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


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18 minutes ago, Teryor said:

I appreciate that he's making it out like 10k words is some gargantuan accomplishment. That's a normal book chapter length. 

10K words is a tweet from ian boyd.  I bet Roach's behind the scenes account will be 25% recruiting, 25% worship of texas high school coaches and 50% discussion of the where to get the best chicken fried steak....aka a normal page on surly.

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10K words is a tweet from ian boyd.  I bet Roach's behind the scenes account will be 25% recruiting, 25% worship of texas high school coaches and 50% discussion of the where to get the best chicken fried steak....aka a normal page on surly.

Full disclosure - I’d read the part about chicken fried steak.

And if you’re not going to plowmans kitchen in Taylor for chicken fried steak you’re doing it wrong.
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Honestly there's not a ton of new/surprising info in there for anyone that's followed the whole cycle. Probably the most interesting thing to me was that Johntay Cook was Texas all the way behind the scenes, despite social media stuff. Sure seemed like he was leaning aggy for a minute there.

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From the moment Tashard Choice arrived in Austin his motto seemed to be “Baxter or bust.” Once the staffgot Baxter on campus during the spring, it seemed to be all downhill from there. 

As someone who appreciates language and its subtleties/oddities, I do credit Roach for making me consider that something going “downhill” can actually be a good thing. I usually think of it as, “His career went downhill from there,” or “They are on a downhill trajectory.” Of course, good writing doesn’t compel the reader to waste valuable minutes typing a dumbass post on a message board. Damn, you Mike Roach! It’s now going to be an uphill battle getting my work done.

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1 hour ago, Vito Andolini said:

As someone who appreciates language and its subtleties/oddities, I do credit Roach for making me consider that something going “downhill” can actually be a good thing. I usually think of it as, “His career went downhill from there,” or “They are on a downhill trajectory.” Of course, good writing doesn’t compel the reader to waste valuable minutes typing a dumbass post on a message board. Damn, you Mike Roach! It’s now going to be an uphill battle getting my work done.

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Roach p2

Spoiler

— I’ve said several times throughout the cycle that I never saw a recruitment turn cold like the one of David Hicks. When Hicks was a young prospect coming up, we were told by several people close to him that Texas would be tough to beat. In fact, we were told early on that it would be hard for Texas not to win outright. Add in the fact that Hicks and his family were close with Bo Davis and we thought it would be a bit of a slam dunk. Hicks made his first visit to Austin in the summer of 2021 coming out of the COVID dead period where every school was adjusting to being open again. It was the first time this Texas staff hosted players and to say there were some hiccups would be an understatement. Remember at that time, Moncrief-Neuhaus was still under construction and the staff was running their operation out of a makeshift space in the north end zone. Combine that with the rush of hosting a bunch of kids at once and it didn’t seem like it was a good recipe. From there, things never seemed to get better. While Texas fell in his eyes, Texas A&M and Oklahoma rose. Texas tried to turn the tide, but they never could. It also didn’t help that Texas had a poor year on the field in 2022. By then, they were well behind in the race and unlikely to catch up. I spoke with Hicks after the season who told me he just never really clicked with Steve Sarkisian. Hicks didn’t go into detail about why, but he did mention the two had a disagreement at one point in time.

— The recruitment of Markis Deal was odd from the beginning. It goes back to when Deal was first offered and visited Austin for the elite camp. This was back in 2021 when visits first opened and we’ve detailed in the past that several kids didn’t feel like a priority due to the sheer number of prospects on campus. Texas actually cicrcled back with Deal and got into the game with a renewed push. Bo Davis seemed all in on Deal though many felt his best upside was on the offensive side of the ball. Though Davis indicated to Deal he was a priority, the feedback I heard from different sources on him was always mixed. In the end, I do feel Texas made a credible push for Deal and there was a point where they seemed to be sitting at the top of the group for him. TCU just did a better job with the recruitment front to back.


Sydir Mitchell (Photo: Andrew Ivins, 247Sports)
 

— Four-star defensive lineman Hunter Osborne was probably always destined to end up at Alabama, but Texas would have been more dangerous had they offered sooner. The staff was incredibly familiar with Osborne considering he played alongside Justice Finkley at Hewitt-Trussville, but for whatever reason, they seemed hesitant to pull the trigger on an offer. Once they did, the Longhorns ended up in his top group and he came to Austin on a visit. They did a good job on the trip and I was told that Osborne’s family was sold on Texas thanks to a big assist from the Finkley family. While Osborne loved the visit, it was never enough to overcome the head start others had in the visit. Once Alabama made it clear that Osborne was a priority and pushed for him, it was over.

— I didn’t quite buy into Sydir Mitchell being a real possibility for Texas until it was clear how real they were. It just didn’t seem to fit and Mitchell was considering A&M and Georgia. After his trip to Austin the noise became too much to ignore. Bo Davis really did a bang up job connecting with Mitchell and showing him the vision for his future in Austin. I was also told that the attention Mitchell got from guys like Arch Manning and Johntay Cook really helped to solidify things. Georgia and Texas A&M both made pushes throughout the fall, but getting Mitchell back to campus in December locked it up for Texas.

— Johnny Bowens and Ashton Porter were two in-state guys the staff never seemed all in on. Bowens committed to Texas A&M so early and never really showed Texas a lot of love. When his commitment opened again, Texas never seemed to re-engage. Despite him having Texas amongst his finalists, I was told the Longhorns hadn’t communicated with him in some time leading up to that. Porter is a different story. Early on he seemed like a heavy favorite to end up in the class and was acting like a commit every time he came to campus. There was a point where the staff pushed for a decision and Porter wasn’t ready to give it. They seemed to go their separate ways after that. One thing that came up was a difference in philosophy of where they saw Porter versus where he saw himself. The Longhorns saw him as an interior defensive line prospect while Porter saw himself as an edge rusher. Terrance Green was another prospect who never seemed to lock in with Texas. From the beginning we were told that Oregon would be an attractive destination for Green and he ended up there. Avion Carter was close to committing to Texas during his junior year per some reports but I think the Longhorns moved on there after further evaluation.

— Dylan Spencer was the biggest surprise commitment of the class. He literally came out of nowhere thanks to some stealthy work from Bo Davis and all was well following his initial commitment. When we saw Spencer in the spring, he was glad to be done with the process and seemed locked into Texas. Fast forward to the fall and Spencer made a couple of under the radar visits to other schools. Houston was a program that was around him quite a bit, but there wasn’t much worry. The night of the TCU game there were some logistical issues with the visit that caused problems with a few prospects. Following the Elite Camp in 2021, the recruiting staff seemed to have the issues worked out when it came to hosting big groups, but some of those problems reared their head on one of the biggest visit weekends of the season. Following the trip, Spencer started to tell everyone he didn’t feel like a priority and was going to decommit. We reported at that point that Spencer was close to decommitting but the staff seemed to calm things down. Everything looked good until Spencer started making secret visits again. Sark never had a huge problem with guys going elsewhere as long as those plans were communicated to the staff. There did come a time where he wanted guys to be locked in and not taking trips. After Spencer went to Houston, the staff decided to separate from him. We expected him to stay home and play for the Cougs but Texas Tech did a great job recruiting him and got him to close the deal after an official visit.


Samu Taumanupepe (Photo: Brian Perroni, 247Sports)
 

— Early in the cycle, Samu Taumanupepe was a prospect Bo Davis was recruiting hard. The massive nose tackle visited campus a few times and Texas seemed to be in a good position. It seemed like they wanted to close him quickly but Taumanupepe wanted to see some other schools. When Texas gained traction with Sydir Mitchell, they moved on in that direction.

— There was a small window when it seemed like the possibility of Texas getting into the race for five-star EDGE Damon Wilson was real. Despite not visiting Texas, Wilson included the Longhorns in his Top 5 and talked up plans of visiting Austin. Everyone I spoke with acknowledged that Texas seemed real at the time but couldn’t figure out where they stood. In the end, Wilson never visited so there wasn’t much to see there.

