Jump to content

Texas Recruiting Notes 2021


Reese Bennett

Recommended Posts

3 minutes ago, Babytime said:

I checked out of recruiting after the Tech game because I knew it did't matter at that point.  

Who, aside from LJ are we still hoping for this cycle?, or is there a summary in last 20 pages I could be pointed to?  

 

I want to get back on the train now that we have a actual coach and our human-bot, Machintor, has returned.

LJ for sure.

Ike Iwunnah is unsigned. So's David Abiara (legal issues) and Austin Uke. NSD2 could have a very Nigerian flavor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know if you can look at the difference between a Najee Harris or Bijan Robinson, compare it to a Isaiah Spiller, and think, "Yeah, let me go to A&M." Hopefully he sees it the same way, like a few posters have mentioned, he's had every opportunity to commit to A&M so far, and hasn't. Seems like he was looking for a reason to pick Texas, and hopefully Sark gives him that.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Babytime said:

I checked out of recruiting after the Tech game because I knew it did't matter at that point.  

Who, aside from LJ are we still hoping for this cycle?, or is there a summary in last 20 pages I could be pointed to?  

 

I want to get back on the train now that we have a actual coach and our human-bot, Machintor, has returned.

Think we still will hopefully ink Ibraheem as well assuming we are comfortable with the latest story that his involvement was indeed limited.  But he and LJ are the main ones off the top of my head.  Maybe some surprises last minute if the new coaches can flip others that they have been in contact with through their other jobs....  Other than that I hope we try to save as many roster spots for the transfer portal which will give us a bigger bang for the buck in this transition year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, texifornia said:

LJ for sure.

Ike Iwunnah is unsigned. So's David Abiara (legal issues) and Austin Uke. NSD2 could have a very Nigerian flavor.

Wheaton is worth a mention seeing as he is also unsigned. Wouldn't mind seeing his speed in the RB room, especially if Johnson heads to College Station.

Edited by ChampionshipLevelPiss
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re-engaging Wheaton at this point would likely tick off LJ and potentially cause you to miss both.  I think Bijan has become close with LJ as well, so I don't see us pursuing Wheaton unless we get a firm no from LJ. 

But if LJ is enrolling early, you'd still have time to circle back for a last ditch effort on Wheaton I guess, although I'd say our odds would be very low.  But if Tosh is hired and that's how we play it, I suppose anything is possible.    

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, JPETERMAN said:

Re-engaging Wheaton at this point would likely tick off LJ and potentially cause you to miss both.  I think Bijan has become close with LJ as well, so I don't see us pursuing Wheaton unless we get a firm no from LJ. 

But if LJ is enrolling early, you'd still have time to circle back for a last ditch effort on Wheaton I guess, although I'd say our odds would be very low.  But if Tosh is hired and that's how we play it, I suppose anything is possible.    

Gerry said he would be surprised if we re-engaged with Wheaton and indicated that Sark wouldn't want to fuck with Saban there given all he's done for him.

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

6 minutes ago, UncleSonny said:

Gerry said he would be surprised if we re-engaged with Wheaton and indicated that Sark wouldn't want to fuck with Saban there given all he's done for him.

I'm sure Saban would do the same if he were in that position.

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

1 hour ago, UncleSonny said:

Gerry said he would be surprised if we re-engaged with Wheaton and indicated that Sark wouldn't want to fuck with Saban there given all he's done for him.

I don't think it would go down like that. If Wheaton called Sark, Sark would take the call. But, if Bama bagmen were involved, I don't think we would match.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Machinator said:

From Gerry:

  Hide contents

 

IT has learned Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and Cy Fair running back L.J. Johnson have had their first conversation within the last 24 hours according to a source in the Houston area.

Johnson has graduated from Cy Fair High, and is expected to enroll at either Texas or Texas A&M this month. Stan Drayton being retained has kept Texas in the mix and given Coach Sarkisian an opportunity. Texas has remained in the race vs. trending Texas A&M due to the strong relationships with Drayton, Bryan Carrington and Brandon Harris.

