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Texas recruiting notes 2019


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EJ after dark: Observations from weekend clinics

— Noah Cain certainly looks the part of an elite back in shirt and shorts. Cain displayed quick feet during drills, tremendous explosion and speed during his initial 20-yard burst. I saw Cain live as a sophomore and caught a couple of games on TV this past season, and it was easy to see his power and vision. It appears Cain has revamped his explosiveness and quickness this offseason, and it’s clear the IMG program is helping his add more muscle mass to his body. Cain should very much be in the conversation for top running back in the country.

— Darius Snow is one of the most intriguing prospects in the 2020 class. Snow, who is ranked as the nation's top safety, is a massive striker on film and is already up to 210 pounds, so there is some concern about him getting too big for the safety position over the next couple of years. Snow, however, is adamant that he wants to stick in the secondary. He did show solid cover skills, quick feet and physicality when working against quicker wide outs during route releases, but he needs to keep improving his hips and flexibility. Snow does have a thick lower half, which screams linebacker when you first see him. But as he works through drills, you can see his potential as a ‘colossal safety,’ as he likes to say.

— With Jalen Catalon still on the board and having increasing interest in Texas, it’s hard for me to make the argument that Texas should offer Coppell defensive back Jonathan McGill, but he might be too good to pass up. No, McGill isn’t the highest ranked prospect in the state, but he’s arguably the most versatile. Like D’shawn Jamison last cycle, McGill is an electric playmaker in the secondary that is always in attack mode. On top of that he has a high football IQ, is an excellent student in the classroom and a high character kid. He would be the perfect scheme fit at nickel and the perfect culture fit at Texas.

— It’s a weak year at cornerback in the state of Texas this recruiting cycle, so Texas is rightfully looking at elite prospects out-of-state. But one recruit I feel like colleges are completely missing the boat on and could be a late riser is Duncanville cornerback Tre’shon Devones. At 6-foot, 165 pounds, Devones has excellent length, great raw athleticism and so much upside. Baylor, Louisiana-Monroe and Texas State are his only offers, which is a bit mind-blowing to me. Little Elm’s Brandon Crossley is another under-the-radar recruit that could see his stock rise this spring. He reminds me of Kobe Boyce and recently notched an offer from TCU.

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17 minutes ago, satyanash said:

— Noah Cain certainly looks the part of an elite back in shirt and shorts. Cain displayed quick feet during drills, tremendous explosion and speed during his initial 20-yard burst. I saw Cain live as a sophomore and caught a couple of games on TV this past season, and it was easy to see his power and vision. It appears Cain has revamped his explosiveness and quickness this offseason, and it’s clear the IMG program is helping his add more muscle mass to his body. Cain should very much be in the conversation for top running back in the country.

How can this be when he doesn't start on his own team? Obviously, IMG coaches like Sanders better.

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26 minutes ago, South Austin said:

SIAP, but has Wilson announced a timetable for his decision?

I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who thinks he knows a guy who knows Wilson.

Want me to ask him? 

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Just now, phdhorn said:

I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who thinks he knows a guy who knows Wilson.

Want me to ask him? 

Yes. Thank you, Simone.

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IT

 

From: Eric Nahlin

TEMPLE TE JARED WILEY
 

Texas wants two in the class and Wiley already holds an offer. He's interesting in that he'll play quarterback his senior year but projects best to tight end in college.

On the visit:
"It was a lot of fun. Me and my family went there and did the photo shoot and watched practice. We had a good time."

Takeaways from practice:
"A lot of high intensity. They practiced just how you play in a real game; all four quarters."

What he liked about tight end usage (this is the main reason I called him):
"They were getting the ball in the tight end's hands, whether a deeper route or in the flat. I like that they trust him with the all in his hands. They moved him around a lot too: slot, H-back, on the line."

Beck looked good, huh?
"Oh yeah, Andrew Beck looked like he was ready for the season."

The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder only has a U of H visit on April 7th in the works. He says he's in no hurry to make a decision. As I wrote last week, it will be interesting to see how this recruitment plays out.

GARRETT WILSON QUOTE

Inside Texas' #2 ranked player told my buddy at Irish Sports Daily the following:

“I just love the hometown type of feel to it and I’d like to bring them back to how they were in the past. I grew up watching Texas be great, so it would be cool to be a part of bringing that program back.”

Take it from there, Justin.

From: Justin Wells

.....GARRETT WILSON

As we reported this weekend, '19 Lake Travis elite pass-catcher Garrett Wilson will be in Austin on Saturday, April 21st. Orange-White scrimmage night.

