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Texas Recruiting Notes 2020


Reese Bennett

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46 minutes ago, Nivek said:


Second season coach and 2 bowl wins over 2 sec teams including a major bowl win, beats rival (ou) and all this with a sophomore QB and a o-line that was assembled from left over parts.

There is a lot to improve upon, but it looks like you want to gripe. So I’ll hang up while you post some “they’re still shitty” pictures.
 

It wasn’t a gripe, dipshit, so please hang up. My post was in response to gripes about the Sugar Bowl’s lack of impact on recruiting star talent. I countered that with reality, which you have trouble handling.

I never said the team is shitty, but they’re definitely inconsistent as hell.  You want to point out the OU win but ignore the loss to OU in a game which meant more. You want to beat your chest about beating SEC teams but ignore going to the wire with Tulsa, Baylor, Tech,  and Kansas, and getting beat by Maryland and Oklahoma State.

I’m happy as hell with the team’s progress. However, recruits look at the overall body of work and draft results, two things we can’t currently beat our chest about.

 

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“[Texas] is most definitely up there within my top three — they’re really up there,” Umanmielen said.

“Coach Giles has been talking to me since I was a freshman, before they offered me. We’ve been building a relationship for a really long time,” Umanmielen said.

“It’s just that every time that I go there, I really know most of the team so they make me feel like I’m already a part of them just because I know them and I can talk to them.”

 

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4 hours ago, Stampeder said:

For some perspective in terms of number of committed recruits for teams ranked in the top 50 in recruiting:

Avg # of committed recruits:  15

High:  22 (Michigan, Minnesota)

Low:  7 (Texas)

Pre-season Top 10 teams # of commits:

Clemson:  18

Bama:  20

tOSU:  19

UGA:  14

OU:  14

Michigan:  22

LSU:  20

Florida:  17

Texas:  7

ND:  16

So, we’re gonna have to dance with them that brung us?

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2 hours ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

What would be the feeling on here if Texas lands Collins and Umanmielen, but Broughton goes aggy??

I think the feeling would overall be a "good" one. A few dishonest rationalizations of it, but there are a handful of guys here who truly feel it'd be a wash. Kinda where I'm at. 

 

All three would be stupid fantastic, though.

Edited by UncleBuck
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4 hours ago, Stampeder said:

For some perspective in terms of number of committed recruits for teams ranked in the top 50 in recruiting:

Avg # of committed recruits:  15

High:  22 (Michigan, Minnesota)

Low:  7 (Texas)

Pre-season Top 10 teams # of commits:

Clemson:  18

Bama:  20

tOSU:  19

UGA:  14

OU:  14

Michigan:  22

LSU:  20

Florida:  17

Texas:  7

ND:  16

Is this good??

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2 hours ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

What would be the feeling on here if Texas lands Collins and Umanmielen, but Broughton goes aggy??

If the only one of those we land is Collins, but we manage to pick up a DT somewhere (JUCO or portal, I don't care which), then I'd actually be fine with it. Suboptimal, but for reasons thoroughly discussed previously, not surprising, either.

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4 minutes ago, Walden Ponderer said:

If the only one of those we land is Collins, but we manage to pick up a DT somewhere (JUCO or portal, I don't care which), then I'd actually be fine with it. Suboptimal, but for reasons thoroughly discussed previously, not surprising, either.

I mean we need more than just two DL in the class, but if Collins is the only 1 of those 3 that make it in the class, we can still salvage it into a quality class. If we miss on Collins...not so much.

Like you said, still suboptimal that the staff cant land its top targets but that’s going to be a constant until staff changes are made and they’ll have to rely on good late evals to make up for early misses.

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Sounds like we didn't get much of an OV boost with Bryson Washington. From Suchomel:

Coming out of the visit, there was some buzz that Washington was leaning back towards Texas and he was going to go with that ending for his video. But on Monday, the day after his visit ended, Washington told Rivals at the Five-Star Challenge it was going to be Oklahoma. He literally gave commitment quotes for a story a week-and-a-half before he went public with it. I got plenty of crap for my reporting because it went against what was being said elsewhere and it wasn't the news you all wanted to hear, but that's pretty tough to ignore when a kid has actually given quotes. 

