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(Chris Hummer) Line in the sand: Lone Star State recruiting war is heating up

It can take a lot to move Kenyon Green. At 6-foot-4, 330 pounds, the five-star offensive tackle ranks as the top overall player in Texas and the No. 10 prospect in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite. Green dominated during one-on-one drills at The Opening Finals to the extent a coach walked over and said, “You were the best guy out there, no question.” But it took almost no time at all for first-year Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher to mobilize Green. “He’s had a big, big impact on the whole state,” Green told 247Sports. “You’ve got one of the best coaches in the nation coming into your backyard. I had to go see what he’s talking about.” Green committed to the Aggies some seven months after Fisher arrived, one of 23 players who’ve already done so. Fisher’s preseason swells resulted in what is the country’s No. 3 overall recruiting class.

The state of Texas is one of the most fertile recruiting landscapes in the country. Every national champion since 1999 featured at least one Texan on its roster. Texas’ high school ranks fuel nearly every FBS program, and the state has produced a trio of Heisman Trophy winners this century. That’s needed context given that the Lone Star State’s seen a distinct shift the past two seasons. Fisher’s arrival as one of only four active national championship-winning head coaches created a sizeable and pricey splash ($75 million *should* buy a tidal wave). But the switch at the University of Texas a year earlier, with the Longhorns tabbing Tom Herman as their head man, proved as impactful in terms of the recruiting landscape of the state. The Longhorns owned Texas last cycle, inking the nation’s No. 3 overall class and signing seven of the top 10 prospects from within its borders.

Herman coached in Texas for two years at the University of Houston. Fisher’s never done so, but he hired a staff full of coaches with Texas ties. It’s a reset at the state’s two flagship schools that’s created one of the fiercest recruiting battles in recent memory between two programs that operate as rivals. “Right now there’s a lot of stuff going on behind closed doors where they’re competing,” said Houston Heights head coach Stephen Dixon. “There’s a lot of recruiting pushing and shoving, so to speak.”

THE TURF WAR HEATS UP

One need not look far for evidence of the recruiting tug-of-war between the Longhorns and Aggies. Social media is now a battleground for the two programs as they compete for players whose ages numbered in the single digits the last time each program won a conference championship. Texas A&M tight end coach – and former Texas assistant – Tim Brewster kicked it off in February, and tweets of a similar nature haven’t slowed since.

An assistant Texas A&M offensive line coach sent a cold-blooded shot across the bow at the Longhorns, referencing first-round offensive linemen drafted since 2013. The tweet was later deleted. 

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Herman, on several occasions this summer, has brought up Texas A&M on his own accord. At Big 12 Media Days he both pushed for the on-field action to continue – a rivalry that hasn’t been played since 2011 – and mentioned the Aggies’ recruiting success in off-hand fashion. “I think the competition is doing a great job,” Herman said. “One of our biggest rivals in recruiting, their coaching staff is undefeated when recruiting just like we were last year, so that helps. It’s a long way until December.”

Fisher boasted early in his tenure to CBSSports.com that the Aggies would finish “one or two” in the 2019 class rankings. Texas and Texas A&M are at a weird crux in college football. In arguably the most talent-rich state in the country, the former rivals are the state’s pillars when it comes to recruiting. One is in the Big 12. One is in the SEC. Both, depending on the year, have out-recruited the other in the last half decade since the Aggies switched conferences.

“It’s unique that they are such intense competitors despite not playing,” said Barton Simmons, 247Sports Director of Scouting. “Jimbo Fisher has proven over time he’s one of the most aggressive recruiters in college football, and Tom Herman has quickly moved himself into that top tier at Texas. I think it’s inevitably going to be a really fierce competition there.”

Top recruits in Texas have pledged their allegiances to both thus far in the 2019 cycle. Two of the state’s eight best prospects are committed to Texas A&M and two to Texas. Many others remain up for grabs. To suggest the state is singularly defined by Texas and A&M would be disingenuous. TCU and Baylor consistently sign fringe- top 25 class, Texas Tech produces first-round picks and even Houston’s signed a five-star prospect (Ed Oliver, by way of Herman) recently. It’s an extremely competitive state, but the Longhorn and Aggies are the tentpoles. “They are the flagships of the state,” said Mesquite Poteet head coach Kody Groves. “A lot of people don’t like saying that, but they are. They’re the name value.”

Interestingly considering their successes, Herman and Fisher are viewed in sharp contrast when it comes to players and parents. 247Sports spoke to 25-plus recruits, parents, head coaches, trainers and administrators in reporting for this story, and there were few commonalities in one description to another about the two. When it comes to Fisher, many expected an unapproachable figure. Instead, most described him as warm. Four-star receiver Dylan Wright said Fisher is the type of coach who’d let you stay at his house if you needed to, “He’s down to earth. You know Nick Saban at Alabama? He’s not like that. [Fisher] will talk to you.” Top 2020 safety Darius Snow called Fisher “inspirational” and “straight-forward.” Seth McGowan, a four-star RB in the 2020 class, came away from his talk thinking: “Texas A&M should get substantially better.” Dixon said Fisher “doesn’t mince words” but felt Fisher was “genuine” when they spoke at the Houston Touchdown Club.

Even parents whose kids committed elsewhere were fond of Fisher. Leah Banks, mother of Houston-area defensive back and LSU commit Marcus Banks, remembers Fisher chatting with her about Cajun-style cooking during an official visit as they’ve both spent time in Louisiana. “He’s very down-to-earth, contrary to what a lot of people would say,” Banks said.

Herman, for the most part, commanded the narratives of ‘family’ and ‘cool.’ Wright, planning to buy a grill of his own (all gold), loved Herman’s willingness to get fitted for one at Houston in order to relate to his players. Top 2019 safety Jalen Catalon called Herman a “family guy.” Notre Dame commit Nana Osafo-Mensah loved the way Herman and his staff always checked in on him. “I really felt like they cared.” Hudson Card, a Texas 2020 commit, said Herman is “easy to talk to.” Dixon, whose player, Jalen Green, signed with Texas last cycle, called Herman a “kid at heart.”

