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Texas recruiting notes 2019


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Mike Roach: Defensive recruiting notes from Texas Heat Wave

— Peter Mpagi was all smiles after making his commitment today. Mpagi actually sent out the tweet right before leaving the facility and talking with media. He was open in the fact that Texas was the dream offer for him and that he wanted to work hard to earn his offer. There was a lot of emotion after doing that and going public. Obviously, his commitment is strong, and he said he did a lot of work recruiting today.

—Four-star inside linebacker David Gbenda arrived early and left early. Gbenda made the trip with his father and spent some individual time with the coaching staff. Texas A&M is thought to have the momentum in this recruitment, but Texas is working to turn that around.

—Texas safety commit Kenyatta Watson II said he’s fully solid to Texas. He spent a lot of time on campus with Jalen Green, and he bonded with the rest of the players. Watson also mentioned that his relationship with cornerback coach Jason Washington is strong. Watson has been one of the most vocal recruiters for Texas, and that looks like it will continue.

—Four-star inside linebacker Maninoa Tufono is close to narrowing things down. He plans to release a Top 5 soon, and the Longhorns should make the list. Texas made a big impression on him and left him with a family feel, which is something he’s looking for.

—Mansfield Legacy defensive lineman Taurean Carter had an excellent visit. He told media in attendance that the Longhorns are among his Top 2 along with TCU. Carter said that the scheme fit at Texas along with the educational opportunities stand out to him.

—Four-star 2020 Duncanville safety Chris Thompson described a comfort level with the Texas staff. After making multiple visits to campus, Thompson called the Heat Wave pool party a laid-back stress reliever. Thompson maintains that he’s wide open, but it’s hard not to feel like Texas is gaining an edge here.

—Four-star 2020 Shadow Creek defensive lineman Alec Bryant described Texas as a place that feels like home. Though he’s yet to receive an offer, he feels that one could be coming. Bryant said that an offer would instantly put the Longhorns at the top of the list.

—Official visitors Rian Davis and Lewis Cine were on campus but not available to talk to media. The two were engaged in other activities. We are told they are both having a great time on the official.

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38 minutes ago, RabidM said:

Mpagi is a solid developmental take. I'm surprised we took him this early, but the ceiling is there if he's a self-motivated talent maximizer. 

It's a good thing. Means the staff is being pro-active about DL recruiting, and knows the strategy for recruiting there this year has to be different than last year.

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15 minutes ago, GlenFromTheMailRoom said:

If this is indeed the case, I have a lot of respect for Footwork King regardless of where the kids he trains go.  

Come on, man. He may be a great guy, but it isn't like he is adopting disabled kids. Let's not Saint him just yet.

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E.J. Holland: Offensive recruiting tidbits from Texas Heat Wave

— The Javonne Shepherd saga has finally come to a close. The four-star offensive lineman out of Houston North Forest made his way to Austin for an unofficial visit and had a blast. Shepherd made it clear that Texas is still his top school, and we feel like Texas definitely made a bigger impression on him than Texas A&M did this weekend. Shepherd wants to wait to make his decision and told me ‘you have some more hard work to do,’ but we feel confident in our Crystal Ball picks.

— Texas quarterback commit Roschon Johnson is quiet by nature, but he spent a lot of time helping the Longhorns recruit today. Johnson is completely solid to Texas and worked the hardest on his teammate and 2020 offensive line target Jaylen Garth. Meanwhile, 2020 quarterback commit Hudson Card was decked out in Texas gear and pitched Texas hard to elite running back Mookie Cooper.

— Speaking of Cooper, Texas made a huge impression on him. I fully believe the Longhorns hold the early edge for him and have a great chance to land him. I put in my Crystal Ball pick for him a few weeks ago and feel even better about him after today. Texas is recruiting him primarily as a slot receiver.

— Four-star 2020 wide receiver Demond Demas said his top three schools are Alabama, Texas and Texas A&M in that order. If the Longhorns are able to land the aforementioned Shepherd, it could play a big role in his recruitment. Right now, Texas has the in-state edge and could move past Bama down the line.

— Texas tight end commit Jared Wiley is completely solid to UT and has shut his recruitment down. He is currently in summer school and is working towards graduating in December and enrolling early. Wiley had a great time on campus and is ready to develop in Austin.