Despite, that, there was still some confidence on the Texas side because Washington never told UT "no" and there was still the talk that he might go with the Texas edit of his video, so I kept the door open just a bit in my mind. On Tuesday morning, Washington had told some folks he still wasn't sure which video he'd go with. But an hour later, he re-confirmed to Rivals that it was OU and gave yet another Rivals reporter commitment quotes.

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3 minutes ago, satyanash said:

Sounds like we didn't get much of an OV boost with Bryson Washington. From Suchomel:

 

 

Sounds like he's one of the kids that wanted the "you're starting day one" sell. Our staff will never do that (on defense at least - hi Mehringer/Garrett Wilson).

Edited by texifornia
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Mike Roach: The Opening Finals testing results

RB Jase McClellan, Aledo - 5-10.5, 202 - 4.59 40yd, 4.04 shuttle, 38 powerball, 39.6 inch vertical, 126.69 SPARQ

WR Mookie Cooper, St. Louis Trinity Catholic - 5-8.5, 191 - 4.53 40yd, 4.07 shuttle, 39 powerball, 36.5 vertical, 120.15 SPARQ

QB Hudson Card, Lake Travis - 6-2.5, 176, 4.77 40yd, 4.06 shuttle, 37 powerball, 37.7 vertical, 106.50 SPARQ

S Lathan Ransom, Tucson Salpointe Catholic - 6-0.5, 193, 4.67 40yd, 4.20shuttle, 35 powerball, 37.3 vertical, 103.89 SPARQ

OL Donovan Jackson, Bellaire Episcopal - 6-4, 305, 5.27 40yd, 4.63 shuttle, 41.5 powerball, 32.2 vertical, 103.44 SPARQ

DT Maason Smith, Houma (La.) Terrebonne - 6-4, 316, 5.43 40yd, 4.83 shuttle, 48.5 powerball,, 26.3 vertical, 97.62 SPARQ

DL Princely Umanmielen, Manor - 6-4, 249, 5.07 40yd, 4.37 shuttle, 38 powerball, 32.4 vertical, 97.56 SPARQ

OL Logan Parr, Manor - 6-3.5, 287, 5.56 40yd, 4.64 shuttle, 36.5 powerball, 24.1 vertical, 73.29 SPARQ

DB Xavion Alford, Shadow Creek - 6-0, 178 - Scratched all times

DL Vernon Broughton, Cy Ridge - 6-5, no weight or times shown

OL Jake Majors, Prosper - 6-3.5 294, 41 powerball, 21.6 vertical, scratched all other times

S Chris Thompson, Duncanville - 6-2, 199, Scratched all times

WR Johnny Wilson, Calabasas (Calif.) - 6-6, 224 - Scratched all times

LB Len'neth Whitehead, Athens (Ga.) Athens Academy - 6-1, 226, 4.70 40yd, 4.28 shuttle, 44.5 powerball, 37.2 vertical, 125.28 SPARQ

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Greg Biggins: Emptying the notebook following The Opening Finals

After a week of seeing some of the top linemen and skill talent in the country, here’s some final observations fowling The Opening Finals.

Whose Stock Rose The Most?

This one is a no-brainer and goes to Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) quarterback CJ Stroud. We’ve been having discussions internally on the rankings council about giving Stroud a four-star bump for the last few months but wanted to wait and see how he looked on the biggest stage out there. To say he passed with flying colors would be an under-statement. Stroud was in our top five all week, even before his dominant performance during the 7v7 competition where he led his loaded Team Savage squad to an easy Championship run. Physically, Stroud has it all- live, accurate arm, poise in the pocket, deep ball accuracy, ability to change speeds and throw with touch and the frame that can easily fill out and add size and strength.

What I really like about Stroud is he’s not close to maximizing his potential. I saw a lot of quarterbacks who have been trained and groomed their whole life and probably had a quarterback coach since they could hold a football. You have to question how much better some of these guys will get and if they have already peaked in high school. Stroud has one year of varsity starting experience, is a two-sport athlete who excels in basketball and has never worked with a trainer year around. His upside once he focuses on just football is extremely high and he should make a big jump when he hits the college level. Baylor, Cal, Michigan State and Washington State are just a few schools involved right but look for that list to explode in the coming weeks.