This is not to say these descriptors are universal. For instance, Leah Banks found Herman to be “who he was” and that you knew his coaching would be “stern.” She said defensive back coach Jason Washington was there to bring that “cushion and soft spot” to the player-coach dynamic at Texas. Karon Higgins, the mother of Top247 receiver and Austin native Elijah Higgins, said of Herman: “A little edgy. I don’t know, headstrong.” She then turned to Elijah’s brother for help and he said, “hyperactive.”

Some coaches across the state would like to see more of Fisher on their campuses and need to get to know him better. “I just think they both do their things differently,” Dixon said. “But one way is not better than the other. They’re both getting great kids, so it’s working for both.”

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Big Kenyon Green, when asked about Herman, starts with a banality: “He’s a great guy. I hope he does well.” Then he enters into his real answer about why he picked the Aggies over the Longhorns. “I wanted to play in the SEC against big dogs every day,” Green said.

There’s something to that. The SEC, unquestionably, produces more NFL Draft picks than any other conference, whether one looks at the raw numbers or an average on a per-team basis. But the leagues also have different styles. Fifty percent of the Big 12’s attacks ranked 25th or better in passing offense last season; the SEC had just three such teams in the top 50. Taken in reverse, five SEC programs ranked among the top 25 in total defense versus only a single Big 12 team.

Despite hailing from the same spread-happy high school state, both Texas and A&M have their own individual characteristics. The overall recruiting style of each program differs. Texas A&M casts a wider net, offering 190 players thus far in 2019 and 99 in 2020. Texas is more selective, offering 127 players in 2019 and 45 in 2020. You also find a divergence in terms of the type of prospect both programs verbally extend. Texas and Texas A&M share offers to only 68 players in the 2019 class, a number that drops to just 32 when just examining in-state recruits.

Positional preferences between the two programs are easy to identify. Fisher and Herman have a different quarterback prototype. Herman traditionally recruits a true dual-threat passer. Fisher prefers a pro-style passer that can move. But defense is where the programs truly diverge. Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando runs a 3-4 system where undersized defensive ends can thrive. Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko conversely runs a 4-3 or a 4-2-5, a system that traditionally requires a bit more bulk.

The programs also differ in where they offer players. Both lean heavily toward the Lone Star State (43 for Texas, 50 for A&M), but the Aggies have a wide national footprint, especially in regards to the Southeast where many of Fisher’s assistants have ties. For instance, Texas A&M’s offered 12 prospects in Alabama compared to none for Texas. The Longhorns have gone west, either California or Arizona, for four of their 15 current commitments.

“There’s a lot of variance here in terms of the net each program is willing to cast,” Simmons said. “It appears to me that Texas is more isolated in the out-of-state guys they go after whereas Texas A&M really seems to be recruiting other regions and leaning on the staff they put together and where their relationships are.”

When the programs do clash, the Aggies are winning the majority of the battles this year. Of the 32 shared verbal extensions in the state, 10 have committed to Texas A&M as opposed to five for Texas. On a national scale, 11 players with shared offers have committed to the Aggies versus seven for the Longhorns during the 2019 cycle. The jostling is ongoing. Over the weekend the Aggies received a commitment from sought-after defensive back Jeffery Carter, while the Longhorns picked up four-star Houston-area offensive tackle Javonne Shepherd.

“Oh yeah, you see it,” said Bishop Dunne head coach Michael Johnson, whose player, Brian Williams, committed to Texas A&M after being considered a Texas lean. “Texas A&M coaches poke fun at Texas coaches. Texas coaches poke fun at A&M coaches. They understand the rich rivalry and they’re trying to get the best players out of the state. “They know they’re competing.”

Some prospects don’t put much stock in the head-to-head recruiting between the programs. But they’re aware both will have their say in the state for the foreseeable future. “I’m not into the recruiting wars,” Snow, the 2020 safety, said. “I can’t say who’s got what and how many guys have who. I just know with the guys they have and the coaches they have, it’s hard to overlook either Texas or A&M.”

‘JIMBO IS WAY ABOVE TOM IN THAT DEPARTMENT’

Standing on the podium at the Texas High School Coaches Association Convention, Fisher flips the script on a reporter: “When you’re writing a story, who do you talk to?” “Whoever I need to,” the reporter responded. “When you’re recruiting, you talk to whoever you need to,” Fisher said.

Herman and Fisher were on hand at the San Antonio convention in late July, and “straight line recruiting” was the buzzword phrase of the week. Per the THSCA’s model for how recruiting should work, the coaches in the state of Texas want recruiting to go in a straight line from college coach to the player, his parents and high school coach. Step outside of that and it can draw controversy.

Fisher found himself inundated with that immediately upon arrival in Texas. Just a few days after his introductory press conference, Fisher went to the home of Ro Simon during his first recruiting trip as head coach. Simon is the coach of Fast Houston 7-on-7, an Adidas-backed select team that featured a number of Aggie targets. That meeting set off a minor tizzy in the state among high school coaches as they worried if Fisher would legitimize something that could introduce a “bad element,” according to THSCA Executive Director D.W. Rutledge.

“They knew he was coming from Florida, and of course Florida’s got a strong reputation of having a lot of third-party people being involved with the process,” Rutledge said. “They become handlers, and they knew he was coming from that state. They were concerned about that in the beginning once it was announced he was coming, and when that came out it just kind of blew up on him. It confirmed a lot of the coach’s fears.”

When asked a few days before the convention if Fisher had assuaged any of those reservations in the ensuing eight months, Rutledge said: “I hope so. I think there’s some fears. As he gets to know our coaches, hopefully [he] embraces the way we do things.” Fisher, when asked about 7-on-7 and recruiting, said he’d prefer to only speak with the parents, high school coach and player. “But in this world that’s not the situation. … In our world we have to affect who has the ear of the kid, who impacts him. The key is keeping that an open relationship with him, the parents and the coaches to let everyone know who we’re talking to.”

