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Texas Recruiting Notes 2023: Strippers, Monkeys, and 5-Stars


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16 minutes ago, westexhorn said:

 

Part 1:

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By: IT Staff

The second installment will be percentages dropping not too long after this. The third will be team notes whenever we get them. We’ll probably post those tomorrow.

One thing I liked about yesterday was this community recognizing the team effort IT put forth towards reporting. I took the early lead on the story and got it on its tracks, but we were all shoveling coal in the end. In that vein, let’s make sure proper credit is given at UT and that starts with AJ Milwee. Everyone knows about Sark, but here’s what we learned about Milwee as a coach and recruiter.

From a very good source, “Because I want to make sure he gets his laurels, the relationship between Arch and AJ Milwee is the strongest of any head coach, coordinator or QB coach at any school that recruited Arch, including Sark (who clearly did a phenomenal job). I know you you probably know this but I’m not sure this happens without Milwee.”

We have discussed Milwee’s involvement often, but not in the detail we’re about to. You know him as a curiously coifed voyeur, but here’s how he should be known.

“Absolutely phenomenal relationship builder. Got very close with Arch and Cooper. Incredibly consistent communicator and extremely authentic. Does a great job of making QB recruits feel like they are already being coached by him in recruiting meetings and is a very good teacher. Has enough wisdom to be respectable but comes off as young enough to relate to guys. He’s reserved but very likeable in a 1 on 1 setting. Makes it clear he will coach his guys hard. I’d want to play in his room.”

Given the Mannings don’t have the typical football IQ, you have to win in that regard. In addition to building strong connections, Milwee won over the Mannings with his football knowledge.

“He’s also a great technician and offensive mind as well, he’s an extension of Sark in that way and I know that he impressed the Mannings on the white board as well.“

It’s easy to see why Milwee was a must for Sark when he put together his staff. In addition to winning over the Mannings, Milwee won over the Isidore Newman staff. Newman opponents might want to scout Texas next year…we say that joking, we think.

Said another source, “Milwee did it all. Arrived first, left last. Stood in sun to video while other coaches sat in the shade.“

Give the man a raise.

Any other unsung heroes?

“Terry Joseph played a big part as well. Very connected to NOLA as everyone knows, very well respected in that area. He was one of the primary communicators with Cooper, very consistent on that front and did a good job of staying plugged in throughout. Less important with Arch, more so with family/coaches.”

While IT is handing out raises, give him one too. Until Brian Kelly wins, Louisiana will be the most open it has been since before Nick Saban arrived.

And finally, the support staff.

“Obviously the personnel department, especially on the offensive side of the ball killed it - JM Jones did a great job with the family.“

A couple more Arch notes:

*Arch and his family are happy to have this behind them. Now Arch can resume being ‘one of the guys’ and enjoy his senior year.

*When we heard the family was going on vacation soon, we joked, “oh great, now we have to figure out whose house they’re staying at, or whose island.” But we hoped they’d get the decision out beforehand and that’s what happened.

*We believe the original plan was to announce at nice hotel in New Orleans next week. Obviously that didn’t happen. The timing couldn’t have been better ahead of the Texas official visit weekend.

*Of course he’s an early enrollee and has no problem redshirting. Every kid wants to play right away, but the family understands the big picture. Understanding this was a big data point in the recruitment, and it was made perfectly clear when the Mannings discussed the addition of Quinn Ewers with Sark.

*Source felt like this was over before the Texas OV, but we never wanted to assume. We received so many winks and nods, but no confirmation. It was reassuring and maddening at the same time. One thing is clear, the staff had the pulse the whole time and never lost confidence.

*One thing we investigated a lot was Ellen Manning’s school preference. Texas may not have been her preference, but Texas out-worked everyone to win her over. While we say Texas may not have been her preference for Arch, she is very fond of UT and is very excited about the commitment. Like Cooper, she has many strong relationships in the Texas universe.

Over time we’ll probably bury some fun anecdotes on the board, but for now we’ll switch gears to what you truly care about at this point — recruiting impact.

Part 2:

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It was written a while back that once Arch commits, the smartest thing the staff could do is sit back and accept the unsolicited phone calls of recruits and family members showing new or increased interest. It turns out the Mannings signing off on Steve Sarkisian carries a lot of weight with it, and yeah, some of the interest could be driven by NIL (which was already picking up steam pre-Arch. Yesterday was a nitro boost, though).

We know you guys want new names to chew on — the five-stars who are at least somewhat interested in Texas now that Arch Manning has committed. We want to know, too, and are investigating, but we are also not wanting to ride the recruiting high. We’ve “heard” a couple names but the interest wasn’t real so we’re glad we didn’t mention them.

The high many people are on right now is akin to the post-visit high. We want to let the dust settle and see what’s what.