— Tyler Legacy defensive lineman Jordan Renaud was a polarizing figure for the Texas staff. Some I talked to loved his frame and upside but they didn’t always see it on tape. The recruitment with Renaud ran hot and cold, but he told me in the spring Texas would be among his finalists if they showed him he was more of a priority. I don’t think there were enough people in Austin willing to go all in on him and they never really pushed. Even if they did, Alabama was always the favorite for him.

— Throughout the spring, it seemed like a foregone conclusion the Longhorns would land Braylan Shelby. During the fall of his junior season, Texas was the offer that Shelby wanted most. It came in January and Pete Kwiatkowski zeroed in on him. USC and Tennessee were also heavily in the mix as the Vols were one of the earliest to offer and something about Los Angeles always intrigued him. When we saw Shelby in the spring, he admitted that Texas in the lead and would be tough to overcome. USC was able to host Shelby first on an official visit and they set an incredibly high bar. Texas also did well on the official visit, but USC had overtaken them by that point. Shelby went back and forth after his visits at times zeroing in on both schools. After committing, Shelby said multiple times he’d consider taking a visit to Texas during the fall but never made it. USC’s success on the field made it easy for them to retain him resulting in one of the biggest losses for Texas on the recruiting trail.

— When Texas offered Colton Vasek in January of last year, everyone thought it was a foregone conclusion they’d land him. When we spoke to Vasek following that offer, he wasn’t as excited about Texas as we expected him to be. The offer was considered relatively late given the junior year Vasek had and the fact he played just minutes from campus. Despite that, everyone involved felt Texas would win out. Going into the spring, it was clear that Texas was behind and Colton always seemed annoyed that it took so long for Texas to engage with him.

Even after offering, it was mentioned to me that Vasek still didn’t feel Texas was pursuing him as if they really wanted him. That changed during the spring evaluation period when Pete Kwiatkowski had a sit-down conversation with Vasek talking about how they could use him and how he could be developed for the NFL.

Texas earned some points after that getting a better seat at the table, but skepticism remained. Someone close to Vasek told Horns247 that he was concerned he’d be asked to drop into coverage more and not be able to pin his ears back and rush the passer. The staff went about assuring him he was seen as a dynamic pass-rusher as they went into the summer.

From the beginning, Oklahoma seemed to be a threat because of the presence of Brent Venables. The Vasek’s had a lot of respect for the OU head coach, and we were told that had Venables still been at Clemson, he would have likely been committed there already.


Colton Vasek and Connor Robertson (Photo: Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports)
 

Still, following his official visit to Austin, it seemed that Texas had made up a ton of ground and was running at the top of the group along with Oregon who Vasek had an infatuation. With a battle expected to take place between staying home or heading to the Pacific Northwest, Vasek took an abrupt left turn and decided to find a compromise. After Oklahoma was seemingly out of it, a late unofficial visit to Norman flipped the recruitment on its ear.

It was then we got swift word out of Norman that Vasek would make his decision and pick the Sooners. After waiting a few days, there were even some last minute second thoughts on Vasek’s end. He went ahead with the pick and seemed to be locked in for the time.

I was speaking on the phone with a source following the Alabama game when that source said casually, “By the way, Vasek was here this weekend as well.” I couldn’t believe it and went through my Rolodex connecting with multiple people. While Vasek downplayed the trip as just going with some friends, I confirmed that Vasek was not using his parents’ season tickets and was there as a guest of Texas football. From there, we started to monitor his situation more closely.

The week of the Oklahoma game, Vasek told media outlets he planned to attend the game and root against Texas for the first time. I’ve always said that the biggest breaking point in a recruitment of legacies is when they have the chance to play for the team they grew up watching, they can either take that road or the one less traveled. Sometimes, that decision isn’t as big of a factor as it is with others. I’m not sure if that was the make-or-break decision for Vasek, but it didn’t hurt that Oklahoma was embarrassed as Texas rolled to a 49-0 shutout.

On that second Saturday in October, Vasek’s social media activity drew some eyes as he was very pro-Texas in many ways. When Vasek decided to make an unofficial visit for the Iowa State game, business really picked up. We were told at the time that Arch Manning was all over Vasek as Texas commits stayed in his ear about joining them in the 2023 class. It started to feel like an inevitability at that point.

The biggest tipping point for us came during the last week of October. We were told by a source outside the program that Vasek secretly visited campus for a Texas practice one morning. When we checked around, that news was confirmed but we were asked to sit on it. Vasek has proven to be unpredictable in his recruitment and there was a concern that reporting it might ruin things. At that time, we were told that the staff felt like the deal was almost done.

The week Vasek made the move we were told that Monday he was leaning toward flipping immediately. He carried that plan out making the move to commit to Texas and told me afterward how excited he was to play former teammates like Ethan Burke and Connor Robertson. It was a good lesson in how to rebound from a shaky start and win a prospect over.

— Texas was all over Derion Gullette from the time they offered him prior to his junior year. Jeff Choate recruited him as a priority from the beginning and valued his size and versatility. The staff did a great job connecting with Gullette and his family. Despite the fact they were originally from Alabama, the preference was for him to stay close to home. Several players on the team also connected well with Gullette including Jaylan Ford who reached out to him several times during the spring when Gullette was on campus for track meets. One of the funniest stories of his recruitment was when we saw him run at Texas Relays. After competing in several events, Gullette was giving an interview to several media members in attendance. In the middle of an answer he stopped and started throwing up. We found him a trainer and got him some water as it was a brutally hot day and he was obviously feeling the heat. Gullette sat on the ground recovering and apologizing for stopping the interview. Obviously we understood and offered to talk to him later but he finished his water and then he got up and resumed the interview. One factor in the recruitment was the bond Gullette shared with S’Maje Burrell who he met on early recruiting visits. Once Burrell was in the class, Gullette was starting to get a big dose of Texas in his ear. Johntay Cook was another connection he had when the two played youth basketball together at a younger age. Ohio State was always a school of interest for him, but the feeling was they were too far away. It came down to Texas and Texas A&M, but Texas was way out in front. When I went to see Gullette the day before his announcement, he made it pretty clear it would be Texas. To our knowledge, Gullette never wavered. In fact, Texas A&M worked really hard to get a late in home visit but Gullette repeatedly shut it down. We were told the A&M staff came to Marlin to try and get in regardless, but Gullette said he was firm with his decision.


Billy Walton (Photo: Mike Roach, 247Sports)
 

— When Billy Walton was originally offered, there was a question as to how much Texas was pushing. Thanks to Chris Gilbert, the Longhorns decided to make him a priority believing in his versatility and athleticism. They hosted Walton in the spring and came away with assurances he’d be making a commitment. The South Oak Cliff coaching staff wanted their guys to make decisions in the spring so they could go through spring ball with some clarity. When Walton left Austin, everyone expected him to be a Longhorn. Walton then went on an official visit to Oklahoma State and everything quickly flipped. The Cowboys won him over initially by pitching their history of developing players like him and the failure of Texas to develop over the last decade. Texas doubled back and worked to get Walton in on an official visit. From that point, it was all Texas. There were times during the season where I saw Walton wearing Oklahoma State gear under his uniform, but he assured me he just liked the way the shirt fit.


— Before Steve Sarkisian arrived in Austin, the Longhorns weren’t anywhere close to the top group for Anthony Hill. Tom Herman’s staff offered him later than most big programs and the dysfunction on the field didn’t help matters. Sarkisian’s staff did a good job making up ground with Hill and getting near the top, but Texas A&M had such a big lead in the recruitment. We were told that the official visit to Austin went a long way with Hill as he had a great heart-to-heart with Sark and Jeff Choate. Sources in Austin felt that they had drawn even with the Aggies and were gearing up for a big battle going into the fall. After visiting College Station, Hill decided to shut it down. It wasn’t surprising given what we knew about his love for the Aggies but the timing was surprising. A source in Austin assured me that it would likely come down to how both teams performed in the fall. As Texas A&M floundered, Texas showed improvement. The defense was better with stellar play from the linebacker position. The Texas staff never gave in on Hill and showed up to a Denton Ryan game in the middle of the year. Hill decided suddenly to decommit and immediately scheduled an unofficial visit to Texas for the TCU game. We were told by several people they expected Hill to make the move that weekend, and I think it might have happened had Texas won. Hill decided to wait it out a bit and announced he’d take it to Signing Day. In reality, he decided he wanted to make the call before then and did it on the final in-home visit with Steve Sarkisian. Hill said the only person he told prior to the visit was Chris Gilbert who did a tremendous job recruiting the family through it all.

