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Texas Recruiting Notes 2024: Bags Don't Beat Bankrolls


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1 hour ago, Thiefery said:

Majors will be the starting center this whole season barring injuries..they've struggled to find a backup..

 

Randy Savage Deal With It GIF

Conner at center makes a lot of sense to me. He has the mind for it and is much bigger than Majors. I thought Majors got pushed around quite a bit in the spring game. I don't think it is a lock that he starts. 

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Majors will graduate and we will look back and remember all the time we wasted every offseason of his career trying to think of ways to get him out of the starting lineup only for him to start every game the following season.

Not saying he is really good or we couldn't find someone better, but at this point we probably need to accept that a guy who has started close to 30 career games isn't getting replaced, especially when the main competition appears to be two dudes who didn't exactly cover themselves in glory at guard last year. Conner and Hutson are listed as a whopping 6 pounds heavier than Majors so the size argument isn't exactly the best one. And Hutson missing 15 practices in the spring he could have really used doesn't scream 'make him starting center!'

Edited by Hookem2147
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34 minutes ago, NoName said:

this isn't rocket science, even though everyone acts like it is.

  • Kyle Flood was hired at Texas for the 2021 season.
  • Texas has played 25 games since Kyle Flood was hired.
  • Jake Majors has started all 25 games. 12 as a RS FR, 13 as a Sophomore. He also started the last 2 games of his True Freshman season. He has started 27 games in a row at the position. Kyle Flood has not yet replaced him.

It's almost like coaches who know football and OL play are sticking with him for a reason instead of wishcasting dudes who never played the position in their entire lives as his replacement.

It's mind numbing. I feel like there is also some overlap here with people who think Christian Jones sucks and were unhappy he came back.

Edited 29 minutes ago by NoName

Are you a human or AI?

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45 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

Majors will graduate and we will look back and remember all the time we wasted every offseason of his career trying to think of ways to get him out of the starting lineup only for him to start every game the following season.

Not saying he is really good or we couldn't find someone better, but at this point we probably need to accept that a guy who has started close to 30 career games isn't getting replaced, especially when the main competition appears to be two dudes who didn't exactly cover themselves in glory at guard last year. Conner and Hutson are listed as a whopping 6 pounds heavier than Majors so the size argument isn't exactly the best one. And Hutson missing 15 practices in the spring he could have really used doesn't scream 'make him starting center!'

Robertson was supposedly the 2nd string Center last year. 

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4 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

And like Hutson and Conner, he is listed at 314 pounds (6 pounds bigger than Majors).

and Majors is shorter than both. Majors just never developed that solid base. He can move and is good in pass pro. Just never going anchor. To be fair to him, he was not the biggest issue on the OL. 

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3 minutes ago, Codaxx said:

and Majors is shorter than both. Majors just never developed that solid base. He can move and is good in pass pro. Just never going anchor. To be fair to him, he was not the biggest issue on the OL. 

He was the 3rd in line for “weakest link,” out of the starting 5 last year. With Banks being a 1st round talent and Jones probably being a mid to potentially early round draft pick… 3rd is not a bad place to be when 1-2 are high to mid round NFL talent.
 

If the guard(s) position is fixed this year the OL will be much improved and most of anyone issues with the C position will be gone, because he won’t have two young, turnstyles on either side. 

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16 hours ago, NoName said:

this isn't rocket science, even though everyone acts like it is.

  • Kyle Flood was hired at Texas for the 2021 season.
  • Texas has played 25 games since Kyle Flood was hired.
  • Jake Majors has started all 25 games. 12 as a RS FR, 13 as a Sophomore. He also started the last 2 games of his True Freshman season. He has started 27 games in a row at the position. Kyle Flood has not yet replaced him.

It's almost like coaches who know football and OL play are sticking with him for a reason instead of wishcasting dudes who never played the position in their entire lives as his replacement.

It's mind numbing. I feel like there is also some overlap here with people who think Christian Jones sucks and were unhappy he came back.

Starting because of necessity isn’t the same as starting because of strength, size, and skill.

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For those of you who may not have read it - and may be so inclined - a charming short story by Somerset Maugham. 

Why did I think of this?  Because it has a reference to Kobe.  (The place, not the football recruit or the late basketball player. Lulz.)

(And yeah, that tenuous link still makes it way, way more relevant than the crap about Velveeta and queso, in the Deion Sanders thread.  So don't even think about giving me any attitude.  Fuckers.)