 

 

Lovely

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FYI from the comments on the BON negative recruiting article:

https://www.burntorangenation.com/2021/1/3/22212055/tom-herman-fired-players-negatively-recruiting-texas-longhorns?fbclid=IwAR3nYylix4C9ko2jxHBw5VeuOyXL0hsRsty-yI435imDLeqwvdX2PJ0-dJA

 

Let’s be honest let’s put the names out.
Sam Elghinger 
Jake Smith 
Keontay Ingram
Xavoin Alford
JaQuin Jackson

More truths will be coming out its 2021 lol

Posted  by Exlonghornplaya  on Jan 3, 2021 | 9:10 PM

giphy.gif
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Roach

— I spoke to a source near Texas signee JD Coffey today. The four-star safety is concerned about his future with uncertainty in the air following the dismissal of Tom Herman. Coffey is set to enroll next week, but he doesn't know who his coach will be. That part is what is bothering him the most right now as his closest relationships are with Chris Ash and Jay Valai. Coffey has been trying to get some answers, but things are still in limbo with nobody officially hired on Steve Sarkisian's staff. If things aren't resolved soon or a change is made that he doesn't like, Coffey could explore other options. One name that would help is Keith Heyward. The Oregon safeties coach has been rumored to be a candidate for a potential slot at Texas, and Coffey knew him well from his time being recruited by the Ducks. In fact, Oregon finished second in his recruitment and at one time led for the Kennedale heavy hitter.

— Who is communicating with these kids? I was told Derek Chang and Stan Draytonhave been in contact with Coffey's camp. Coaches are expected to keep recruiting business as usual in the event of a change, but that doesn't always happen. Drayton never spoke to Coffey before today, so that seems to lend more credence to the notion that he's a favorite to be retained. With news coming down about the dismissal of Yancy McKnight and a tweet from Herb Hand that indicates he was let go, it means something to me that Drayton is still recruiting hard in the midst of what looks like a few decisions regarding the future of the staff.

— There was a report from Dennis Dodd that Barry Odom is on the shortlist to be the defensive coordinator for Steve Sarkisian. While Odom isn't considered a recruiting rainmaker, he is a certified dude as a defensive coordinator. A native of Lawton, Oklahoma and former linebacker at Mizzou, Odom coached high school football in Oklahoma and Missouri before moving into the college ranks. Odom spent time at Missouri before moving to Memphis as a DC. He came back to Missouri in the same role and was eventually elevated to head coach. After being dismissed he took a job with Arkansas where he consistently got more with less in 2020. One source I spoke with said that Odom is a serious guy who doesn't BS. As a recruiter, I was told he relates well to coaches because of his background in high school football. He's shown solid results over the years as a recruiter, but his biggest impact would be on the field. Looking through his resume, there are no obvious ties or crossovers to Steve Sarkisian. That tells me he's getting outside of his comfort zone and looking for the best candidates rather than falling back on coaches he has a long history with. I think that bodes well for how this staff could potentially come together.

—I spoke to a source near Odom who said that the Arkansas DC would likely listen and be interested in the chance to join a blue blood and work with the type of player one has access to at Texas. That said, it's going to take a lot. Odom likes the staff he works with at Arkansas and feels he can build off what they did this year. His family is also enjoying life in Northwest Arkansas where his sons are involved in football.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

image.thumb.png.48120c795cf38d363b9b1b0e0adb8f3d.png

Nick Harris also posted this

Spoke to sources today close to Cy-Fair four-star running back LJ Johnson who helped paint the picture of where his recruitment might stand after the coaching change over the weekend. 

One source reiterated that Texas held the advantage in his recruitment before the change, but that Stan Drayton being retained should help keep the Longhorns in front after. Signees in the class haven't had luck getting in contact with Johnson since the change, but considering his quiet nature, that wouldn't surprise me until he has a full understanding of everything himself.

We'll have more on Johnson as it becomes clearer in the coming days.

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

Even before this news of Coffey vacillating on his commitment, I felt that retaining Ash would be better than chasing Odom. You trust Sarkisian to get it done on the offensive side which we know had no identity or continued success in its function. But the defense, while not perfect, showed signs of gradual improvement (outside of the secondary) and needs minor tweaking, IMO. Retaining Ash will keep the current defensive players happy and you need happy players to be able to win games.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, satyanash said:

now I'm curious how many of our signees meet all these requirements 😂

 

What a fucking beating a coaches Twitter feed must be. I’ll see croots tweets retweeted by the coaches and its insufferable. I see it pop up just on occasion, their entire feed must be nothing but @supaflytherealjoker42069 tweeting their HUDL link with “all my doubters, wait till you get a load of this. No one believed in me now I’m going to #shocktheworld”...ya ok ESPN 300 five star recruit, no one believed in you 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, UDontKnow said:

Even before this news of Coffey vacillating on his commitment, I felt that retaining Ash would be better than chasing Odom. You trust Sarkisian to get it done on the offensive side which we know had no identity or continued success in its function. But the defense, while not perfect, showed signs of gradual improvement (outside of the secondary) and needs minor tweaking, IMO. Retaining Ash will keep the current defensive players happy and you need happy players to be able to win games.