— Tausili Akana came to campus as a sophomore and I was alerted by one of our other reporters. That reporter gave me the number for Akana’s father and I called him to see about getting an interview. At the time of the call, Akana was at TCU for a visit and staying near Fort Worth. Through talking on the phone, I found out they were staying less than ten minutes from my house. His dad invited me over to meet with them in person and I soon found myself at the house of five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola. It turns out that Akana’s parents were friends with the Raiolas as both were from Hawaii. At the time, Raiola wasn’t a known prospect though I’d seen him at a school 7v7 event and was really impressed. After spending the evening with both families, I filed Akana’s name away but thought it would be a long shot for Texas to get him. The relationship continued and Akana’s father grew close with Jake Langi who was on staff at the time. I went to Salt Lake City in the fall of 2021 to see Devin Brown play in the state finals and talked to the Akanas while I was in town. It was then I got the feeling Texas would at least get an official visit. Things stepped up a notch when Akana’s sister transferred to Austin to play on the Texas volleyball team and the Longhorns seemed to emerge during the summer as a realistic option. Akana visited in the summer and returned for an official trip during the Alabama game. The Longhorns showed him everything he wanted to see on that trip but he wanted to take all of his visits. Utah and Oklahoma seemed like the biggest competition. There was a lot of uncertainty with Akana throughout the fall, but things heated up again during the in-home visits. Several folks I spoke with struggled to get a read on Akana and one source I knew just didn’t feel he would ultimately end up at Texas. There was a point where Crystal Balls came in heavy for Oklahoma but sources near Akana and in Austin told me that the race was really just beginning. I still thought Oklahoma would be the pick until about 24 hours before his announcement. When the family got together, they decided that Austin was the place with Tausili’s sister already there and thriving. Akana’s father told me that the job Pete Kwiatkowski and Jeff Choate did was unmatched. Akana told me that at first he didn’t want to go to school with his sister but he grew more comfortable with the thought over time.

— Texas was on S’Maje Burrell early and showed him he was a priority. Burrell’s head coach at the time was previously a longtime assistant of Chris Gilbert, so the Longhorns had a great advantage in the race. Burrell decided he wanted to commit early but told the staff at the time that he planned to still take his visits and have some fun. Burrell did just that taking several official and unofficial visits but he was pretty locked in throughout the summer. Baylor made a big push down the stretch and we do think there was some uncertainty there as the Longhorns continued to add linebackers to the group. In the end, the staff was able to get through to Burrell that he was priority on an in-home visit and he ended things with no real drama. Burrell was a big driving force behind the scenes helping to recruit several guys to Austin.


(Photo: Texas Football)
 

— Liona Lefau was one of the visitors who made his way to Austin during that 2021 Elite Camp. While he was there, I was told that Lefau spent the day sizing up the competition, especially Anthony Hill. Lefau is a very confident kid and he saw Hill as an elite linebacker. From that point in time, Lefau knew he wanted to compete with guys like that seeing himself in the same light and Texas became a real possibility. No coach logged more air miles than Jeff Choate who took every opportunity to fly to Hawaii when possible. When coaches hit the road to nail things down with the senior prospects in 2022, Choate’s first trip was to Hawaii to see Lefau. Still, it felt like a big task getting a kid from Hawaii to Austin, Texas. One thing that helped was a bigger availability of direct flights from Austin to Hawaii and the fact that the staff pursued Lefau as if he were a five-star prospect. After getting him on campus in June for an official visit, Texas took the lead and Lefau was growing tired of the recruiting process. Shortly after Arch Manning committed, a source told us that Texas would land Lefau shortly after. Though Oregon and Utah were big players, Lefau wanted to challenge himself in the SEC and play with the elite. The tip helped us scoop the entire market and be all over the commitment. Hudson and I drove home from College Station after the Texas State 7v7 Tournament on the phone with Lefau getting quotes. We pulled over at a gas station to transcribe them and send them to Blair Angulo who was working with us. Even after committing, Oregon and Utah didn’t let up and there were some moments wheer it felt like he might take a look around. Texas was able to get Lefau back on campus for an unofficial visit on a an off-week when he could have visited one of the other campuses. Tennessee also came in strong backed by a huge collective. Lefau’s desire to compete with Anthony Hill was so strong that Lefau was one of the biggest voices recruiting him when he decommitted. Lefau showed up in Austin ready to work and I was told during the first week freshmen were on campus that he was rallying other guys to get to workouts. I think he’s going to be a really big addition to this roster.

— Texas was early to offer Malik Muhammad, but they fell behind quickly. A big reason for that was Muhammad’s primary recruiter was Jeff Banks. While Muhammad and Banks got along well, he wanted to get a better relationship with his future position coach. Muhammad also started to look favorably toward Texas A&M, in part because of the defensive line group they assembled in 2022. Muhammad spoke early and often about the desire to play behind an elite defensive line because of what it does for the secondary. There was a ton of buzz that Muhammad was close to committing to A&M in the spring, but he decided to stretch things out. A spring visit to Austin turned the tide for Texas. Muhammad was able to get to know the staff on a more personal level and came away with the Longhorns among the leaders for him. Texas moved into the summer with the momentum and were able to get Muhammad following an official visit and a surge of Texas momentum through the end of June. Texas A&M continued to push but it was Alabama that made the strongest case. There were some people close to Muhammad that were pushing Alabama and concerned about the defensive system at Texas. Though he talked often of making a late trip to Alabama, Muhammad never went through with it.

— Texas seemed to be in the right spot for Bravion Rogers in the spring. Coming out of Texas relays, the Longhorns were among a tight group of schools at the top for him. Oregon was mentioned as a school that could come out of nowhere, but it was Texas A&M who offered and quickly won Rogers in a matter of weeks. The recruitment was reminiscent of 2022 when Texas A&M did that often, but it would prove to be one of the last times in 2023 they weer able to do so. Rogers then decommitted, but the relationship with Texas had soured. Rogers did consider a visit to Texas for the TCU game after he recommitted to A&M but that trip never came together.


Jordan Matthews (Photo: Mike Roach, 247Sports)
 

— The Longhorns were also early on Jayvon Thomas and hosted him several times, but A&M pulled ahead in the spring and quickly won him over. Thomas was supposed to visit Texas one last time before committing, but he decided to make the call anyway. Thomas stayed in contact with Texas while being committed but the two never came together for a trip. There was some contact late in the cycle when Thomas started taking other official visits, but they couldn’t work out a time for a trip with South Oak Cliff’s state title run.


— The recruitment of Jordan Matthews didn’t play out like anyone thought it would. Texas raced out to a heavy lead by recruiting Matthews as a priority and benefitting from LSU not recruiting him. When I went to Baton Rouge in the spring for the Lousiana state track meet, Matthews talked openly about his commitment plans and how comfortable he felt with Texas. Tennessee was always the other school in the picture, but nobody near him was taking them seriously. In fact, Matthews told me at the time that he would take all of his official visits during the summer and save one for the school he committed to in the fall. When I asked him if he scheduled one to Austin yet, he said he was saving it for the fall. As the decision drew near, nobody seemed to think it would go any other way, but the night before I got a call from a source who told me something didn’t feel right. The Matthews family told the Texas staff they were in several times before making the announcement, according to several sources I spoke with, but the original source told me it still didn’t feel right. Matthews caught a lot of people off-guard the next day when he picked Tennessee and that was that. Even though sources in Austin felt uneasy, nobody felt they had lost in the moments leading up to the announcement.

