhornmatt said:

How does Washington even supposedly have a lack of black players in the program?  Their DBs getting drafted every year aren’t John Lynch types.  

It is basically the 1946 Brooklyn Dodgers over in Seattle

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13 minutes ago, joeycovers said:

Friend of mines Dad has a store  in the North Shore area.  Met Dabo Swinney today because he's in town  recruiting Evans.. I know.. CSB 

Was Dabo being hosted by a local church pastor? If not, we're still in it. 

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49 minutes ago, joeycovers said:

Friend of mines Dad has a store  in the North Shore area.  Met Dabo Swinney today because he's in town  recruiting Evans.. I know.. CSB 

Clemson was actually at North Shore Tuesday and it was the RB coach Tony Elliot not Dabo according to their 247 board. Somebody correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t believe HC’s are allowed on the road during the spring. 

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7 minutes ago, bEastTexas said:

Clemson was actually at North Shore Tuesday and it was the RB coach Tony Elliot not Dabo according to their 247 board. Somebody correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t believe HC’s are allowed on the road during the spring. 

 Correct, HC can't go on the road in May....

Quote on Saban:  "The timing for Saban's surgery couldn't have been any better. Head coaches aren't allowed to go out on the road recruiting in May, which means he's camped out in the office watching film and talking to recruits."

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TFB Open Post: https://texas.thefootballbrainiacs.com/2019/05/open-post-weekend-may-3rd-5th/

Linebacker Offered | Kourt Williams
– Super K

I had noted that this was a possibility in my linebacker breakdown. Texas has extended an offer to 2020 LB, Kourt Williams out of St. John Bosco (CA).

Kourt is an incredible athlete, perhaps the most athletic linebacker in the country. I first discovered him at the LA Opening event.

I felt at that time, Texas should’ve offered him.

He has already narrowed his list significantly and taken a number of unofficial visits. He begins his first official visit this upcoming weekend when he makes a return trip to Norman.

I will check with him to see if he plans on taking an unofficial visit to Texas. The last time I spoke with Kourt he did say that none of the schools he’s visited, including the top four or five schools in his mind, have felt like home, just yet.

So, there is a window.

But either way, I’m glad to see Texas offer another linebacker. Based on the numbers they need to get in this class, more offers make sense.

Xavion Alford | The Latest
– Super K

I recently spoke in person with 2020 Texas DB target, Xavion Alford about his recruitment. My conversation with him took place just before he dropped his top ten…

As you can see, Texas made the top ten and by my read, Texas would make a top two or three if he were to drop that today.

***Alford’s most recent visits include trips to Texas A&M, Alabama, LSU and he did attend the Texas Spring Game.

***In terms of the four schools that he recently visited, he tells me that Texas, LSU and TAMU are recruiting him the hardest.

***Something to keep an eye on is the fact that like Josh Eaton, Josh White and a lot of other Houston area players, Xavion has a lot of family in Louisiana. “I used to go there like every summer back to back to back”. Alford says he’s impressed by the fact that the LSU has such a strong recruiting class but said, “everything looks like it’s going good but I’m just going to wait and see what they do this season”.

***As far as Texas A&M goes, Alford said, “Coach Elko on the defensive side, he’s turning it around but I want to see what they’re going to do with the players. I want to see what they’re going to do with Brian Williams and everyone else”.

You’ll recall, TAMU pulled in a highly rated safety class in the last cycle.

***In terms of Texas, “The Spring Game, the whole atmosphere it was loud, it was real hype. Texas looks good. They’ve got a whole bunch of new weapons offensively. Defensively, I want to see what they’re going to do with this incoming 2019 class because they’ve got some guys who came in early like J Whitt, Bru and them. I just want to see what they’re going to do on the defensive side with all the talented players they’ve been getting.”

Alford said coach Naivar is his primary recruiter but he added, “I talk to coach Herman almost every other day”.

Alford also said he speaks to coach Washington as well, noting that Texas has told him they can see him playing any spot in the secondary including the possibility of playing some corner.

***Xavion said he plans on taking his official visit to Texas for the LSU game. A win for Texas there and I think Texas with do themselves and a lot of other teams around the country a big favor.

***In terms of a decision timeline, Xavion says he will take his officials in the fall and then make a decision after that. So, not expecting anything to go down this summer.

