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


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13 minutes ago, Hank Scorpio said:

Wrong thread I know but LOL. What would Arch be worth on the open market? 

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This shit has already become like NFL contracts where the headline number is just for publicity. It’s probably full of clauses where he has to stay 5 years and win 5 straight Heismans to get to $9.5mm. 

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3 minutes ago, tokamak said:

This shit has already become like NFL contracts where the headline number is just for publicity. It’s probably full of clauses where he has to stay 5 years and win 5 straight Heismans to get to $9.5mm. 

You can’t tie NIL money to on-field activities. At least, legally.

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3 minutes ago, Octavian said:

You can’t tie NIL money to on-field activities. At least, legally.

Yeah, what if some scrub is set to earn 1/4 of 9.5M his junior year? Getting him off scholarship may prove difficult.

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15 minutes ago, canadianhorn21 said:

Gerry doubling down on Hicks reaching out to Texas..taking a shot at ears to the streets in the process hahaha.

 

14 minutes ago, westexhorn said:

Per Gerry, they are definitely responsive to Texas after Arch.  Obviously if we win and the defense looks improved, it will help tremendously.  Keep recruiting until december.

Thanks for the responses. Will be interesting to watch for sure.

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Ears

Spoiler

The last few days have been exciting for the Texas program.

We anticipated a wave of activity during June with official visits kicking into gear, but Thursday’s commitment from Arch Manning ignited a fuse leading to some weekend fireworks. Liona Lefau announced his commitment on Saturday and more followed soon after.

The Longhorns wrapped up their final official visit weekend before the July dead period sets in, and the Longhorns added quite a few targets to their growing class over the next few days. Heading into season two for Steve Sarkisian and this staff, recruiting is firing on all cylinders as the staff is closing several priority targets. The Horns247 team was out at the Texas state 7-on-7 tournament this weekend, but we also worked the phones to get the latest on visitors who were on campus.

In this week’s edition of The Stampede, Horns247’s weekly gathering of recruiting intel, we discuss the latest round of visits and where things stand with those recruits moving forward.

Visit Environment

We’ve talked about it all summer, but the Texas staff is now a well-oiled machine after hitting some snags last year. Each visit this summer has been strong and produced incredible feedback and great energy. By my count, there have been 23 official visitors this summer who aren’t committed to Texas. The Longhorns were able to secure commitments from eight of them and we believe they are in the thick of the race for 10 more. If Texas can even secure six or seven of those 10, that’s an incredibly efficient rate.


Anthony Hill (Photo: Collin Kennedy, 247Sports)
 

Anthony Hill


Coming into the visit, we knew Texas had some work to do. The Longhorns have been in this race for a while, but Alabama and USC recently made big impressions on their visits and a visit to Texas A&M in July looms. The Longhorns got Hill at the best possible time for them with Manning’s commitment leading the way into the weekend, but I don’t anticipate it to have a major effect on Hill’s decision. Though sources feel Texas trailed Texas A&M, they didn’t feel it was a big gap. Hill was flanked on the trip by former Denton Ryan teammates Austin Jordan and Ja’Tavion Sanders who are both freshmen in Austin. Did Texas do enough to take a step with the five-star playmaker? It sounds like Texas made a massive impression on him. Hill will cut his schools down to two finalists in the next week and I expect it to be Texas and Texas A&M who is still scheduled to host him at the end of July. Talking to Hill, he described an incredible buzz on campus following the news of the Arch Manning commitment and the job the Texas staff did illustrating his fit. Hill doesn’t have a current timeline, and it could be a case of taking the recruitment into the season and seeing how things will play out for both of his finalists.

Johntay Cook

This race was trending in a strong direction even before Arch Manning made his commitment. Cook moving his official visit up should be considered a positive sign for his recruitment overall. Michigan and Oregon both did a strong job on their official visits, but Texas is in a position to close with his last trip after releasing a trio of finalists on Friday. Trends and constants are important in recruiting, and no school has been more of a constant for Cook than the Longhorns who offered him early and pursued him relentlessly ever since. We put in predictions last week for Cook to land at Texas, and I’ve heard nothing coming out of the visit to make me feel like the Longhorns are in any trouble.