 

 

Mr. Know-All

W. Somerset Maugham

 

 

Spoiler

 

Mr. Know-All

W. Somerset Maugham

I was prepared to dislike Max Kelada even before I knew him. The war had just finished and the passenger traffic in the ocean going liners was heavy. Accommodation was very hard to get and you had to put up with whatever the agents chose to offer you. You could not hope for a cabin to yourself and I was thankful to be given one in which there were only two berths. But when I was told the name of my companion my heart sank. It suggested closed portholes and the night air rigidly excluded. It was bad enough to share a cabin for fourteen days with anyone (I was going from San Francisco to Yokohama), but I should have looked upon it with less dismay if my fellow passenger's name had been Smith or Brown.

When I went on board I found Mr. Kelada's luggage already below. I did not like the look of it; there were too many labels on the suitcases, and the wardrobe trunk was too big. He had unpacked his toilet things, and I observed that he was a patron of the excellent Monsieur Coty; for I saw on the washing-stand his scent, his hairwash and his brilliantine.

Mr. Kelada's brushes, ebony with his monogram in gold, would have been all the better for a scrub. I did not at all like Mr. Kelada. I made my way into the smoking-room. I called for a pack of cards and began to play patience.

I had scarcely started before a man came up to me and asked me if he was right in thinking my name was so and so.

"I am Mr. Kelada," he added, with a smile that showed a row of flashing teeth, and sat down.

"Oh, yes, we're sharing a cabin, I think."

"Bit of luck, I call it. You never know who you're going to be put in with. I was jolly glad when I heard you were English. I'm all for us English sticking together when we're abroad, if you understand what I mean."

I blinked.

"Are you English?" I asked, perhaps tactlessly.

"Rather. You don't think I look like an American, do you? British to the backbone, that's what I am."

To prove it, Mr. Kelada took out of his pocket a passport and airily waved it under my nose.

King George

has many strange subjects. Mr. Kelada was short and of a sturdy build, clean-shaven and dark skinned, with a fleshy, hooked nose and very large lustrous and liquid eyes. His long black hair was sleek and curly. He spoke with a fluency in which there was nothing English and his gestures were exuberant. I felt pretty sure that a closer inspection of that British passport would have betrayed the fact that Mr. Kelada was born under a bluer sky than is generally seen in England.

"What will you have?" he asked me.

I looked at him doubtfully. Prohibition was in force and to all appearances the ship was bone dry. When I am not thirsty I do not know which I dislike more, ginger ale or lemon squash. But Mr. Kelada flashed an oriental smile at me.

"Whisky and soda or a dry martini, you have only to say the word."

From each of his hip pockets he furnished a flask and laid it on the table before me. I chose the martini, and calling the steward he ordered a tumbler of ice and a couple of glasses.

"A very good cocktail," I said.

"Well, there are plenty more where that came from, and if you've got any friends on board, you tell them you've got a pal who's got all the liquor in the world."

Mr. Kelada was chatty. He talked of New York and of San Francisco. He discussed plays, pictures, and politics. He was patriotic. The Union Jack is an impressive piece of drapery, but when it is flourished by a gentleman from Alexandria or Beirut, I cannot but feel that it loses somewhat in dignity. Mr. Kelada was familiar. I do not wish to put on airs, but I cannot help feeling that it is seemly in a total stranger to put mister before my name when he addresses me. Mr. Kelada, doubtless to set me at my ease, used no such formality. I did not like Mr. Kelada. I had put aside the cards when he sat down, but now, thinking that for this first occasion our conversation had lasted long enough, I went on with my game.

"The three on the four," said Mr. Kelada.

There is nothing more exasperating when you are playing patience than to be told where to put the card you have turned up before you have a chance to look for yourself.

"It's coming out, it's coming out," he cried. "The ten on the knave."

With rage and hatred in my heart I finished.

Then he seized the pack.

"Do you like card tricks?"

"No, I hate card tricks," I answered.

"Well, I'll just show you this one."

He showed me three. Then I said I would go down to the dining-room and get my seat at the table.

"Oh, that's all right," he said, "I've already taken a seat for you. I thought that as we were in the same stateroom we might just as well sit at the same table."

I did not like Mr. Kelada.

