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Texas recruiting notes 2019


bigup2dahorns

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5 hours ago, Chuckie Finster said:

We follow college football because we love college football.  These kids play college football because they are good at football.  That doesn't seem like a big difference, but you would be surprised at how many football players, and really athletes in general, couldn't care less about the pageantry surrounding the sport they play.  Most of them develop some connection to campus while they are here, but It's strictly a business decision for a lot of them before that.

You generally don't become a lifelong fan of a university until you go there, or at least live a life

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The Stampede: What rest of summer looks like for UT recruiting

The dead period is coming to an end. And that means the rest of summer is really about to heat up on the recruiting trail. Texas will kick off things off with a big recruiting weekend that will feature a handful of key 2019 targets as well as several underclassmen.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a Texas recruiting event without a little Javonne Shepherd drama. Like last month, we’ve already had reports of Shepherd coming and not coming to campus. So do we expect Shepherd to make his way to Austin? Honestly, anything can happen with him. We really won’t know until the day of. With that said, we still feel very confident about where the Longhorns stand and feel like they still hold the lead in this recruitment.

Texas will get four-star Katy Cinco Ranch inside linebacker David Gbenda on campus for the second time in as many months. Despite conflicting reports, Gbenda remains a priority target for the Longhorns, and we feel like Texas has the edge early on with TCU and Texas A&M firmly in the mix. The problem here is Gbenda wants to wait to make a decision until December. Texas is going to continue to recruit linebackers since it still remains a need this cycle as evidenced by last week’s offer to California native Daniel Heimuli. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Gbenda speed up his timeline. By the way, Texas commit Peter Mpagi is also coming in this weekend and will make Gbenda his top target. The two are good friends and talk on a daily basis.

Four-star Williams Field (AZ) safety Noa Pola-Gates will be making his way to Austin for the first time ever. While Alabama is considered the leader here, Texas has been making a strong push and will get him back on campus for an official visit at some point this fall. Texas has had plenty of success in Arizona this cycle, and Craig Naivar has been putting in overtime in this recruitment. On top of that, Pola-Gates has family in Austin and Texas commit Jake Smith, who will be in town this weekend, is going to recruit him hard.

As mentioned, Texas is also set to host several underclassmen, including five-star running back Zachary Evans, four-star safety Bryson Washington and four-star cornerback Jaylon Jones as well as potential offer prospects like four-star cornerback Lorando Johnson. Aside from the event, there are a few key targets expected to make their decisions before the end of August.

Let’s start off with the monster that is Rian Davis. The four-star linebacker out of Wekiva (Fla.) hasn’t been shy about naming Georgia his leader, but the Longhorns have done excellent work during the during period and have closed the gap a bit. Texas impressed him on his official visit last month and could get him to postpone his decision. UT defensive coordinator Todd Orlando, Director of Recruiting Bryan Carrington and commit De’Gabriel Floyd have all been working day and night on Davis. By no means is this one over.

Like Davis, we feel like there is a good chance that four-star Austin Bowie wide receiver Elijah Higgins pushes things back. Higgins’ recruitment has had a couple of twists and turns, and it appears he needs more time to think about things. The longer this goes, the better for Texas.

UT’s best chance at a summer commitment — barring a wildcard decision — might be four-star Louisiana athlete Makiya Tongue, who will visit both Georgia and Texas before the end of the month. Georgia appeared to be in the lead, but Texas has been making him more of a priority. If everything goes well on his trip on July 30, we expect the Longhorns to seal the deal. Texas cornerbacks coach and area recruiter Jason Washington has been an X-factor here and had a very productive conversation with Tongue’s father last week.

***

Texas took a hit along the offensive line as it lost junior college product Mikey Grandy. This was definitely some disappointing news for Texas as Grandy was expected to come in and make an immediate impact in the trenches. However, this does free up a spot for the 2019 class.