— The Longhorns flirted with Micah Bell, Tay’Shawn Wilson and Jasiah Wagoner, but none of them fit the physical profile Texas wanted in a defensive back. Rodrick Pleasant also fell into that category despite being one of the fastest players in the country.


— The Longhorns started off on the wrong foot with Peyton Bowen. Let’s go back to that oft-referenced Elite Camp in 2021. Bowen attended but he left quickly after arriving and I got the sense Texas had fallen out of contention. Through talking to several people, I was told they didn’t have the best visit experience and didn’t feel like enough of a priority. Through the next year and into the spring, any time I’d check in with Bowen he would tell me things hadn’t changed with Texas. I wrote Bowen off until the late fall. After a visit almost came together for the TCU game I connected with Bowen several times who told me that Texas was coming on strong and he was noticing what they were putting together in their class. He was working to set up a visit, but a deep playoff run took a lot of his weekends off the board. Though Bowen admitted it would be hard for Texas to overcome the long time contenders, he said he wanted to go see Austin again with an open mind. It never came together and Bowen made news on signing day for all of the wrong reasons. I talked to him after he signed because I wanted to get to the bottom of what happened at that Elite Camp visit. According to Bowen, he was told the visit was just a regular trip and he felt they sprung the camp on him without telling him. He felt he’d camped enough and earned his offers by that point. It soured him from the beginning and Texas never recovered.


Derek Williams (Photo: Andrew Ivins, 247Sports)
 

— While sources in Louisiana wouldn’t admit it, Texas was a front-runner for Derek Williams from the beginning. Everyone naturally felt he’d end up at LSU or Alabama like most Louisiana prospects, but Texas went all out to win this recruitment. During the summer, Williams came down on an unofficial visit when the Longhorns brought in a large group of prospects from his high school for a camp, and I was told then that things were moving in a very positive direction. After he committed, several schools continued to pour the pressure on. In the fall, Williams told several people he wouldn’t sign in December and would instead take his official visits in January. There were some really aggressive NIL pitches at him. Texas seemed to lock down his signature, but going into the 24 hours leading up to signing day, his camp was telling people that he wouldn’t be signing after all. The next morning, Williams was one of the first signatures to come across ending any drama before it really started. Williams said that Miami made a really strong push and almost got him to hold off of signing.

— Jamel Johnson committed early and while he talked about taking other visits, he seemed pretty firm. The evaluation process is always ongoing and Texas took Johnson before his junior year was over. Johnson’s senior year was plagued with playing out of position and I think the staff looked at going another direction. Johnson was also looking around so it made it easy for both sides to part ways.


(Photo: Andrew Ivins, 247Sports)
 

— I’d imagine the recruitment of Javien Toviano was as frustrating for those in Austin as any other prospect on the board. Toviano was so mysterious throughout his recruitment and incredibly hard to reach via the phone, but in person, he’s an incredibly nice and respectful kid. Texas was one of the first schools to offer and there were several times throughout the recruitment where Toviano told me Texas was out in front, but he wanted to really take advantage of a long recruitment. Coming out of his visit to Austin last spring, Texas had re-established ground as a leader and they seemed to be trending positively in the summer. Still, Toviano canceling several visits was concerning for some, but those close to him maintained that Texas was a strong contender. LSU started to get into the game, but Toviano was telling people that he was trying to keep his commitment a mystery. As we moved into the fall, all of those illusions fell apart. While Texas attempted to get him on campus many times, he never made it back. After signing with LSU, Toviano told me that part of his decision was that everyone expected him to go to Texas and he wanted to create his own path. While I told him that he gave me some headaches covering him, Javien was one of my favorites in the cycle.

— I’m not sure there’s much to say about Dalton Brooks. Sources near him told Horns247 it would likely come down to Texas and Texas A&M. The Aggies opened up a big lead and Brooks never seemed to click with Texas. With small-town prospects, we always hear funny anecdotes from trips and one thing that I remember is hearing how Brooks liked that Jimbo Fisher had a button on his desk that could automatically close his door. I doubt it was definitely something funny that stood out to me. Texas A&M ran the show in this recruitment from the very beginning.


Jelani McDonald (Photo: Blair Angulo, 247Sports)
 

— Jelani McDonald came out of nowhere as a prospect, and all credit goes to Oklahoma State for identifying him early and landing him. I went to see Waco Connally during the season and talked to McDonald after the game to see if Texas had been in contact at all. He said at that time he hadn’t heard anything from them, but the Longhorns came through with an offer less than two weeks later. The Longhorns seemed to have all of the momentum from that point and hosted him on an unofficial visit with plans for him to return for an official. McDonald came back on an unofficial for the TCU game but those logistical issues popped up causing him to have an unpleasant trip. While he told the staff he understood how mistakes can happen, it slowed the momentum Texas had with him. It also didn’t help that TCU was making a push and had just beat Texas in front of him. As we came into December, TCU seemed to have the edge but the Horned Frogs took a lot of defensive back prospects and told some folks they were full at the position. That allowed Texas to host McDonald on the last week and win him over. McDonald made it easy on us admitting quickly after signing that he would be a Longhorn.

— Texas went back and forth on Mikal Harrison-Pilot for most of his recruitment, but they appeared to focus in on him during the summer. I believe there was a push to get MHP to make a decision, but his desire to carry the recruitment out caused Texas to move on when they thought they were getting some other players at the wide receiver position. Harrison-Pilot mentioned as much after signing, but he said he’s glad he waited because he felt that Brennan Marion wasn’t always straight up with him.


Tyler White (Photo: 247Sports)
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— The Longhorns were actually a one-time favorite to land Tyler White who is the highest-ranked punter in 247Sports history, but Texas A&M won out. There isn’t a lot of drama that goes along with recruiting specialists and it usually comes down to whoever feels like the best fit. White’s family told me that Texas did everything right but they felt that A&M was simply the better opportunity. White has a twin brother who also kicks and will play both baseball and football at Tyler Junior College this year. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Texas monitor him and maybe come calling after a year or so.

 

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So Roach worked really hard to gloss over the “strange” sudden commitments to targets to A&M and how some recruits families all of the sudden soured on the Texas staff… I guess I can’t blame him, but at some point it is so blatant that it would might be worthwhile to imply when random $$ collectives first got involved.

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3 hours ago, Handcruser said:


Full disclosure - I’d read the part about chicken fried steak.

And if you’re not going to plowmans kitchen in Taylor for chicken fried steak you’re doing it wrong.

Good to hear!  Mark Plowman was a boss of mine when i used to bartend at Chuy's.  Nicest guy on the planet and has amazing stories.  Been trying to get out there but havent been able to. 

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1 hour ago, Teryor said:

Roach p2

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— I’ve said several times throughout the cycle that I never saw a recruitment turn cold like the one of David Hicks. When Hicks was a young prospect coming up, we were told by several people close to him that Texas would be tough to beat. In fact, we were told early on that it would be hard for Texas not to win outright. Add in the fact that Hicks and his family were close with Bo Davis and we thought it would be a bit of a slam dunk. Hicks made his first visit to Austin in the summer of 2021 coming out of the COVID dead period where every school was adjusting to being open again. It was the first time this Texas staff hosted players and to say there were some hiccups would be an understatement. Remember at that time, Moncrief-Neuhaus was still under construction and the staff was running their operation out of a makeshift space in the north end zone. Combine that with the rush of hosting a bunch of kids at once and it didn’t seem like it was a good recipe. From there, things never seemed to get better. While Texas fell in his eyes, Texas A&M and Oklahoma rose. Texas tried to turn the tide, but they never could. It also didn’t help that Texas had a poor year on the field in 2022. By then, they were well behind in the race and unlikely to catch up. I spoke with Hicks after the season who told me he just never really clicked with Steve Sarkisian. Hicks didn’t go into detail about why, but he did mention the two had a disagreement at one point in time.