Fisher is hardly alone in this regard. His predecessor, Kevin Sumlin, met with Simon and other 7-on-7 coaches/trainers in the past. Herman and TCU head coach Gary Patterson have done so as well. Among the high school coaches 247Sports spoke to for this story, few had any problem with Fisher meeting with a 7-on-7 coach so early in his tenure.

“Some of those kids are a lot closer to those 7-on-7 coaches and trainers than they are to their actual coach,” Dixon said. “You’ve got to play both ends of the spectrum. You’ve got to politic with not only the high school coaches, but also the 7-on-7 coaches. I feel like Jimbo’s bridged the gap between the two. If you do that you’re going to get some guys who would’ve otherwise went to Ohio State or Alabama or those type of schools.”

Other coaches in the state simply want Fisher to count on them. “You might hear something here or there,” Groves said. “The biggest thing he can do is continue to lean so much on high school coaches because of the influence we have in the state of Texas as opposed to other places in the country.”

As for 7-on-7 coaches in Texas, they’ve appreciated the way Fisher’s made their programs a priority. True Buzz founder DeMarquis Brooks compared Fisher’s arrival in the state to that of a celebrity. “It felt like a true power shift.” Brooks, whose program has sent numerous players to the Power Five level over the last few years, has seen the influence of 7-on-7 grow during that time. Brooks could only deal with a handful of college coaches early on. He said True Buzz is now national. The reason for that is simple. True Buzz is a one-stop shop for premium talent spread over multiple classes. With feeder programs that reach into the junior high ranks, Brooks and select coaches like him work with prospects years before they receive their first Division I offer.

“Fisher’s like, ‘Why not have a relationship with these guys?’” Brooks said. “He has everything to gain and nothing to lose by meeting with 7-on-7 coaches.” Brooks, a former Texas high school football coach, said 7-on-7 programs aren’t trying to override high school coaches. “Nobody in their right mind is telling them not to do what the high school coaches say to do. They come first. We understand that.”

Herman said Texas’ philosophy in regards to 7-on-7 will be what the THSCA recommends. But like Fisher, Herman will speak to the central influencers in a recruitment. “In order to do that when the stars align and sometimes these trainers and 7-on-7 coaches are influential in these men’s lives, and usually it’s really positive influences you come across,” Herman said. “You’ve got to build relationships with them.”

Fisher came from Florida, a state where private recruiting influences are prevalent. According to Brooks, that’s helped give Fisher an advantage in the quietly bubbling new avenue of Texas recruiting. Brooks said he’s met with Fisher and sat in his office. With Herman, Brooks said he’s been on campus twice and never sat down with Herman.

“Jimbo is way above Tom in that department,” Brooks said. “Tom, the head man calling the shots, he’s going to have to open up his doors and be a little more friendly. The talent is here to stay. The kids who play 7-on-7, the talent isn’t going nowhere. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t get along with these coaches. He may know somebody who can help you win them over. All it is is recruiting at the end of the day.”

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Garrett Wilson is walking toward the football offices at Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas. The top-rated wide receiver from the Lone Star State since 2010, Wilson is a can’t-miss prospect and ranks No. 14 overall in the 2019 class. He’s also headed to Ohio State. Thoughtfully, Wilson is explaining his rationale for picking the Buckeyes over several in-state programs, including his hometown Longhorns. For Wilson, it came down to recent results.

“They’re getting the top kids every year, and they’re not winning with them,” Wilson said. “It makes you worried. And they’re also not getting drafted. When you have an opportunity to go play somewhere like Ohio State, Alabama too, you’re probably going to choose that instead of the in-state school. You’re probably going to choose that because you know what you’re getting yourself into. You’re going to compete for championships. You’re going to get the best coaching in the country. I definitely think it’s a huge thing with the in-state schools not winning.”

This is not a shot by Wilson at his home-state programs. He loved Texas and liked Herman a lot. But Wilson is most interested in greatness and winning championships. Texas last won a Big 12 title in 2009. Texas A&M’s most recent conference title came in 1998, 14 years before it joined the SEC. Players in the 2019 class were eight or nine years old in 2009. Many weren’t even born when the Aggies last won a championship. That makes a difference.

There have been 24 247Sports Composite five-star prospects in Texas since 2013. Only 11 of those signed with an in-state program. If you combine the number of five-stars signed by Alabama, Ohio State and LSU (7) from that total, it would be just one shy of the combined Texas and Texas A&M haul (8). “In this state everyone loves Texas,” Wilson said. “But when you put that up against Ohio State and Bama, those are nationwide.”

Wilson isn’t alone on those thoughts. Top 2020 cornerback RJ Mickens is a Texas A&M legacy, but he admitted struggles by the Aggies and Longhorns “makes it easier to leave.” Osafo-Mensah said: “Schools haven’t been what they’ve been in the past, and people are looking around more.”

Arlington Lamar head coach Laban DeLay has sent players to Texas, Texas A&M, Alabama, Arkansas and other programs over the past few seasons. To him, relationships have been the key dynamic in his players leaving Texas. In that regard, he’s seen a recent shift for both the Longhorns and Aggies. “Coach Fisher has some skins on the wall, and nothing against Sumlin, there’s a breath of fresh air when he comes in, same thing with Coach Herman,” DeLay said. “I think those schools have done a better job in the last year and a half as well.”

Texas signed the majority of top players in the state last cycle and Texas A&M’s grabbed momentum in the present. But if you look at the top 10 in the Lone State rankings for 2019, you’ll see an Ohio State commitment, a pair of future Sooners and a player headed to Illinois. The 2020 class isn’t much different. While the top 10 is far from set, Oklahoma is the only school with a commitment and it has two. Five-star running back Jase McClellan is among those, and his reasoning for picking the Sooners echoes Wilson’s response.

“Coach Herman is a good coach. He’s a good person. But I have to see him change the team around. It’s the same with Jimbo,” McClellan said. “I think (a lot of guys feel that way) with new coaches coming in, especially with A&M. We want to see change.”