***Based on some off the record conversation with Alford, I get the sense that Naivar is recruiting Alford harder than just about anyone.

Quick Hitter | No. 1 JUCO LB Offered, Set to Visit
– CJ Vogel

Texas has extended an offer to the nation’s No. 1 JUCO inside linebacker Juwan Mitchell out of Butler C.C. in Kansas.

Mitchell committed to Minnesota in late March but has continued to hear from other programs. Texas offered Thursday afternoon and after exchanging messages with him following his offer post, Mitchell said he already a visit planned for Austin.

In fact, the 6-foot, 1-inch, 235 lb linebacker will be visiting the Texas Football program next weekend. (May 11)

Mitchell said he had been in contact with the Texas staff prior to the offer coming. As Charlie and K have highlighted this week, Texas has been exploring options at the linebacker position in all sorts of avenues this offseason.

Mitchell will have two years of eligibility remaining once he steps foot on a D1 campus. He is set to be a January enrollee.

We will have more on Mitchell following his visit, however, it goes without saying what type of interest he has in the program having a visit planned just hours after being offered.

Jahari Rogers | Preview Note
– Super K

I spoke with 2020 DB, Jahari Rogers (Arlington). Rogers attended the Texas Spring Game. I was able to spend a solid bit of a time with him over the phone. I’ll have my quotes up from that conversation but wanted to pass on a preview.

***One of the most important notes is that it appears the Sooners are no longer in the mix for Rogers. The reason this is important is due to to the fact that Rogers grandfather was a starting defensive back for OU. In the past he’s been open with me about his grandfather hoping to see him play at OU. Rogers spoke mostly off the record about what soured him on OU but the bottom line is that it no longer appears they’ll be a factor.

***A team that does appear to be a real threat to Texas for Rogers is Florida. Again, I’ll go into detail on that but I was a bit surprised at just how high Rogers seems to be on Florida.

***Rogers has set up his official visit to Texas for the June 22nd weekend. Same weekend the Horns are expected to host Bryson Washington.

***Don’t expect this recruitment to drag out much longer. Rogers told me he wants to make a decision pretty quickly, lock in his spot at a school and then focus on his senior season.

***Rogers will take an official visit to Arkansas this weekend.

Again, more on the way…

Checking in with Kelvontay Dixon …

When the news came out a few months ago that Texas had extended an offer to Carthage (TX) ATH Kelvontay Dixon, many assumed that Dixon may have been receiving an offer so early due to his older brother being on the team. After earning district MVP honors and leading Carthage to a state semifinal appearance, Dixon has been making believers of the doubters one-by-one during his Junior year, accumulating numerous P5 offers along the way.

With a busy weekend on the horizon, (Dixon will be competing in FOUR events at the UIL Championships next weekend in Austin) I felt like it would be a good time to get an update on where things stand with the talented playmaker.

“My mindset at practices this week and next are just to maintain the right attitude” Dixon said, “We are getting close.”

When I asked about where things stood on the recruiting front, Dixon let me know that things are pretty much down to two schools.

“The schools that are recruiting me the hardest are Texas and Arkansas” Dixon told me. “Texas wants me to play Wide Receiver, while Arkansas is recruiting me to play Running Back.”

Dixon told me that he didn’t truly have a preference as to which position he lined up at and I believe him. I did find it interesting that Texas was recruiting him exclusively as a WR, and not in the hybrid role that they seem to be intent on finding in this class as well.

As for his thoughts on Texas:

“UT is a great school, everyone on the team is family. The coaches are great and it’s a great environment. I’m looking for a school that I can get a great education and with a strong network.”

Dixon tells me that if he has a choice, he would like to make his decision towards the end of the recruiting cycle. This one is a Texas/Arkansas battle (Texas fans need to get used to that) with Arkansas doing a great job on Dixon as well as having an advantage in proximity. From my experience though, you can never discount how important family ties are to most. I think Texas sits comfortably in this one.

Dixon will be competing in the 100m, 4×100, 4×400, and Triple Jump with a chance to win Gold in each event next weekend.