I not only shared a cabin with him and ate three meals a day at the same table, but I could not walk round the deck without his joining me. It was impossible to snub him. It never occurred to him that he was not wanted. He was certain that you were as glad to see him as he was to see you. In your own house you might have kicked him downstairs and slammed the door in his face without the suspicion dawning on him that he was not a welcome visitor. He was a good mixer, and in three days knew everyone on board. He ran everything. He managed the sweeps, conducted the auctions, collected money for prizes at the sports, got up quoit and golf matches, organized the concert and arranged the fancy-dress ball. He was everywhere and always. He was certainly the best hated man in the ship. We called him Mr. Know-All, even to his face. He took it as a compliment. But it was at mealtimes that he was most intolerable. For the better part of an hour then he had us at his mercy. He was hearty, jovial, loquacious and argumentative. He knew everything better than anybody else, and it was an affront to his overweening vanity that you should disagree with him. He would not drop a subject, however unimportant, till he had brought you round to his way of thinking. The possibility that he could be mistaken never occurred to him. He was the chap who knew. We sat at the doctor's table. Mr. Kelada would certainly have had it all his own way, for the doctor was lazy and I was frigidly indifferent, except for a man called Ramsay who sat there also. He was as dogmatic as Mr. Kelada and resented bitterly the Levantine's cocksureness. The discussions they had were acrimonious and interminable.

Ramsay was in the American Consular Service and was stationed at Kobe. He was a great heavy fellow from the Middle West, with loose fat under a tight skin, and he bulged out of his ready-made clothes. He was on his way back to resume his post, having been on a flying visit to New York to fetch his wife who had been spending a year at home. Mrs. Ramsay was a very pretty little thing, with pleasant manners and a sense of humor. The Consular Service is ill paid, and she was dressed always very simply; but she knew how to wear her clothes. She achieved an effect of quiet distinction. I should not have paid any particular attention to her but that she possessed a quality that may be common enough in women, but nowadays is not obvious in their demeanour. It shone in her like a flower on a coat.

One evening at dinner the conversation by chance drifted to the subject of pearls. There had been in the papers a good deal of talk about the cultured pearls which the cunning Japanese were making, and the doctor remarked that they must inevitably diminish the value of real ones. They were very good already; they would soon be perfect. Mr. Kelada, as was his habit, rushed the new topic. He told us all that was to be known about pearls. I do not believe Ramsay knew anything about them at all, but he could not resist the opportunity to have a fling at the Levantine, and in five minutes we were in the middle of a heated argument. I had seen Mr. Kelada vehement and voluble before, but never so voluble and vehement as now. At last something that Ramsay said stung him, for he thumped the table and shouted.

"Well, I ought to know what I am talking about, I'm going to Japan just to look into this Japanese pearl business. I'm in the trade and there's not a man in it who won't tell you that what I say about pearls goes. I know all the best pearls in the world, and what I don't know about pearls isn't worth knowing."

Here was news for us, for Mr. Kelada, with all his loquacity, had never told anyone what his business was. We only knew vaguely that he was going to Japan on some commercial errand. He looked around the table triumphantly.

"They'll never be able to get a cultured pearl that an expert like me can't tell with half an eye." He pointed to a chain that Mrs. Ramsay wore. "You take my word for it, Mrs. Ramsay, that chain you're wearing will never be worth a cent less than it is now."

Mrs. Ramsay in her modest way flushed a little and slipped the chain inside her dress. Ramsay leaned forward. He gave us all a look and a smile flickered in his eyes.

"That's a pretty chain of Mrs. Ramsay's, isn't it?"

"I noticed it at once," answered Mr. Kelada. "Gee, I said to myself, those are pearls all right."

"I didn't buy it myself, of course. I'd be interested to know how much you think it cost."

"Oh, in the trade somewhere round fifteen thousand dollars. But if it was bought on Fifth Avenue I shouldn't be surprised to hear anything up to thirty thousand was paid for it."

Ramsay smiled grimly.

"You'll be surprised to hear that Mrs. Ramsay bought that string at a department store the day before we left New York, for eighteen dollars."

Mr. Kelada flushed.

"Rot. It's not only real, but it's as fine a string for its size as I've ever seen."

"Will you bet on it? I'll bet you a hundred dollars it's imitation."

"Done."

"Oh, Elmer, you can't bet on a certainty," said Mrs. Ramsay.

She had a little smile on her lips and her tone was gently deprecating.

