Jump to content

Texas Recruiting Notes 2024: Bags Don't Beat Bankrolls


texifornia

Recommended Posts

1 minute ago, BornAndRaised said:

even if Black is going to take this as a slight, it's been said a few times that the staff values Mack more, no?

Black is listed as a safety now, so I don’t see why he would take this as a slight. But even if he did, he’s had plenty of time to commit. It’s November.

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Stampede: Temp check on potential flips

Spoiler

After taking down TCU in Fort Worth on Saturday, the Texas Longhorns might be finding new ways to win games in the ugliest way possible, but winning games is all that matters and the Longhorns are finding ways to get it done as they've won at least nine games in a season for the first time since 2018.

Now it's time to for the Longhorns staff to take advantage of their 9-1 record on the recruiting trail. 

Going back to the 2022 and 2023 recruiting cycles, Steve Sarkisian has flipped a prospect in each recruiting class he's been apart of since arriving in Austin, and after getting his spatula out to flip Top247 Marrero (LA) John Ehret cornerback Wardell Mack from the Florida Gators on Sunday, the Longhorns still have several flip targets left on the board that they'd like to have in Austin.

So who are some of the most important recruits left that Texas is trying to flip and where do the Longhorns stand with them?

In this week’s edition of The Stampede, Horns247’s weekly gathering of recruiting intel, we take a temperature check on 14 recruitments Texas has found themselves involved in just over one month away from early signing day.

TYANTHONY SMITH, LB, JASPER -- TEXAS A&M COMMIT

Tyanthony Smith (Photo: Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports)
Smith was once thought to be one of the more solid Texas A&M commits in the Aggies 2024 recruiting class. Now with Jimbo Fisher gone from College Station, that obviously isn’t the case.

After speaking with several sources throughout the afternoon hours of Sunday, I’m close to entering in a 247Sports Crystal Ball in favor of the Longhorns to flip the composite four-star linebacker.

After committing to Texas A&M at the end of June, Jeff Choate and the Longhorns remained patient and kept in consistent contact, contact that has obviously increased as we’ve gotten further away from the date he committed to the Aggies. Smith has previously scheduled two separate official visits to Texas that have both been canceled by Smith himself, with one date having been set for June 21, and the other for the Longhorns game vs Kansas on Sept. 30. However after speaking with sources yesterday I’m under the impression that Smith officially visiting Texas is less of an “if” situation but more of a “when” situation. After beating Columbia 35-12 on Friday, Smith and his Jasper squad will face off against Waco Connally on Friday in Palestine. The longer that Jasper continues to win in the playoffs, the longer it’ll be till he’s able to make it to campus. Smith is ahead of schedule academically and will be an early enrollee, meaning that the Longhorns will have until early signing day to host Smith for his official visit.

While all of that intel favors the Longhorns, I’m still being cautious with my prediction since I’m also under the impression that who the Aggies hire as their head coach replacement could have a major impact on Smith’s recruitment, as I’m told by a source that if the Aggies were to make a home run hire, Smith would heavily consider remaining firm on his commitment. Simply put, recruits don’t commit to schools just because of a coaching staff, and there are a lot of aspects about Texas A&M as a whole that Smith loves and those things will remain in College Station regardless of what decisions are made involving the football program. That said, the timing of Texas A&M finding their Fisher replacement will have an impact on this recruitment. Until then, stay tuned with Horns247 for more updates on Smith and his recruitment as I’ll be making the trip to East Texas on Friday to see Jasper take on Kobe Black and Waco Connally in the second round of the Texas High School Football Playoffs.

Temperature: Warm

-- Jordan Scruggs

TJ LINDSEY, DL, IMG ACADEMY (FL) — AUBURN COMMIT

TJ Lindsey (Photo: Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports)
Texas reengaged with the four-star defensive lineman last month and is speaking with Lindsey weekly. An Arkansas native, Lindsey already officially visited the Forty Acres in the summer. The Longhorns finished second in his recruitment and still have life down the stretch. Lindsey says he is tentatively planning to see Texas play at the Big 12 Championship Game in Arlington, assuming UT is there in early December. The Longhorns have the best shot of any (Miami and Missouri are also in play) to flip the talented IMG DL.

“We see it this year,” Lindsey said of what has Texas still under consideration. “I think they’re really good. All the coaching, all the stuff they’re teaching. They’ve been really good. The D-line especially has been really good.”