The problem with that is there need to be legit upgrades on the defensive staff IMO and how does that play out, do you mandate hires on Ash or do you let Ash pick guys? Some combo of both? At that point it’s almost better to go blank slate and keep a guy like Hutzler on staff for continuity 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, UDontKnow said:

Even before this news of Coffey vacillating on his commitment, I felt that retaining Ash would be better than chasing Odom. You trust Sarkisian to get it done on the offensive side which we know had no identity or continued success in its function. But the defense, while not perfect, showed signs of gradual improvement (outside of the secondary) and needs minor tweaking, IMO. Retaining Ash will keep the current defensive players happy and you need happy players to be able to win games.

I didn't play D1 football but went through a coaching change in college baseball. Lost a pitching coach I was really close with that was difficult to understand and process at the time but eventually moved on from it. I imagine this defensive group will do the same and build a relationship with whoever is the new DC just like they did with Ash in a short amount of time. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't play D1 football but went through a coaching change in college baseball. Lost a pitching coach I was really close with that was difficult to understand and process at the time but eventually moved on from it. I imagine this defensive group will do the same and build a relationship with whoever is the new DC just like they did with Ash in a short amount of time. 

How long ago? Kids are vastly different emotionally these days. We shall see
Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, RGBIII said:

The problem with that is there need to be legit upgrades on the defensive staff IMO and how does that play out, do you mandate hires on Ash or do you let Ash pick guys? Some combo of both? At that point it’s almost better to go blank slate and keep a guy like Hutzler on staff for continuity 

Some of combination of both seems realistic given the situation. Sark is going to have coaching holdovers from the Herman regime otherwise everyone would have been terminated today and that didn't happen. The one coach that all the defensive players have in common is Ash, so in addition to keeping him on as DC, let him know certain defensive coaching positions will be getting upgrades, and actively seek his input in hires. Having some kind of continuity is necessary for player buy-in and the obvious example is how Herman had difficulty getting along with Strong's recruits to the point many are only gruntled after his shit canning. If Herman wasn't an arrogant prick, he would have kept Jeff Traylor (who was largely well-liked by the players) and asked for his help in getting buy-in from the roster he inherited. Also the portal can hurt Texas just as much it can help Texas in terms of building a roster with depth.

Edited by UDontKnow
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Athletic: Can Steve Sarkisian flip Quinn Ewers back to Texas? Recruiting Mailbag
 

Quote

 

Can Sarkisian flip Ewers back from the Buckeyes? Who knows. But that has to be the thing he’s laser-focused on the second he begins his job on a full-time basis. You call that kid relentlessly. You text that kid relentlessly. And you set up residence in his high school parking lot once coaches can hit the road. That is by far the most important task because at one point Ewers wanted to be the future face of Texas football. With a new coach and the hope that an Alabama-style offense is coming to Austin, you might be able to tug on his heartstrings and keep him home.

Outside of Ewers, there is a huge opportunity for Sarkisian to start off on the right foot. Nine of the top 50 national players in the 2022 class are from Texas. If the Longhorns can close on six of those nine (especially if one of those is Ewers), you’re looking at a top-five class.

 

 

Spoiler

 

Which is more important for Steve Sarkisian now that he has the Texas job: keeping talent home in Texas or recruiting nationally a la Alabama and Ohio State? — Drew B.

Do you think there’s any chance Sark flips Quinn Ewers back from Ohio State? — Willie G.

What does Sark’s hire do for Texas’ recruiting both short term and long term? — Trey C. 

Sorry if I missed other questions about Sarkisian, but this is clearly a hot-button issue because, well, a top-tier program just fired Tom Herman and hired an amazing offensive mind away from Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama.

First off, I want to make sure that Herman gets his due. Though things didn’t end up the way Herman envisioned in Austin, I’m not necessarily sure that we can sit back and definitively say it was a lack of recruiting that got him into this mess. It was far more about not being able to develop the players he landed than not being able to get the talent at all. Every year, I tried to talk myself into Texas being back because the Longhorns had every bit as much talent as Oklahoma on their roster. In 2020, Texas had the fifth-most-talented roster in college football, according to the 247Sports Team Talent Composite, behind only Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson — three of which advanced to the College Football Playoff.

What can we expect from Texas’ recruiting efforts going forward? I think anytime there’s an exciting hire, especially when that hire is an offensive mind in the Big 12, you can expect a recruiting bump. Yes, Ohio State has landed more five-star prospects out of Texas than Texas in the past few cycles, and yes, Herman’s staff failed to get in on some important players early during his tenure. But Texas is a big state to own, and there is probably enough talent in the Lone Star State for Texas to make the Playoff even if it converts on only 60 or 70 percent of the four- and five-star talent in its own state. So Step 1 for Texas, before worrying about recruiting like Alabama or Ohio State, is to close on a higher rate of the countless elite players in the state every year.

