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Texas Recruiting Notes 2020


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4 hours ago, Dondrysdale1 said:

Do schools ever get suspicious that recruits are just there for the visit and the interest is not legit?

Happens to all schools unless you’re in some nowhere shithole like College Station or Starkville.

But don’t kid yourself - USC is usually badass at recruiting and just getting kids to show up IS the goal because that’s part of the sell.

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5 hours ago, Dondrysdale1 said:

So Dorbah, Linberg, ty Jordan, Thompson and Robinson all at USC this week mid week? Do schools ever get suspicious that recruits are just there for the visit and the interest is not legit? Is it just me or is Linberg been to the same place as other Texas targets?  Broughton/LSU USC/Robinson and others Broughton/Aggy

I've read interviews with the coaches at Hawaii and Miami that basically say they do a lot of extra vetting before OVs to make sure the interest is legit. They get a lot more random "oh, uh, yeah, I'm super interested, so when can I OV?" type of calls than other schools.

I'm sure SC, UCLA, and SDSU are in the same boat

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I've read interviews with the coaches at Hawaii and Miami that basically say they do a lot of extra vetting before OVs to make sure the interest is legit. They get a lot more random "oh, uh, yeah, I'm super interested, so when can I OV?" type of calls than other schools.
I'm sure SC, UCLA, and SDSU are in the same boat

And Texas Tech.
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1 minute ago, Machinator said:

Considering that CJ wasn't his ride, that doesn't make sense either.

ahh Good Ol Red gave him something to think about which was to take a quick visit. I get why fans still hold out hope, he is the number one player in the state.  But overtime, they will realize we have something special in Bijan (hopefully) too.

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7 minutes ago, Thiefery said:

ahh Good Ol Red gave him something to think about which was to take a quick visit. I get why fans still hold out hope, he is the number one player in the state.  But overtime, they will realize we have something special in Bijan (hopefully) too.

Bijan is a five star. I don't the think "over time" will be necessary.

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1 minute ago, SydneyCarton said:

There IS something special in Bijan. He's great. You can win championships with him, and by all accounts he seems like a high character kid with a good attitude. I'm perfectly happy with cutting bait with Evans right now, at best he's jerking us along, and we've seen over the last 8 months a shift in his seeming attitude, not just towards us but in how he is treating recruiting. Pics of him with wads of cash. Trashing schools in quotes on twitter. At some point, the mental aspect and portal percentage and team culture might get him. Who knows. But chasing after the piece of ass that told us to get lost seems like a waste of fucking time. 

Portal Percentage needs to be an official stat

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3 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

But chasing after the piece of ass that told us to get lost seems like a waste of fucking time. 

No wonder some of you get so upset about recruiting. For the record, SydneyCarton’s reason for wanting these young men are not aligned with mine.

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TFB Open Post: https://texas.thefootballbrainiacs.com/2019/06/open-post-weekend-june-21st-23rd/

Weekend Visitors List
– CJ Vogel

It’s a big weekend in Austin and there will be more than enough talent on the 40 Acres.

We will add recruits as we hear of them coming in!
2020 Recruits

ATH Jaden Hullaby – Bishop Dunne HS (Dallas, TX)**
OL Logan Parr – O’Connor HS (Helotes, TX)
RB Bijan Robinson – Salpointe HS (Tucson, AZ)**
DB Bryson Washington – King HS (Cypress, TX)**
CB Kitan Crawford – John Tyler HS (Tyler, TX)**
CB Jahari Rogers – Arlington HS (Arlington, TX)**
CB Kelee Ringo – Saguaro HS (Scottsdale, AZ)
WR Johnny Wilson – Calabasas HS (Calabasas, CA)
S Xavion Alford – Shadow Creek HS (Houston, TX)
CB Joshua Eaton – MacArthur HS (Houston, TX)
DL Alfred Collins – Bastrop HS (Bastrop, TX)
DT Octavious Oxendine – (Radcliffe, KY)
OL Courtland Ford – Cedar Hill HS (Cedar Hill, TX)

** indicates official visit

Thirsty Thursday | Westward Expansion
– Darius Terrell

Welcome back to another edition of Thirsty Thursdays! As always, I’m here to try to help quench your thirst for Longhorn Football in the drought of the offseason, along with other topics of interest in Longhorn sports this week.