Temperature: Warm

-- Hank South

JACOB PONTON, OT, DRIPPING SPRINGS — TEXAS TECH COMMIT
Jacob Ponton
Jacob Ponton (Photo: @JacobPonton2)
We saw Auburn commit DeAndre Carter reaffirm his pledge to the Tigers last week. Ponton is one direction the Longhorns could go, however, the staff is still in evaluation mode when it comes to the Red Raiders commit. Horns247 saw Ponton in action on Friday night where he said he’s very high on Texas Tech right now, however, UT would still have a chance if it wants to get involved with him. Ponton, of course, is just down the road in Dripping Springs and grew up a Texas fan. If an offer is extended this would at the very least go to warm, if not hot. 

Temperature: Cold 

-- Hank South

ORY WILLIAMS, OT, SAN MARCOS -- LSU COMMIT
Ory Williams
Ory Williams (Photo: Mike Roach, 247Sports)
Sticking with the offensive line theme, Williams is another option Horns247 identified last week in terms of directions UT could go with its fourth offensive line vacancy in the class of 2024. Williams attended the Texas-Kansas State game earlier this month, and holds an offer from the staff. So far he’s appeared locked in with the Tigers. As we noted, however, San Marcos’ season is over, giving Williams ample time for visiting programs if he chooses. Florida State is also working to flip him. 

Temperature: Cold 

-- Hank South

CORIAN GIPSON, CB, LANCASTER

Corian Gipson (Photo: Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports)
The Clemson Tigers are bouncing back after a rocky start to the season. Through it all Gipson continued to maintain he’s solid with Dabo Swinney’s bunch, though. That still appears to be the case for the standout from the southern sector of Dallas. And with Texas flipping Wardell Mack from the Florida Gators and things still looking positive for guys like Waco Connally's Kobe Black, the Longhorns are in good position regardless.

Temperature: Cold

-- Hank South

DRELON MILLER, WR, SILSBEE

Drelon Miller (Photo: Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports)
Another Southeast Texas native, Miller was also a Texas A&M commit at one point but decided to open up his recruitment and decommit from the Aggies on Oct. 17. Now that his recruitment has hit the reset button, Colorado, LSU, and USC are the three programs at the front of the pack for the No. 66 ranked prospect in the nation per 247Sports. 

Texas is also somewhere in there (likely third if not fourth), but it could be up to the Longhorns staff to decide where they want to finish in his recruitment. Miller has always had genuine interest in the Longhorns and at one point in his process they could have even been considered the early favorite, but as time went on the contact from the Texas staff dropped off to the point where several months would go by without either party communicating. That said, the Longhorns staff reached back out the top-100 prospect prior to Miller’s decommitment from the Aggies but the pursuit level has run hot and cold since then. 

After 247Sports’ National Recruiting Analyst Mike Roach reported that Miller is looking into visiting Texas for the game vs Texas Tech on Black Friday while also calling off all visits until his senior season comes to a close in the playoffs, I checked in with a source on Sunday who told me that it’s more likely than not that the Top247 will make his way to Austin for the Longhorns last home game of the season. If Silsbee continues to win this week and defeats Gatesville on Friday, the logistics of Miller making it to Austin for the Black Friday game greatly toughen as Silsbee will be playing in the third round of the Texas High School Football playoffs either that same Friday or the following day on Saturday, with the location of the game likely being somewhere in the greater Houston area. 

With a decision expected to come once Miller’s season has ended and he’s taken the visits he feels necessary, Miller still has official visits to use for Colorado and LSU (and of course Texas) and it’s likely he makes it to LSU once Silsbee’s season is over.

Temperature: Cold


-- Jordan Scruggs

MYLES DAVIS, S, CONVERSE JUDSON -- TEXAS A&M COMMIT

Myles Davis (Photo: Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports)
Jimbo Fisher out at Texas A&M is going to have a major effect on the recruiting landscape. Davis is potentially one to watch close as he picked the Aggies over the Longhorns back in the summer. He’s maintained since that Texas is pressing hardest of any program to flip him and he’s in consistent contact with safeties coach Blake Gideon. He’s planning to be back in Austin for the Texas Tech game next Friday as well. If UT presses to change his mind it likely has an inside track to do so as things stand. 

Temperature: Warm 

-- Hank South

DOMINICK MCKINLEY, DL, ACADIANA — TEXAS A&M COMMIT

Dominick McKinley (Photo: datboi_dom instagram)
McKinley chose Texas A&M over Texas in September in what was a back and forth recruitment throughout the summer. A big part of his decision is Texas A&M defensive line coach Elijah Robinson, who was named interim head coach with Jimbo Fisher out. If Robinson is retained by the next head coach, McKInley is likely staying put. The Bayou State native tweeted as much on Sunday night. Horns247 recently reported that McKinley said he has no intentions of visiting Texas this fall. Unless something changes with Robinson, it’s probably safe to put this one to bed.