State Championship Track & Field Participants of Interest

Next weekend, the UIL Track & Field State Championships will be held on the University of Texas campus at Mike A. Myers Stadium (May 10-11). Texas Head Coach Tom Herman has mentioned on multiple occasions how he and the Texas staff value track times when evaluating prospects and the emphasis that they put on prospective student-athletes participating in the sport. It can be a tremendous indicator of one’s functional explosiveness.

For those unaware, many of the state’s top football recruits actively compete on the track circuit and some are even talented enough to qualify for the state finals. Below is a list of names to watch and the event that they’ll be participating in:

4x100M Relay

3A Rockdale (2021 RB Cam’Ron Valdez)

4A Melissa (Texas WR signee Kennedy Lewis and 2021 RB JaBray Young)

4A Carthage (2020 WR Kelvontay Dixon)

5A FB Marshall (2020 RB Devon Achane and 2020 QB Malik Hornsby)

5A Lancaster (2021 WR Ketron Jackson)

5A John Tyler (2020 CB Kitan Crawford)

5A Aledo (2020 RB Jase McClellan and 2021 WR JoJo Earle)

5A Denton Ryan (2021 ATH Billy Bowman)

6A Garland Lakeview Centennial (2021 RB Camar Wheaton)

6A Mansfield Summit (2021 CB Jalon Rock)

100M Dash

4A Carthage (Kelvontay Dixon 10.71)

6A Plano East (Texas DB signee Tyler Owens, 10.35)

200M Dash

5A FB Marshall (Devon Achane)

4x200M Relay

4A Melissa (Kennedy Lewis and 2021 RB JaBray Young)

5A FB Marshall (2020 RB Devon Achane)

5A Lancaster (2021 WR Ketron Jackson)

6A Mansfield Summit (2021 CB Jalon Rock)

6A Cibolo Steele (2020 CB Jaylon Jones)

4x400M Relay

4A Carthage (Kelvontay Dixon)

Discus

6A Katy Taylor (2021 OL Bryce Foster, 185-03’)

Shot Put

6A Katy Taylor (2021 OL Bryce Foster, #1 mark in state 63-00.25’)

High Jump

6A Denton Guyer (2021 QB Eli Stowers, 6’10)

Triple Jump

2A Gruver (2020 ATH Jalin Conyers)

4A Carthage (Kelvontay Dixon) (Has the top mark in 4A, 46’9)

**Also, he’s not a football recruit, but if you haven’t seen Strake Jesuit’s Matthew Boling run you are doing yourself a huge disservice. I strongly encourage you to get out to the track if you live in the Austin area or have a passion for the sport. Mr. Boling may be representing our country as a teenager next year in the Olympics, he’s that special of an athlete.

Evening Updates | Damieon George & Zach Evans
– Super K

Stopped by North Shore to see 2020 OL, Damieon George and 2020 RB, Zach Evans.

Evans was out sick. So, I did not speak with him. But did speak with George and he confirmed what we reported yesterday – that he and Zach will indeed be in town this weekend.

A few notes of serious interest…

***As I noted in the tweet, Damieon says he is very near a decision and it sounds like the teams to beat are LSU, Texas and Alabama. He is a native of Louisiana and admitted that he grew up an LSU fan. But Texas is certainly in this fight.

***With the decision nearing, this weekend is going to be important for both he and Zach…

***To the point above, someone had asked in the comments section about Damieon and Zach playing together. I don’t typically take the package deals too seriously but when I asked Damieon about it, he said the chances of him and Zach playing together is…

”100%”.

***George even implied that they make announce their decision together. But that wasn’t anything certain. Again, what did seem certain is that George is very close to a decision. If I was in Texas position, I’d immediately set up an official visit after this weekend’s unofficial.

***Also, I think Herman needs to really turn up the heat in this one and recruit George himself. George told me that he has a very strong relationship with coach Orgeron over at LSU. Orgeron is heavily involved in George’s recruitment. And the last reason you want to lose a kid (and in this case possibly Evans, as well) is by being outworked.

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IT

BY: IT STAFF

STATE OF RECRUITING 

Despite beginning the calendar with a win over vaunted Georgia, the early positive momentum, the success of the last two recruiting classes, and being in excellent standing with a handful of priority prospects, there is a sense of uneasiness with the lack of early 2020’s committed this cycle for UT. Well, within parts of the fan base at least. The staff...they're perfectly fine with where they sit. Even if you didn't trust our sources on that, their actions tell the tale: they're not forcing offers at positions of need, rather they're holding fast to their board. That will pay off, just perhaps not soon enough for some.

