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Texas Recruiting Notes 2025: Now We Have a Machine Gun


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21 minutes ago, BornAndRaised said:

Wasn't he supposed to be coaching at the Senior Bowl? Obviously I'm happy he's recruiting for us already, just curious how that works.

He was. I presume someone with Texas asked, “Are you still employed by the Dolphins?” Kenny replied in the negative, got the message and got on a plane to go to work for the people now signing his checks. 

Rink is an easy one to get his feet wet again.

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Texas commit Brandon Brown ready to meet new UT DL coach Kenny Baker - rivals.com

Spoiler

2025 defensive tackle

Brandon Brown pulled a bit of a surprise when he committed to the Texas Longhorns on December 19. Since that time, Texas has had a coaching change at his position, but Brown has remained true with his commitment. This week, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and assistant coaches Tashard Choice and Jeff Banks paid Brown a visit at his school, and Brown says it was a good meeting.

 

“It was great. I felt a great connection with the coaches there,” Brown said. “Coach Sark, he’s a pretty nice guy. I liked his vibe.”

Brown, out of Eau Gallie High School in Palm Bay (FL), talked to the Texas coaches about new Longhorn defensive line coach Kenny Baker, and Brown is anxious to get to Austin for an in-person meeting with the newest member of the UT staff.

“They were telling me that coach Baker is going to get everything situated, then I’ll get on the phone with him and come out there and visit, see how I like him,” Brown said.

ð¤ð¾ð¤ð¾ð¤ð¾ #HookEm @CoachJeffBanks @coachchoice @CoachSark @EauGallieHC pic.twitter.com/WnJ0t1a41i

— Brandon Brown 4â­ï¸ DT (@321Brandonn) January 29, 2024

No date for a visit has been set up yet, but Brown said he’ll likely make his way to Austin for a spring practice once the upcoming dead period lifts in early March. Before making a trip to Austin, Brown will head further west this coming weekend with visits to USC and UCLA.

“I’m just looking for great vibes, feel the weather, see how it goes with the coaches,” Brown said.

A big part of Brown’s decision to commit to Texas was to be coached by Bo Davis, who is now at LSU. Despite Davis’ departure, Brown said he’s going to be patient and give the Longhorns a chance as he develops a relationship with Kenny Baker.

“I feel like I was going to be highly coached by the best coach, coach Bo. But he left. With coach Baker, it’s good to see another chance at it, see who I’ll be coached by,” Brown said.

At 6-1 ¾ and 285 pounds, Brown ranks No. 200 on the 2025 Rivals250. His high school film shows an athletic specimen that seems to live in the offensive backfield, which has programs like Texas, Auburn, USC, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee and Texas A&M among the schools that have extended offers.

“I think I’m very physical, play at pad level. I get off the ball quick,” Brown said. “My change of direction, speed … I feel like I’m good at that, chasing down the ball carrier. I want to work my hips some more … and work on some more moves.”

 

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image.png.b8ed0c1d8f815fe7edd3217e0b53d83b.png

1 When will you be making your announcement?

2 When is the time window for disrespecting your decision?

In what respect should we respect your decision? For that matter, how would I go about disrespecting your decision?

 

 

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7 hours ago, RomaVicta said:

image.png.b8ed0c1d8f815fe7edd3217e0b53d83b.png

1 When will you be making your announcement?

2 When is the time window for disrespecting your decision?

In what respect should we respect your decision? For that matter, how would I go about disrespecting your decision?

 

 

Shouldn’t we be respecting his indecision?

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2 hours ago, SydneyCarton said:

I mean, one of Ohio State's color's is gray, so...

And isn't it convenient that gray has been the basic sweats color since the 1920s? Hey, look, here's notable Buckeye fan Rocky Balboa.

image.png.fa5719961e8c5596795e964427dfa4ba.png

(It may be intentional, but Ohio State needs to get the fuck out of Texas, so fuck them. He either switched into an orange hoodie for Sark or out of one for Day.)

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Eric Nahlin: What would make for a successful 2025 recruiting cycle for Texas?

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A successful class goes a bit deeper than a ‘Top 3’ ranking, though a Top 3 ranking would surely be a good start. Class success should be measured by meeting needs across the board, not just a position or two, and especially at the positions of greatest need. Texas has a ton of favorable tailwinds as the 2025 class begins to take shape. A successful class is certainly more likely than not. Here’s what I’ll be looking for at the end of the cycle.

1. A great defensive line class

In Sydir Mitchell and Alex January, Texas has taken only two true interior prospects in the last two classes. Melvin Hills is on the outer edges of being an interior guy, at least early in his career. The plan was to take four last cycle and they fell two short. It is time to load up. Fortunately it’s a good cycle to do just that, but this is the greatest need in 2025 and it’s at perhaps the most competitive position to recruit. Resource allocation may come into play at other positions so Texas can land a hallmark iDL class.

2. Hold on to the current commits, especially K.J. Lacey and Brandon Brown

Brandon Brown‘s a couple inches away from being a five-star which means he has uncommon movement skills. There’s a strong sense he’s firm to Texas, and that he committed to Texas and not Bo Davis. That’s good. Keeping Brown ties into No. 1 above. Texas feels ‘good’ about keeping the commitment of K.J. Lacey, the quarterback from Alabama, but the coaches aren’t blind to the competition within his home state. If Lacey were to flip, the sooner the better. (I’ll have some interesting notes from an insider in the deep Southeast regarding both of these two and most every other offer Texas has out in the region.)

3. Load up at TE and LB

Strike while the iron is hot, make hay while the sun shines, etc. These are looking like big classes with plenty of talent available to Texas, especially given UT’s ever-growing national footprint. The good news at tight end is Texas already has a commitment from Emaree Winston. Winston is a versatile piece from Georgia. Meanwhile, many of Texas’ other top targets hail from in-state.

