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Texas recruiting notes 2019


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Horns247 Recruiting Mailbag: Can UT fend off Ohio State for Garrett Wilson?

I see a lot of movement with Garrett Wilson to Ohio State. Anything to really see with that? What’s your feel regarding his recruitment? -- Peppemberton

EJ: Yes, there is something there. We’ve been consistent in reporting that Ohio State is the biggest threat to Texas in this recruitment. And that hasn’t changed. Wilson lived in Ohio for six years and still has ties to the state. He had a blast on his visit there this weekend and will be back for an official visit in June. But it’s definitely not time to panic. Wilson will be at UT’s spring game, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him make it to campus for a practice before that. I still feel like Texas has the edge here. The Longhorns just need to wow him on campus and win this season.

Mike: EJ is on the money. Everything we've been told since the beginning is that Ohio State is a major threat for him and a frontrunner for his services. Besides his family ties to the area, his former high school quarterback is now in Colombus. The Longhorns have some advantages that will be tough to top for other schools, but Wilson has been very frank about wanting to see Texas take the next step.

Who are the most likely LBs to sign in 2019 and how important is signing JUCO MLB Lakia Henry? -- samuraiHorn

EJ: Henry is definitely an important piece to the puzzle. Texas has a need at inside linebacker, and he is UT’s best shot at coming in and filling that need. The Longhorns are squarely in the mix but will need to fend off Alabama and others. Two guys I feel confident in are David Gbenda and De’Gabriel Floyd. Gbenda wants to wait until May, but I think Texas leads. I also think UT has the edge for Floyd and put in my Crystal Ball a couple of weeks ago. Texas is also in a good position with Rian Davis and Spencer Lytle.

Mike: Like EJ said, Henry is very important, but we feel good about both Gbenda and Floyd. Henry is important because he can play immediately, but I think Floyd could be a guy who contributes early.

Who are the Top 2-3 edge pass rushers in this class (WDE or B-Backers)? -- Racer X

EJ: If we’re talking in-state guys, Marcel Brooks would be at the top of my list. The dude is an athletic freak and a special player that only comes around once every blue moon. However, Texas is out of the picture for him. Next up, I would say Texas Tech commit Steven Parker. He doesn’t have a ton of football experience but was among the state’s leaders in sacks last year. Parker has a motor and a ton of upside. Texas has expressed some interest.

Mike: There aren't a ton of guys in-state. Parker is a freak show of a player, but it will be hard to get in the game for him. I think one of the obvious ones is NaNa Osafo-Mensah but there's a lot of question about what weight he will ultimately play at. He has a massive frame, and he could end up being a strong-side guy when it's all said and done.

When Mack Brown first came to Texas, he was arguably the best recruiter in the business. Obviously, you were not covering Texas recruiting when Mack Brown came to Texas, but how would you rank Tom Herman as a recruiter? Is he in the 'elite' group of head coaches that can really recruit? Is it too early to tell? -- Horntown12

EJ: I think Herman has definitely proven himself early. He certainly has a knack for getting top recruits to buy into his vision. As Noah Cain put it to me over the weekend, Herman can relate to kids of all backgrounds, and that’s what makes him great. So is he an elite recruiter? I think it’s a little early, but he definitely can be. The biggest thing for Herman is winning on the field. Recruiting will take care of itself.

Mike: I think he's a very good recruiter, and if he can turn Texas back into a contender, he will become an elite recruiter. The two go hand in hand, and Herman's shown the natural ability that will pair win with playing for a big winner.

Who's the highest rated recruit y'all think we land in this recruiting class? I'm not necessarily talking about the rankings as they currently stand. I'm referring to the rankings as you both expect them to be at seasons end. -- HookEmBrad

EJ: Well, I honestly have no clue how the rankings will shake out. I’m not involved with them. As they stand right now, I would go with Jordan Whittington, who is already a verbal commit. He’s first man out for a fifth star and is ranked as the No. 30 overall prospect in the country. Texas is still squarely in the mix with higher ranked guys liked Bru McCoy, Kenyon Green, Derek Stingley, Faatui Tuitele and Chris Steele, but I’m not as confident with any of those — though I do feel the best about Green and Steele (if he makes it to campus this spring).

Mike: Jordan Whittington seems like the easy bet, but Garrett Wilson and DeMarvin Leal are two guys who could end up ranked very highly that Texas has a great shot with.