This weekend should be a productive piece of the puzzle, but we're not expecting fireworks in the immediate wake. 

WEEKEND VISITORS

The OLaw firm of Garth, Majors, & Parr will be in town to work on potential partners Chad Lindberg and Damieon George. This is the group of five players on the offensive line the staff has coveted since last fall. When you can get your ideal targets in the same place at the same time you can sell a consensus vision. There's no misunderstanding of who fits where. This makes it harder to negative recruit.

Lindberg, the four-star from Clear Creek, will use his official visit this weekend. There's a bit of optimism brewing that he could make a decision before using all of his official visits, however we still believe he'll at least see Georgia. Previously we had his timeline as end of summer but it could be expedited. We'll let Chad speak for himself on the other side of the weekend.

With George, he's a bit impressionable but we feel he's already maturing within the process. That's likely thanks to receiving good counsel from a North Shore staff accustomed to handling major recruits. We've likened him to Javonne Shepherd as a player, and there's a sense some of that could carry over to how his recruitment will play out in that he could commit in the summer but you'll still want to save his official visit until the days leading up to signing day. For Texas, they'll want to recapture the excitement it had with George in January, and because they've been hesitant to push for other o-linemen they have a great selling point for a player who doesn't want to be viewed as a Zach Evans throw-in. 

If Texas landed Lindberg this summer (very possible) and George (somewhat possible) it would be sitting on a good hand heading into the flop of Evans's recruitment.

On Evans, there's not much new. The recent discussion of proximity mattering has been brewing for a while, probably stemming from his personal experience of having trouble making it to campuses far away. He has said he doesn't want his grandma bouncing between airports to see him play. 

When we look back on the Evans recruitment we may see he dropped a lot of bread crumbs along the way, with proximity being one. Along with that he's mentioned the importance of a a good offensive line class, which Texas will have. He's also mentioned usage. Let's donate a paragraph to usage.

Evans is an interesting character in that he wants the exact right amount of carries. It's like trying to find the perfect temperature on the thermostat for your wife. It ranges somewhere between 75.4 degrees and 77.1. Anything on the wrong side of those number is entirely wrong. Zach wants his carries but at the same time he doesn't want to get beat up before the pay day. He has also mentioned wanting to be motioned out to receiver. With the Texas running back platoon, and two-back usage, the staff should be able to hit the right notes. We'll also see a lot of Whittington and perhaps Ingram sliding out to wide receiver as they motion from 20 to 10 personnel. Between recruiting well on the o-line and hitting two important boxes under the opportunity heading -- being a key part of the offense but not being over-worked and dynamic usage -- the staff is putting itself in good position to land the nation's top back.

Texas will have the three biggest pieces to the 2020 puzzle on campus this weekend as Vernon Broughton will also use his official visit. We recently went in depth on this recruitment, but the short story is the staff has to make a compelling, full-bodied sell about helping Vernon mature into a person as much as a football player. His mom being a former college basketball coach helps her cut through the pomp looking for what's real. Thus far Oscar Giles and Tom Herman, who took on a prominent role in this recruitment long ago, are making headway. Broughton wants to make a decision by the end of summer. There's been some discussion about Alabama but I have trouble seeing that because of distance and Bama's football first, second, and third reputation. 

I hesitate to write this because Aggie will tell Vernon the Texas staff wants to make him a left tackle, but the current o-line commits as well as Hudson Card have done a good job recruiting Big Vern.

Duncanville safety Chris Thompson is also officially visiting this weekend. More on him below.

The weekend may not yield an immediate recruit, but weekends like this lead to your favorite types of articles: commitment ones.

WIDE RECEIVER

It's the deepest position on the team so numbers are low this cycle. The targets at this time are clearly defined.

The inside guys are identified. Mookie Cooper, who will be in Austin today (Friday) remains a priority. The staff has a lot of time and effort invested in the St. Louis product. Fort Bend Marshall speedster Devon Achane was recently offered as the staff looks to cast a wider net. Carthage wide receiver Kelvontay Dixon also holds an offer. Barring a surprise, the staff will likely only take one.