"Can't I? If I get a chance of easy money like that I should be all sorts of a fool not to take it."

"But how can it be proved?" she continued. "It's only my word against Mr. Kelada's."

"Let me look at the chain, and if it's imitation I'll tell you quickly enough. I can afford to lose a hundred dollars," said Mr. Kelada.

"Take it off, dear. Let the gentleman look at it as much as he wants."

Mrs. Ramsay hesitated a moment. She put her hands to the clasp.

"I can't undo it," she said, "Mr. Kelada will just have to take my word for it."

I had a sudden suspicion that something unfortunate was about to occur, but I could think of nothing to say.

Ramsay jumped up.

"I'll undo it."

He handed the chain to Mr. Kelada. The Levantine took a magnifying glass from his pocket and closely examined it. A smile of triumph spread over his smooth and swarthy face. He handed back the chain. He was about to speak. Suddenly he caught sight of Mrs. Ramsay's face. It was so white that she looked as though she were about to faint. She was staring at him with wide and terrified eyes. They held a desperate appeal; it was so clear that I wondered why her husband did not see it.

Mr. Kelada stopped with his mouth open. He flushed deeply. You could almost see the effort he was making over himself.

"I was mistaken," he said. "It's very good imitation, but of course as soon as I looked through my glass I saw that it wasn't real. I think eighteen dollars is just about as much as the damned thing's worth."

He took out his pocketbook and from it a hundred dollar note. He handed it to Ramsay without a word.

"Perhaps that'll teach you not to be so cocksure another time, my young friend," said Ramsay as he took the note.

I noticed that Mr. Kelada's hands were trembling.

The story spread over the ship as stories do, and he had to put up with a good deal of chaff that evening. It was a fine joke that Mr. Know-All had been caught out. But Mrs. Ramsay retired to her stateroom with a headache.

Next morning I got up and began to shave. Mr. Kelada lay on his bed smoking a cigarette. Suddenly there was a small scraping sound and I saw a letter pushed under the door. I opened the door and looked out. There was nobody there. I picked up the letter and saw it was addressed to Max Kelada. The name was written in block letters. I handed it to him.

"Who's this from?" He opened it. "Oh!"

He took out of the envelope, not a letter, but a hundred-dollar note. He looked at me and again he reddened. He tore the envelope into little bits and gave them to me.

"Do you mind just throwing them out of the porthole?"

I did as he asked, and then I looked at him with a smile.

"No one likes being made to look a perfect damned fool," he said.

"Were the pearls real?"

"If I had a pretty little wife I shouldn't let her spend a year in New York while I stayed at Kobe," said he.

At that moment I did not entirely dislike Mr. Kelada. He reached out for his pocketbook and carefully put in it the hundred-dollar note.

 

 

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5 hours ago, Getafix said:

 

Someone on 247 notice this ... no idea if it's significant.  (They used to do the shark thing for some class of good news, IIRC.).

 

 

 

Kobe Black

Just now, RGBIII said:

Kobe Black

That account is not subtle and I knows who runs it

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6 hours ago, Getafix said:

 

Someone on 247 notice this ... no idea if it's significant.  (They used to do the shark thing for some class of good news, IIRC.).

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, RGBIII said:

Kobe Black

That account is not subtle and I knows who runs it

I also believed that in the past the owner let his kids post on it, so there is that as well. 

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DL big board update per Gerry

Defensive line official visit board

D’Antre Robinson, DL, Orlando (Fla.) Jones
Official visit schedule: Florida June 2-4, Texas June 16-18
Note on Robinson: After spending a couple of hours at Jones High Thursday, the decision will be out of Florida and Texas unless Ohio State or LSU can make a true dent.

Isaia Faga, DL, Phenix City (Ala.) Central – Utah verbal
Official visit schedule: Texas June 16-18
Note: I’m not ready to put in an On3 RPM pick for Faga yet, but Texas is trending in the right direction for the 6-foot-2, 280-pounder.

Melvin Hills, DL, Lafayette (La.) Lafayette Christian Academy
Official visit schedule: Texas June 16-18
Note: Texas defensive line coach Bo Davis and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski have been by the school in the last two weeks.

Dominick McKinley, DL, Lafayette (La.) Acadiana
Official visit schedule: Ohio State June 2-4, Texas A&M June 9-11, Oklahoma June 16-18, Texas June 23-25
Latest on McKinley and Texas: Texas defensive line coach Bo Davis was back at Acadiana late last week. Texas is all in on McKinley, while knowing it’s a very difficult recruitment.