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— Texas is a major player early on for elite 2020 offensive lineman Chad Lindberg, who said the Longhorns are definitely high on his list after today. I actually put in a Crystal Ball not too long ago and still feel like the Longhorns have the early edge in his recruitment. He loved his visit.

— As mentioned, Texas quarterback commit Roschon Johnson spent a lot of time with 2020 offensive line target Jaylen Garth. The two are very close friends, and we have reason to believe the Longhorns are the team to beat early on. We feel great about our Crystal Ball picks at this time.

— Five-star 2020 running back Zachary Evans had car trouble this morning and was unable to make it to Austin. Duncanville athlete Ja’Quinden Jackson had a personal issue to deal with, so he did not make it to the Forty Acres either.

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16 minutes ago, Bevo said:

Come on, man. He may be a great guy, but it isn't like he is adopting disabled kids. Let's not Saint him just yet.

Calm the fuck down.  I didn't anoint the guy or claim he walked on water.  Unless you really consider what I say to have that kind of impact.  

Which if that's the case, you need to have a serious internal conversation about level-setting.  

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Taylor Estes: Tom Herman gets tossed in the pool during Texas Heat Wave

Texas head coach Tom Herman joined in the fun during the Longhorns' Heat Wave recruiting event Saturday afternoon. The second-year head coach joined Texas' 2019 and 2020 prospects, in addition to members of his football team, at a pool on the University of Texas 40-acre campus, and was tossed in the pool during the event. Herman and his staff have spent the last several weeks on the recruiting trail looking for the next wave of talent to sign at Texas, and Heat Wave is one of the biggest on-campus recruiting events for this recruiting cycle.

The Longhorns are hosting their second-annual Texas Heat Wave recruiting event, and in addition to throwing Herman into the pool, the staff brought out the big guns for the recruits to see. Quality control coach and former Jim Thorpe Award winner Michael Huff has brought his fleet of luxury vehicles parked outside of Moncrief-Neuhaus for Texas recruits to see as they arrive for their visits. "Glad to see (Michael) Huff made it into work today for the Heat Wave," wide receivers coach Drew Mehringer tweeted with a photo of Huff's flashy cars on display outside of Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. "This is Texas."

"(Michael Huff) always good to see your whips at DKR," tight ends coach Derek Warehime tweeted, alongside the hashtags This Is Texas and Heat Wave 2018. A former first round NFL Draft pick to the Oakland Raiders (No. 7 overall selection) in the 2006 NFL Draft and NFL veteran, Huff has been a member of the Longhorns' staff even prior to second-year head coach Tom Herman's arrival in Austin, and has become a valuable asset for Texas' recruiting. Huff's vehicle fleet caught the attention of Texas fans and members of the program on social media, where some guys make jokes at Huff's expense, such as sophomore defensive back Josh Thompson. "Show off," Thompson tweeted at Huff.

As Horns247 recruiting insiders EJ Holland and Mike Roach have reported all week leading up to the event, Texas is expecting some of its key 2019 and 2020 targets on campus this weekend, including two official visits from four-star outside linebacker Rian Davis and four-star defensive back Lewis Cine. The Longhorns will also have a number of 2019 targets taking unofficial visits over the weekend, including offensive lineman Javonne Shepherd, OL Chris Akporoghene, defensive lineman Jermaine Johnson, defensive lineman Taurean Carter, linebacker David Gbenda, d-lineman Peter Mpagi, and many others, as EJ Holland mapped out in the complete visitor list here.

The Longhorns are also expecting a number of commitments on campus, such as 2019 quarterback Roschon Johnson, wide receiver Jordan Whittington, tight end Jared Wiley, defensive lineman T'Vondre Sweat, cornerback Kenyatta Watson, in addition to 2020 quarterback commit Hudson Card. The Horns247 staff will continue to provide live updates from Saturday's visit throughout the day, and EJ and Mike will follow it up with exclusive content after the event ends and throughout the remainder of the weekend. Follow along for live updates from the 2019 edition of Texas Heat Wave, as Horns247 continues to provide the latest news from inside the Longhorns' monster recruiting weekend.

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Justin Wells: Quick-hitters from the Heat Wave

When they named this event the Heat Wave, they weren’t lying. Hot and humid was the forecast, but the dudes on campus today made the 40 Acres cool.