That means starting with five-star quarterback Quinn Ewers of Southlake (Texas) Carroll. Rated the No. 1 overall player in the 2022 class in the 247Sports Composite, Ewers initially committed to Texas before breaking his pledge and committing to Ohio State. Can Sarkisian flip Ewers back from the Buckeyes? Who knows. But that has to be the thing he’s laser-focused on the second he begins his job on a full-time basis. You call that kid relentlessly. You text that kid relentlessly. And you set up residence in his high school parking lot once coaches can hit the road. That is by far the most important task because at one point Ewers wanted to be the future face of Texas football. With a new coach and the hope that an Alabama-style offense is coming to Austin, you might be able to tug on his heartstrings and keep him home.

Outside of Ewers, there is a huge opportunity for Sarkisian to start off on the right foot. Nine of the top 50 national players in the 2022 class are from Texas. If the Longhorns can close on six of those nine (especially if one of those is Ewers), you’re looking at a top-five class.

Own Texas. Hire a staff that’s familiar with Texas. Be in every high school possible. Text relentlessly. Call relentlessly. Claim to be the Texas of old and sign a top-five class right out of the gate. The opportunity is there for Sark.

Herman got a lot of those players, so that’s the expectation for Sarkisian.

Winning with them is what would separate Sarkisian from Herman.

 

rest of article::
 

Spoiler

 

Why didn’t Washington’s playoff appearance in 2016 lead to better recruiting classes? What does Washington need to do to get a top-three class in the Pac-12 every year? — Adam C. 

I’m glad you asked this question because I think it addresses a fundamental misunderstanding about how much winning immediately correlates to elite-level recruiting. In the anonymous survey I did with a collection of recruiting staffers across the country last month, I asked what the biggest misconception about recruiting is. One of the popular answers was that winning on the field directly transforms recruiting results. Though having a winning culture and competing for national titles regularly certainly matters at places that do it consistently, a single College Football Playoff appearance isn’t automatically going to lead to top-five classes every year. In fact, oftentimes recruits can be sold about being the missing link at places that aren’t winning at all.

It’s really hard to diagnose “what went wrong” with recruiting classes because you’re dealing with a bunch of decisions from random teenagers in a given year, but as it pertains to the Huskies, I find this to be the most alarming thing: There were three top 10 national prospects in the Seattle area in the 2021 class, and as things stand now, it appears Washington is going to sign only one of them. Yes, Washington got the one who arguably matters the most — five-star quarterback Sam Huard of Bellevue (Wash.) Kennedy Catholic — but five-star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka of Steilacoom (Wash.) High is headed to Ohio State and five-star defensive tackle J.T. Tuimoloau of Sammamish (Wash.) Eastside Catholic seems to be destined to leave the state. That could have been a three-player nucleus that proved to be the catalyst for change for Jimmy Lake and the Huskies, so that was a major, major missed opportunity.

In your question, you asked what Washington has to do to finish with the No. 3 class (at worst) in the Pac-12 every year, and I’m not sure if you realize it, but the Huskies have done that three times since making the 2016 College Football Playoff. Washington’s 2021 class is a bit disappointing, currently ranking No. 33 overall and No. 6 in the Pac-12 — which isn’t ideal, especially considering both Oregon and USC have top 10 classes. But the Huskies, in most years, have been singing solid classes.

The simple answer is this: When the opportunity strikes to build something special with home-grown talent — as it did in 2021 — a school such as Washington has to capitalize. Washington, unfortunately, failed to do so, but here’s to hoping that another year under Lake’s belt — in conjunction with signing Huard — will lead to change.

You have said before that Clemson is the only team that has been able to compete for national championships without stacking up top 5 classes. What is the X-factor here? Transcendent quarterbacks? Is landing a 5-star QB the missing piece for ND? — Brian G. 

Three teams have won a national title dating back to 2000 that didn’t sign a top-five class in any of the previous four years: Auburn (2010) and Clemson (2016 and 2018). How did that happen? It’s pretty clear — elite quarterback play, Cam Newton for Auburn and Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence for Clemson. College football has changed since Auburn won it all behind Newton, however, as the talent seems to be swarming to the top five programs in America at a more consistent rate than ever.

So when it comes to Clemson, yes, the transcendent quarterbacks were a large part of the reason. But with the Tigers, the biggest reason is that Dabo Swinney and his staff have been the best talent evaluators in America, as they have turned solid prospects into NFL players at a higher rate than any other program in the country.