For the outside guys, Troy Omeire, Johnny Wilson, and Quentin Johnston, are the clear targets, but don't forget about Oklahoma product JJ Hester who remains in contact with the staff. I feel like two of the three really like Texas and should both be considered hard leans, especially T.O. 

LINEBACKER

Linebacker has been a point of consternation but the latest issue can be attributed to bad luck more than bad planning. De'Gabriel Floyd's issue was unforeseeable and to the staff's credit they recruited Lakia Henry late. 

Texas has been hunting the Portal and JUCO ranks for good fits and good players. UF’s Kylan Johnson looks like a take if he’s accepted into grad school in Austin, not an easy task. We're a bit dubious on him being an impact player if he does make it to campus but at least he would be immediate help.

On Thursday the staff offered Butler CC (same school as early enrollee Jacoby Jones) three-star MLB Juwan Mitchell. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound inside backer could be a gap-filler, run stuffer, and get to the edge guy. Jucos often have interesting stories: Mitchell's is, "I went to a prep school and went off the map. So I figured I'd go to the SEC of JUCO and show the world what I got." He's excited about the offer.

In the high school ranks you have the usual suspects OOS - Flowe (Mac or Rover), Smalls (B-backer or d-line), Sellers (B-backer), Kourt Williams (Rover). The hyper-athletic Williams was recently offered but I wouldn't get your hopes up. He says he'll visit if he can fit it into his schedule. Texas needs to get these guys to make summer unofficial visits.

Staying in-state has Brennon Scott, but there’s no hurry to push there. At B-backer, it’s Prince Dorbah and Robert Wooten. I’d like to see Texas take both, and try Wooten inside. As for Dorbah, it’s down to Texas and LSU, and I think he’ll decide before he takes a senior snap. Orange house, IMO. 

Now in 2021, Texas has identified a handful of linebacker in-state prospects like Jadarius Thursby, Clayton Smith, Trevion Sneed and others. The relationships are being established and progressing to a point you'll see some offers in the next month or so.

CORNERBACK

The staff is ultra-high on John Tyler's Kitan Crawford. Talk about a great early evaluation. They have him as the #1 or #2 corner in the state. He's sparring with Georgia commit Jalen Kimber. 

Texas is also in favorable position for Arlington quarter-turned-cornerback Jahari Rogers. Rogers will be at Arkansas this weekend for his official visit. 

Both Rogers and Crawford will take officials to Texas on the weekend of June 21st to hear the 'you're our guys' speech. We expect it to work.

The staff is of course still working on Kelee Ringo and everyone within his circle. He's the alpha at the position. His teammate, Jacobe Covington says he's in constant contact with Jason Washington. There's a chance the corner number goes to three regardless of what happens with Ringo. Their thinking is likely, if they're going to recruit Ringo through the whistle they might as well work on Covington as well. It'll be tough to navigate. Mildly interesting: Covington followed both Eric and Justin on Twitter. This often happens when a recruit is trying to get a sense for a program.

SAFETY

Duncanville's Chris Thompson is another official visitor for the weekend. There's been some talk that schools are telling Thompson they thought he was a silent commit to UT. Of course that's utter bull**** masquerading as an excuse for why those schools haven't offered. The Texas staff will reverse that hold this weekend I'm sure.

Thompson does want to look around and take all five visits, though. He'll be at Notre Dame in June. He also likes LSU, Auburn, and Florida. We still think it'll be Texas in the end. He's a sensational fit for Joker and a good fit for boundary safety.

The further C.E. King's Bryson Washington gets from his OU official visit the better UT's chances get for the state's top safety. He'll visit the same weekend as Crawford and Rogers and decide on July 4th. Getting he and his mother back on campus will be big. Win over Mama and this one swings quickly to UT's favor.

Shadow Creek deep safety Xavion Alford recently dropped a top-ten but we see it as a top-two between UT and LSU. This could be a summer decision. Previously he mentioned deciding closer to NSD1.

We expect Lathan Ransom to visit in the next month or so. The big question will be whether it's for an unofficial or an official. The staff would prefer unofficial and then get him to campus early next season, likely for the LSU game so he can watch the UT safeties help shut down the LSU run game. Ransom is probably the best safety on the board but the staff really likes the others as well.