Temperature: Cold

-- Hank South

DIMITRY NICOLAS, DL, OPA LOCKA (FL) NORLAND -- AUBURN COMMIT

Dimitry Nicolas (Photo: Andrew Ivins, 247Sports)
Another Tigers pledge Texas offered this fall, the four-star defensive lineman from South Florida told Horns247 that Texas is a program you have to consider if they come calling. He has one more chance to visit for a game next Friday if he decides to use an official visit. Of course he could trek out to Austin in December as well. Nicolas wanted to get to know defensive line coach Bo Davis more before deciding on whether or not he would do that. Depending on if he visits or not will determine the ultimate temperature.

Temperature: Cold

-- Hank South

TERRY BUSSEY, ATH, TIMPSON -- TEXAS A&M COMMIT

Terry Bussey (Photo: Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports)
As we reported on Sunday, LSU seems more likely of a flip destination than Texas at this point, however, Bussey did say the Longhorns moved up his list this summer after his official visit. Texas is going to lose a handful of its offensive playmakers this year to the draft, which will leave ample opportunities for young guys to step up. Bussey reacted to the Jimbo Fisher news with the “thinking” emoji on Sunday morning. We’ll keep an eye on him going forward. 

Temperature: Warm (why not) 

-- Hank South

BLAKE IVY, OL, CLEAR SPRINGS -- TEXAS A&M COMMIT
Blake Ivy
Blake Ivy (Photo: Brian Perroni, 247Sports)
The four-star offensive lineman from League City heavily considered Texas prior to his decision, and took an official visit to Austin in June. He is certainly one to watch down the stretch if the coaching change in College Station gives him pause. It’s unknown his thoughts on the situation just yet, but something we’ll be digging on in the weeks to come. Like other commits in the Aggies 2024 recruiting class, Ivy could be staying patient until Jimbo Fisher's replacement has been named. 

Temperature: Cold (for now) 

-- Hank South

VINCENT SHAVERS, LB, MIAMI (FL) CENTRAL -- MIAMI COMMIT

Vincent Shavers (Photo: Zach Blostein, 247Sports)
Texas is probably in best position to flip Tyanthony Smith of its remaining linebacker targets, but the Longhorns staff did show interest to the Miami native when they offered Shavers on Oct. 12 just over a month ago. As for Shavers, he hasn’t given any public reaction to last month’s offer from the Longhorns, so it’s really not clear how much of a factor Texas is here. All indications appear to be that he’s happy with his commitment to the Hurricanes. 

Temperature: Cold 

--Hank South

JUSTIN WILLIAMS, LB, CONROE OAK RIDGE -- GEORGIA COMMIT

Justin Williams and Joseph Jonah-Ajonye (Photo: Benjamin Wolk, 247Sports)
For the Longhorns to have a better chance here, Williams will need to make a return to campus as he hasn’t visited the Forty Acres since January when he came to the Longhorns junior day. Williams and Jeff Choate have been in contact over the last few weeks and while a visit is possible, it seems unlikely at this point, especially with Williams’ Oak Ridge team still being alive in the Texas High School Football Playoffs. Also of note, Williams’ best friend, Oak Ridge teammate, and fellow Georgia commit Joseph Jonah-Ajonye is about as committed to Georgia as you can possibly be, and a huge part of both of their respective recruitments had to do with them wanting to attend the same college.

Temperature: Cold

-- Jordan Scruggs

XAVIER FILSAIME, S, MCKINNEY -- FLORIDA COMMIT

Xavier Filsaime (Photo: Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports)
Just like for Williams, for the Longhorns to have a real shot here, a visit to the Forty Acres from Filsaime will be necessary, as to my knowledge, Filsaime has never visited Texas before. Like Smith, Miller, and Williams, Filsaime’s McKinney squad is still in the Texas High School Football playoffs making visits to Texas harder to schedule, especially when you factor in that Filsaime has long had plans to visit Florida on Nov. 25 for the Gators home game vs. Florida State, which happens to be the day after Texas hosts Texas Tech on Black Friday. 

Another thing to add is that Texas will likely have to balance not being able to use the Dec. 1-3 weekend for visits as it’s likely the Longhorns will be playing in the Big 12 Championship on Dec. 2. That obviously won’t matter if prospects are able to make it to campus for a midweek visit.

Temperature: Cold

-- Jordan Scruggs

 

  • Hook 'Em 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, TheRRKid said:

247 update had Filsaime flip potential as cold. He’s never visited us and it looked like there’s scant opportunity to do so now. No visit usually doesn’t portend well 

There is still time for a visit.

McKinney is playing Highland Park this week, if they lose Filsaime would have all of thanksgiving week to visit(doesn't have to be game day)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...