— The recruitment of Markis Deal was odd from the beginning. It goes back to when Deal was first offered and visited Austin for the elite camp. This was back in 2021 when visits first opened and we’ve detailed in the past that several kids didn’t feel like a priority due to the sheer number of prospects on campus. Texas actually cicrcled back with Deal and got into the game with a renewed push. Bo Davis seemed all in on Deal though many felt his best upside was on the offensive side of the ball. Though Davis indicated to Deal he was a priority, the feedback I heard from different sources on him was always mixed. In the end, I do feel Texas made a credible push for Deal and there was a point where they seemed to be sitting at the top of the group for him. TCU just did a better job with the recruitment front to back.


Sydir Mitchell (Photo: Andrew Ivins, 247Sports)
 

— Four-star defensive lineman Hunter Osborne was probably always destined to end up at Alabama, but Texas would have been more dangerous had they offered sooner. The staff was incredibly familiar with Osborne considering he played alongside Justice Finkley at Hewitt-Trussville, but for whatever reason, they seemed hesitant to pull the trigger on an offer. Once they did, the Longhorns ended up in his top group and he came to Austin on a visit. They did a good job on the trip and I was told that Osborne’s family was sold on Texas thanks to a big assist from the Finkley family. While Osborne loved the visit, it was never enough to overcome the head start others had in the visit. Once Alabama made it clear that Osborne was a priority and pushed for him, it was over.

— I didn’t quite buy into Sydir Mitchell being a real possibility for Texas until it was clear how real they were. It just didn’t seem to fit and Mitchell was considering A&M and Georgia. After his trip to Austin the noise became too much to ignore. Bo Davis really did a bang up job connecting with Mitchell and showing him the vision for his future in Austin. I was also told that the attention Mitchell got from guys like Arch Manning and Johntay Cook really helped to solidify things. Georgia and Texas A&M both made pushes throughout the fall, but getting Mitchell back to campus in December locked it up for Texas.

— Johnny Bowens and Ashton Porter were two in-state guys the staff never seemed all in on. Bowens committed to Texas A&M so early and never really showed Texas a lot of love. When his commitment opened again, Texas never seemed to re-engage. Despite him having Texas amongst his finalists, I was told the Longhorns hadn’t communicated with him in some time leading up to that. Porter is a different story. Early on he seemed like a heavy favorite to end up in the class and was acting like a commit every time he came to campus. There was a point where the staff pushed for a decision and Porter wasn’t ready to give it. They seemed to go their separate ways after that. One thing that came up was a difference in philosophy of where they saw Porter versus where he saw himself. The Longhorns saw him as an interior defensive line prospect while Porter saw himself as an edge rusher. Terrance Green was another prospect who never seemed to lock in with Texas. From the beginning we were told that Oregon would be an attractive destination for Green and he ended up there. Avion Carter was close to committing to Texas during his junior year per some reports but I think the Longhorns moved on there after further evaluation.

— Dylan Spencer was the biggest surprise commitment of the class. He literally came out of nowhere thanks to some stealthy work from Bo Davis and all was well following his initial commitment. When we saw Spencer in the spring, he was glad to be done with the process and seemed locked into Texas. Fast forward to the fall and Spencer made a couple of under the radar visits to other schools. Houston was a program that was around him quite a bit, but there wasn’t much worry. The night of the TCU game there were some logistical issues with the visit that caused problems with a few prospects. Following the Elite Camp in 2021, the recruiting staff seemed to have the issues worked out when it came to hosting big groups, but some of those problems reared their head on one of the biggest visit weekends of the season. Following the trip, Spencer started to tell everyone he didn’t feel like a priority and was going to decommit. We reported at that point that Spencer was close to decommitting but the staff seemed to calm things down. Everything looked good until Spencer started making secret visits again. Sark never had a huge problem with guys going elsewhere as long as those plans were communicated to the staff. There did come a time where he wanted guys to be locked in and not taking trips. After Spencer went to Houston, the staff decided to separate from him. We expected him to stay home and play for the Cougs but Texas Tech did a great job recruiting him and got him to close the deal after an official visit.


Samu Taumanupepe (Photo: Brian Perroni, 247Sports)
 

— Early in the cycle, Samu Taumanupepe was a prospect Bo Davis was recruiting hard. The massive nose tackle visited campus a few times and Texas seemed to be in a good position. It seemed like they wanted to close him quickly but Taumanupepe wanted to see some other schools. When Texas gained traction with Sydir Mitchell, they moved on in that direction.

— There was a small window when it seemed like the possibility of Texas getting into the race for five-star EDGE Damon Wilson was real. Despite not visiting Texas, Wilson included the Longhorns in his Top 5 and talked up plans of visiting Austin. Everyone I spoke with acknowledged that Texas seemed real at the time but couldn’t figure out where they stood. In the end, Wilson never visited so there wasn’t much to see there.

— Tyler Legacy defensive lineman Jordan Renaud was a polarizing figure for the Texas staff. Some I talked to loved his frame and upside but they didn’t always see it on tape. The recruitment with Renaud ran hot and cold, but he told me in the spring Texas would be among his finalists if they showed him he was more of a priority. I don’t think there were enough people in Austin willing to go all in on him and they never really pushed. Even if they did, Alabama was always the favorite for him.

— Throughout the spring, it seemed like a foregone conclusion the Longhorns would land Braylan Shelby. During the fall of his junior season, Texas was the offer that Shelby wanted most. It came in January and Pete Kwiatkowski zeroed in on him. USC and Tennessee were also heavily in the mix as the Vols were one of the earliest to offer and something about Los Angeles always intrigued him. When we saw Shelby in the spring, he admitted that Texas in the lead and would be tough to overcome. USC was able to host Shelby first on an official visit and they set an incredibly high bar. Texas also did well on the official visit, but USC had overtaken them by that point. Shelby went back and forth after his visits at times zeroing in on both schools. After committing, Shelby said multiple times he’d consider taking a visit to Texas during the fall but never made it. USC’s success on the field made it easy for them to retain him resulting in one of the biggest losses for Texas on the recruiting trail.

— When Texas offered Colton Vasek in January of last year, everyone thought it was a foregone conclusion they’d land him. When we spoke to Vasek following that offer, he wasn’t as excited about Texas as we expected him to be. The offer was considered relatively late given the junior year Vasek had and the fact he played just minutes from campus. Despite that, everyone involved felt Texas would win out. Going into the spring, it was clear that Texas was behind and Colton always seemed annoyed that it took so long for Texas to engage with him.

Even after offering, it was mentioned to me that Vasek still didn’t feel Texas was pursuing him as if they really wanted him. That changed during the spring evaluation period when Pete Kwiatkowski had a sit-down conversation with Vasek talking about how they could use him and how he could be developed for the NFL.

Texas earned some points after that getting a better seat at the table, but skepticism remained. Someone close to Vasek told Horns247 that he was concerned he’d be asked to drop into coverage more and not be able to pin his ears back and rush the passer. The staff went about assuring him he was seen as a dynamic pass-rusher as they went into the summer.

From the beginning, Oklahoma seemed to be a threat because of the presence of Brent Venables. The Vasek’s had a lot of respect for the OU head coach, and we were told that had Venables still been at Clemson, he would have likely been committed there already.


Colton Vasek and Connor Robertson (Photo: Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports)
 

Still, following his official visit to Austin, it seemed that Texas had made up a ton of ground and was running at the top of the group along with Oregon who Vasek had an infatuation. With a battle expected to take place between staying home or heading to the Pacific Northwest, Vasek took an abrupt left turn and decided to find a compromise. After Oklahoma was seemingly out of it, a late unofficial visit to Norman flipped the recruitment on its ear.

It was then we got swift word out of Norman that Vasek would make his decision and pick the Sooners. After waiting a few days, there were even some last minute second thoughts on Vasek’s end. He went ahead with the pick and seemed to be locked in for the time.

I was speaking on the phone with a source following the Alabama game when that source said casually, “By the way, Vasek was here this weekend as well.” I couldn’t believe it and went through my Rolodex connecting with multiple people. While Vasek downplayed the trip as just going with some friends, I confirmed that Vasek was not using his parents’ season tickets and was there as a guest of Texas football. From there, we started to monitor his situation more closely.