Both programs have their trumpeters. Green, when asked about a future Texas/A&M battle, said “A&M is about to take over.” Card thinks the Longhorns and Aggies will go at each other. Wright, a top receiver target for both the Longhorns and Aggies, doesn’t know how things will play out in this recruiting war. He just wonders what would happen if the top players in Texas stayed home. “That’s how Alabama and stuff win, they get kids from Texas,” Wright said. “But if all the kids in Texas stay in Texas, bro, ain’t nobody going to f*** with us. We’re just different in Texas."

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26 minutes ago, satyanash said:

(Chris Hummer) Line in the sand: Lone Star State recruiting war is heating up

 

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It can take a lot to move Kenyon Green. At 6-foot-4, 330 pounds, the five-star offensive tackle ranks as the top overall player in Texas and the No. 10 prospect in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite. Green dominated during one-on-one drills at The Opening Finals to the extent a coach walked over and said, “You were the best guy out there, no question.” But it took almost no time at all for first-year Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher to mobilize Green. “He’s had a big, big impact on the whole state,” Green told 247Sports. “You’ve got one of the best coaches in the nation coming into your backyard. I had to go see what he’s talking about.” Green committed to the Aggies some seven months after Fisher arrived, one of 23 players who’ve already done so. Fisher’s preseason swells resulted in what is the country’s No. 3 overall recruiting class.

The state of Texas is one of the most fertile recruiting landscapes in the country. Every national champion since 1999 featured at least one Texan on its roster. Texas’ high school ranks fuel nearly every FBS program, and the state has produced a trio of Heisman Trophy winners this century. That’s needed context given that the Lone Star State’s seen a distinct shift the past two seasons. Fisher’s arrival as one of only four active national championship-winning head coaches created a sizeable and pricey splash ($75 million *should* buy a tidal wave). But the switch at the University of Texas a year earlier, with the Longhorns tabbing Tom Herman as their head man, proved as impactful in terms of the recruiting landscape of the state. The Longhorns owned Texas last cycle, inking the nation’s No. 3 overall class and signing seven of the top 10 prospects from within its borders.

Herman coached in Texas for two years at the University of Houston. Fisher’s never done so, but he hired a staff full of coaches with Texas ties. It’s a reset at the state’s two flagship schools that’s created one of the fiercest recruiting battles in recent memory between two programs that operate as rivals. “Right now there’s a lot of stuff going on behind closed doors where they’re competing,” said Houston Heights head coach Stephen Dixon. “There’s a lot of recruiting pushing and shoving, so to speak.”

THE TURF WAR HEATS UP

One need not look far for evidence of the recruiting tug-of-war between the Longhorns and Aggies. Social media is now a battleground for the two programs as they compete for players whose ages numbered in the single digits the last time each program won a conference championship. Texas A&M tight end coach – and former Texas assistant – Tim Brewster kicked it off in February, and tweets of a similar nature haven’t slowed since.

An assistant Texas A&M offensive line coach sent a cold-blooded shot across the bow at the Longhorns, referencing first-round offensive linemen drafted since 2013. The tweet was later deleted. 

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Herman, on several occasions this summer, has brought up Texas A&M on his own accord. At Big 12 Media Days he both pushed for the on-field action to continue – a rivalry that hasn’t been played since 2011 – and mentioned the Aggies’ recruiting success in off-hand fashion. “I think the competition is doing a great job,” Herman said. “One of our biggest rivals in recruiting, their coaching staff is undefeated when recruiting just like we were last year, so that helps. It’s a long way until December.”

Fisher boasted early in his tenure to CBSSports.com that the Aggies would finish “one or two” in the 2019 class rankings. Texas and Texas A&M are at a weird crux in college football. In arguably the most talent-rich state in the country, the former rivals are the state’s pillars when it comes to recruiting. One is in the Big 12. One is in the SEC. Both, depending on the year, have out-recruited the other in the last half decade since the Aggies switched conferences.

“It’s unique that they are such intense competitors despite not playing,” said Barton Simmons, 247Sports Director of Scouting. “Jimbo Fisher has proven over time he’s one of the most aggressive recruiters in college football, and Tom Herman has quickly moved himself into that top tier at Texas. I think it’s inevitably going to be a really fierce competition there.”

Top recruits in Texas have pledged their allegiances to both thus far in the 2019 cycle. Two of the state’s eight best prospects are committed to Texas A&M and two to Texas. Many others remain up for grabs. To suggest the state is singularly defined by Texas and A&M would be disingenuous. TCU and Baylor consistently sign fringe- top 25 class, Texas Tech produces first-round picks and even Houston’s signed a five-star prospect (Ed Oliver, by way of Herman) recently. It’s an extremely competitive state, but the Longhorn and Aggies are the tentpoles. “They are the flagships of the state,” said Mesquite Poteet head coach Kody Groves. “A lot of people don’t like saying that, but they are. They’re the name value.”

Interestingly considering their successes, Herman and Fisher are viewed in sharp contrast when it comes to players and parents. 247Sports spoke to 25-plus recruits, parents, head coaches, trainers and administrators in reporting for this story, and there were few commonalities in one description to another about the two. When it comes to Fisher, many expected an unapproachable figure. Instead, most described him as warm. Four-star receiver Dylan Wright said Fisher is the type of coach who’d let you stay at his house if you needed to, “He’s down to earth. You know Nick Saban at Alabama? He’s not like that. [Fisher] will talk to you.” Top 2020 safety Darius Snow called Fisher “inspirational” and “straight-forward.” Seth McGowan, a four-star RB in the 2020 class, came away from his talk thinking: “Texas A&M should get substantially better.” Dixon said Fisher “doesn’t mince words” but felt Fisher was “genuine” when they spoke at the Houston Touchdown Club.

Even parents whose kids committed elsewhere were fond of Fisher. Leah Banks, mother of Houston-area defensive back and LSU commit Marcus Banks, remembers Fisher chatting with her about Cajun-style cooking during an official visit as they’ve both spent time in Louisiana. “He’s very down-to-earth, contrary to what a lot of people would say,” Banks said.