Texas is looking to take around four offensive line recruits this cycle and already has one committed in five-star tackle Tyler Johnson.  As mentioned, we still feel like Texas has the edge over Texas A&M for four-star tackle Javonne Shepherd and wouldn’t be surprised if he does make his way to campus this weekend. Texas is still recruiting Arkansas offensive lineman Stacey Wilkins, but we don’t expect much movement there. TCU commit Andrew Coker also remains an option at tackle, but UT must get him on campus for an official visit in the fall.

Missing out on Stanford pledge Branson Bragg was tough as Texas is now evaluating secondary interior options. Guys to keep an eye on are Dohnovan West, Melvin McBride, Preston Wilson and Cole Birmingham. West is from California, and the Longhorns have obviously had success out there this cycle. Meanwhile, McBride is from Tennessee, where Texas offensive line coach Herb Hand has recruited throughout his career. Wilson and Birmingham are both Oklahoma State commits and intriguing in-state options.

Grandy’s spot could be used later in the cycle on a junior college player or a graduate transfer. But those guys usually don’t pop up until closer to December. Texas could also use the extra scholarship on another position and take an intriguing prospect like a Langston Anderson or a Jaylen Ellis. The Longhorns definitely have some wiggle room and time to let things play out. 

***

Deion Sanders knows a thing or two about defensive backs. After all, the NFL Hall of Famer turned Trinity Christian Cedar Hill coach was one of the best to every play cornerback at the pro level and redefined the way the position was played. Sanders has taken elite safety Lewis Cine under his wing this offseason and had huge praise for him on the field.

“As a player, I think he’s a Day 1 starter in college,” Sanders said. “I really do. I know he wants to graduate early and get to the university he choses in the spring, so he can have that opportunity. He’s going to be a phenomenal player.” Sanders couldn’t have been more complimentary of Cine of the field as well. “Lewis is a great kid,” Sanders said. “You have to start there. He’s trustworthy. He’s dependable. He’s accountable. He’s great in the classroom. It’s all check, check and check with him. He’s the kind of kid you want your son to hang around. He comes from a very humble background. He’s the perfect model as a young man.”

Cine, who moved to the Dallas-area from Massachusetts this offseason, has five schools really standing out to him at this point in the process — Georgia, Florida, Michigan, Penn State and Texas. The Longhorns have made Cine one of their top overall priorities since he arrived in the Lone Star State and recently hosted him and Sanders in Austin. Sanders applauded the Texas staff for their vision and efforts with Cine.

“I loved what their staff did at Houston,” Sanders said. “I love Coach (Tom) Herman. Coach (Craig) Naivar is phenomenal. These guys are building something strong there. Lewis is an East Coast guy, and they’re coming with everything to try to lure him.” Cine made an official visit to Texas in June. He is slated to return to UT when the Longhorns take on USC on Sept. 15. At 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, Cine is ranked as the No. 3 safety and No. 49 overall prospect in the country, per 247Sports Composite.

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TFB Open Post: https://texas.thefootballbrainiacs.com/2018/07/open-post-tuesday-july-24th/

 

4-Star Rodas Johnson Likely Visiting Texas This Week
– Super K

A name you’re likely not familiar with but may need to get familiar with is that of 2019 defensive lineman, Rodas Johnson (Columbus, OH).

Johnson holds offers from the likes of Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and others.

I spoke with someone close to Johnson recently and it turns out that he’s originally from Texas. He moved up to Ohio in elementary school but with a father who is from Texas they grew up Longhorn fans.

Johnson is currently in the state of Texas visiting family. They’re hoping to make a visit over to Texas this upcoming Friday. Johnson doesn’t yet hold a Texas offer but that could obviously change. I’m still learning about Johnson. He does play both ways in high school but based on what I’ve been told, he is set on playing defense.

He was being heavily recruited by Michigan and I checked with a source up there and was told that he camped at Michigan and was offered as a defensive lineman.

More on this as we get it but as of right now, we are expecting Johnson to be at Texas this weekend.

Quick Hitter | Inside Linebackers
– Will Baizer

– 2019 inside linebacker Rian Davis has been spending a few weeks this summer in his former hometown of Houston. He and current commit DeGabriel Floyd have formed a very tight friendship. I’ve been sitting on this for a bit because I was asked to, but now that it’s been reported a few times, I’ll confirm that Texas has been trying to get him up to Austin while he’s been in Houston. However, Davis will be returning back to Florida tomorrow, so any chance that happens seems to have passed. Still, Davis plans to make it to Texas for a game this season.