 Expansion/The Tim Beck Effect

I want to start off this week’s piece focusing our attention outside of the Lone Star State. Much has been made of Texas’ ability (or lack thereof, depending on who you ask) to secure the borders to the state over the last few recruiting cycles. The reason that Texas was able to secure an elite class in 2019, despite not signing their usual number of top Texas prospects, was their ability to find alternative options in new areas.

Texas was able to go to into the state of Arizona last cycle and cherry-pick two of the state’s top three prospects in Wide Receiver Jake Smith and Tight End Brayden Liebrock. By now, most of you are well aware of both players and the accolades that they arrive to Austin with, but just in case you aren’t, here are a few. Smith was selected as Gatorade’s National Player of the Year, USA TODAY All-American team, Maxpreps All-American team, and was selected to compete in the Under Armour All-American Game. He is expected to contribute immediately next season on Special Teams and on offense. Liebrock was rated as the nation’s #1 Tight End prospect by Rivals.com, rated as a consensus top-5 Tight End in the 2019 class, and was an Under Armour All-American. He’s the highest rated Tight End that Texas has signed since they were able to get Blaine Irby out of Ventura, CA, in 2007.

Texas is no stranger at all to the state of Arizona and is well aware of the talent that it has produced annually for over a decade now. The aforementioned Irby originally hailed from Arizona before transferring for his Senior year. In 2011, Texas held a commitment from Chandler, AZ, 5-star Offensive Lineman Christian Westerman for several months before he ultimately signed with Auburn. In 2012, the Longhorns signed 4-star Quarterback Connor Brewer (who had an older sister that was a swimmer for UT at the same time) and were a finalist for 5-star Offensive Lineman Andrus Peat (I did my part to try to help seal that deal, ha) who ultimately signed with Stanford.

Since 2010, according to Rivals.com rankings, the state of Arizona has produced 6 5-Star prospects, including Kelee Ringo, who is in the 2020 class. Over that same timespan, the state of Arizona has produced 55 4-star prospects. That’s a total of 61 football players that are considered “elite” football prospects from a place that doesn’t get much recognition for their football at all.

In comparison to the enormous amount of terrain that you have to cover to properly scout the state of Texas, Arizona is an extremely easy place for recruiters to stop by and cover on their way out to California. When researching Arizona prospects over the past decade, I could not help but notice that they all seemed to be coming from the same five cities: Chandler, Scottsdale, Tucson, Gilbert, and Phoenix. Only 4 of the 61 players rated as 4-stars or better over the past decade in Arizona have come from any other city. Things don’t get much clear-cut than that.

When you take into consideration the fact that Arizona and Arizona State aren’t necessarily powerhouses and the University of Southern California has been enduring turmoil for multiple seasons now, it makes too much sense for this not to become a territory that the Longhorns can stake out and claim for themselves. West Coast prospects find a lot of similarities to home once they make it to Austin and the emphasis that is put on football in addition to that makes Texas a very attractive place for these types of recruits.

In 2020, the state of Arizona is experiencing a banner year for top prospects. The state has 12 players that are rated 4-star or better with Kelee Ringo being the lone 5-star currently. The Texas Longhorns are thought to be in excellent position with the top 3 prospects in the state, Ringo, Running Back Bijan Robinson (who could soon join Ringo with 5-Star status), and Safety Lathan Ransom.

Ransom took his official visit to Texas this past weekend and we here at TFB are cautiously optimistic about where Texas sits in his recruitment. Robinson will take his official to Texas this weekend and he has recently named the Longhorns as his current leader heading into the visit. Ringo, who has been a guest of the Longhorn team and staff on at least four different occasions now, will also be back on campus. Texas also still has Ringo’s official visit to use.