Terrance Hibbler, DL, Lexington (Miss.) Holmes County
Official visit schedule: Alabama June 2-4, Texas June 23-25
Note on Hibbler: Texas remains all in on the 6-foot-3, 305-pounder. Mississippi State is considered real competition with Alabama the wildcard.

T.J. Lindsey, DL, Bryant (Ark.) High
Official visit schedule: Texas A&M June 9-11, Texas June 23-25

Jayden Jackson, DL, Brownsburg (Ind.) IMG Academy
Official visit schedule: Texas *expected* June 23-25
Note on Jackson: The Longhorns are in the top two, if not the slight favorite headed into June OV’s. Texas defensive line coach Bo Davis will be at IMG Academy this week.

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12 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

Gerry just entered his RPM for Texas. 75%

 

 

Yeah  - did he just put the pick in at 70%, and then up it to 75%?  Or did he have it in already, and just increase the confidence level?

 

image.thumb.png.a1c7889ce903c67f26912a2216377803.png

 

 

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2 hours ago, Hookem2147 said:

DL big board update per Gerry

Defensive line official visit board

D’Antre Robinson, DL, Orlando (Fla.) Jones
Official visit schedule: Florida June 2-4, Texas June 16-18
Note on Robinson: After spending a couple of hours at Jones High Thursday, the decision will be out of Florida and Texas unless Ohio State or LSU can make a true dent.

Isaia Faga, DL, Phenix City (Ala.) Central – Utah verbal
Official visit schedule: Texas June 16-18
Note: I’m not ready to put in an On3 RPM pick for Faga yet, but Texas is trending in the right direction for the 6-foot-2, 280-pounder.

Melvin Hills, DL, Lafayette (La.) Lafayette Christian Academy
Official visit schedule: Texas June 16-18
Note: Texas defensive line coach Bo Davis and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski have been by the school in the last two weeks.

Dominick McKinley, DL, Lafayette (La.) Acadiana
Official visit schedule: Ohio State June 2-4, Texas A&M June 9-11, Oklahoma June 16-18, Texas June 23-25
Latest on McKinley and Texas: Texas defensive line coach Bo Davis was back at Acadiana late last week. Texas is all in on McKinley, while knowing it’s a very difficult recruitment.

Terrance Hibbler, DL, Lexington (Miss.) Holmes County
Official visit schedule: Alabama June 2-4, Texas June 23-25
Note on Hibbler: Texas remains all in on the 6-foot-3, 305-pounder. Mississippi State is considered real competition with Alabama the wildcard.

T.J. Lindsey, DL, Bryant (Ark.) High
Official visit schedule: Texas A&M June 9-11, Texas June 23-25

Jayden Jackson, DL, Brownsburg (Ind.) IMG Academy
Official visit schedule: Texas *expected* June 23-25
Note on Jackson: The Longhorns are in the top two, if not the slight favorite headed into June OV’s. Texas defensive line coach Bo Davis will be at IMG Academy this week.

Watched some hudl on all these guys.

Outside of the obvious 5* McKinley, to me J. Jackson, January (adding him) and Hills look best on film.  All seem to be underranked IMO.  Maybe none of them do camps IDK?

Hard to tell with Hibbler, quality isn't that great.  Faga is pretty solid as well.

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8 minutes ago, Getafix said:

 

 

Yeah  - did he just put the pick in at 70%, and then up it to 75%?  Or did he have it in already, and just increase the confidence level?

 

image.thumb.png.a1c7889ce903c67f26912a2216377803.png

 

 

It looks like he logged the pick and then increased his confidence by 5% five minutes later.

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13 hours ago, Hookem2147 said:

DL big board update per Gerry

Defensive line official visit board

D’Antre Robinson, DL, Orlando (Fla.) Jones
Official visit schedule: Florida June 2-4, Texas June 16-18
Note on Robinson: After spending a couple of hours at Jones High Thursday, the decision will be out of Florida and Texas unless Ohio State or LSU can make a true dent.

Isaia Faga, DL, Phenix City (Ala.) Central – Utah verbal
Official visit schedule: Texas June 16-18
Note: I’m not ready to put in an On3 RPM pick for Faga yet, but Texas is trending in the right direction for the 6-foot-2, 280-pounder.