The week of the Oklahoma game, Vasek told media outlets he planned to attend the game and root against Texas for the first time. I’ve always said that the biggest breaking point in a recruitment of legacies is when they have the chance to play for the team they grew up watching, they can either take that road or the one less traveled. Sometimes, that decision isn’t as big of a factor as it is with others. I’m not sure if that was the make-or-break decision for Vasek, but it didn’t hurt that Oklahoma was embarrassed as Texas rolled to a 49-0 shutout.

On that second Saturday in October, Vasek’s social media activity drew some eyes as he was very pro-Texas in many ways. When Vasek decided to make an unofficial visit for the Iowa State game, business really picked up. We were told at the time that Arch Manning was all over Vasek as Texas commits stayed in his ear about joining them in the 2023 class. It started to feel like an inevitability at that point.

The biggest tipping point for us came during the last week of October. We were told by a source outside the program that Vasek secretly visited campus for a Texas practice one morning. When we checked around, that news was confirmed but we were asked to sit on it. Vasek has proven to be unpredictable in his recruitment and there was a concern that reporting it might ruin things. At that time, we were told that the staff felt like the deal was almost done.

The week Vasek made the move we were told that Monday he was leaning toward flipping immediately. He carried that plan out making the move to commit to Texas and told me afterward how excited he was to play former teammates like Ethan Burke and Connor Robertson. It was a good lesson in how to rebound from a shaky start and win a prospect over.

— Texas was all over Derion Gullette from the time they offered him prior to his junior year. Jeff Choate recruited him as a priority from the beginning and valued his size and versatility. The staff did a great job connecting with Gullette and his family. Despite the fact they were originally from Alabama, the preference was for him to stay close to home. Several players on the team also connected well with Gullette including Jaylan Ford who reached out to him several times during the spring when Gullette was on campus for track meets. One of the funniest stories of his recruitment was when we saw him run at Texas Relays. After competing in several events, Gullette was giving an interview to several media members in attendance. In the middle of an answer he stopped and started throwing up. We found him a trainer and got him some water as it was a brutally hot day and he was obviously feeling the heat. Gullette sat on the ground recovering and apologizing for stopping the interview. Obviously we understood and offered to talk to him later but he finished his water and then he got up and resumed the interview. One factor in the recruitment was the bond Gullette shared with S’Maje Burrell who he met on early recruiting visits. Once Burrell was in the class, Gullette was starting to get a big dose of Texas in his ear. Johntay Cook was another connection he had when the two played youth basketball together at a younger age. Ohio State was always a school of interest for him, but the feeling was they were too far away. It came down to Texas and Texas A&M, but Texas was way out in front. When I went to see Gullette the day before his announcement, he made it pretty clear it would be Texas. To our knowledge, Gullette never wavered. In fact, Texas A&M worked really hard to get a late in home visit but Gullette repeatedly shut it down. We were told the A&M staff came to Marlin to try and get in regardless, but Gullette said he was firm with his decision.


Billy Walton (Photo: Mike Roach, 247Sports)
 

— When Billy Walton was originally offered, there was a question as to how much Texas was pushing. Thanks to Chris Gilbert, the Longhorns decided to make him a priority believing in his versatility and athleticism. They hosted Walton in the spring and came away with assurances he’d be making a commitment. The South Oak Cliff coaching staff wanted their guys to make decisions in the spring so they could go through spring ball with some clarity. When Walton left Austin, everyone expected him to be a Longhorn. Walton then went on an official visit to Oklahoma State and everything quickly flipped. The Cowboys won him over initially by pitching their history of developing players like him and the failure of Texas to develop over the last decade. Texas doubled back and worked to get Walton in on an official visit. From that point, it was all Texas. There were times during the season where I saw Walton wearing Oklahoma State gear under his uniform, but he assured me he just liked the way the shirt fit.


— Before Steve Sarkisian arrived in Austin, the Longhorns weren’t anywhere close to the top group for Anthony Hill. Tom Herman’s staff offered him later than most big programs and the dysfunction on the field didn’t help matters. Sarkisian’s staff did a good job making up ground with Hill and getting near the top, but Texas A&M had such a big lead in the recruitment. We were told that the official visit to Austin went a long way with Hill as he had a great heart-to-heart with Sark and Jeff Choate. Sources in Austin felt that they had drawn even with the Aggies and were gearing up for a big battle going into the fall. After visiting College Station, Hill decided to shut it down. It wasn’t surprising given what we knew about his love for the Aggies but the timing was surprising. A source in Austin assured me that it would likely come down to how both teams performed in the fall. As Texas A&M floundered, Texas showed improvement. The defense was better with stellar play from the linebacker position. The Texas staff never gave in on Hill and showed up to a Denton Ryan game in the middle of the year. Hill decided suddenly to decommit and immediately scheduled an unofficial visit to Texas for the TCU game. We were told by several people they expected Hill to make the move that weekend, and I think it might have happened had Texas won. Hill decided to wait it out a bit and announced he’d take it to Signing Day. In reality, he decided he wanted to make the call before then and did it on the final in-home visit with Steve Sarkisian. Hill said the only person he told prior to the visit was Chris Gilbert who did a tremendous job recruiting the family through it all.

— Tausili Akana came to campus as a sophomore and I was alerted by one of our other reporters. That reporter gave me the number for Akana’s father and I called him to see about getting an interview. At the time of the call, Akana was at TCU for a visit and staying near Fort Worth. Through talking on the phone, I found out they were staying less than ten minutes from my house. His dad invited me over to meet with them in person and I soon found myself at the house of five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola. It turns out that Akana’s parents were friends with the Raiolas as both were from Hawaii. At the time, Raiola wasn’t a known prospect though I’d seen him at a school 7v7 event and was really impressed. After spending the evening with both families, I filed Akana’s name away but thought it would be a long shot for Texas to get him. The relationship continued and Akana’s father grew close with Jake Langi who was on staff at the time. I went to Salt Lake City in the fall of 2021 to see Devin Brown play in the state finals and talked to the Akanas while I was in town. It was then I got the feeling Texas would at least get an official visit. Things stepped up a notch when Akana’s sister transferred to Austin to play on the Texas volleyball team and the Longhorns seemed to emerge during the summer as a realistic option. Akana visited in the summer and returned for an official trip during the Alabama game. The Longhorns showed him everything he wanted to see on that trip but he wanted to take all of his visits. Utah and Oklahoma seemed like the biggest competition. There was a lot of uncertainty with Akana throughout the fall, but things heated up again during the in-home visits. Several folks I spoke with struggled to get a read on Akana and one source I knew just didn’t feel he would ultimately end up at Texas. There was a point where Crystal Balls came in heavy for Oklahoma but sources near Akana and in Austin told me that the race was really just beginning. I still thought Oklahoma would be the pick until about 24 hours before his announcement. When the family got together, they decided that Austin was the place with Tausili’s sister already there and thriving. Akana’s father told me that the job Pete Kwiatkowski and Jeff Choate did was unmatched. Akana told me that at first he didn’t want to go to school with his sister but he grew more comfortable with the thought over time.

— Texas was on S’Maje Burrell early and showed him he was a priority. Burrell’s head coach at the time was previously a longtime assistant of Chris Gilbert, so the Longhorns had a great advantage in the race. Burrell decided he wanted to commit early but told the staff at the time that he planned to still take his visits and have some fun. Burrell did just that taking several official and unofficial visits but he was pretty locked in throughout the summer. Baylor made a big push down the stretch and we do think there was some uncertainty there as the Longhorns continued to add linebackers to the group. In the end, the staff was able to get through to Burrell that he was priority on an in-home visit and he ended things with no real drama. Burrell was a big driving force behind the scenes helping to recruit several guys to Austin.