What’s the missing piece for Notre Dame? I think quarterback is a good start, and the Irish signed four-star Tyler Buchner of La Mesa (Calif.) Helix, the No. 65 overall player and the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the 2021 class. He’s not a five-star prospect, but he’s very close, so that’s a good start.

But anyone who watched Notre Dame play the healthy version of Clemson in the ACC title game and Alabama in the College Football Playoff will admit that the Irish just don’t have the talent at the skill positions to match up with the big dogs.

So, yes, quarterback is a major start, but recruiting at a higher level across the board is necessary. Notre Dame’s roster was ranked No. 8 in the nation in 2020, and the Irish overachieved by making the Playoff. Notre Dame has made the Playoff twice in the past three seasons. The program is in better shape than 99 percent of the sport.

But when it comes to catching Alabama or Clemson or Ohio State? It is going to take recruiting at a significantly higher level. In terms of blue-chip prospects (four- and five-star recruits), Alabama has 70 on its roster, Ohio State has 66 and Clemson has 46. Notre Dame, too, has 46, but those 46 weren’t as highly rated as the bunch Clemson signed, and, as noted earlier, Clemson has proven to be great at evaluating and developing talent. (And the Tigers also had Lawrence at QB.)

So, it’s clear that the gap is huge. Notre Dame is a top-10 program, but it’s probably three or four years of elite-level classes away from legitimately breaking into the top three and winning a national title.

Do you think reducing the scholarship limit from 85 to something like 77 or 78 would increase the amount of parity in CFB? — Stephen O.

Yes. Roughly half of the prospects in the top 100 in the 2021 class signed with Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia or LSU. Five programs landed half (!) of the best high school players in the country. If the sport were to reduce the scholarship totals, that would free up more of those top 100 players to go to other schools, so I think you’d find a wider range of elite-level prospects at new places. The problem with that? A reduction in scholarships means fewer scholarships across the board for high school athletes, and for me, that’s a pretty big downside to this proposition.

How should fan bases judge first-year head coaches’ recruiting classes because of the weird pandemic year? Should they be taken with a grain of salt or should they be judged like any other year? — Michael B. 

I think you could make a case for both sides, honestly. Yes, first-year head coaches who weren’t able to have kids on campus were undoubtedly fighting an uphill battle, but the entire country was fighting the same battle. And as I’ve written in this mailbag, the rankings in this year’s cycle — especially once you get outside of the top 10 or 15 teams — are going to be inherently flawed because there was less data out there from an evaluation standpoint. No camps, no in-person visits and, in some cases, no games will make this the most poorly evaluated class in quite some time. Maybe that first-year head coach landed some gems. Or maybe he reached on some kids. We will find out in the next few years.

 

 

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

From Gerry:

Quote

IT spoke with a source close to Texas commitment Keithron Lee. The Bryan Rudder receiver remains committed to Texas, and wants to be at Texas.

Was told Lee "Thinks things will be okay" in terms of Texas honoring his commitment. Lee's just waiting a week or two to see who will be on the staff and make sure nothing has changed on the new staff's end.

The source said Lee picked the University of Texas for the school, more so than a coach.

 

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

Wells

I’m told new coach Steve Sarkisian has reached out to Austin High QB and Texas signee Charles Wright, per a source.

Wright, who had been on a hunting trip last weekend, is said to be very excited about what Sarkisian is bringing to Austin, and is also slated to enroll in a few weeks.

Sark is keeping tabs on the recruits and early enrollees. This man is ready to get to the ATX.

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

TFB

Spoiler

***I chatted with LJ Johnson a bit and it sounds like coach Sarkisian has already been in touch with him. In terms of his decision LJ tells me, “I’m still deciding. I still won’t have a decision probably until February”.

He did fill out his school application at Texas and sources on the OU side tell me he did the application for OU. I would assume he did the same for TAMU. That’s no small thing – those applications are long, so typically if a kid goes through that it means they are either very serious about going to that school or are committed.

We do believe OU has decided to not take a high school back. So, for now, I believe they are out.

***I checked with a source close to Camar Wheaton and am told that Sark has not yet reached out to Camar. I don’t know how that will work with Sark coming from Alabama and Camar being committed to Alabama. Sometimes there are gentlemen’s agreements. I know Locksly and Saban had one for a player or two who were committed that were from the DMV area.

However, I do get the sense that if Sark and co were to make a move on Camar that it could interesting. I still stand by my reporting in the summer that Texas was very close to landing Camar before things went south.

 

  • Hook 'Em 3
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...