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27 minutes ago, Machinator said:

TFB Open Post: https://texas.thefootballbrainiacs.com/2019/05/open-post-weekend-may-3rd-5th/

 

  Hide contents

 

Linebacker Offered | Kourt Williams
– Super K

I had noted that this was a possibility in my linebacker breakdown. Texas has extended an offer to 2020 LB, Kourt Williams out of St. John Bosco (CA).

Kourt is an incredible athlete, perhaps the most athletic linebacker in the country. I first discovered him at the LA Opening event.

I felt at that time, Texas should’ve offered him.

He has already narrowed his list significantly and taken a number of unofficial visits. He begins his first official visit this upcoming weekend when he makes a return trip to Norman.

I will check with him to see if he plans on taking an unofficial visit to Texas. The last time I spoke with Kourt he did say that none of the schools he’s visited, including the top four or five schools in his mind, have felt like home, just yet.

So, there is a window.

But either way, I’m glad to see Texas offer another linebacker. Based on the numbers they need to get in this class, more offers make sense.

Xavion Alford | The Latest
– Super K

I recently spoke in person with 2020 Texas DB target, Xavion Alford about his recruitment. My conversation with him took place just before he dropped his top ten…

As you can see, Texas made the top ten and by my read, Texas would make a top two or three if he were to drop that today.

***Alford’s most recent visits include trips to Texas A&M, Alabama, LSU and he did attend the Texas Spring Game.

***In terms of the four schools that he recently visited, he tells me that Texas, LSU and TAMU are recruiting him the hardest.

***Something to keep an eye on is the fact that like Josh Eaton, Josh White and a lot of other Houston area players, Xavion has a lot of family in Louisiana. “I used to go there like every summer back to back to back”. Alford says he’s impressed by the fact that the LSU has such a strong recruiting class but said, “everything looks like it’s going good but I’m just going to wait and see what they do this season”.

***As far as Texas A&M goes, Alford said, “Coach Elko on the defensive side, he’s turning it around but I want to see what they’re going to do with the players. I want to see what they’re going to do with Brian Williams and everyone else”.

You’ll recall, TAMU pulled in a highly rated safety class in the last cycle.

***In terms of Texas, “The Spring Game, the whole atmosphere it was loud, it was real hype. Texas looks good. They’ve got a whole bunch of new weapons offensively. Defensively, I want to see what they’re going to do with this incoming 2019 class because they’ve got some guys who came in early like J Whitt, Bru and them. I just want to see what they’re going to do on the defensive side with all the talented players they’ve been getting.”

Alford said coach Naivar is his primary recruiter but he added, “I talk to coach Herman almost every other day”.

Alford also said he speaks to coach Washington as well, noting that Texas has told him they can see him playing any spot in the secondary including the possibility of playing some corner.

***Xavion said he plans on taking his official visit to Texas for the LSU game. A win for Texas there and I think Texas with do themselves and a lot of other teams around the country a big favor.

***In terms of a decision timeline, Xavion says he will take his officials in the fall and then make a decision after that. So, not expecting anything to go down this summer.

***Based on some off the record conversation with Alford, I get the sense that Naivar is recruiting Alford harder than just about anyone.

Quick Hitter | No. 1 JUCO LB Offered, Set to Visit
– CJ Vogel

Texas has extended an offer to the nation’s No. 1 JUCO inside linebacker Juwan Mitchell out of Butler C.C. in Kansas.

Mitchell committed to Minnesota in late March but has continued to hear from other programs. Texas offered Thursday afternoon and after exchanging messages with him following his offer post, Mitchell said he already a visit planned for Austin.

In fact, the 6-foot, 1-inch, 235 lb linebacker will be visiting the Texas Football program next weekend. (May 11)

Mitchell said he had been in contact with the Texas staff prior to the offer coming. As Charlie and K have highlighted this week, Texas has been exploring options at the linebacker position in all sorts of avenues this offseason.

Mitchell will have two years of eligibility remaining once he steps foot on a D1 campus. He is set to be a January enrollee.

We will have more on Mitchell following his visit, however, it goes without saying what type of interest he has in the program having a visit planned just hours after being offered.