That written, is Cedric Baxter not good enough for you? Holy cow, the nation’s best running back is trending towards Texas, and Arch is a big reason.

PERCENTAGES

RB Tre Wisner, DeSoto (Texas) High

Intel: An SEC running backs coach in May said Wiser was a shaky commitment for Texas. IT believes the commitment of Manning strengthens that commitment, and this weekend will be more strengthening.

WR Ryan Niblett, Aldine Eisenhower

Intel: This recruitment is in a good place thanks to Brennan Marion’s recruiting efforts.

WR Johntay Cook II, DeSoto (Texas) High

GH: 85%. That’s my On3 RPM and I’m sticking with it. Still 15% for turbulence in todays recruiting world.

JW: 75%. Cook and Texas looked great before Arch Manning’s commitment.

EN: 80%. Three years ago this kid would be an absolute lock, but as Gerry said, the times they are a changin.

WR Jonah Wilson, Spring (Texas) Dekaney

GH: 90% if Texas makes the push for a commitment.

JW: 60%. If Wilson is a take, these percentages increase. I think he will be.

EN: 55%. I’m a fan of Wilson’s but I think they’ll keep chopping wood on Jalen Hale for a while. I could be wrong. It’s a hard one to read because Brennan Marion and Sark are clearly fans of Wilson. The bottom line for me is, Texas is probably already penciling in Johntay Cook and Mikal Harrison-Pilot into the class, in addition to already having a commitment from Niblett.

[a great source on MH-P said the addition of Arch should get that recruitment done in UT’s favor. I incorrectly undervalued him at receiver, though I liked him there. I just loved him on defense. Review of the tape shows a do-it-all slot with both vertical slot, and slot machine ability - EN]

OT Trevor Goosby, Melissa (Texas) High

GH: 65%. Goosby has always preferred Texas. The question is now can Texas A&M get him on campus prior to making a decision between Texas and TCU.

JW: 60%.

EN: 60%. I think they have to win over mom more than Trevor this weekend. I don’t have the strongest handle on this recruitment.

OT Jaydon Chatman, Killeen (Texas) Harker Heights

GH: 70%. Texas has been in a good spot for months. A true regional recruiting battle with Oklahoma, LSU and Texas A&M.

JW: 70%. Chatman has been courted by Texas A&M, LSU, and others, but seems to always come back to Austin. Big weekend here.

EN: 75%. Flood gave himself the early advantage by being early in the recruitment, plus I love the family’s profile for UT.

IOL Connor Stroh, Frisco (Texas) Wakeland

GH: 48%. Stroh favors the relationship with Kyle Flood, and how hard Texas has recruited him for many months. Still has to get over the finish line in a family of Texas A&M graduates.

JW: 35%. Texas has done real well in this pursuit, but he still drowns in A&M maroon and white during the holidays.

EN: 45%. Sometimes you can do everything right and it just doesn’t matter. Texas was way earlier than A&M and Kyle Flood is probably Stroh’s strongest relationship. On top of it, Stroh fits what Flood is looking for. I’m supposed to catch up with him on his way to Austin and will get a better feel, but him camping at A&M screamed, “why aren’t you idiots recruiting me harder?”

IOL Andre Cojoe, Mansfield (Texas) Timberview

GH: 60%. There has been Texas chatter for a while on this one.

JW: 60%. He’s seen Austin plenty, and after taking a few other trips, the Horns could close this one with a strong visit.

EN: 60%. Do they push to close? To me that’s the only real question. Given the staff doesn’t have a single O-lineman committed, I think they will but don’t yet know if Arch has changed their calculus at the position.

DL Dylan Spencer, Houston (Texas) C.E. King

Intel: After camping at Texas earlier in the month, the staff is even more excited about his commitment and potential.

EDGE Braylan Shelby, Friendswood (Texas) High

GH: 49%. USC truly appeals to Shelby, and the private school appeals to the mom. Proximity appeals to the family. The Longhorns staff hold the cards this weekend. Texas A&M is working to muddy the water by pushing for a late July visit.

JW: 55%. His size and athleticism are hard to find. Probably should’ve been prioritized sooner.

EN: 55%. We know he’s a priority and the school appeals to him. There is some ground to makeup between Shelby and the coaches. I think it’s going to be a big weekend in UT’s favor, but not super-confident in predicting him to Texas.

EDGE Billy Walton, Dallas (Texas) South Oak Cliff

GH: 40%. This one will be interesting, as Texas has to decide how much patience they will exercise with Manning now in the boat.

JW: 35%. Texas has stayed on him before and after his Okie State pledge. Unsure if either party is truly interested in a flip.

EN: 30%. He’s a good, urgent play but it’s hard to get a feel for how hard Texas will push.

LB/EDGE Derion Gullette, Marlin (Texas) High

GH: 67%. Gullette has never had to question how much the Longhorns want him to be a part of the program. That may not be the case with the competition at times.