“I’m taking my official visit for the spring game and I’m strictly going to be watching the passing game,” said Wilson. “Being a WR, I want to see if they're doing what they've been telling me they are; spreading the ball around and throwing down field.”

He and his family enjoyed his Ohio State and Notre Dame trips. He loved the Fighting Irish traditional uniforms. He says the Buckeyes and Longhorns are the only official visits he's setup to this point. 

If Texas displays a semblance of a consistent passing attack, I think Wilson gets close to shutting it down. He loves Sam Ehlinger and Roschon Johnson. He also loves the idea of bringing Texas back where it belongs; among the top tier football teams, year in and year out.

He's talked about committing before his senior year begins. I'll stick with my mid-summer prediction. 

For the Longhorns, they need to sling the pill all around DKR during the Orange-White scrimmage. I predict that'll happen. They might already know that. 

BRANSON BRAGG

The 6-foot-5, 305-pound “Big Intellectual” will be in Austin this weekend and dropped his Top 8 last night. Let’s discuss both.

He’s anxious to build a relationship with new Texas OL coach Herb Hand. Derek Warehime was Bragg's first contact at UT, but with the o-line changes, it's Hand time.

“Definitely ready,” said Bragg. “(Hand) came to my school but that was only about a minute-long meeting. Looking forward to sitting down with him and talking football.”

He’s throwing the discuss this weekend at the Texas Relays and thinks he’s got the No. 1 mark in the state currently. Afterwards, he and his family will walk over to Moncrief for some 1-on-1 time with the staff. 

Bragg gave me one/two words on each:

Stanford: Intellectual Brutality
Texas: Elite
Texas A&M: Technical
Arkansas: Promising
LSU: Cajun/Fun
Michigan State: Far
Oklahoma: Prowess
Oklahoma State: Small Town Feel/Home

The Cardinal are UT’s top competition. Time for Hand to combat that.

STACEY WILKINS

Quick note on another OL target, Fairview (Camden, AR) OL Stacey Wilkins. At 6-foot-7, 280, UT hosted the big offensive tackle at Junior Day Weekend in late February. With 23 offers, it looks like Arkansas, Oklahoma, and UT are the early leaders. 

“(Texas) keeps up with me every now and then,” said Wilkins. “I'm taking an official to UT. I don’t know the date yet. We’re trying to figure out when. I’m looking forward to it.”

The UT staff is constantly evaluating offensive tackles. This program needs more. Wilkins loved his trip to the ATX last time, and even clicked with Recruiting Assistant Jake Langi. Getting him back on campus is the key here. Looks like that'll happen now. 

Another example of laying the foundation without pressure and staying the course. 

XAVIER ROSS

The 6-foot-3, 285-pound defensive tackle from Cedar Hill made a trip to watch UT's spring practice on Saturday. In potentially a 5-DL class for 2019, you look at all options.

“The Texas visit was great,” said Ross. “I learned a lot about the campus and how they are gone use me, if they decide to offer me. It was a very friendly environment.”

Oklahoma State, Purdue, and Florida International are his early offers, with Baylor and Louisiana-Lafayette also in contact. That list will likely grow. UT and DL coach Oscar Giles sees firs for Ross on the 40 Acres. 

“(Texas) likes me as a 3-and 5-technique but also I will be in the middle to stop runs on 3rd and short situations," Ross said. 

This being his first trip to the University of Texas, it was the business-like atmosphere that really caught his attention. 

“(Texas) was all business which I like, but it also stood out how they know when to be about business and to get to know their players.”

Ross hopes to make it back for a game this fall. With his size and upside, more and more schools will take notice.

From: Joe Cook

Several of the region’s top 7-on-7 programs sent teams to Houston this past weekend to participate in EndZone 7-on-7’s tournament. Most of these teams come from a major metropolitan area like Houston or Dallas, or represent entire states like Arkansas, Mississippi, or Louisiana.

A new team on the circuit is based out of Austin, Juice Football. Several Texas targets are on this team, including Garrett Wilson and Elijah Higgins. Those two were not in Houston this weekend, but a prospect Texas is familiar with, 2019 Round Rock Cedar Ridge WR and Baylor commit Jaylen Ellis, was there making plays.

There were not many, if any, Austin based 7-on-7 teams prior to Juice starting out and so players from the state’s capital normally had to join Houston or DFW based teams. With this new program, players like Ellis have been able to form relationships with some of the talent from other Austin area schools.

“You get a lot of exposure from this,” Ellis said. “Not only things on twitter with 247 guys and Rivals guys posting about you, but you meet a lot of guys that eventually turn into your close friends.”

Those close friends include Wilson and Higgins, who Ellis tripped to Texas with last month for the Longhorns’ junior day.