Herman, for the most part, commanded the narratives of ‘family’ and ‘cool.’ Wright, planning to buy a grill of his own (all gold), loved Herman’s willingness to get fitted for one at Houston in order to relate to his players. Top 2019 safety Jalen Catalon called Herman a “family guy.” Notre Dame commit Nana Osafo-Mensah loved the way Herman and his staff always checked in on him. “I really felt like they cared.” Hudson Card, a Texas 2020 commit, said Herman is “easy to talk to.” Dixon, whose player, Jalen Green, signed with Texas last cycle, called Herman a “kid at heart.”

This is not to say these descriptors are universal. For instance, Leah Banks found Herman to be “who he was” and that you knew his coaching would be “stern.” She said defensive back coach Jason Washington was there to bring that “cushion and soft spot” to the player-coach dynamic at Texas. Karon Higgins, the mother of Top247 receiver and Austin native Elijah Higgins, said of Herman: “A little edgy. I don’t know, headstrong.” She then turned to Elijah’s brother for help and he said, “hyperactive.”

Some coaches across the state would like to see more of Fisher on their campuses and need to get to know him better. “I just think they both do their things differently,” Dixon said. “But one way is not better than the other. They’re both getting great kids, so it’s working for both.”

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Big Kenyon Green, when asked about Herman, starts with a banality: “He’s a great guy. I hope he does well.” Then he enters into his real answer about why he picked the Aggies over the Longhorns. “I wanted to play in the SEC against big dogs every day,” Green said.

There’s something to that. The SEC, unquestionably, produces more NFL Draft picks than any other conference, whether one looks at the raw numbers or an average on a per-team basis. But the leagues also have different styles. Fifty percent of the Big 12’s attacks ranked 25th or better in passing offense last season; the SEC had just three such teams in the top 50. Taken in reverse, five SEC programs ranked among the top 25 in total defense versus only a single Big 12 team.

Despite hailing from the same spread-happy high school state, both Texas and A&M have their own individual characteristics. The overall recruiting style of each program differs. Texas A&M casts a wider net, offering 190 players thus far in 2019 and 99 in 2020. Texas is more selective, offering 127 players in 2019 and 45 in 2020. You also find a divergence in terms of the type of prospect both programs verbally extend. Texas and Texas A&M share offers to only 68 players in the 2019 class, a number that drops to just 32 when just examining in-state recruits.

Positional preferences between the two programs are easy to identify. Fisher and Herman have a different quarterback prototype. Herman traditionally recruits a true dual-threat passer. Fisher prefers a pro-style passer that can move. But defense is where the programs truly diverge. Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando runs a 3-4 system where undersized defensive ends can thrive. Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko conversely runs a 4-3 or a 4-2-5, a system that traditionally requires a bit more bulk.

The programs also differ in where they offer players. Both lean heavily toward the Lone Star State (43 for Texas, 50 for A&M), but the Aggies have a wide national footprint, especially in regards to the Southeast where many of Fisher’s assistants have ties. For instance, Texas A&M’s offered 12 prospects in Alabama compared to none for Texas. The Longhorns have gone west, either California or Arizona, for four of their 15 current commitments.

“There’s a lot of variance here in terms of the net each program is willing to cast,” Simmons said. “It appears to me that Texas is more isolated in the out-of-state guys they go after whereas Texas A&M really seems to be recruiting other regions and leaning on the staff they put together and where their relationships are.”

When the programs do clash, the Aggies are winning the majority of the battles this year. Of the 32 shared verbal extensions in the state, 10 have committed to Texas A&M as opposed to five for Texas. On a national scale, 11 players with shared offers have committed to the Aggies versus seven for the Longhorns during the 2019 cycle. The jostling is ongoing. Over the weekend the Aggies received a commitment from sought-after defensive back Jeffery Carter, while the Longhorns picked up four-star Houston-area offensive tackle Javonne Shepherd.

“Oh yeah, you see it,” said Bishop Dunne head coach Michael Johnson, whose player, Brian Williams, committed to Texas A&M after being considered a Texas lean. “Texas A&M coaches poke fun at Texas coaches. Texas coaches poke fun at A&M coaches. They understand the rich rivalry and they’re trying to get the best players out of the state. “They know they’re competing.”

Some prospects don’t put much stock in the head-to-head recruiting between the programs. But they’re aware both will have their say in the state for the foreseeable future. “I’m not into the recruiting wars,” Snow, the 2020 safety, said. “I can’t say who’s got what and how many guys have who. I just know with the guys they have and the coaches they have, it’s hard to overlook either Texas or A&M.”

‘JIMBO IS WAY ABOVE TOM IN THAT DEPARTMENT’

Standing on the podium at the Texas High School Coaches Association Convention, Fisher flips the script on a reporter: “When you’re writing a story, who do you talk to?” “Whoever I need to,” the reporter responded. “When you’re recruiting, you talk to whoever you need to,” Fisher said.

Herman and Fisher were on hand at the San Antonio convention in late July, and “straight line recruiting” was the buzzword phrase of the week. Per the THSCA’s model for how recruiting should work, the coaches in the state of Texas want recruiting to go in a straight line from college coach to the player, his parents and high school coach. Step outside of that and it can draw controversy.

Fisher found himself inundated with that immediately upon arrival in Texas. Just a few days after his introductory press conference, Fisher went to the home of Ro Simon during his first recruiting trip as head coach. Simon is the coach of Fast Houston 7-on-7, an Adidas-backed select team that featured a number of Aggie targets. That meeting set off a minor tizzy in the state among high school coaches as they worried if Fisher would legitimize something that could introduce a “bad element,” according to THSCA Executive Director D.W. Rutledge.

“They knew he was coming from Florida, and of course Florida’s got a strong reputation of having a lot of third-party people being involved with the process,” Rutledge said. “They become handlers, and they knew he was coming from that state. They were concerned about that in the beginning once it was announced he was coming, and when that came out it just kind of blew up on him. It confirmed a lot of the coach’s fears.”