JW: 65%. Right after the Texas Relays, this pursuit started titling towards UT and hasn’t stopped. Percentage probably should be higher.

EN: 70%. Proximity and usage are going to be what wins this for Texas. I also think the plans in store for De’Marvion Overshown will help show Gullette what his role would be.

LB Anthony Hill, Denton (Texas) Ryan

GH: 50%. Have always been told this comes down to Texas vs. Texas A&M ultimately with Oklahoma, Alabama and possibly Miami in the mix. Nothing has changed. Texas season on the field matters here.

JW: 45%. Texas is squarely in it, but like Arch Manning who looked for a great offense, Hill is looking for a great defense. Texas has some help from former teammates, but Hill likes OU and A&M’s collection of defenders.

EN: 55%. I’ve had people echo the same as my colleagues, Texas has to win this year. Hill is going to have keen inside knowledge of the program thanks to his relationship with his visit host, former Ryan teammate Ja’Tavion Sanders. Those two are close. This recruitment has the potential to get wild between UT and A&M.

LB S’Maje Burrell, Fort Worth (Texas) North Crowley

Intel: One of the best recruiters for the class, Burrell will be working overtime on getting Hill to join him.

S Derek Williams, New Iberia (La.) Westgate

GH: 40%. Alabama is tough competition with Nick Saban being a hands-on coach in the secondary. The Williams family has never given Texas a reason to believe the Longhorns aren’t serious contenders.

JW: 30%. There’s a spark here with Williams and Texas, just unsure how big of a flame. Terry Joseph doing work.

EN: 40%. I’m a big fan of the strategy behind receiving Williams’ first official visit, only because Williams and his family have demonstrated time and time again their willingness to visit UT. This won’t be their last time in Austin. Sage writers have been mentioning the chance for big momentum in Louisiana, and in the last week, Texas picked up two new recruiters for the class who hail from the Pelican State.

One player showing increased interest in Texas is Javien Toviano. Toviano is one of the best DB’s in the country, but his recruitment has taken some odd twists and turns. Texas has probably led twice already, and there was always the chance things could swing back in favor of UT. We know yesterday helped, but how much remains to be seen. Texas is content to play the long game on Toviano and Malik Muhammad. Even with all the new interest for Jordan Matthews, Texas remains the team to beat. The cornerback number is probably going to remain two for the class.

As Gerry mentioned in various places yesterday, two of the big names who reached out to Texas were Sydir Mitchell and David Hicks. Texas was always going to play the long game on Hicks, but will have to win to have a chance. Landing Arch helps.

Mitchell is going to be another Dawg fight, but Texas knows how to be win those.

Cue Bevo at the 2018 Sugar Bowl.

 

Many thanks

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3 hours ago, Codaxx said:

Odd. A&M has the least tradition or history among all the schools mentioned. 

Yeah, there's been a lot of that lately, and the answer is non-taxable bags and you can do whatever the hell you want unless it can't be swept under the table.

Edited by LW Goatman
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Hudson Notes from 7v7

Spoiler

— Mike mentioned yesterday that the eyes of the college football world, especially the recruiting world, were on Texas yesterday with Arch Manning’s announcement. If that wasn’t evident with his 217k liked commitment announcement, it sure is after talking in the early buzz from the D1 state 7on7.

Even without notable Texas commits S’Maje Burrell and Ryan Niblett not with their teams due to visits in Austin, the early talk from recruits, parents, and most of the media has been Manning’s decision to verbally pledge to the Longhorns.

With Manning in his home state of Louisiana at the Manning Passing Academy most of the focus has shifted to DeSoto five-star wideout Johntay Cook. Mike had a great conversation with Cook and will likely have notes later tonight or sometime tomorrow before he heads off for vacation, much to the excitement of everybody reading this.

— One of the toughest elements of coverage over the past 24 hours has been trying to decipher reactionary hype because of Manning’s announcement vs. actual momentum. We did find out that one 2024 was eager to announce a commitment last night but the staff decided to slow play said recruit and told him that they weren’t quite ready to take a commitment yet.

— While the staff told one silent no last night, one thing that we’ve picked up on is that the Manning commitment gave UT some much needed leverage in a couple recruitments and the staff has been aggressively on the phones for the last day. One recruit in particular told me the sudden increase in contact yesterday as the Manning news unfolded was extremely exciting and made him feel like he was part of the action.

— Last early note on the day, I heard last night from a source that Austin Westlake 2023 Jaden Greathouse was briefly on campus earlier this week. The source continued to tell me that Notre Dame is in the clear poll position for a fall announcement, which Greathouse decided to push back while he was on his OV to South Bend. We’ll talk with him later today at 7v7, but still struggle to see how Texas claws their way back in it.