On Javonne Shepherd... the guy that everyone wanted to see back on campus indeed made it back to Austin today. He might’ve been the happiest recruit in the bunch. He mentioned Texas is still his leader, he loves the current 2019 commits, and even gave me a “Hook ‘Em forever.” He says he wants to take some official visits, and Texas will certainly be one. Like we’ve said, this recruitment has a ways to go but it couldn’t be trending better for the Horns.

On Demond Demas...the best WR in-state for 2020 was smiling bigger than teammate and carpool buddy Shepherd. He says Texas feels like family every time he visits. At 6’4, 205, he told me he’s running 4.3s now. My reaction was sheeeeeet. Alabama is his leader but the idea of him and Javonne playing together might be more than just talk. Only a junior, this is still early but the 5* and Texas have a good foundation.

On Mani Tufuno....the elite LB from Hawaii used the words, “unbelievable,” “family,” and “wisdom (discussing Todd Orlando).” Texas showed him how he’d play Mike in UT’s defense and he enjoyed meeting Patrick Vahe and Junior Angilau. He’s visiting LSU and Alabama next, then heading back to the islands to drop his Top 5, which will be the five officials he takes in the fall. He wouldn’t give away if Texas would be receiving an OV, but Jake Langi (recruiting assistant, fellow Polynesian) is on the case.

On Taurean Carter...the Mansfield Legacy DL absolutely loved the pool party. He and his cousin, Jeff Carter (Aledo-to-Legacy) have spoke about playing together. He also views teammate and top UT target, Jalen Catalon, “like my brother.” He’s not the sexiest take along the d-line, but he’s got good size (6’3, 255), and if it helps with Jeffrey and Jalen, he’s a take, IMO.

On Hudson Card and Mookie Cooper....joined at the hip would best describe these two over the last 24 hours. Card is becoming the recruiter for the #2020Vision class and it starts with the 4* APB from St. Louis. Cooper was almost overwhelmed by the visit, not because of facilities, academics, or traditions, but rather the closeness of the players and staff. Texas has a real shot here but I want to see Cooper return for a game this fall. Only a 2020, but Bryan Carrington started a foundation with Cooper that Texas will build on.

On Chris Thompson....The nation’s top rated junior safety has seen Austin more than any other program for a reason - him and teammate J’Quinden Jackson really like the Longhorns. Thompson told me he feels the love each time he trips to the ATX. Another 2020 target that UT has put themselves in a great position for.

On Chad Lindberg...the ‘20 Clear Creek OL is bigger than I thought. And after his second trip to UT, he’s building a relationship with Herb Hand that could lead to good things down the road. He used the words “family” and “trust” a few times during our interview. He’s in no hurry for a decision or Top 10 list, but Texas is making a good impression on him. At this stage, that’s really all you can do.

On Peter Mgpai.... Once he was offered, this recruitment was over. He was already recruiting kids on campus today. He’s a very bright, engaging kid with a great frame (6-4, 230). Giles sees him as a WDE or B-Backer with bend depending on how big he gets. His pledge was a great ending to a great day on the 40 Acres.

Of note, Texas didn’t make Rian Davis or Lewis Cine available this evening. Their OVs will end tomorrow as Eric and I will catch up with both then. Neither Zach Evans nor David Gbenda made it into town. Evans had ride problems. I’ll have much more over the next few days, including transcribing almost a dozen prospects’ interviews. But while the weather was hot, the momentum generated today made it a little warmer.

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1 minute ago, satyanash said:

Interesting to note that Mike Roach reported that David Gbenda and his father visited, while Justin Wells is claiming Gbenda did not make it into town...

Wells just said he was wrong. Also said that Texas isn't pushing, but he's clearly not 100% in tune with this recruitment.

Edited by Machinator
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Come on, man. He may be a great guy, but it isn't like he is adopting disabled kids. Let's not Saint him just yet.
TSRH ^^
He may be a great guy, I don't know..but I do know this is good PR for his business, and he definitely isn't running a non-profit community service organization..
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1 hour ago, ousux said:
2 hours ago, futureman said:
look at those little chicken legs on shepherd.  don’t want. 

He needs some Yancy time for sure, but scary someone that big hasn't even finished their senior season of HS.

I was kidding.  his legs are tree trunks. 

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