When asked a few days before the convention if Fisher had assuaged any of those reservations in the ensuing eight months, Rutledge said: “I hope so. I think there’s some fears. As he gets to know our coaches, hopefully [he] embraces the way we do things.” Fisher, when asked about 7-on-7 and recruiting, said he’d prefer to only speak with the parents, high school coach and player. “But in this world that’s not the situation. … In our world we have to affect who has the ear of the kid, who impacts him. The key is keeping that an open relationship with him, the parents and the coaches to let everyone know who we’re talking to.”

Fisher is hardly alone in this regard. His predecessor, Kevin Sumlin, met with Simon and other 7-on-7 coaches/trainers in the past. Herman and TCU head coach Gary Patterson have done so as well. Among the high school coaches 247Sports spoke to for this story, few had any problem with Fisher meeting with a 7-on-7 coach so early in his tenure.

“Some of those kids are a lot closer to those 7-on-7 coaches and trainers than they are to their actual coach,” Dixon said. “You’ve got to play both ends of the spectrum. You’ve got to politic with not only the high school coaches, but also the 7-on-7 coaches. I feel like Jimbo’s bridged the gap between the two. If you do that you’re going to get some guys who would’ve otherwise went to Ohio State or Alabama or those type of schools.”

Other coaches in the state simply want Fisher to count on them. “You might hear something here or there,” Groves said. “The biggest thing he can do is continue to lean so much on high school coaches because of the influence we have in the state of Texas as opposed to other places in the country.”

As for 7-on-7 coaches in Texas, they’ve appreciated the way Fisher’s made their programs a priority. True Buzz founder DeMarquis Brooks compared Fisher’s arrival in the state to that of a celebrity. “It felt like a true power shift.” Brooks, whose program has sent numerous players to the Power Five level over the last few years, has seen the influence of 7-on-7 grow during that time. Brooks could only deal with a handful of college coaches early on. He said True Buzz is now national. The reason for that is simple. True Buzz is a one-stop shop for premium talent spread over multiple classes. With feeder programs that reach into the junior high ranks, Brooks and select coaches like him work with prospects years before they receive their first Division I offer.

“Fisher’s like, ‘Why not have a relationship with these guys?’” Brooks said. “He has everything to gain and nothing to lose by meeting with 7-on-7 coaches.” Brooks, a former Texas high school football coach, said 7-on-7 programs aren’t trying to override high school coaches. “Nobody in their right mind is telling them not to do what the high school coaches say to do. They come first. We understand that.”

Herman said Texas’ philosophy in regards to 7-on-7 will be what the THSCA recommends. But like Fisher, Herman will speak to the central influencers in a recruitment. “In order to do that when the stars align and sometimes these trainers and 7-on-7 coaches are influential in these men’s lives, and usually it’s really positive influences you come across,” Herman said. “You’ve got to build relationships with them.”

Fisher came from Florida, a state where private recruiting influences are prevalent. According to Brooks, that’s helped give Fisher an advantage in the quietly bubbling new avenue of Texas recruiting. Brooks said he’s met with Fisher and sat in his office. With Herman, Brooks said he’s been on campus twice and never sat down with Herman.

“Jimbo is way above Tom in that department,” Brooks said. “Tom, the head man calling the shots, he’s going to have to open up his doors and be a little more friendly. The talent is here to stay. The kids who play 7-on-7, the talent isn’t going nowhere. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t get along with these coaches. He may know somebody who can help you win them over. All it is is recruiting at the end of the day.”

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Garrett Wilson is walking toward the football offices at Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas. The top-rated wide receiver from the Lone Star State since 2010, Wilson is a can’t-miss prospect and ranks No. 14 overall in the 2019 class. He’s also headed to Ohio State. Thoughtfully, Wilson is explaining his rationale for picking the Buckeyes over several in-state programs, including his hometown Longhorns. For Wilson, it came down to recent results.

“They’re getting the top kids every year, and they’re not winning with them,” Wilson said. “It makes you worried. And they’re also not getting drafted. When you have an opportunity to go play somewhere like Ohio State, Alabama too, you’re probably going to choose that instead of the in-state school. You’re probably going to choose that because you know what you’re getting yourself into. You’re going to compete for championships. You’re going to get the best coaching in the country. I definitely think it’s a huge thing with the in-state schools not winning.”

This is not a shot by Wilson at his home-state programs. He loved Texas and liked Herman a lot. But Wilson is most interested in greatness and winning championships. Texas last won a Big 12 title in 2009. Texas A&M’s most recent conference title came in 1998, 14 years before it joined the SEC. Players in the 2019 class were eight or nine years old in 2009. Many weren’t even born when the Aggies last won a championship. That makes a difference.

There have been 24 247Sports Composite five-star prospects in Texas since 2013. Only 11 of those signed with an in-state program. If you combine the number of five-stars signed by Alabama, Ohio State and LSU (7) from that total, it would be just one shy of the combined Texas and Texas A&M haul (8). “In this state everyone loves Texas,” Wilson said. “But when you put that up against Ohio State and Bama, those are nationwide.”

Wilson isn’t alone on those thoughts. Top 2020 cornerback RJ Mickens is a Texas A&M legacy, but he admitted struggles by the Aggies and Longhorns “makes it easier to leave.” Osafo-Mensah said: “Schools haven’t been what they’ve been in the past, and people are looking around more.”

Arlington Lamar head coach Laban DeLay has sent players to Texas, Texas A&M, Alabama, Arkansas and other programs over the past few seasons. To him, relationships have been the key dynamic in his players leaving Texas. In that regard, he’s seen a recent shift for both the Longhorns and Aggies. “Coach Fisher has some skins on the wall, and nothing against Sumlin, there’s a breath of fresh air when he comes in, same thing with Coach Herman,” DeLay said. “I think those schools have done a better job in the last year and a half as well.”

Texas signed the majority of top players in the state last cycle and Texas A&M’s grabbed momentum in the present. But if you look at the top 10 in the Lone State rankings for 2019, you’ll see an Ohio State commitment, a pair of future Sooners and a player headed to Illinois. The 2020 class isn’t much different. While the top 10 is far from set, Oklahoma is the only school with a commitment and it has two. Five-star running back Jase McClellan is among those, and his reasoning for picking the Sooners echoes Wilson’s response.