Julian Fleming vs Demond Demas

There wasn’t a bigger debating coming in to the event then Julian Fleming vs Demond Demas and who would take the title as the No. 1 receiver prospect in the country. Fleming came in as the No. 1 receiver prospect by 247Sports and No. 5 overall. Demas, headed to Texas A&M was a few spots behind as the No. 11 prospect nationally. Watching the two side by side all weekend, which was made easier by the fact they were on the same 7v7 team, I would give Fleming the edge with the understanding this is still a shirt and short environment and both are no brainers as high end five-star prospects.

Demas is the biggest athletic freak in this year’s class and his highlight real dunks on the hardwood and flips at this event have gone viral. There’s no doubting his athleticism but the athletic gap between the two is much closer then people think and Fleming has the edge in a few other areas. At 6-2, 191 pounds, Fleming is about 10 pounds heavier then Demas and a much more physical receiver. The Ohio State commit was able to create separation with his his strength and his route running and is much more comfortable catching the football through contact.

Fleming is simply more natural as a pass catcher, you barely hear the ball hitting his hands while Demas fights the ball a bit, had a few drops and didn’t look as comfortable catching the football on crossing routes or outs. He’s most comfortable on deep balls where he can run underneath the ball rather than catch it away from his body. While Demas might be a hair faster in terms of straight line speed, Fleming showed more explosion and burst in and out of his routes and also seemed a lot more engaged with his teammates all week and more competitive overall as well.

More Potential Five Star Wide Receivers?

Two other players who had dominant performances from start to finish were Jermaine Burton and Gee Scott. You have to look hard to find the weakness in Burton’s game as he checks off every box you’re looking for in an elite next level receiver. At 6-1, 190 pounds the LSU commit has a strong frame and plays a physical game as well. He always plays with a bit of an edge to him and has no problem taking some contact and relishes seeing press coverage. He’s a high level athlete with legit 4.4-4.5 speed and his 3.95 shuttle was one of the best in the camp to go with a 39” vertical jump. He has not just good hands but great hands and finished the event with 17 catches, four touchdowns and zero drops.

Every time we looked up he was running open and could have easily been well over the 20+ catch mark if his quarterback looked for him more. In terms of what you want to see in a receiver from an NFL perspective, Fleming might be the only guy nationally with a better combination of size, athleticism, hands and compete level. Scott has dominated every event we’ve seen him at this off-season so it was no surprise to see him do it again on this stage. The Ohio State commit was second in the event in catches with 25 and tied for 2nd with five touchdowns, all the while playing alongside the aforementioned Fleming and Demas on Team Savage.

Scott is a big receiver at 6-3, 207 pounds and along with that size, was probably the best route runner in the event and that was backed up by a few of the top corners we talked to who covered him. Only Fleming looks more ready to play in a college game right now. Off the field, his work ethic is unmatched and he has worked tirelessly over the last year to improve his overall speed, burst and athleticism and it’s very noticeable in his play.

He clocked a 4.60-40, 4.14 shuttle and jumped 35” in the vertical. He may not be as dynamic an athlete as Fleming or Burton but in terms of his size, hands and route running, he takes a back seat to no one and is built to excel at the college level right now. He reminds me of former Buckeye and current New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas but is much further along at the same stage. Now Thomas obviously made a HUGE jump in college from a player who had to go the JUCO route out of high school but the playing styles are similar.

Best Tight End Group in Opening Finals History

This years group of tight ends, down from six to four, was easily the best I’ve seen at this event. I’ll never see another tight end performance at this event like OJ Howard back in 2012 but depth wise, top to bottom, this group was extremely special.

Darnell Washington, Arik Gilbert, Theo Johnson and Michael Mayer at different times, all looked like the best tight end in the country. Mayer was awarded 7v7 MVP by the Student Sports staff and was my WR/TE Top Performer on day 1 of the event during the combine workout. At 6-5, 234 pounds, he showed good athleticism clocking a 4.84-40, 4,29 shuttle and 31” vertical. He plays even more athletic then those numbers and had several acrobatic, jump ball catches over defenders throughout the event. It should be fun to watch him develop at Notre Dame in the coming years.