I’ve asked this question is multiple threads, but I’ll try again. What is yours and Mike’s prediction as far as how the class finishes in the rankings? -- CharlieSkrong

EJ: Sorry for not getting back to you. I try to respond as often as possible. Anyway, I think it’s way too early to say. I would say Top 10 for sure as long as Texas has a strong season on the field.

Mike: I'll say Top 10 as well. I don't know that they will have the numbers for Top 5, and the in-state crop isn't talented enough to rank that high on their own.

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12 minutes ago, Machinator said:

This would technically fall under 2018 recruiting notes, but I don't feel like creating a thread for it.

Grad transfer WR Tabari Hines from Wake Forest is visiting tomorrow.

https://247sports.com/Player/Tabari-Hines-43464

 

Catches the ball away from his body, good hands, seems to run decent routes  (even though we don't see him actually start the route, he gets seperation), not the biggest guy in the world, not a burner, seems to get more open than makes people miss.   Sounds like a decent slot pick up.

Glad he's already put points on the board against aggy - although it shouldn't count towards the eval.  Derka could get open against those jags.

Edited by GlenFromTheMailRoom
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3 hours ago, NaTeWHO said:

Scrolling through the responses and aggy gonna aggy. Pump the SEC instead of the school using some arbitrary date (week 7).

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Think it has anything to do with the fact that the sec has 4 more teams than the big 12, and one less conference game so there’s like 30 more games per season involving sec teams?

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A few interesting comments from Herman re: spring recruiting visits and spring game:

Quote

On strategy behind spring official visits: I think we’re at three weekends right now that we’ll host visitors. That’s not to say that if there’s a guy that we’ve got to have and he’s a can’t miss guy and he says “coach, this is the only time I can come see Texas,” then we might make some adjustments. Right now, we’re trying really, really hard to push those guys to three weekends. We think they’re three really good weekends for us in terms of what’s going on around Austin and on our campus.

On if the spring game is one of those weekends: It’s not. It’s like a gameday visit. I know a lot of schools are using their spring game as one, but I think the reason we recruit so well is we spend so much time with those guys, we develop those relationships, they come to my house, they play basketball. There’s a lot of fellowship and bonding that goes on. When you have those gameday visits, a lot of that gets shortchanged. I want to make sure that doesn’t happen.

On the spring game and if he expects it to be a big event: I sure hope so. Maybe it was too hot last year. Maybe it was on a tough weekend for people to come out. There are schools out there, regardless of record, putting 80-90,000 people in the stands for a spring game. I don’t see why the University of Texas should be any different. We’ve moved it to nighttime so hopefully it will be a little bit cooler. People will get all their chores and lakeside jogging in, all that stuff in during the day. Then hopefully come see the Longhorns that night. We will draft teams this year. Don’t know exactly the format. We haven’t really talked specifics. I do know this; we’re only going to have one offensive line. They’ll be in different colored jerseys and we’ll have a rotation. We’ll draft the rest of the positions and play it like a real game.

 

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I don't know if Herman has asked the $9.95ers not to report visits, or if he's just running circles around them. Probably the latter. 

The fact that Herman slid in a grad transfer TE visit without any of the sites even hinting at it is kind of funny, and refreshing. Normally this would be huge news. The leaks seem to be filled. 

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Bunting would definitely allow Epps to RS and allow Brewer to potentially RS as he recovers from knee surgery. At least Brewer could work back at a slower pace to make sure he's 100% before playing. It would also give Texas cover in case Beck gets injured again, would also mean Cummins could take the year to learn the position without worrying about him being needed unless catastrophe hits the position.

Hines would be a huge get as well, as luck would have it, Texas currently has 2 open scholarships to give out.

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1 minute ago, HtownHorn said:

Bunting would definitely allow Epps to RS and allow Brewer to potentially RS as he recovers from knee surgery. At least Brewer could work back at a slower pace to make sure he's 100% before playing. It would also give Texas cover in case Beck gets injured again, would also mean Cummins could take the year to learn the position without worrying about him being needed unless catastrophe hits the position.

Hines would be a huge get as well, as luck would have it, Texas currently has 2 open scholarships to give out.

I bet we have several more than 2 when it's all said and done.

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I'm in California right now. This is all clearly my doing. Instructions for sending $9.95 coming shortly. 
Only if and when said recruits sign the correct paperwork, enroll in classes and begin working out with the team.

THEN I'll think about 9.95ing you, hell I may throw in the extra nickle..
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