“They really want us three Austin guys to stick together; me, Garrett, and Elijah,” Ellis said. “It’s cool that we’re all friends and we’re close to each other. We all get along, and they’d like for us three to stay together in Austin.”

Ellis has not received a Texas offer yet but when he was on campus he had several coaches talking to him.

“Mehringer was the main one,” Ellis said. “Mehringer, Washington, Coach Beck, and Coach Warehime.”

Right now, Texas has a major need for a slot wide receiver. Joshua Moore is set to enroll in the summer, but as it stands the only scholarship players practicing there are Jordan Pouncey and Jerrod Heard, with Lil’Jordan Humphrey also likely to get looks inside.

Although there is a need there, the coaches left the choice of position up to him.

“They said what would I prefer,” Ellis said. “I looked at my size at the college level. I’m about 5’11”, 6’ so I feel like I’m versatile so you can put me on the outside, but you can put me on the inside. I’m fine with whatever. I’m not scared to go in the middle and catch a ball. It’s actually up to them.”

Ellis mentioned he plans to get back to Texas “a lot” during the spring, including seeing Longhorn spring practices. He has no set official visit schedule, but said he prefers to take most of them in the fall closer to when he will actually be signing his NLI.

Edited by Machinator
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12 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

IDK if this is accurate or not, but a poster on 247 is saying Wiley stood out at the Rivals camp in Dallas and some people thought he looked just as good as Stogner.

And he's a year younger, and has barely played tight end 

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8 minutes ago, UT Lawnghorn said:

Has the staff identified a clear #1 slot target for this class?

I think Joshua Moore can play slot, but he's not a perfect fit so it would be nice to see the staff nab a true slot this class. 

 

Wilson, Whittington, and Higgins can play slot, although I'm not sure if that's what the staff has in mind with them. Jaylen Ellis and Ainias Smith could fit there too if we decide to pursue them. If Jake Smith is a realistic target, he can play slot. Demariyon Houston from Oklahoma might fit there too. 

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16 minutes ago, UT Lawnghorn said:

More importantly, you can hover over the like symbol and click hate to neg rep, just like I did for your post. You're welcome.

Oh shit.  The resurgent UTlaw taking on Beetlejuice from the jump?

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Surly gonna surly.

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37 minutes ago, Fud said:

Wilson, Whittington, and Higgins can play slot, although I'm not sure if that's what the staff has in mind with them. Jaylen Ellis and Ainias Smith could fit there too if we decide to pursue them. If Jake Smith is a realistic target, he can play slot. Demariyon Houston from Oklahoma might fit there too. 

Texas thinks Wilson can play that hybrid slot. I think he "can" but don't think that is his natural position. He plays X for LT but I think he projects to Z at the next level. 

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18 hours ago, futureman said:

how many times are you gonna shit the bed?

This is hilarious.  I had no idea why/what you were talking about yesterday.  From my phone, all of those Gifs came through (I can still see them on my phone).  But from my computer, I see that they've just come through as garbled text.

 

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247 update from the Demariyon Houston weekend visit.

 

Texas hosted a handful of recruits this weekend, including Millwood (Okla.) wide receiver Demariyon Houston.

The four-star prospect took in the Longhorns’ spring practice and enjoyed his time on campus.

“It was a great visit,” Houston said. “My favorite parts were seeing the practice and just getting the experience of being a player at Texas.”

Houston added that he is building a strong relationship with the Texas staff, including wide receivers coach Drew Mehringer, who he watched closely at practice.

“My relationship with the Texas staff and Coach Mehringer is great,” Houston said. “They make me feel like I’m at home.”

While Texas landed Jordan Whittington a couple of weeks ago, the Longhorns are still looking for another slot receiver addition this cycle, and Houston seems like an ideal fit. The Longhorns really sold him on need and early playing time throughout the weekend.

One of the fastest rising prospects in the nation, Houston holds offers from Florida, Missouri, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Texas, which put an offer on the table last month, and others.

So where exactly do the Longhorns stand after the visit?

“I’m very interested,” Houston said. “The thing that stands out about Texas is the fact the coaches care about you being a husband or a father more than a football player.”

Houston will look to make another visit to Texas down the line.

At 6-foot, 165 pounds, Houston is ranked as the No. 27 wide receiver in the country and No. 3 overall prospect in the state of Oklahoma, per 247Sports Composite.

 

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1 hour ago, Longhorn94 said:

Texas thinks Wilson can play that hybrid slot. I think he "can" but don't think that is his natural position. He plays X for LT but I think he projects to Z at the next level. 

Whittington is being recruited as the slot for this class

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