 

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21 minutes ago, Dummy said:

Hudson Notes from 7v7

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— Mike mentioned yesterday that the eyes of the college football world, especially the recruiting world, were on Texas yesterday with Arch Manning’s announcement. If that wasn’t evident with his 217k liked commitment announcement, it sure is after talking in the early buzz from the D1 state 7on7.

Even without notable Texas commits S’Maje Burrell and Ryan Niblett not with their teams due to visits in Austin, the early talk from recruits, parents, and most of the media has been Manning’s decision to verbally pledge to the Longhorns.

With Manning in his home state of Louisiana at the Manning Passing Academy most of the focus has shifted to DeSoto five-star wideout Johntay Cook. Mike had a great conversation with Cook and will likely have notes later tonight or sometime tomorrow before he heads off for vacation, much to the excitement of everybody reading this.

— One of the toughest elements of coverage over the past 24 hours has been trying to decipher reactionary hype because of Manning’s announcement vs. actual momentum. We did find out that one 2024 was eager to announce a commitment last night but the staff decided to slow play said recruit and told him that they weren’t quite ready to take a commitment yet.

— While the staff told one silent no last night, one thing that we’ve picked up on is that the Manning commitment gave UT some much needed leverage in a couple recruitments and the staff has been aggressively on the phones for the last day. One recruit in particular told me the sudden increase in contact yesterday as the Manning news unfolded was extremely exciting and made him feel like he was part of the action.

— Last early note on the day, I heard last night from a source that Austin Westlake 2023 Jaden Greathouse was briefly on campus earlier this week. The source continued to tell me that Notre Dame is in the clear poll position for a fall announcement, which Greathouse decided to push back while he was on his OV to South Bend. We’ll talk with him later today at 7v7, but still struggle to see how Texas claws their way back in it.

 

 

F711136C-B6F0-40D4-840D-6D866274C991.jpeg

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27 minutes ago, Dummy said:

Hudson Notes from 7v7

  Reveal hidden contents

— Mike mentioned yesterday that the eyes of the college football world, especially the recruiting world, were on Texas yesterday with Arch Manning’s announcement. If that wasn’t evident with his 217k liked commitment announcement, it sure is after talking in the early buzz from the D1 state 7on7.

Even without notable Texas commits S’Maje Burrell and Ryan Niblett not with their teams due to visits in Austin, the early talk from recruits, parents, and most of the media has been Manning’s decision to verbally pledge to the Longhorns.

With Manning in his home state of Louisiana at the Manning Passing Academy most of the focus has shifted to DeSoto five-star wideout Johntay Cook. Mike had a great conversation with Cook and will likely have notes later tonight or sometime tomorrow before he heads off for vacation, much to the excitement of everybody reading this.

— One of the toughest elements of coverage over the past 24 hours has been trying to decipher reactionary hype because of Manning’s announcement vs. actual momentum. We did find out that one 2024 was eager to announce a commitment last night but the staff decided to slow play said recruit and told him that they weren’t quite ready to take a commitment yet.

— While the staff told one silent no last night, one thing that we’ve picked up on is that the Manning commitment gave UT some much needed leverage in a couple recruitments and the staff has been aggressively on the phones for the last day. One recruit in particular told me the sudden increase in contact yesterday as the Manning news unfolded was extremely exciting and made him feel like he was part of the action.

— Last early note on the day, I heard last night from a source that Austin Westlake 2023 Jaden Greathouse was briefly on campus earlier this week. The source continued to tell me that Notre Dame is in the clear poll position for a fall announcement, which Greathouse decided to push back while he was on his OV to South Bend. We’ll talk with him later today at 7v7, but still struggle to see how Texas claws their way back in it.

 

Why would the staff tell a silent 'no'? And who could that silent be?

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Hudson Standish (Horns 247) on Jalen Hale

 

Spoiler

 

Hudson Standish (Horns 247)

 

— I’ll talk more with Longview 2023 high four-star Jalen Hale later on today but the early buzz I’ve been hearing is that USC crushed their official visit but Texas grabbing Arch Manning definitely caught his attention. The key will be finding out to what degree the news impacted his decision making process, Hale is tough to get a read on and plays a lot of his process close to the best so information might trickle out a bit slower than usual.

 

 

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What in the wide world of sports is going on...we are doing CFS post commitment now??  Am i missing something or are we doing work for O Line and DLine, or what?  Can't we just do a petition for those guys.  I'm full right now. 

Edited by RollLeft
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3 minutes ago, Vito Andolini said:

Sure looks like Hayes Fawcett is creating a commitment edit for Cook to unveil at 7pm. 



I sure hope so, man. After all these 9.95ers saying Johntay is going to commit I hope this isn't all a big fake out and after he commits to A&M the word "Johntay'ed"  gets added to the Surly lexicon. 

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