Perhaps the biggest ace that the Longhorns have up their sleeve with this race to claim Arizona is a guy that has been on their staff from the very beginning of Tom Herman’s tenure in Austin. Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach Tim Beck was the Head Coach at Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, AZ, from 1993-1995.

I can vouch for Beck’s recruiting abilities, personally. During the spring of my Sophomore year of high school, I received my first offer from the University of Kansas. About a month later, I received an offer from the University of Nebraska. Tim Beck was the Running Backs Coach at Nebraska at the time. At the time, coaches were not allowed to contact or communicate with recruits until they became Juniors that following fall. So, in order to show you how interested they were in you early without breaking the rules, colleges would communicate with younger recruits through the player’s high school coach.

Whereas most places used the generic mass mail method (and many still do), Coach Beck was the only coach that sent hand-written letters every time. He would always have some type of quote or meaningful message in his letters and he was thoughtful enough to find out info about me and how the quote would apply to something particular in my life or my game. I’ll never forget, he would always end his letters with a “p.s. don’t commit without visiting us first” or “p.s. don’t commit early!!!! Take your time!”

Unbeknownst to Coach Beck at the time, after camping at UT for three days that summer before I became legal to be communicated with, I wasn’t going to be signing anywhere but to the University of Texas. I, along with teammate Adrian White, had committed while on campus but were asked to keep it silent “out of respect for the 2009 class”.

Needless to say, he didn’t take it well once my commitment became public after the one of the legendary Mack Brown “Junior Days” in February of 2009. As a matter of fact, the man never spoke to me again (even when he made return visits to Desoto)! I imagine that things were pretty frustrating for opposing Big XII teams trying to recruit the state at the time.

The point that I am trying to make is that Tim Beck is an individual that invests himself fully in the recruiting process and he takes it personally. It matters to him and that is something that should make Texas fans feel very good about their chances in any recruitment that he is the lead on. A decade later, with his connections, the same Tim Beck that was recruiting so hard against Texas back then, is now possibly the person that is going to be the catalyst for the Longhorns’ Westward expansion in recruiting.

Updates | Kitan Crawford
– Super K

***2020 CB, Kitan Crawford tells me he will take his official visit to Texas this weekend.

Crawford recently dropped his top three which included Texas, OU and Tennessee.

Texas seems to be the current leader so this visit could go a long way in serving the knock out blow. But I know both OU and Tennessee are pushing hard and OU is hoping to get him back on campus in July.

Visit Note | Alford & Eaton
– Charlie S

The weekend Pool Party just got more interesting as a pair of elite 2020 defensive backs let us know they are planning on making it to town for the event.

Both Josh Eaton and Xavion Alford are planning on heading in and the visits come at a time when Eaton is mulling over pushing his timeline up to possibly take place in the summer as opposed to closer to signing day.

We will keep in touch with the pair and let you know if anything changes in regards to their plans.

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Super K posted another weekend preview:

Texas will host a few official visitors this weekend. The four uncommitted official visitors are: Bryson Washington, Jahari Rogers, Kitan Crawford and Bijan Robinson.

***2020 DB Bryson Washington – Washington is set to make his commitment on July 4th.

He’s down to Texas and OU.

He made an impromptu unofficial visit to Texas a couple weeks ago. I spoke with Washington recently and he told me he was actually in Austin to spend some time with a friend and decided to reach out to the Texas coaches and stop by on Saturday.

“I went up there to see the coaches. That’s it. I didn’t really do much on campus – just saying what’s up to the coaches and meeting some of the players”.

I asked Washington if he’s leaning in a direction. He said, not really but did highlight some strengths of each.

“If I pick Oklahoma it’s because I know for sure we can win some games and I can be close to some players I know. You know, I’m from Cali (originally) and there’s a lot of Cali boys out there in Oklahoma. With Texas, it’s cool out there. There’s more things to do in Austin. It’s a better environment to live in, in the long run, than just sports.”

He added, “I’m comfortable with both the staffs on both sides, Oklahoma and Texas, they’re both cool.”