Gilbert made our Dream Team following the event and for me, is a five-star prospect, potentially on both sides of the ball. At 6-5, 253 pounds, Gilbert is big for a tight end and although the recent NFL Draft measurable’s show the tight ends that go high are closer to 220 pounds then 250 out of high school, he could be the rare exception. Gilbert went 4.73-40, 4.44 shuttle and jumped 33” in the vertical. He caught the ball effortlessly, many times through contact, can run after the catch and make plays down the field as well as in the possession game. Georgia is a heavy leader for Gilbert at this time.

Johnson actually led all the tight ends in the event in catches with 20 and tied for touchdowns with four. In terms of athleticism, he tested better then the other tight ends as well with a 4.63-40, 4.28 shuttle and a 35” vertical jump although he’s also considerably lighter at 6-6, 224 pounds. Johnson is the guy that fits the NFL Draft profile to perfection. Long and athletic, plays like a big receiver but with a great frame who can add on good weight and make plays in the short, intermediate and deep passing game. Penn State is the crystal ball leader here.

Washington had a strong week, hauling in 17 passes and three touchdowns, yet somehow was overshadowed a bit by the other three tight ends. I still love his upside and long term potential and it will be interesting to see where he lines up in college. He’s the biggest in the group, weighing in at 6-7.5, 261 pounds. He clocked a 4.75-40, 4.50 shuttle, jumped 31” in the vertical and threw the power ball 51’, one of the five best throws of the testing era. For as big as he, Washington can move and has one of the biggest catch radius’ I’ve ever seen. Will he continue to grow and if so, will he outgrow the tight end position? That’s the question but if so, it might even make him a better prospect as he could slide over to offensive tackle or defensive end where his potential is very high at both spots.

Noah Sewell Is One of a Kind

In 20+ years of doing this, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a player 270 pounds who can move like Sewell. The debate about whether he should play linebacker or defensive line is a fun one to have but for me, after seeing him the last week, I now feel it doesn’t matter, he’ll be a dominant player and has NFL upside at either spot. At 6-2, 266 pounds, we’re talking about a kid who ran a 4.75-40, 4.13 shuttle and jumped 35” in the vertical and plays even faster then those numbers. Some kids you have to take the testing numbers with a grain of salt a bit because they don’t play anywhere near as fast as they test, not the case with Sewell.

His lateral mobility, short area quickness and change of direction would be exceptional for a 215 pound ‘backer more less one that weighs almost 270. He was flying around the field every game with a non-stop motor and there were 5-6 plays where I caught myself saying, ‘if the pads were on, he would have just sent that poor kid to the hospital.’ Where is his upside the highest? The feeling is Sewell will continue to grow and put on weight. Let’s say in a few years, he’s closer to 290 then 270, is that a problem? Heck no, then you have a three-tech who could be another Ed Oliver or do we even say, Aaron Donald? We know Sewell loves linebacker and we enjoy watching him there as well.

Hopefully he lets his body go where it wants to and if he stays in the 270 range, he’s an NFL prospect at ‘backer, if his body naturally grows and he fills out in to a defensive lineman, he’s an NFL prospect there as well. For me, he’s one of the most unique players I’ve ever covered and I’m on board with him as a future five-star player as well. Oregon is current leader in the crystal ball forecast.

How Do You Judge Bryan Bresee?

One of the questions we had about Bresee coming in to this event was could he have a generational type performance. He’s a player we have compared favorably to Ndamukong Suh in terms of his size, versatility and potential. He’s a massive kid who measured in at 6-5, 298 pounds and had a ridiculous 4.28 shuttle time with a 31.7” vertical jump. For me, Rashan Gary had the single best performance I’ve seen from a defensive lineman at The Opening Finals back in 2015. I don’t remember him losing a rep during one on ones and he didn’t just win them, he won them in dominant fashion showing a rare combination of strength and quickness.

Could Bresee come in and have a similar showing? Just judging by his one on one performance, that would be an emphatic no. Bresee was just 13-14 over the week, surprisingly losing more reps than he won. So will his stock drop a bit from the event or should it? For me, it would be a no. I still think he’s a top three player in the country and have yet to see anyone with his size/athleticism combo in this class. I do think he’s a more natural inside player then off the edge, which is where he’ll play at Clemson. He’s a very powerful kid and when he wanted to use his brute strength, he was unblockable. I got the sense he could have simply used a straight bull rush and won 90% of his reps but chose to work on moves and new techniques the coaches were working on with the players and honestly, that’s what the event should be about for the kids.