There’s sentiment out there that landing Jasper’s Tyanthony Smith in 2024 will be a big help for landing his former teammate Kiotti Armstrong in 2025. I’m in favor this sentiment, though I need to verify it for myself. In-line tight ends who are credible receiving threats are always a priority Then there’s Nick Townsend from Spring Dekaney who could be Ja’Tavion Sanders reincarnate.

We’ve talked about linebacker a lot. There are studs from sea to shining sea, including the Gulf of Mexico. I feel at the position but there will be steep competition for Texas’ key targets. That’s a good thing but you always have to protect against misses because you rarely land your ideal class. A positive about linebacker recruiting, besides the baseline talent of the big board, is many of these guys are already demonstrating the ability to play the position, rather than just being athletes.

4. Flip a five-star or two

Individuals don’t typically make or break a class but missing on obvious high-end NFL talent is never a good thing if you’re trying to compete with Georgia and Ohio State. Wide receiver Dakorien Moore and cornerback Devin Sanchez are those sorts of players. You can never have enough elite cornerbacks while Moore has the look of an ideal No. 1 receiver for Steve Sarkisian. At this point I expect both to be treated like priorities well into December.

5. Land key in-state targets

This ties into No. 4. Texas has to protect home field advantage when it’s a recruitment that truly matters. Given the prevalence of NIL and the move to the SEC, in-state recruiting has taken a back seat in importance. That doesn’t mean in-state priorities are easily replaceable by looking elsewhere. In-state recruiting still has its advantages, especially when Texas is ‘up’. Proximity and the holistic appeal of the school are also huge factors.

There are times the coaches won’t want to make things harder than they should be. This is a good in-state class with priority targets all over the state and at pretty much every position group. But, if an individual recruit or position group isn’t up to the staff’s championship standard then it’s time to break out Rand McNally and do some travelin’.

(Justin Wells) Texas Longhorns Recruiting Intel: Texas coaches hitting the trail

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Inside Texas takes a look at the latest from Texas coaches on the recruiting trail from East Texas to Georgia in Thursday’s recruiting intel.

Zion Williams, DL, Lufkin (Texas) – 2025

One of the first stops for UT’s new defensive line coach Kenny Baker was in the piney woods of East Texas to see four-star monster Zion Williams. “Not going to lie, he seems like a great man,” Williams told Inside Texas after his meeting with Baker. Texas assured Williams he’s certainly a priority for the 2025 cycle and the Longhorns will continue to build the relationship.

Steve Sarkisian has held the reins since Bo Davis’ departure. Now it’s Baker’s turn to pick up where Davis left off. The 6-foot-5, 315-pounder has been popular of late with a recent visit to LSU, where Davis is now pushing for the East Texas stud. Alabama, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, TCU and others are in the mix. Williams is looking to get back to Austin sometime this Spring.

Jontae Gilbert, S, Atlanta (Ga.) Douglass – 2025

The On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 3 safety for 2025 got a visit from Texas safety coach Blake Gideon this week. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound four-star is one of the most coveted athletes in the nation and UT is treating him as such. He told Inside Texas that the Horns have assured him “I’m a priority to them,” and they’ll do everything to get a player of his caliber.

Georgia, Clemson, and South Carolina stand out today for the No. 31 overall prospect in the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking. He hit Georgia’s Junior Day in mid January. Gilbert is looking at a trip to Austin either in the Spring or for an official visit in June.

Michael Fasusi, OT, Lewisville (Texas) – 2025

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian stopped by Lewisville on Wednesday to see one of the top prospects on UT’s big board for 2025. Fasusi absolutely loves Texas and Oklahoma at this stage and was excited to see UT’s head coach on campus. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound future five-star was on the road of recently with stops at Texas A&M and Missouri.

IT knows Texas, Oklahoma, Oregon, and USC are schools Fasusi is really paying attention to at this moment, but Fasusi also recently canceled a trip to Eugene to see the Ducks. He’s looking at visiting Texas on April 20th for the annual Orange-White scrimmage.

 

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44 minutes ago, satyanash said:

Eric Nahlin: What would make for a successful 2025 recruiting cycle for Texas?

(Justin Wells) Texas Longhorns Recruiting Intel: Texas coaches hitting the trail

 

I always appreciate the information you bring here.  But holy heaven, Nahlin's awful writing makes my eyeballs bleed.

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On 1/31/2024 at 11:26 AM, Getafix said:

 

Jordan Hofeditz of Pony Stampede is a man of few, but very powerful words.

 

 

image.thumb.png.4d7c73f13786e68fd05861b693317aa1.png

 

 

 

Gerry says most likely Baylor.  SMU rb coach left for Baylor last month and his teammate just committed to them.

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1 hour ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Gerry says most likely Baylor.  SMU rb coach left for Baylor last month and his teammate just committed to them.

Something to keep in mind at this point in the cycle is that Texas isn't pushing many players for a commitment. Guys like Stewart might commit elsewhere and Texas will keep recruiting them without that being relevant. There are multiple reasons for not pushing for commitments right now that all make sense. Most programs are not in UT's position, however, so they're making moves sooner.

 

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earlier in the chat on the coffee and football show.. I think Devin Sanchez mom made an appearance.. Seems like UT didn't recruit her son as a priority, and that tosu was one of his last offers but took off as soon as they did.

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11 minutes ago, Thiefery said:

earlier in the chat on the coffee and football show.. I think Devin Sanchez mom made an appearance.. Seems like UT didn't recruit her son as a priority, and that tosu was one of his last offers but took off as soon as they did.

Can you translate this to English so that the rest of us can follow what you're saying?

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