I do sense he is leaning towards Oklahoma a bit but I don’t know that I would say it’s anything a good official visit couldn’t change. However, I should note that he says he plans on taking an unofficial back up to Oklahoma for their late July BBQ event. Wasn’t sure what to make of that given he is announcing a decision July 4th.

***2020 CB Jahari Rogers – it’s been a few weeks since I caught up with Rogers. But when we spoke, Rogers said he wants to make a decision this summer. He seemed concerned about spots filling up.

At the time, it sounded like the biggest threat to Texas was Florida, a school he took an official visit to.

Draw to Florida is, in part, their DB coach, Torrian Gray. Gray has a considerable resume and is considered by many to be one of the best DB coaches in the country. Jahari said that Gray has built the strongest relationship with his mother and that is exceedingly important to him.

With Texas, he’s obviously very comfortable and I’d give the Horns the edge.

Wouldn’t be surprised to see Rogers make a decision pretty soon after this visit.

***2020 CB Kitan Crawford – Crawford has narrowed things down to three schools: Tennessee, Texas and Oklahoma.

Last time I chatted with Crawford was a couple weeks ago when he was coming off of an unofficial visit to the Sooners. The Sooners were a late comer to his recruitment but it seems they have become the primary threat to Texas.

I still believe Texas holds the edge here. In order for Oklahoma to push, they’ll need to get Crawford back on campus. However, I don’t know if that will happen. It likely depends on how soon he decides to make a decision. He has told me that he still plans to announce a decision sometime this summer but hasn’t decided exactly when.

***2020 5-Star RB Bijan Robinson – Robinson is coming off his USC official visit. And, Robinson took an official visit to Ohio State last weekend.

I’ve had a fair amount of interaction with both Bijan and his mother and based on those conversations, I actually think USC (not tOSU) poses the biggest threat to Texas.

Robinson grew up a USC fan – dream school situation. In fact, Robinson grandfather is a PAC-12 official so he grew up going to PAC-12 games.

Early on it seemed that USC’s instability would do them in. But they are getting a bit of a bump with recruits right now because of the return of McCoy and Steele along with the addition of new staff members like TX natives, Mike Jinks and Graham Harrell. Warranted or not, USC is getting a perception bump with recruits.

With Ohio State, it’s easier for Texas to counter with things like warm weather, proximity, etc. USC is in LA. So, obviously that becomes a tougher sell, in those regards.

What Texas does have though, is far more stability in terms of football along with a big city program with the fan passion of a smaller college town. They also have a really ideal depth chart situation.

The other thing that I know is very important to Robinson’s mother is the people Bijan is around. I remember her telling me that a big part of the decision is going to be whether or not she trusts the men who will continue to process of Bijan’s growth into manhood.

Winning mama this weekend is going to be big. Because if it’s a close one, mama probably makes the difference. Also, Lathan Ransom could play a role here.

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I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, but it sure does feel like schools getting mid-week officials are simply receiving mercy fucks. It is hard to take a school that couldn’t even get a weekend very seriously in a recruitment. Any time I see that happening with Texas for a target, our hopes look grim. 

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Roach's Weekend Preview:

Spoiler

Official Visitors

RB Bijan Robinson, Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe Catholic – Robinson is one of the most important targets headed to Austin this weekend. The five-star running back was really high on Texas coming out of his unofficial visit in the spring, and sources near him indicated that the Longhorns are in a prime position for him. Recent visits to Ohio State and USC made this race tighter, but Texas has the chance to win him over with a great visit.

CB Kitan Crawford, John Tyler – Crawford is getting close to a decision, and Texas will get to make the final impression. After offering Crawford early in the year, Texas has been in a great position for the four-star East Texas prospect. Tennessee did a fantastic job recruiting Crawford and getting him on campus, and have been making it interesting for Texas down the stretch. Texas has the in-state advantage, and Jason Washington has the relationship with him to win the race.