– 2019 linebacker Maninoa Tufono has also formed a very tight relationship with “the voice of the class” DeGabriel Floyd. After hearing some things in the background, we actually feel that Texas may have a slight lead here, ahead of Washington and USC. There certainly is some confidence from the Texas side.

– 2019 inside linebacker Shammond Cooper has Texas high on his list without having visited Austin. Oklahoma is still in the picture here as I was told he will be visiting their big recruiting event on the 28th, but the family is looking to take an unofficial visit to Texas “sometime within the next month,” and want to take an official visit for the Texas vs USC game. Right now Illinois is the biggest threat due to their lack of depth and talent at linebacker and his friend Isaiah Williams being committed there.

Buckeyes Receiver Coach Terminated | Wilson & Washington
– Super K

In case you missed it, Ohio State’s wide receiver coach, Zach Smith is out at Ohio State.

Shortly after the news, Garrett Wilson tweeted out the following…

https://twitter.com/GarrettWilson_V/status/1021531660997873664

Garrett told me that he has no plans on taking any visits outside of his visit up to Columbus for a game this fall. Beyond that, he’s hoping to make it to the Ohio State vs. TCU game in Dallas.

It doesn’t sound like there is much room for any movement here. However, there are almost always opportunities that present themselves during the season.

The bigger question right now is, how does this change things with Marcus Washington and his commitment date. We already noted that folks around him indicated that didn’t feel it was likely that he’d go through with his commitment (scheduled for early August). I would surmise that this makes it even less likely. But I’ll be doing some digging.

 

***Spoke with Lewis Cine who tells me he will be in Athens this weekend for UGA’s recruiting event this upcoming weekend. Needless to say, he won’t be at Texas’ recruiting event.

Georgia is surging here. I’ll have more on this later. – (Super K)

 

July 27th Visitors
– The Brainiacs

Below you will find our initial list of recruits of which we have confirmed their status in regards to the recruiting event on July 27th.

The list will undoubtedly change with some additions and the inevitable conflicts that arrive. We will keep the list updated as we get additional information.

Just because you don’t see a recruits name on the list at this point but you have seen it elsewhere doesn’t mean anything as we will only add names which we have personally confirmed to our list!

 

2019

QB Roschon Johnson – Port Neches-Grove (Port Neches, TX) TEXAS

RLB DeGabriel Floyd – Westlake (Los Angeles, CA) TEXAS

CB Marques Caldwell – Alvin (Alvin, TX) TEXAS

WR Jake Smith – Notre Dame Preparatory (Scottsdale, AZ) TEXAS

TE Jared Wiley – Temple (Temple, TX) TEXAS

DL Rodas Johnson – St. Francis De Sales (Columbus, OH)

DB Noa Pola-Gates – Williams Field (Gilbert, AZ)

LB David Gbenda – Cinco Ranch (Houston, TX) Maybe

OT Javonne Shepherd – North Forest (Houston, TX)

 

2020

RB Zach Evans – North Shore (Houston, TX) – Maybe

RB Ty Jordan – West Mesquite (Mesquite, TX)

CB Jaylon Jones – Steele (Cibolo, TX)

CB Lorando Johnson – Lancaster (Lancaster, TX)

DB Bryson Washington – C.E.King (Houston, TX)

DL Princely Umanmielen – Manor (Manor, TX) – Probable

ATH Michael Henderson Jr – Ranchview (Carrollton, TX) – maybe

2021

DE Landyn Watson – Hutto (Hutto, TX)

Edited by Machinator
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Quote

I spoke with someone close to Johnson recently and it turns out that he’s originally from Texas. He moved up to Ohio in elementary school but with a father who is from Texas they grew up Longhorn fans. 

– 2019 linebacker Maninoa Tufono has also formed a very tight relationship with “the voice of the class” DeGabriel Floyd. After hearing some things in the background, we actually feel that Texas may have a slight lead here, ahead of Washington and USC. There certainly is some confidence from the Texas side. 