“Coach Herman is a good coach. He’s a good person. But I have to see him change the team around. It’s the same with Jimbo,” McClellan said. “I think (a lot of guys feel that way) with new coaches coming in, especially with A&M. We want to see change.”

Both programs have their trumpeters. Green, when asked about a future Texas/A&M battle, said “A&M is about to take over.” Card thinks the Longhorns and Aggies will go at each other. Wright, a top receiver target for both the Longhorns and Aggies, doesn’t know how things will play out in this recruiting war. He just wonders what would happen if the top players in Texas stayed home. “That’s how Alabama and stuff win, they get kids from Texas,” Wright said. “But if all the kids in Texas stay in Texas, bro, ain’t nobody going to f*** with us. We’re just different in Texas."

 

Sounds like the abridged version would be: "Texas needs to win...which will take more of the kind of players who are waiting on Texas to win before they sign with Texas." 

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18 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Ah, Tufono to SC and Wilson solid to Wifebeater U (hey at least that refers to the act and not the clothing now), what a lovely day.

So who's next up at LB?  That Heimuli kid has awesome film but looks Washington bound.  Cooper?  Hasn't even visited.  Gbenda? Who knows.

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1 hour ago, Gut Wagon said:

Sounds like the abridged version would be: "Texas needs to win...which will take more of the kind of players who are waiting on Texas to win before they sign with Texas." 

Chris Hummer sucks and should be fired if his job is to write that nonsense. 

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2 hours ago, satyanash said:

One need not look far for evidence of the recruiting tug-of-war between the Longhorns and Aggies. Social media is now a battleground for the two programs as they compete for players whose ages numbered in the single digits the last time each program won a conference championship. Texas A&M tight end coach – and former Texas assistant – Tim Brewster kicked it off in February, and tweets of a similar nature haven’t slowed since.

I don’t know who Chris Hummer is, but he’s either a liar or a retard. There are no recruits alive who were single digits when A&M last won a conference championship. If any HS recruits were alive in 1998, they’ve failed a couple of times. 

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8 hours ago, DeadSalamander said:

Orlando and Jake Langi, who has strong Polynesian ties, are going to continue to press him.

If the Co-op isn't selling Strong Polynesian Ties by the middle of the season, then heads should roll.

In fact, they should have some SPTs in their email ads by the end of this month.

People should be able to PRE-ORDER the mother fucking Strong Polynesian Ties to wear for the USC game.

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59 minutes ago, Hornius Emeritus said:

 

 

Having lived in Columbus, Ohio, for a good while, it's sad for me to see anybody describe that place as something that has been in their dreams.  Austin is 100 times better.

The area around the campus reminds me of post-1986 Chernobyl. But not quite as nice.

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1 hour ago, satyanash said:

He wrote for Horns247 for years, and covered Texas for DMN before that. At some point he was promoted and E.J. took his place.

Ok.

Chris Hummer is still either a liar or a retard. A&M’s last conference championship was two full decades ago, in a conference far, far away. Ours was painfully long ago, too, but only half as long ago. 

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49 minutes ago, Rockethorn1978 said:

That article was blowing jimbo big time and he hasn’t even coached a game lol. They are acting like he’s had back to back 11 win seasons. After they suck dick this year that narrative will change.

Will take more than one season of sucking to change it.  This year will be every contrived excuse they can dream up to explain it away.

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22 minutes ago, Zharkov said:

Will take more than one season of sucking to change it.  This year will be every contrived excuse they can dream up to explain it away.

aggy can run out of time, Bonfires and jizz jars, but they will never run out of excuses. #Advantageaggy

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TFB Open Post: https://texas.thefootballbrainiacs.com/2018/08/open-post-weekend-august-3rd-5th/

Texas Rekindling Things with Peyton Powell
– Super K

You’ve probably seen me speak glowingly about 2019 ATH Peyton Powell (Permian), on numerous occasions. Texas offered Powell earlier this summer as a wide receiver and then, according to Powell, almost immediately went quiet on him. Needless to say, he didn’t make a summer trip down.

Powell plays primarily quarterback and wide receiver for Permian. Earlier this week, the Sooners offered Powell as a DB and this is what I had to say…

Powell is a big guy that can absolutely move. You’re talking a legit 6’2 185 lbs with a 4.45 laser 40. He can see the field from both sides. He’s the kind of athlete who despite not playing defense, his coaches will put him on defense to lock up the opposing teams best wide receiver…and he’ll do it. And, from what I gather, he’s an intelligent and high character, young man…

But I’ll tell you what really caught my attention about Powell.

Earlier this summer, I was talking to a guy I’ve known for a while who is connected in the Ohio State market and asked him about a high profile defensive back in their recruiting area. I was told they liked said recruit but had a DB at the top of their board that they were waiting on. I asked who. He said…

Peyton Powell.

I’m thinking, wait, Greg Schiano can basically hand pick DBs from around the country and the man obviously has a tremendous eye for talent and he’s passing up on 4-star guys to come down to West Texas to recruit a 3-star ATH who plays primarily WR and QB?

What gives?

So, I talk to Powell and ask him about it. And it was all pretty simple. Back in the spring Schiano came across Powell’s film, loved it and called him and told him he’d be down to visit him. Coach Schiano made his way down to west Texas to watch Powell in the spring.

According to Peyton, Schiano then offered Powell and told him, you’re going to be a first-round defensive back.

I asked my guy with ties to Ohio State what they like about Powell and he said very simply, “Everything. Size, speed, hips, all of it”.

I spoke with Powell earlier this week and he said conversation between him and Texas has picked back up. In fact, so much so, that he was actually planning to take an unofficial visit down to Texas this past Sunday following his Baylor trip but it simply got to be too late.

Powell was expected to make a decision in the next week or so and it was thought he’d pick Ohio State. But he says he will likely push that back and added that he plans on taking official visits to Oklahoma and Texas.