CB Jahari Rogers, Arlington – Rogers was one of the fastest rising prospects in the state during the spring, and he’ll take his official visit this weekend. Florida has been a legitimate threat to Texas, and the Longhorns will need to have a great visit to gain control over this recruitment. Rogers could be potentially deciding soon, and it’s likely between the Longhorns and Gators.

S Bryson Washington, C.E. King – Texas looked to be in a good position with Washington during the spring, but Oklahoma seized momentum after his spring game visit. Texas hosted Washington for an unofficial visit two weeks ago, and the Longhorns will get him back for an official visit this weekend. This one is close to a 50/50 toss-up, so Texas could make a lasting impression before Washington’s July 4th decision.

Commits

OL Logan Parr, San Antonio O’Connor – Parr will be making an unofficial visit to help recruit for the 2020 class. He took his official visit in May, but his close proximity to Austin allows him to get there easily.

OL Jaylen Garth, Port Neches-Groves – Garth also took his official visit in May, but he’s returning to Texas to take part in the big visit weekend. Garth committed in the spring, and he’s been locked in since that time.

WR Quaydarius Davis, Skyline - Davis returns to Austin for the first time since making his commitment a few weeks ago.  The 2021 four-star wide receiver picked the Longhorns over the likes of Alabama, LSU and several others, and will be the voice of the 2021 class this weekend.

ATH Jaden Hullaby, Bishop Dunne – Hullaby is the lone commit taking his official visit this weekend. Hullaby committed to Texas in March, and he’s been solid since that time. He’s using this weekend to take his one official trip.

2020 Targets

WR Johnny Wilson, Calabasas (Calif.) – Wilson was originally set to take his official visit this weekend, but Texas wanted to push the official to later in the year. Wilson is returning for an unofficial visit with his mother. Texas is trailing Oregon for the five-star wide receiver, but another chance to make an impression on him with the official visit in their pocket is positive news for the Longhorns.

DL Alfred Collins, Bastrop Cedar Creek – Collins visited two weeks ago for a summer camp, and he’s returning this weekend. Collins doesn’t say much, but this race is shaping up to be a regional battle between Texas A&M, Texas and Oklahoma. Alabama is a threat as well, but it’s tough to see Collins leaving the state. After originally setting a summer timetable, Collins will now decide in the fall.

CB Joshua Eaton, Aldine MacArthur – Eaton is making a return trip to Texas after showing up to a summer camp a few weeks ago. Eaton originally planned to wait until February to announce his decision, but he announced his top five last week and moved his timeline forward to the summer. Eaton is one of the corners Texas is considering, and the Longhorns will get more face time with him this weekend.

S Xavion Alford, Shadow Creek – Alford is one of the top safety prospects on the Texas board, and he is another prospect returning after visiting a few weeks ago. Alford has been all over the southeast this spring, but LSU and Texas still remain the top contenders in this race.

2021 Targets

QB Jalen Milroe, Katy Tompkins – Milroe was offered after visiting last week, and his return to Austin signifies legitimate interest in Texas. Milroe’s dynamic ability allowed him to pick up attention from multiple programs, and he’s interested in developing his relationship with the Texas coaches.

TE Lake McRee, Lake Travis – Lake McRee was offered in the spring, and the local prospect is said to be high on Texas. McRee visited several schools during the past few weeks, but this will be his first trip back to Texas since the spring game.

DE Tunmise Adeleye, Katy Tompkins – Adeleye is one of the most important defensive line prospects in the 2021 class. The Longhorns are battling with Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Alabama for his services. Adeleye is visiting with friend and teammate Jalen Milroe, so the Texas staff will certainly roll out the red carpet for the elite defensive end.

LB Clayton Smith, Texarkana Texas High – Smith’s rise during the spring was impressive to watch. The East Texas defender picked up offers from several big programs, including Texas. Smith is on a path to develop into one of the highest-ranked defensive players in the state, and the Longhorns are currently one of the schools he’s highest on.