DdEY.gif

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52 minutes ago, Machinator said:

***Spoke with Lewis Cine who tells me he will be in Athens this weekend for UGA’s recruiting event this upcoming weekend. Needless to say, he won’t be at Texas’ recruiting event. 

Georgia is surging here. I’ll have more on this later. – (Super K)

Is this "surge" due to Deion?

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4 minutes ago, Fud said:

I'm just a random asshole looking at a hudl, but Rodas Johnson looks jaggy to me 

Haven't had a chance to look. How does he look as an OL? Always a possibility that teams want to get him on campus as a DL and then let him figure things out on his own.

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2 minutes ago, Bevo said:

Haven't had a chance to look. How does he look as an OL? Always a possibility that teams want to get him on campus as a DL and then let him figure things out on his own.

Looks meh at both, imo. Gabriel Hall looks like a more interesting two way prospect to me. 

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53 minutes ago, Fud said:

Looks meh at both, imo. Gabriel Hall looks like a more interesting two way prospect to me. 

I've talked about him before, but I'm curious to see if they go after Hall. This is the type of guy that goes elsewhere and then has us scratching our heads down the line as to why we never looked at him.

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Inside Texas Recruiting Notebook - 7/24/18

By: Justin Wells and Ian Boyd

Andrew Coker (OL, Katy Taylor - 2019) TCU
6-foot-8, 338 lbs (Nike verified), Verified: 5.68 shuttle, 33 Powerball. Self-reported: 5.28 40, 28” vertical and 315-pound bench. Hudl/highlights

How he fits at Texas: This is what Orlando Brown's HS tape looked like, just a massive human being who was quick enough to get to the right spots and thus often had highlights where he was either bullying helpless victims or watching guys make business decisions. This dude is 6-foot-8, 330 right now and moves really easily at that size. The game is simply too easy for him right now so it'll be interesting to see what his development curve looks like in college when technique will start to matter more and he can't just toss people out of his way. His ceiling is definitely at LT and he'll probably stick there but RT would make sense if he ends up stronger in run blocking technique than pass protection. With his reach and mass though, a LT that's very difficult to get around seems the most likely outcome. If he's closer to 6-6 or 6-7 and can get down in a stance he might work out at guard. Taking him would amount to hoping that he'd respond to a demanding culture and maximize his deep, untapped potential either in the art of drive blocking DTs or dropping into protection. - Ian Boyd

Coach Says: Strengths - A massive human being. Great size for a tackle. Well-built throughout with good proportion and fairly good midsection tone. Great hip and knee bend in his stance and generally pretty fast out of it. First steps tend to be good with rare false steps out of his stance. Tends to stay balanced out of his stance and with short area movement. Good acceleration. Sets a good anchor and rarely, if ever, is pushed back. Very good upper body strength. Will stun most players if he can get his hands on them. Hand placement is usually quite good. Mauls people regularly with 93 pancakes in his junior season. Shows several run block types on his tape. Hudl shows some good finish on blocks. Areas for Improvement - Limited pass protection tape. Kick step inconsistent. Concern over defending the outside/speed rush. Many of best highlights are against physically overmatched opponents. Opponent tape shows him susceptible to rip moves and combinations. Finesse rushers will be a concern. Some concerning plays show him blocking no one while the play happens around him. Doesn’t use lower body enough and loses his leverage by getting upright at times. Stops moving his feet once engaged which will sometimes lead to him hanging on for life as the opponent moves around. Will lunge at times. Limited speed game film (but still effective at times downfield). Doesn’t always look for work when there isn’t a man head up on him. Doesn’t consistently finish blocks. Hand placement can get sloppy at times. While not pushed back often, he does get stood up; in one instance by a DE that he outweighs by 100 lbs. Powerball toss is average for all positions.