(Photo: Texas Football)
 

— Liona Lefau was one of the visitors who made his way to Austin during that 2021 Elite Camp. While he was there, I was told that Lefau spent the day sizing up the competition, especially Anthony Hill. Lefau is a very confident kid and he saw Hill as an elite linebacker. From that point in time, Lefau knew he wanted to compete with guys like that seeing himself in the same light and Texas became a real possibility. No coach logged more air miles than Jeff Choate who took every opportunity to fly to Hawaii when possible. When coaches hit the road to nail things down with the senior prospects in 2022, Choate’s first trip was to Hawaii to see Lefau. Still, it felt like a big task getting a kid from Hawaii to Austin, Texas. One thing that helped was a bigger availability of direct flights from Austin to Hawaii and the fact that the staff pursued Lefau as if he were a five-star prospect. After getting him on campus in June for an official visit, Texas took the lead and Lefau was growing tired of the recruiting process. Shortly after Arch Manning committed, a source told us that Texas would land Lefau shortly after. Though Oregon and Utah were big players, Lefau wanted to challenge himself in the SEC and play with the elite. The tip helped us scoop the entire market and be all over the commitment. Hudson and I drove home from College Station after the Texas State 7v7 Tournament on the phone with Lefau getting quotes. We pulled over at a gas station to transcribe them and send them to Blair Angulo who was working with us. Even after committing, Oregon and Utah didn’t let up and there were some moments wheer it felt like he might take a look around. Texas was able to get Lefau back on campus for an unofficial visit on a an off-week when he could have visited one of the other campuses. Tennessee also came in strong backed by a huge collective. Lefau’s desire to compete with Anthony Hill was so strong that Lefau was one of the biggest voices recruiting him when he decommitted. Lefau showed up in Austin ready to work and I was told during the first week freshmen were on campus that he was rallying other guys to get to workouts. I think he’s going to be a really big addition to this roster.

— Texas was early to offer Malik Muhammad, but they fell behind quickly. A big reason for that was Muhammad’s primary recruiter was Jeff Banks. While Muhammad and Banks got along well, he wanted to get a better relationship with his future position coach. Muhammad also started to look favorably toward Texas A&M, in part because of the defensive line group they assembled in 2022. Muhammad spoke early and often about the desire to play behind an elite defensive line because of what it does for the secondary. There was a ton of buzz that Muhammad was close to committing to A&M in the spring, but he decided to stretch things out. A spring visit to Austin turned the tide for Texas. Muhammad was able to get to know the staff on a more personal level and came away with the Longhorns among the leaders for him. Texas moved into the summer with the momentum and were able to get Muhammad following an official visit and a surge of Texas momentum through the end of June. Texas A&M continued to push but it was Alabama that made the strongest case. There were some people close to Muhammad that were pushing Alabama and concerned about the defensive system at Texas. Though he talked often of making a late trip to Alabama, Muhammad never went through with it.

— Texas seemed to be in the right spot for Bravion Rogers in the spring. Coming out of Texas relays, the Longhorns were among a tight group of schools at the top for him. Oregon was mentioned as a school that could come out of nowhere, but it was Texas A&M who offered and quickly won Rogers in a matter of weeks. The recruitment was reminiscent of 2022 when Texas A&M did that often, but it would prove to be one of the last times in 2023 they weer able to do so. Rogers then decommitted, but the relationship with Texas had soured. Rogers did consider a visit to Texas for the TCU game after he recommitted to A&M but that trip never came together.


Jordan Matthews (Photo: Mike Roach, 247Sports)
 

— The Longhorns were also early on Jayvon Thomas and hosted him several times, but A&M pulled ahead in the spring and quickly won him over. Thomas was supposed to visit Texas one last time before committing, but he decided to make the call anyway. Thomas stayed in contact with Texas while being committed but the two never came together for a trip. There was some contact late in the cycle when Thomas started taking other official visits, but they couldn’t work out a time for a trip with South Oak Cliff’s state title run.


— The recruitment of Jordan Matthews didn’t play out like anyone thought it would. Texas raced out to a heavy lead by recruiting Matthews as a priority and benefitting from LSU not recruiting him. When I went to Baton Rouge in the spring for the Lousiana state track meet, Matthews talked openly about his commitment plans and how comfortable he felt with Texas. Tennessee was always the other school in the picture, but nobody near him was taking them seriously. In fact, Matthews told me at the time that he would take all of his official visits during the summer and save one for the school he committed to in the fall. When I asked him if he scheduled one to Austin yet, he said he was saving it for the fall. As the decision drew near, nobody seemed to think it would go any other way, but the night before I got a call from a source who told me something didn’t feel right. The Matthews family told the Texas staff they were in several times before making the announcement, according to several sources I spoke with, but the original source told me it still didn’t feel right. Matthews caught a lot of people off-guard the next day when he picked Tennessee and that was that. Even though sources in Austin felt uneasy, nobody felt they had lost in the moments leading up to the announcement.

— The Longhorns flirted with Micah Bell, Tay’Shawn Wilson and Jasiah Wagoner, but none of them fit the physical profile Texas wanted in a defensive back. Rodrick Pleasant also fell into that category despite being one of the fastest players in the country.


— The Longhorns started off on the wrong foot with Peyton Bowen. Let’s go back to that oft-referenced Elite Camp in 2021. Bowen attended but he left quickly after arriving and I got the sense Texas had fallen out of contention. Through talking to several people, I was told they didn’t have the best visit experience and didn’t feel like enough of a priority. Through the next year and into the spring, any time I’d check in with Bowen he would tell me things hadn’t changed with Texas. I wrote Bowen off until the late fall. After a visit almost came together for the TCU game I connected with Bowen several times who told me that Texas was coming on strong and he was noticing what they were putting together in their class. He was working to set up a visit, but a deep playoff run took a lot of his weekends off the board. Though Bowen admitted it would be hard for Texas to overcome the long time contenders, he said he wanted to go see Austin again with an open mind. It never came together and Bowen made news on signing day for all of the wrong reasons. I talked to him after he signed because I wanted to get to the bottom of what happened at that Elite Camp visit. According to Bowen, he was told the visit was just a regular trip and he felt they sprung the camp on him without telling him. He felt he’d camped enough and earned his offers by that point. It soured him from the beginning and Texas never recovered.


Derek Williams (Photo: Andrew Ivins, 247Sports)
 

— While sources in Louisiana wouldn’t admit it, Texas was a front-runner for Derek Williams from the beginning. Everyone naturally felt he’d end up at LSU or Alabama like most Louisiana prospects, but Texas went all out to win this recruitment. During the summer, Williams came down on an unofficial visit when the Longhorns brought in a large group of prospects from his high school for a camp, and I was told then that things were moving in a very positive direction. After he committed, several schools continued to pour the pressure on. In the fall, Williams told several people he wouldn’t sign in December and would instead take his official visits in January. There were some really aggressive NIL pitches at him. Texas seemed to lock down his signature, but going into the 24 hours leading up to signing day, his camp was telling people that he wouldn’t be signing after all. The next morning, Williams was one of the first signatures to come across ending any drama before it really started. Williams said that Miami made a really strong push and almost got him to hold off of signing.

— Jamel Johnson committed early and while he talked about taking other visits, he seemed pretty firm. The evaluation process is always ongoing and Texas took Johnson before his junior year was over. Johnson’s senior year was plagued with playing out of position and I think the staff looked at going another direction. Johnson was also looking around so it made it easy for both sides to part ways.


(Photo: Andrew Ivins, 247Sports)
 

— I’d imagine the recruitment of Javien Toviano was as frustrating for those in Austin as any other prospect on the board. Toviano was so mysterious throughout his recruitment and incredibly hard to reach via the phone, but in person, he’s an incredibly nice and respectful kid. Texas was one of the first schools to offer and there were several times throughout the recruitment where Toviano told me Texas was out in front, but he wanted to really take advantage of a long recruitment. Coming out of his visit to Austin last spring, Texas had re-established ground as a leader and they seemed to be trending positively in the summer. Still, Toviano canceling several visits was concerning for some, but those close to him maintained that Texas was a strong contender. LSU started to get into the game, but Toviano was telling people that he was trying to keep his commitment a mystery. As we moved into the fall, all of those illusions fell apart. While Texas attempted to get him on campus many times, he never made it back. After signing with LSU, Toviano told me that part of his decision was that everyone expected him to go to Texas and he wanted to create his own path. While I told him that he gave me some headaches covering him, Javien was one of my favorites in the cycle.