LB Reid Carrico, Ironton (OH) – Carrico was offered during the spring, and his trip to Austin shows a genuine interest in Texas. While schools in the Midwest will be tough to overcome, getting Carrico on campus will allow the Longhorns to gauge where they stand with him.

CB Tony Grimes, Virginia Beach (Va.) Princess Anne – Grimes was another elite 2021 prospect offered by Texas in the spring. He’s making a trip through Texas to visit Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and the Longhorns. Grimes told Horns247 he was honored to be offered by Texas, and he’s looking forward to his first visit.

2022 Targets

LB Jordan Crook, Bishop Dunne – Crook is a linebacker who landed on the Texas radar after camping in Austin two weeks ago. An emerging linebacker prospect, Crook is interested in Texas, and he’s close with Jaden Hullaby.

DB Denver Harris, North Shore – The 2022 North Shore prospect is exploding this summer after camping at so many schools and picking up big offers. Harris camped at Texas two weeks ago, and he’s returning to take part in the visit weekend.

DB Landon Hullaby, Bishop Dunne – The younger brother of Texas commit Jaden Hullaby has been to Austin a few times, and he’s a prospect to watch in the 2022 class. Hullaby is an athletic defensive back with big potential making the trip with his brother and his teammate Jordan Crook.

 

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3 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, but it sure does feel like schools getting mid-week officials are simply receiving mercy fucks. It is hard to take a school that couldn’t even get a weekend very seriously in a recruitment. Any time I see that happening with Texas for a target, our hopes look grim. 

I think you’re being a little unfair here, CTJ. Helton’s the coach equivalent of a 40 year old dude living in his mom’s basement eating Cheetos all day. Mercy fuck or not, getting any action at all is really an accomplishment for the guy and he should be applauded just for being able to get recruits to visit a blue blood filled with local talent in one of the best parts of the country. 

God, I hope Helton stays at USC for another decade. 

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11 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, but it sure does feel like schools getting mid-week officials are simply receiving mercy fucks. It is hard to take a school that couldn’t even get a weekend very seriously in a recruitment. Any time I see that happening with Texas for a target, our hopes look grim. 

I'd agree with that during the school year but does it matter on summer break?

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21 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, but it sure does feel like schools getting mid-week officials are simply receiving mercy fucks. It is hard to take a school that couldn’t even get a weekend very seriously in a recruitment. Any time I see that happening with Texas for a target, our hopes look grim. 

Hope that’s true with Evans.  And it does seem to be true in general.

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1 hour ago, Machinator said:

When researching Arizona prospects over the past decade, I could not help but notice that they all seemed to be coming from the same five cities: Chandler, Scottsdale, Tucson, Gilbert, and Phoenix. Only 4 of the 61 players rated as 4-stars or better over the past decade in Arizona have come from any other city. Things don’t get much clear-cut than that. 

Has this guy never fucking looked at a map of Arizona?

Edited by Beau Vine
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5 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

Has this guy never fucking looked at a map of Arizona?

All of the good players in Arizona are from the places people in Arizona live. News at 11.

(Not counting Tempe and Mesa, which are next to Chandler/Gilbert/Phoenix/Scottsdale and probably send their kids to the well-funded football schools there if they have any talent.)

Edited by texifornia
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When researching Colorado prospects over the past decade, I could not help but notice that they all seemed to be coming from Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, and Pueblo.

When researching Washington prospects over the past decade, I could not help but notice that they all seemed to be coming from Seattle/Tacoma, and Spokane.

When researching Alaska prospects over the past decade, I could not help but notice that they all seemed to be coming from Anchorage and Fairbanks.

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10 minutes ago, texifornia said:
15 minutes ago, Newy25 said:

When bars are full? Is that really a thing for 16/17 year olds? 

Went out the bars on every recruiting weekend I ever went on or hosted. Nightlife is a big draw. 

I'm not convinced there's a material nightlife difference for 16/17 year olds for weekdays vs. weekends in the middle of summer.

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1 hour ago, Machinator said:

Super K posted another weekend preview:

 

  Hide contents

 

Texas will host a few official visitors this weekend. The four uncommitted official visitors are: Bryson Washington, Jahari Rogers, Kitan Crawford and Bijan Robinson.