How this affects Texas: The need for depth along the offensive line has been the major hurdle for Herman since he arrived. Herb Hand would prefer that depth come with size and talent. Coker offers both. Even though he's pledged to the Horny Toads, Coker is more open than he'd admit. He may or may not have already snuck onto UT's campus this summer. I expect another visit too. Add him to Tyler Johnson and Javonne Shepherd (probable), and the master chef Hand is cooking with gas. - Justin Wells

Taurean Carter - DL, Mansfield Legacy HS
6-foot-3, 263 lbs. Self-reported: 4.9 40-yd, Bench 300, Squat 405
Hudl/highlights

How he fits at Texas: Carter gets off the ball really well, especially coming downhill where he generates a lot of power very easily. He's going to end up like Taquon Graham, at 290 or so without adding bad weight and super disruptive when shooting a gap. Carter probably ends up at 4i, taking interior gaps more often than he loops wide but he does have some ability to stunt and move around. It's also possible he grows into a nose if he learns to use his hands to fight doubles but rocking tackles back as a 4i seems his most likely destination. - IB

Coach says: Strengths - Good height with room to add bulk. Long arms that he gets up into the passing lanes. Generates power out of his stance and has a very quick first step. Stays head up when engaged. Shows good upper body strength. Tends to mostly play with good leverage when engaged. Doesn’t let blockers into his chest easily and will shed blocks to make the play. Seems to be balanced most of the time. Shows a bull rush and spin move. Instinctive and appears to diagnose plays quickly. Has several highlights with the requisite “hustle-play-20-30-yards-downfield” tackle. Shows kick blocking ability. A versatile lineman who can probably can line up anywhere on the line in college depending on needs of the scheme and his size. Opponent tape doesn’t detract from the evaluation as it shows him being double teamed a lot. This kid won’t be a 3-star once the 2018 season gets going. Close to Jalen Catalon who also has high interest. Areas for Improvement/Concern - Will (rarely) tend to get flat-footed. Gets a little upright at times right out of his stance.

How this affects Texas: It's no secret UT is taking 4-5 defensive linemen in the 2019 class. Carter is on that list, having visited last month during the Heat Wave pool party. He's close to teammate and top UT target, Jalen Catalon, and that's a factor. He's also got the upside to play the middle of the d-line and the frame to add size and strength. He's OV to Austin at some point his senior year. This recruitment likely comes down to Texas or TCU. - JW

Marcus Washington - WR, Trinity Catholic (MO)
6-foot-2, 190 lbs. Junior Year: 29 receptions, 637 yds, 12 TD
Hudl/highlights 

How he fits at Texas: Despite being smaller than most of the targets at this position, Washington is an X receiver in the Texas offense. He has remarkable ease to all of his movements and blows by people inside or out like you want from that position. He also plays much bigger than his listed 6-foot-2, 190, much in the way that Justin Blackmon used to do at OSU (6-foot-1, 210). This is a guy Texas could trust to break open on RPO in routes over the middle and to command a double team over the top. - IB

Coach says: Strengths - Good height. Nicely built athlete with strong arms. Fluid athlete with a long stride. Featured at X, slot and Z. Good acceleration off the line and shows fluid hips. Does not lose speed on change of direction. Good routes to all levels. Stays balanced in and out of his cuts. Excellent sale of the double moves. Gets open and finds soft spots in zones. A matchup problem for most of his opponents. Good soft hands and catches ball away from his body. Adjusts reasonably well to poor throws. Good leaping ability. Tracks ball well. Could not find measurables online but looks like he has above average to elite deep speed; I would be surprised if he was slower than a 4.4. Appears to have some elusiveness in open field and enough of a second gear to run away from people. Athleticism and speed probably make him a threat from anywhere. Vertical should be very good too. Dominant on jump balls and fades at times. Nice work on scrambles to help his QB. Defensive film shows a playmaker who's either going for the interception or the strip. Areas for Improvement/Concern - Not certain about his boundary awareness. Carries the ball away from his body so I would expect a few fumbles in college if that isn’t coached up. Level of competition is a concern as his team has had several D-I athletes and appears to have dominated their schedule. Seems very excited about schools not named “Texas" and the competition for his commitment features most of the big hitters.