— I’m not sure there’s much to say about Dalton Brooks. Sources near him told Horns247 it would likely come down to Texas and Texas A&M. The Aggies opened up a big lead and Brooks never seemed to click with Texas. With small-town prospects, we always hear funny anecdotes from trips and one thing that I remember is hearing how Brooks liked that Jimbo Fisher had a button on his desk that could automatically close his door. I doubt it was definitely something funny that stood out to me. Texas A&M ran the show in this recruitment from the very beginning.


Jelani McDonald (Photo: Blair Angulo, 247Sports)
 

— Jelani McDonald came out of nowhere as a prospect, and all credit goes to Oklahoma State for identifying him early and landing him. I went to see Waco Connally during the season and talked to McDonald after the game to see if Texas had been in contact at all. He said at that time he hadn’t heard anything from them, but the Longhorns came through with an offer less than two weeks later. The Longhorns seemed to have all of the momentum from that point and hosted him on an unofficial visit with plans for him to return for an official. McDonald came back on an unofficial for the TCU game but those logistical issues popped up causing him to have an unpleasant trip. While he told the staff he understood how mistakes can happen, it slowed the momentum Texas had with him. It also didn’t help that TCU was making a push and had just beat Texas in front of him. As we came into December, TCU seemed to have the edge but the Horned Frogs took a lot of defensive back prospects and told some folks they were full at the position. That allowed Texas to host McDonald on the last week and win him over. McDonald made it easy on us admitting quickly after signing that he would be a Longhorn.

— Texas went back and forth on Mikal Harrison-Pilot for most of his recruitment, but they appeared to focus in on him during the summer. I believe there was a push to get MHP to make a decision, but his desire to carry the recruitment out caused Texas to move on when they thought they were getting some other players at the wide receiver position. Harrison-Pilot mentioned as much after signing, but he said he’s glad he waited because he felt that Brennan Marion wasn’t always straight up with him.


Tyler White (Photo: 247Sports)
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COMMENTS
 

— The Longhorns were actually a one-time favorite to land Tyler White who is the highest-ranked punter in 247Sports history, but Texas A&M won out. There isn’t a lot of drama that goes along with recruiting specialists and it usually comes down to whoever feels like the best fit. White’s family told me that Texas did everything right but they felt that A&M was simply the better opportunity. White has a twin brother who also kicks and will play both baseball and football at Tyler Junior College this year. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Texas monitor him and maybe come calling after a year or so.

 

Quote

I’m not sure there’s much to say about Dalton Brooks. Sources near him told Horns247 it would likely come down to Texas and Texas A&M. The Aggies opened up a big lead and Brooks never seemed to click with Texas. With small-town prospects, we always hear funny anecdotes from trips and one thing that I remember is hearing how Brooks liked that Jimbo Fisher had a button on his desk that could automatically close his door. I doubt it was definitely something funny that stood out to me. Texas A&M ran the show in this recruitment from the very beginning.

that's close to Matt Lauer having the button which locks the door from his desk.

yikes.

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20 hours ago, Getafix said:

 

The story started off with so much promise ... a cute Finnish girl and a cute Norwegian girl, on missions.  Oh, the pun possibilities alone are endless (finish?  missionary finish?  Norwegian wood?).  

Instead, we end up with references to two guys on a bicycle, paganism and atheism.

Sorta like the Chris Beard saga.

 

Made me think of this

chris farley what the fuck GIF

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7 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

Do you dare question the bounds of Roach’s cluelessness? 

I feel like going down the road of questioning Roach's cluelessness is like some kind of fucking puzzle trap where at the end a Cenobite pops out and drags my soul to a hell dimension. Hard pass. 

4 minutes ago, RGBIII said:

Looch would have banned me for that comment if I was on texags

If you were on Texags you'd have been banned years ago for having the audacity to point out that while Tom Herman is without a doubt a shitty coach and a terrible hire, at least he is handsome.

The only man allowed to be called Handsome on Texags is one William Liucci..and obviously Johnny Manziel. 

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28 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

The only man allowed to be called Handsome on Texags is one William Liucci..and obviously Johnny Manziel. 

So no one. You could’ve just said no one.

Spoiler
5 minutes ago, RGBIII said:

Speaking of Handsome Billy Liucci (as he is known around Texags HQ) which Looch look is your favorite

 

We have

Billy Liucci on Twitter: "@nocontextcfb 1/3 of the mission was completed  https://t.co/Q60SIWSmM3" / Twitter

Wearing a shirt to the pool while touching wet dudes Looch 

We have

TexasAgs Radio - Senior Aggie Leadership Council

Too many consecutive days at the Dixie Chicken Looch

We have

Stream Billy Liucci from TEXAGS.com, joins A to Z Sports on 12-17-15 by  thegamenashville.com | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

 

Old Glamour Shots that hangs on his moms wall Looch

We have

The Jboy Show - Ep 339 - Billy Liucci, Executive Editor & Co-Owner of  TexAgs.Com - YouTube

I'll just try cocaine once, it should be fine but then it turns into a problem Looch

We have

Ask Liucci, Part 1: Resurgence of the O-Line, outlook for the rest of 2020  & more | TexAgs

Just binge watched Yellowstone, went to Tecovas because Lucchese was too expensive Looch

We have

Billy Liucci joins TexAgs Radio to put a bow on Texas A&M's historic '22  class | TexAgs

Got off the cocaine finally and now I am a youth minister now doing TikTok dances to keep kids off drugs Looch

We have

Billy Liucci from Kempner High School - Classmates

Gets told twice a day by the high school nurse to shave his chin but he cant figure out how Looch

and finally we have...

Taylor Hamm & Billy Liucci make SWEET LOVE in 2019 + Football Recruiting  Thread | Page 105 | Texas A&M Sports

Need no additional explanation Looch

 

And for fuck’s sake, you SHOULD’VE just said no one. I know he called you Tom Herman, but this is just too fucking far man.

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11 minutes ago, RGBIII said:

Speaking of Handsome Billy Liucci (as he is known around Texags HQ) which Looch look is your favorite

 

We have

Billy Liucci on Twitter: "@nocontextcfb 1/3 of the mission was completed  https://t.co/Q60SIWSmM3" / Twitter

Wearing a shirt to the pool while touching wet dudes Looch 

We have

TexasAgs Radio - Senior Aggie Leadership Council

Too many consecutive days at the Dixie Chicken Looch

We have

Stream Billy Liucci from TEXAGS.com, joins A to Z Sports on 12-17-15 by  thegamenashville.com | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

 

Old Glamour Shots that hangs on his moms wall Looch

We have

The Jboy Show - Ep 339 - Billy Liucci, Executive Editor & Co-Owner of  TexAgs.Com - YouTube

I'll just try cocaine once, it should be fine but then it turns into a problem Looch

We have

Ask Liucci, Part 1: Resurgence of the O-Line, outlook for the rest of 2020  & more | TexAgs

Just binge watched Yellowstone, went to Tecovas because Lucchese was too expensive Looch

We have

Billy Liucci joins TexAgs Radio to put a bow on Texas A&M's historic '22  class | TexAgs

Got off the cocaine finally and now I am a youth minister now doing TikTok dances to keep kids off drugs Looch

We have

Billy Liucci from Kempner High School - Classmates

Gets told twice a day by the high school nurse to shave his chin but he cant figure out how Looch

and finally we have...

Taylor Hamm & Billy Liucci make SWEET LOVE in 2019 + Football Recruiting  Thread | Page 105 | Texas A&M Sports

Need no additional explanation Looch

Rookie list. The answer is Mug Shot Looch. 
 

I’d have also accepted Dead Looch. 

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Honestly there's not a ton of new/surprising info in there for anyone that's followed the whole cycle. Probably the most interesting thing to me was that Johntay Cook was Texas all the way behind the scenes, despite social media stuff. Sure seemed like he was leaning aggy for a minute there.
I never got the impression aggy was a real threat, may just be me
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