***2020 DB Bryson Washington – Washington is set to make his commitment on July 4th.

He’s down to Texas and OU.

He made an impromptu unofficial visit to Texas a couple weeks ago. I spoke with Washington recently and he told me he was actually in Austin to spend some time with a friend and decided to reach out to the Texas coaches and stop by on Saturday.

“I went up there to see the coaches. That’s it. I didn’t really do much on campus – just saying what’s up to the coaches and meeting some of the players”.

I asked Washington if he’s leaning in a direction. He said, not really but did highlight some strengths of each.

“If I pick Oklahoma it’s because I know for sure we can win some games and I can be close to some players I know. You know, I’m from Cali (originally) and there’s a lot of Cali boys out there in Oklahoma. With Texas, it’s cool out there. There’s more things to do in Austin. It’s a better environment to live in, in the long run, than just sports.”

He added, “I’m comfortable with both the staffs on both sides, Oklahoma and Texas, they’re both cool.”

I do sense he is leaning towards Oklahoma a bit but I don’t know that I would say it’s anything a good official visit couldn’t change. However, I should note that he says he plans on taking an unofficial back up to Oklahoma for their late July BBQ event. Wasn’t sure what to make of that given he is announcing a decision July 4th.

***2020 CB Jahari Rogers – it’s been a few weeks since I caught up with Rogers. But when we spoke, Rogers said he wants to make a decision this summer. He seemed concerned about spots filling up.

At the time, it sounded like the biggest threat to Texas was Florida, a school he took an official visit to.

Draw to Florida is, in part, their DB coach, Torrian Gray. Gray has a considerable resume and is considered by many to be one of the best DB coaches in the country. Jahari said that Gray has built the strongest relationship with his mother and that is exceedingly important to him.

With Texas, he’s obviously very comfortable and I’d give the Horns the edge.

Wouldn’t be surprised to see Rogers make a decision pretty soon after this visit.

***2020 CB Kitan Crawford – Crawford has narrowed things down to three schools: Tennessee, Texas and Oklahoma.

Last time I chatted with Crawford was a couple weeks ago when he was coming off of an unofficial visit to the Sooners. The Sooners were a late comer to his recruitment but it seems they have become the primary threat to Texas.

I still believe Texas holds the edge here. In order for Oklahoma to push, they’ll need to get Crawford back on campus. However, I don’t know if that will happen. It likely depends on how soon he decides to make a decision. He has told me that he still plans to announce a decision sometime this summer but hasn’t decided exactly when.

***2020 5-Star RB Bijan Robinson – Robinson is coming off his USC official visit. And, Robinson took an official visit to Ohio State last weekend.

I’ve had a fair amount of interaction with both Bijan and his mother and based on those conversations, I actually think USC (not tOSU) poses the biggest threat to Texas.

Robinson grew up a USC fan – dream school situation. In fact, Robinson grandfather is a PAC-12 official so he grew up going to PAC-12 games.

Early on it seemed that USC’s instability would do them in. But they are getting a bit of a bump with recruits right now because of the return of McCoy and Steele along with the addition of new staff members like TX natives, Mike Jinks and Graham Harrell. Warranted or not, USC is getting a perception bump with recruits.

With Ohio State, it’s easier for Texas to counter with things like warm weather, proximity, etc. USC is in LA. So, obviously that becomes a tougher sell, in those regards.

What Texas does have though, is far more stability in terms of football along with a big city program with the fan passion of a smaller college town. They also have a really ideal depth chart situation.

The other thing that I know is very important to Robinson’s mother is the people Bijan is around. I remember her telling me that a big part of the decision is going to be whether or not she trusts the men who will continue to process of Bijan’s growth into manhood.

Winning mama this weekend is going to be big. Because if it’s a close one, mama probably makes the difference. Also, Lathan Ransom could play a role here.

 

Sounds like Washington is OU's to lose.

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