How this affects Texas: UT wants at least two outside receivers for 2019. Washington is a natural fit with spurts of dynamic ability and untapped potential. He was adamant he wants to see Austin at some point, after teammate Mookie Cooper raved about his visit. He's looking to commit in early August with Ohio State looking like the favorite. But after the Buckeyes canned their WR coach yesterday, Washington might be open to other schools. I'm told even if he pledges to tOSU, he still wants to take visits. - JW

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23 hours ago, closetojumping said:

I thought this same thing. posrep.

If I'm being totally honest, I had a lot of dark thoughts run through the ol'noggin when I saw the Zach Smith news pop up. "Maybe they'll take Mehringer"; "Why can't any of our dead weight, hangers-on, bro ... bro ... BRO mouthbreathing meathead weak links on the staff ever do something like beat up on their pregnant girlfriends?";  "Maybe Drew Mehringer's wife or girlfriend will beat him into a body cast and he'll quit the staff due to shame and/or incapacitation"; etc. Why is it that Ohio State gets all the breaks?

Also, anyone who thinks news like this will cause Wilson to suddenly get re-interested in dealing with Mehringer should think again. Mehringer's shit-talking about his own players to Wilson and his dad is allegedly part of what cemented their thinking in heading elsewhere in the first place. 

Cue the cybersobbing about being mean about our corchez or the string of predictable "is today the day this month in which we bash Mehringer?" posts. Meh. Bleh. 

Arkansas' WR coach would be a good replacement for him in the offseason. 

I'm surprised a guy like Herman didn't cut his losses earlier with this guy, especially if he's causing so many issues with the players.

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45 minutes ago, Bruh Man said:

Arkansas' WR coach would be a good replacement for him in the offseason. 

I'm surprised a guy like Herman didn't cut his losses earlier with this guy, especially if he's causing so many issues with the players.

He's still living off his track record as OC at Rutgers

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Just now, texifornia said:

a) probably tired of everyone saying his recruitment was basically over and wants some suspense

b) also supposed to be a kid that needs to be recruited all the way through til NSD, so we shouldn't get too comfy even if he commits.

I want him, Leal and Green.. a man can wish.

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2 hours ago, texifornia said:

a) probably tired of everyone saying his recruitment was basically over and wants some suspense

b) also supposed to be a kid that needs to be recruited all the way through til NSD, so we shouldn't get too comfy even if he commits.

You're probably right on point A.  Still, bugs me ags will see this and start their circle jerk.  Lots of sources saying he is solid to Texas, but this recruitment has seemed a little wishy washy all along. 

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Horns247 Lunchtime nuggets: Javonne Shepherd visiting Texas this weekend?

— I exchanged a couple of texts with Rischad Whitfield, and he told me that he is in fact bringing Javonne Shepherd to Texas this weekend. Shepherd visited Texas last month and publicly named UT his leader. We still have reason to believe the Longhorns have the edge over Texas A&M in this recruitment. Getting him back on campus is yet another big win for Texas.

— Shepherd isn’t the only recruit that Whitfield is bringing down to Austin this weekend. He also told me that he is bringing five-star Houston North Forest wide receiver Demond Demas. Texas has the in-state edge for Demas and made a huge impression on him during his visit last month. If Texas can reel in the aforementioned Shepherd, it would play a big role with Demas.

— There will be a third recruit riding with Whitfield this weekend — rising 2020 Klein Cain offensive lineman Cedric Melton. He does not have any offers at this time but is receiving interest from Houston and North Texas early on.

— Another Houston-area recruit making his way to Texas this weekend is three-star 2020 safety Jarrie Spikes. He holds an early offer from Louisville and is a name to file away for next cycle.

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1 hour ago, TexasEx said:

You're probably right on point A.  Still, bugs me ags will see this and start their circle jerk.  Lots of sources saying he is solid to Texas, but this recruitment has seemed a little wishy washy all along. 

I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him commit to aggy tonight and shut it down. They have their ways. 

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2 hours ago, EZ$ said:

I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him commit to aggy tonight and shut it down. They have their ways. 

But if he’s just trolling the aggies and commits to the Horns this weekend, then he’s my new favorite player. 

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