Jahari Rogers | Preview Note
– Super K

I spoke with 2020 DB, Jahari Rogers (Arlington). Rogers attended the Texas Spring Game. I was able to spend a solid bit of a time with him over the phone. I’ll have my quotes up from that conversation but wanted to pass on a preview.

***One of the most important notes is that it appears the Sooners are no longer in the mix for Rogers. The reason this is important is due to to the fact that Rogers grandfather was a starting defensive back for OU. In the past he’s been open with me about his grandfather hoping to see him play at OU. Rogers spoke mostly off the record about what soured him on OU but the bottom line is that it no longer appears they’ll be a factor.

***A team that does appear to be a real threat to Texas for Rogers is Florida. Again, I’ll go into detail on that but I was a bit surprised at just how high Rogers seems to be on Florida.

***Rogers has set up his official visit to Texas for the June 22nd weekend. Same weekend the Horns are expected to host Bryson Washington.

***Don’t expect this recruitment to drag out much longer. Rogers told me he wants to make a decision pretty quickly, lock in his spot at a school and then focus on his senior season.

***Rogers will take an official visit to Arkansas this weekend.

Again, more on the way…

Checking in with Kelvontay Dixon …

When the news came out a few months ago that Texas had extended an offer to Carthage (TX) ATH Kelvontay Dixon, many assumed that Dixon may have been receiving an offer so early due to his older brother being on the team. After earning district MVP honors and leading Carthage to a state semifinal appearance, Dixon has been making believers of the doubters one-by-one during his Junior year, accumulating numerous P5 offers along the way.

With a busy weekend on the horizon, (Dixon will be competing in FOUR events at the UIL Championships next weekend in Austin) I felt like it would be a good time to get an update on where things stand with the talented playmaker.

“My mindset at practices this week and next are just to maintain the right attitude” Dixon said, “We are getting close.”

When I asked about where things stood on the recruiting front, Dixon let me know that things are pretty much down to two schools.

“The schools that are recruiting me the hardest are Texas and Arkansas” Dixon told me. “Texas wants me to play Wide Receiver, while Arkansas is recruiting me to play Running Back.”

Dixon told me that he didn’t truly have a preference as to which position he lined up at and I believe him. I did find it interesting that Texas was recruiting him exclusively as a WR, and not in the hybrid role that they seem to be intent on finding in this class as well.

As for his thoughts on Texas:

“UT is a great school, everyone on the team is family. The coaches are great and it’s a great environment. I’m looking for a school that I can get a great education and with a strong network.”

Dixon tells me that if he has a choice, he would like to make his decision towards the end of the recruiting cycle. This one is a Texas/Arkansas battle (Texas fans need to get used to that) with Arkansas doing a great job on Dixon as well as having an advantage in proximity. From my experience though, you can never discount how important family ties are to most. I think Texas sits comfortably in this one.

Dixon will be competing in the 100m, 4×100, 4×400, and Triple Jump with a chance to win Gold in each event next weekend.

State Championship Track & Field Participants of Interest

Next weekend, the UIL Track & Field State Championships will be held on the University of Texas campus at Mike A. Myers Stadium (May 10-11). Texas Head Coach Tom Herman has mentioned on multiple occasions how he and the Texas staff value track times when evaluating prospects and the emphasis that they put on prospective student-athletes participating in the sport. It can be a tremendous indicator of one’s functional explosiveness.

For those unaware, many of the state’s top football recruits actively compete on the track circuit and some are even talented enough to qualify for the state finals. Below is a list of names to watch and the event that they’ll be participating in:

4x100M Relay

3A Rockdale (2021 RB Cam’Ron Valdez)

4A Melissa (Texas WR signee Kennedy Lewis and 2021 RB JaBray Young)

4A Carthage (2020 WR Kelvontay Dixon)

5A FB Marshall (2020 RB Devon Achane and 2020 QB Malik Hornsby)

5A Lancaster (2021 WR Ketron Jackson)

5A John Tyler (2020 CB Kitan Crawford)

5A Aledo (2020 RB Jase McClellan and 2021 WR JoJo Earle)

5A Denton Ryan (2021 ATH Billy Bowman)

6A Garland Lakeview Centennial (2021 RB Camar Wheaton)

6A Mansfield Summit (2021 CB Jalon Rock)