(Photo: Mike Roach, 247Sports)
 

Braylan Shelby

In the spring we felt that Texas was emerging as the leader for the athletic edge rusher, but a recent visit to USC leveled the playing field. In fact, it sounds like the Trojans did enough to grab the edge for Shelby. Texas needed to crush the visit to have a chance at adding a talented player at a major position of need, and from what we heard, it sounds like Texas did enough to push back and fight off the momentum from the Trojans and remain at the top. We believe it’s a very close race with both of those schools on top. Texas seems to have a slight edge and the proximity to home doesn’t hurt, but this isn’t a closed case. Shelby will take some time to consider his options and weigh the pros and cons. What stands out for Texas is the proximity, education and his opportunity to get on the field early. In fact, the staff hammered the fact that Shelby was one of the major priorities for them on the board regardless of position. We’ll see how things shake out in the next few weeks, but Texas is working to secure this important recruitment to make sure they can lock down the athletic pass rusher.

Jaydon Chatman

Texas capitalized in this recruitment by offering the Harker Heights offensive lineman, and I think it’s been good enough to put them in the lead right now. Coming out of his other visits to LSU, Texas A&M and Oklahoma, most of the buzz we’ve heard from that side is still on Texas. Austin is close to home for him, and Kyle Flood’s pursuit has been relentless from the beginning. We were told the visit went extremely well and Texas continued to set the bar high in this recruitment. I’ve had a pick in for Chatman since the spring, and I think the fact that no other school has been able to grab the perceived edge for Chatman over this summer of visits was a strong indicator of future success for Texas. We’ve had this weekend circled for him for a few months and Flood was able to slam the door.


(Photo: Brian Perroni, 247Sports)
 

Jonah Wilson

Since the Longhorns offered Wilson during the spring, they’ve been the only school to generate significant momentum for the Spring Dekaney wide receiver. Brennan Marion was able to leave a lasting impression after his visit in the spring, and the Longhorns did a great job on the visit. We entered Crystal Balls for Wilson last week, and we anticipate that this visit was enough to slam the door in the recruitment. We were told going into the weekend that Wilson was encouraged by those close to him to take all of his visits, but the feeling was that a strong visit would shut it down for the big, athletic wide receiver. That’s exactly what happened and Brennan Marion was able to add another athletic piece to his stable.

Andre Cojoe

In the spring, it seemed Texas would be in the driver’s seat for the Massive Mansfield Timberview offensive lineman. Like Chatman, Texas was the first program to offer Cojoe, and the Longhorns seemed to really be connecting with him during the spring. Cojoe saw TCU and Vanderbilt during the summer, and the Commodores were a program that grabbed the spotlight in this recruitment. Cojoe did want to find the right mix of athletics and academics, and we felt Texas could win out if the visit resonates enough with him. Regardless, Texas offering Cojoe first paid off as they treated him like a priority from the moment they made contact. Cojoe is a really intriguing prospect who’s best football is in front of him. His massive frame and excellent length will combine nicely with his young age (Cojoe will enroll at 16 years old) means he’s just scratching the surface on his ability.


Billy Walton (Photo: Mike Roach, 247Sports)
 

Billy Walton

During the spring, Texas appeared to be the favorite to land Walton. An official visit to Stillwater won out for the Cowboys as Walton made his commitment, but he decided to make his visits. Texas has the opportunity to get back into this race and possibly flip Walton adding the productive and athletic edge rusher from South Oak Cliff. After the trip, Walton said that the visit was the best one he’d ever been on. We checked in with sources on Walton’s side who said the edge rusher will take some time to consider his options. I was told that Walton was close to making the jump and flipping but decided to think it over after the trip.I think that alone says a lot about the chances for Texas. One underrated thing about this recruitment is how it could help Texas with another. Walton is the cousin of South Oak Cliff teammate Malik Muhammad and adding Johntay Cook who is close friends with the four-star corner could bolster their chances even more.

Derion Gullette

Could Jeff Choate come out of this weekend with two new commitments at the position? Heading into the weekend, Gullette was a name we had circled as a guy who could possibly move his timeline up if Texas could do enough. The Longhorns have been hard after the athletic linebacker, and they’ve done a great job with the family. We’ve heard enough positive intel on Gullette leading into the weekend that we entered Crystal Balls for him on Saturday. It sounds as if the visit went well, and Choate could be in position to lock down his third linebacker in the class checking the boxes and filling out the position with an uber-athletic prospect. Coming out of the trip, the momentum for Gullette is pretty strong, but I believe he will wait a bit before making a decision. That could allow other schools a chance to get in with Gullette, but Texas has been building to this for a while and establishing a firm foundation in the recruitment.