Melvin Hills, DL, Lafayette (La.) Lafayette Christian Academy
Official visit schedule: Texas June 16-18
Note: Texas defensive line coach Bo Davis and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski have been by the school in the last two weeks.

Dominick McKinley, DL, Lafayette (La.) Acadiana
Official visit schedule: Ohio State June 2-4, Texas A&M June 9-11, Oklahoma June 16-18, Texas June 23-25
Latest on McKinley and Texas: Texas defensive line coach Bo Davis was back at Acadiana late last week. Texas is all in on McKinley, while knowing it’s a very difficult recruitment.

Terrance Hibbler, DL, Lexington (Miss.) Holmes County
Official visit schedule: Alabama June 2-4, Texas June 23-25
Note on Hibbler: Texas remains all in on the 6-foot-3, 305-pounder. Mississippi State is considered real competition with Alabama the wildcard.

T.J. Lindsey, DL, Bryant (Ark.) High
Official visit schedule: Texas A&M June 9-11, Texas June 23-25

Jayden Jackson, DL, Brownsburg (Ind.) IMG Academy
Official visit schedule: Texas *expected* June 23-25
Note on Jackson: The Longhorns are in the top two, if not the slight favorite headed into June OV’s. Texas defensive line coach Bo Davis will be at IMG Academy this week.

I’m still trying to get caught up on the 24 cycle. Reading this made me curious about instate DL. Based on our offers it’s really just January, couple of blOU leans, and not much else. Plenty in the Edge department. Bo is really working the entire southeast this cycle. 

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Eric Nahlin: Five things we know about Texas recruiting this Spring

Quote

Things have been awfully quiet with regards to Texas recruiting, but if the team puts together a good year, the staff’s patient, persistent approach will be rewarded. The staff is clearly recruiting with the expectation of having a good season. Whether or not it works out remains to be seen, but in the meantime Texas is in good shape despite the appearance of a slow start to the 2024 cycle.

1. Slow start by design

We’re comfortably into May but Texas only has three commitments for the 2024 cycle so far. They are quarterback Trey Owens, cornerback Hunter Moddon, and punter Michael Kern. On3 is already reflecting the move to the SEC and has Texas ranked 13th in SEC recruiting. We all know it’s waaaaaaay too premature to care about recruiting rankings, I just thought that was worth a mention because I was going to state other schools like LSU, Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina (recruiting quite well at this point) already have double digit commits.

But as we’ve chronicled time and time again, this is a staff that likes to use the entire shot clock. They’ll remain patient while working and re-working their big board before deciding who they truly want. That doesn’t mean they’re turning down recruits left and right, but they have had to slow down a few so far. It also doesn’t mean there aren’t players they’d gladly accept a commitment from, but they’re content to let those recruitments play out organically. Players who conduct a full process are less likely to de-commit. Texas is in good standing as measured by quality targets reciprocating genuine interest.

2. Very strong OL and DB boards

I really like how Kyle Flood and Terry Joseph have themselves positioned in the class. Flood is aided by his national approach and the willingness to go against the grain early on guys he really likes. New Jersey’s Nyier Daniels comes to mind this cycle. Joseph is aided by a quality in-state class with kids who profile well to UT, as well as his ability to drum up interest from Louisiana targets.

There’s also Blake Gideon who is poised to land Jordon Johnson-Rubell. Joseph has a hand in that one, as does Sarkisian. Plausible O-line and DB classes are as follows:

  • OT Ory Williams, OT Nyier Daniels, iOL Daniel Cruz, iOL Makai Saina. Texas will also stay after national prospects like Daniel Calhoun, Brandon Baker, and DeAndre Carter.
  • CB Kobe Black, CB Corian Gipson, CB Selman Bridges, DB Jordon Johnson-Rubell. Texas is also making inroads with cornerback Wardell Mack from outside New Orleans.

Last year after the Spring game we realized we needed to cover Louisiana safety Derek Williams more closely. We’re not saying Mack will end up at Texas, but we have that same realization with him this year. We’re also not saying Texas is going to land each of these players, but they’ve (again) put themselves in good position at two premium position groups. Flood and Joseph are quality recruiters in part due to putting forth sound processes.