100M Dash

4A Carthage (Kelvontay Dixon 10.71)

6A Plano East (Texas DB signee Tyler Owens, 10.35)

200M Dash

5A FB Marshall (Devon Achane)

4x200M Relay

4A Melissa (Kennedy Lewis and 2021 RB JaBray Young)

5A FB Marshall (2020 RB Devon Achane)

5A Lancaster (2021 WR Ketron Jackson)

6A Mansfield Summit (2021 CB Jalon Rock)

6A Cibolo Steele (2020 CB Jaylon Jones)

4x400M Relay

4A Carthage (Kelvontay Dixon)

Discus

6A Katy Taylor (2021 OL Bryce Foster, 185-03’)

Shot Put

6A Katy Taylor (2021 OL Bryce Foster, #1 mark in state 63-00.25’)

High Jump

6A Denton Guyer (2021 QB Eli Stowers, 6’10)

Triple Jump

2A Gruver (2020 ATH Jalin Conyers)

4A Carthage (Kelvontay Dixon) (Has the top mark in 4A, 46’9)

**Also, he’s not a football recruit, but if you haven’t seen Strake Jesuit’s Matthew Boling run you are doing yourself a huge disservice. I strongly encourage you to get out to the track if you live in the Austin area or have a passion for the sport. Mr. Boling may be representing our country as a teenager next year in the Olympics, he’s that special of an athlete.

Evening Updates | Damieon George & Zach Evans
– Super K

Stopped by North Shore to see 2020 OL, Damieon George and 2020 RB, Zach Evans.

Evans was out sick. So, I did not speak with him. But did speak with George and he confirmed what we reported yesterday – that he and Zach will indeed be in town this weekend.

A few notes of serious interest…

***As I noted in the tweet, Damieon says he is very near a decision and it sounds like the teams to beat are LSU, Texas and Alabama. He is a native of Louisiana and admitted that he grew up an LSU fan. But Texas is certainly in this fight.

***With the decision nearing, this weekend is going to be important for both he and Zach…

***To the point above, someone had asked in the comments section about Damieon and Zach playing together. I don’t typically take the package deals too seriously but when I asked Damieon about it, he said the chances of him and Zach playing together is…

”100%”.

***George even implied that they make announce their decision together. But that wasn’t anything certain. Again, what did seem certain is that George is very close to a decision. If I was in Texas position, I’d immediately set up an official visit after this weekend’s unofficial.

***Also, I think Herman needs to really turn up the heat in this one and recruit George himself. George told me that he has a very strong relationship with coach Orgeron over at LSU. Orgeron is heavily involved in George’s recruitment. And the last reason you want to lose a kid (and in this case possibly Evans, as well) is by being outworked.

 

I have questions about all the secondary guys mentioned in the update. I'm not sure that they are all takes with Washington, Thompson, Ransom, Ringo, Crawford and other highly ranked guys still available. Rogers, I assume, will be in this class, though. What do you think our DB class will look like? I guess Ja'Quinden Jackson will be recruited as a QB/WR.

Edited by Bevo
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11 minutes ago, Bevo said:

I have questions about all the secondary guys mentioned in the update. I'm not sure that they are all takes with Washington, Thompson, Ransom, Ringo, Crawford and other highly ranked guys still available. Rogers, I assume, will be in this class, though. What do you think our DB class will look like? I guess Ja'Quinden Jackson will be recruited as a QB/WR.

Cornerback: Rogers, Crawford, save a spot for Ringo

I'm not as certain on safety but I think Thompson and Washington are the top priorities and I feel that the staff would make room for Ransom no matter what. Where Alford fits in I'm not so sure. Four safeties feels like overkill.

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9 minutes ago, Bevo said:

What do you think our DB class will look like?

I think it will look very good, no matter what the names are. It seems we are in good position with a lot of great options. Wash and Naivar are killing it once again this recruiting cycle. Rogers, Crawford, Ringo, Ransom, Alford, Washington, Thompson, Covington, and even the Rodriguez guy from Florida. If I had to guess, I think that we land Rogers, Crawford, Ringo, Washington, Thompson, and maybe Covington for good measure. Alford probably goes to LSU, Rodriguez will hold with Alabama, and Ransom probably goes to Dirt Burglar.

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