As an edge rusher, he wasn’t quick enough to simply turn the corner and run around some of the more athletic tackles. He does have a great first step and good lateral quickness but that played better working against the guards and he was absolutely abusing the interior linemen during the first day of one on ones when it was just helmets and no shoulder pads.

It’s always important to remind people, rankings are based on long term projection and not even a college projection, an NFL projection. We take every time we see a player in any setting as part of the evaluation process but we’re not going to ever get too high or too low on a player based on a one time event. When you simply look at Bresee’s measurable’s, his size, raw power and athletic ability and then throw in the fact he’s a high motor athlete with high end character off the field who wants to be coached, it’s easy to see his long term potential. Bresee is already a high end talent and his game can still take another jump when he gets to the next level. If he stays healthy, it will be a shock if he’s not a high round Draft pick by his third year in the Clemson program.

What Happened to Bryce Young?

Young was our top quarterback the first three days of the event leading up to the 7v7 competition. In the first session of the jamboree, which was just a team’s offense vs defense, Young had the best performance we saw all week, going 18-22 for five touchdowns and making every throw in the book. When 7v7 action started up, Young played the first two drives, was unable to generate points and was pulled and didn’t see action the rest of the tournament until the final drive of the championship game with his team up four touchdowns. It was a bit head scratching for sure and you have to credit CJ Stroud who stepped in and really impressed the rest of the way.

For us, Young’s ‘benching’ did nothing to hurt him in our eyes and he showed why he’s in the discussion for five-star status and top overall quarterback prospect in the country. He measured in at 5-11, 183 pounds, had a 4.18 shuttle time and jumped 30” in the vertical. Those numbers don’t reflect what a good athlete Young is on the football field. His pocket mobility as well as his ability to improvise outside the pocket and make a play with his arm and his legs is as good as you’ll see.

He graded out very high with the rest of the 247Sports rankings committee in terms of his arm strength, accuracy, touch, decision making and ability to make every throw on the field. The game always looks easy for Young and there really are no red flags or question marks in his game or his NFL upside. Maybe a few years ago, you could question his height as an NFL prospect but with a 5-10 and a 6-0 quarterback going No. 1 overall in the Draft the last two years, those concerns are long gone.

Two More Players Stock Up

Texas A&M commit Jaylon Jones was my favorite safety in the event and it’s hard to imagine a better safety prospect in the country. He’s currently rated the No. 5 corner and just like big wide receivers hate being told they’re tight ends, corners hate being told they should play safety. They take it as a knock on their athleticism but Jones is a high end athlete who can affect the game in so many ways as a safety.

Every time we looked up, we saw him making plays and he was always around the football.  At 6-2, 190 pounds, he’s a big kid but can run and tested extremely well with a 4.53-40, 4.25 shuttle and a 38.5” vertical jump. The game is changing and modern day safeties have to be able to cover now just like corners and Jones shows that ability. His range, ball skills and natural instincts playing center field for his Team Savage squad that rolled to the Championship were a lot of fun to watch.

My favorite corner of the event was Demorie Tate, currently rated the No. 125 prospect by 247Sports. Looking at his size, speed and natural body control, it’s tough imagine there being 50 players with more upside then Tate. When I found out that he has barely even played much corner thus far and is predominantly a quarterback for his high school team, I was floored. This is a 6-2, 189 pound athlete who ran a 4.52-40, 4.26 shuttle and jumped nearly 36” in the vertical. You can tell he’s still raw technique wise and there were times we saw a receiver make a move and run past him but his recovery speed was impressive and in just 2-3 strides, he was even with the receiver. Florida State has a special one in Tate and his upside is through the roof.

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Maybe after a sit down and going over their checklist, Broughton's mama realizes that Jimbo is a snake oil salesman and the station is not "lit".  And maybe the aggy network is only good for chicken farmers, sheep shearers, and cow rectum probers.    I forget to add log stacking engineers.  

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53 minutes ago, Hornsfan91 said:

But TFB said as of July 3rd, Broughton is UT bound.

That was still true this morning, but for the last 9 hours, he has been trending aggy. There were about five minutes right before 4:00 pm when he was briefly trending Holy Cross, but it turned out he just had a slight case of indigestion.

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