(Photo: Texas Football)
 

Trevor Goosby

Texas offered the TCU commit recently and began to push for Goosby. If the Longhorns had offered earlier, they might already have him in the class, but now they will have to battle the other schools including the one he’s already committed to. Goosby is a raw prospect with incredible frame potential, and there is some affinity for Texas within the family. The Longhorns needed to present Goosby with a strong plan for development and path to playing time heading into the weekend, and it sounds like they did a strong job. The question is, will Goosby choose to take visits to Texas A&M who recently offered. Did Texas do enough to create some doubt in his mind about his current commitment? Goosby admitted to us after the trip that Texas is right there with TCU and it’s going to be a tough decision as he takes some time to think about things. I entered Crystal Ball for the Longhorns on Sunday and feel that as of now they have a great chance to make the flip.

Derek Williams

Williams has been tough to get intel on, but we’ve heard some things that make us feel Texas is creeping into the top of the pack for the five-star safety from New Iberia (LA) Westgate. Williams has been to campus several times over the past few years, and the Texas staff has been able to create a bond with him and his high school coaches. Credit to Terry Joseph for getting Texas this far into the race. Those we’ve talked with feel Alabama is the biggest threat to Texas, but there’s a growing confidnece in Austin that Steve Sarkisian and his staff can land the elite prospect.


Connor Stroh (Photo: Mike Roach, 247Sports)
 

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COMMENTS
Connor Stroh

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Kyle Flood’s decision to be the first offer for an offensive lineman seems to be paying off. Though Stroh comes from a strong Texas A&M background, the pursuit from Texas has been consistent and impressive to the family. The Longhorns have hosted Stroh on numerous occasions, and they’ve been the biggest factor from the beginning. Holding the last visit was important as the Longhorns impressed once again. With a decision expected soon, I see Texas in the top position for the massive offensive lineman which is why we entered Crystal Balls for him over the weekend. Stroh actually made the move on Friday night shortly after he arrived, and his father joked with me that it was the worst kept secret in Austin when I confirmed the rumors. Impressive job from Kyle Flood considering how well Arkansas recruited him and the considerable Texas A&M influence he grew up around.

 

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21 minutes ago, Texas Wahoo said:

This seems telling...

 

 

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Eta:  I took a different tack this cycle and haven’t been following the thread, then when I see a commit thread go up I read it and then a page or two of this one for some level of context. 
 

Until Thursday.  And now with this bounty over the weekend, I find myself even more ignorant than usual and the largest data points are the .87s and .90s next to the names of our guys. 
 

maybe I’ve made a huge mistake. 

Edited by Pato del Muerto
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23 minutes ago, Octavian said:

You can’t tie NIL money to on-field activities. At least, legally.

Yeah, I’m aware. I’m gonna stand by what I posted though. I think there’s a lot of bullshittery in some of these silly topline numbers. 

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5 minutes ago, Keef said:

Wait...Cajoe will enroll at 16 years old?!

Yeah but he's 6'6 340 with 84 wingspan at 16 and he plays school, so he's got a head on him. He will need two years in the weight room.

Edited by RollLeft
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Saw on IT that Stroh is a power lifter (405 bench and 575 squat) - explains a lot of the weight he is carrying.  Every power lifter I knew carried a ton of weight around their midsection and ate ungodly amounts of protein/fat.  He's already apparently shed some of the weight - hopefully that continues and a college nutrition plan gets him the rest of the way there.

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2 minutes ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

Saw on IT that Stroh is a power lifter (405 bench and 575 squat) - explains a lot of the weight he is carrying.  Every power lifter I knew carried a ton of weight around their midsection and ate ungodly amounts of protein/fat.  He's already apparently shed some of the weight - hopefully that continues and a college nutrition plan gets him the rest of the way there.

The challenge will be for S&C to be able to maintain Stroh's strength while Stroh continues to shed "bad" weight and reshape his body.

Edited by UDontKnow
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