3. National approach is the new norm

When Mack Brown gave way to Charlie Strong one thing followers of Texas recruiting loved was Strong’s out-of-state approach, specifically in Florida. Tom Herman then followed that up in 2019 with a class that was nearly 50/50 in- and out-of-state. The newness of out-of-state recruiting has worn off but we are seeing stark differences from Strong and Herman with this staff’s ability to consistently go into hostile environments and genuinely compete.

This staff is built to recruit from sea to shining sea. Along with Sark, Pete Kwiatkowski and Jeff Choate bring a West Coast element, to include Hawaii. Kyle Flood recruits nationally. Bo Davis is accustomed to recruiting big bodies in the most competitive region in the country. Terry Joseph knows Southern Louisiana as well as anybody. Tashard Choice is still benefiting from his time recruiting for Georgia Tech. Jeff Banks‘ main focus has been the I-20 corridor in DFW but he’s well versed in national recruiting.

In this cycle Texas has viable out-of-state targets in Florida, Arizona, California, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas, and New Jersey. That will be the case as long as this staff is in Austin.

4. Traditional rivals aren’t quite the thorn in UT’s side

By this I mean, OU and Texas A&M. Brent Venables did well to parlay his new car smell class into a strong 2023 group but Texas recruits are going to want to see some success on the field this cycle. He’s still in line for some big-time recruits, like Williams Nwaneri and David Stone, we’re just not seeing a ton of overlap in state. One recruitment to watch will be Edge Zina Umeozulu, however. Another is wide receiver Bryant Wesco, though OU is the heavy favorite there. Texas is also battling OU for offensive lineman Daniel Cruz and defensive lineman Joseph Jonah-Ajonye.

Meanwhile in College Station, Jimbo Fisher is in a prove-it year. I can’t say he’s stagnated entirely, but last year cost the Aggies some serious momentum on the recruiting trail and they have offered like madmen in this cycle. Nineteen quarterback offers, 51 wide receivers, 30 running backs, and it goes on and on. Oprah would be proud. Recruitments to watch here are offensive tackle Ory Williams (also likes LSU), offensive lineman Blake Ivy (maybe), offensive lineman Makai Saina, linebacker Tyanthony Smith, and Jospeh Jonah-Ajonye. Both A&M and OU are also after cornerback Kobe Black.

5. December will have more intrigue than last cycle…

Even though most recruits prefer to make their decisions before the season, we’ll still see a few late-deciders. Names will likely include Colin Simmons, Brandon Baker, DeAndre Carter, and Selman Bridges (at least that’s what he says, I’m somewhat skeptical).

The real intrigue, however, may come down to flipping season if Texas puts together a season in line with the hype the its receiving. Let’s say Texas wins the Big 12 and is one of a handful of teams in line for the playoffs. At that point, the staff’s patient, recruit through the whistle approach will provide storylines that are unforeseeable right now to include a flip or two.

 

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37 minutes ago, Mason Ramsey said:

A DB haul of Black, Gipson, Bridges, and Johnson-Rubell would be fantastic. Mack would be a crazy cherry on top.

Yep.  We might get the DB from Judson as well.  Once these guys start hopping on board Modden probably decommits to go play WR somewhere.

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27 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Yep.  We might get the DB from Judson as well.  Once these guys start hopping on board Modden probably decommits to go play WR somewhere.

Agreed, I still don't see Modden staying in this class if we're able to land 5 of the 6 mentioned. 

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44 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Yep.  We might get the DB from Judson as well.  Once these guys start hopping on board Modden probably decommits to go play WR somewhere.

 

17 minutes ago, Mason Ramsey said:

Agreed, I still don't see Modden staying in this class if we're able to land 5 of the 6 mentioned. 

The dude is rumored to have similar issues to Chris Marshall when he was in high school. If he's in the 2024 class for Texas, I'll be shocked.

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37 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

 

The dude is rumored to have similar issues to Chris Marshall when he was in high school. If he's in the 2024 class for Texas, I'll be shocked.

If Hunter can develop a few more red flags, he might secure his spot in Jimbo's Fightin' Texas Aggie class of 2024. 

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39 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Rutgers, Ohio State, and Penn State? For a guy whose dad played basketball for SMU, he's got the visit list of a Jersey Catholic school recruit.

https://247sports.com/Player/Nigel-Smith-II-46116231/

EDIT:  I'm an idiot, forgot they can take more than five now.

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  • texifornia changed the title to Texas Recruiting Notes 2024: Bags Don't Beat Bankrolls

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