He is also trying to take an unofficial visit down to Texas in the next few weeks, if possible. He mentioned that he had hoped to be in Austin yesterday but had a team conflict.

If he does indeed push this back, I suspect this one turns into a Red River battle.

For Texas, I imagine they see Powell has a guy who could potentially be a weapon at two positions of need, wide receiver and quarterback and if neither works, then you’ve still got a high upside defensive back.

The Austin Fellas | Higgins & Wilson | Trending
– Super K

I spoke with a source regarding both big-time Austin area wide receivers, Elijah Higgins and Garrett Wilson.

***Source said that Higgins has already made a decision but would not divulge where Higgins is headed. Earlier in the process, speaking with Higgins he seemed to want to make a summer decision.

One hasn’t been made and a date hasn’t been announced. I’d conjecture that he’s trending Stanford and is simply waiting on admissions. Again, that is speculative but it’s based, in part, on the fact that I’m told Higgins has a good idea where he wants to go but has yet to announce.

***I’ve reached out to Garrett Wilson, his father and someone in his camp. They aren’t saying much and obviously, we are trying to be respectful as I’m sure this revelation isn’t an easy one to deal with.

You will note that, unlike when the wide receiver coach was dismissed, Wilson has to come up with a statement regarding his commitment.

I can’t say right now how much an effect this dismissal will have but based on what I’m told and on the family staying quiet, it’s going to have an effect. At the very least, I believe it opens the door up for Wilson to take some visits and in particular, a return visit to Texas.

When I spoke to him after the dismissal of the wide receiver coach, he said he only planned on taking two visits and both were to watch the Buckeyes play.

Wilson grew up a fan of the Buckeyes but he was very clearly torn when he made his decision between Texas and Ohio State. So for those reasons, I’m going to delicately say this one is Trending Texas ever so slightly.

Again, at the very least, I believe this opens the door for Texas to get Wilson back on campus.

Marcus Washington Pushes Back Commitment Date
– Charlie S

– 2019 elite wide receiver and top Texas target, Marcus Washington has backed off of his scheduled commitment date of August 7th.

Washington is obviously referring to the situation at Ohio State in the tweet above.

As we mentioned previously, we felt pretty good in saying that whether he made his announcement or not, Texas would receive an official visit during the season.

Obviously, we still feel very strongly that the official visit to Austin will take place and the distraction around the Ohio State program will have an effect on his decision-making process going forward.

Lot’s of moving pieces with the 2019 wide receivers with connections to both Texas and Ohio State which could force some action in regards to the timelines of commitments.

Stay tuned!

Maninoa Tufono Announcement | Trending
– Super K & Will Baizer

As you all know 2019 LB, Maninoa Tufono (Honolulu, HI) is set to announce his decision on August 6th and Texas is in the running along with USC, UCLA, LSU, and Washington. At least that’s the official list.

The unofficial list is USC, Washington, and Texas.

We’ve spoken to a couple sources and we believe this one is trending away from Texas.

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23 hours ago, BigHorn'13 said:

Fuck that noise. If your kid is really serious about attending Texas, tell them to bust their ass in juco/cc for one year and transfer in. That's how I did it and I'm one of the rare people to have not graduated from hs (GED). Shit is possible if you want it bad enough. 

How about busting ass at aggy and transferring to Texas? If he’s really Longhorn material, he won’t be brainwashed, especially if he has a plan. 

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14 hours ago, Dondrysdale1 said:

Lasted? It was picks from guys that follow each other and have zero sources beyond what recruits tell them. This board bashes ej constantly, was it suspended to get excited about his and roach’s cb?

Do you even Polynesian tie, homeboy?  It's been a breathe of fresh air in this thread.  Thinking of ordering one and wearing it at FedEx.  I should wear a Troy Polamalu wig and get some temporary Samoan tattoos that looks well on my golden brown skin../not racist 

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OB War Room: D.Gbenda, M.Washington, M.Tufono

A quick note on linebacker David Gbenda

Hearing this week that A&M has fallen back in this one and it looks like the Longhorns would be the team to beat. Gbenda has maintained all along that he wants to take his time with the process and take his visits so this one could still have some twists and turns if he sticks to that plan, but I’d put Texas out in front of this one right now.

******

A ripple effect from the Urban Meyer news that could be worth watching …

St. Louis Trinity Christian wide receiver Marcus Washington was set to decide on August 7, and he was pretty much down to Ohio State and Missouri. Washington tweeted on Thursday that he was pushing his decision back, which could bode well for Texas since UT was in his top six and Washington is a guy the Longhorn staff would like to get on campus for a visit.

Due to everything happening in college football right now my family & I have decided it’s best I delay my commitment date and reopen my recruitment fully....

·         808

·         232 people are talking about this



De’Gabriel Floyd, always active on Twitter, had an interesting back-and-forth with Washington on Twitter:



Washington’s teammate, 2020 athlete Mookie Cooper, a guy who has visited UT and is very high on the Longhorns, also got into the act, saying now the two could play together in college.



We’ll see if this one gains more traction in the fall, but I’d say the odds are pretty good that Texas will now get Washington on campus for a visit in the fall. If that happens, and if Cooper can lean on him a bit, this one could get very interesting. Furthermore, Texas is also recruiting Trinity Catholic linebacker Shammond Cooper.

******

Rivals250 linebacker Maninoa Tufono moved up his decision to Monday, August 6 after previously stating he’d take his time with the process. There’s been a lot of speculation and guessing on which way this one will go since Tufone has done a good job of keeping everyone guessing.

I’m continuing to check on this one. Texas made a very strong impression when Tufono visited in June, but on Thursday night I heard this one is likely to go either USC or Washington’s way. There has been some conflicting information on just how involved Washington is, and Tufono hasn’t tipped his hand to anyone I’ve talked to so this one could still take some last-minute turns … but right now I’d call it a bit of an upset if Texas won out, per a source I trust.

I’ll keep you all posted if I hear of any new information on this one.

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