Not much of anything on RB Johnathan Gray right now, but he was hanging out with LB Tim Cole and DT Malcom Brown for the majority of the spring game.
OL John Michael McGee texted OrangeBloods saying he was having a "great time" and he will also be meeting with the staff later this evening. He mentioned he hadn't had the opportunity to have any one-on-one meetings with the staff yet. Hopefully he's another offer in the making.
Not much of anything on RB Johnathan Gray right now, but he was hanging out with LB Tim Cole and DT Malcom Brown for the majority of the spring game.
More updates...
*FWIW, Sally Brown (aka "The Closer") was spotted speaking with the families of OL Kennedy Estelle and ATH Kendall Sanders during the spring game. Always a good sign as she knows how to reel 'em in.
*Some disappointing news...OL John Michael McGee and ATH Kendall Sanders have both left Austin without offers. Word is McGee was pretty upset about it. I hope this doesn't push him even closer to OU. My gut feeling with Sanders is he was told an offer will be forthcoming once he decommits from Oklahoma State.
*At this point in the day, it sounds like RB Johnathan Gray will be leaving town without committing to Texas. Looks like a birthday commitment ceremony is in the works for April 22nd. Like Estelle, his commitment to Texas is thought to be just a matter of time.
Forgot to mention this...as of 4:45, OL Kennedy Estelle and his family have been in a meeting with members of the UT staff. No word yet on any developments. I've got to go run some errands and won't be back for a few hours. Hope to have some good news to read when I return!
Here's a recruiting recap from the weekend with some facts and opinions mixed in:
*RB Johnathan Gray- he left Austin without committing, but there's nothing to be discouraged about. This one appears to be only a matter of time and we're about two and half weeks away from his birthday commitment on April 22nd. There isn't any kind of ceremony planned (as I previously thought) but he'll most likely simply release his decision to the media. He and his father were impressed with Harsin and Applewhite's offense yesterday despite UT not showing much and stated they feel as if those two coaches will put everyone on the offensive side of the ball in a position to be successful. They also know Texas possesses a weapon nobody else has...RB Malcolm Brown. It's hard to be patient with this one, but UT is sitting pretty. The Grays have no additional visits planned.
*OL Kennedy Estelle- another big prospect that left Austin without committing, but Estelle and his family left town very impressed yesterday. His mother was emphatic about that. In fact, it was her first opportunity to accompany her husband and son to Austin as she was unable to make the first Junior Day. Here are some quotes from her as I think mothers are a huge key to recruiting:
"That was my first time to see things since I wasn't able to come on the other trip (for a junior day in February). What stood out for me the most, we got to meet with the individual coaches and counselors," said Estelle's mother, Marcia. "They put together a great presentation of how they help the individual needs of their players academically. That's a big concern for me, to make sure academics are addressed, not just sports."
"He only mentioned one other school that he wants to go and take a look at, and that's Auburn. I'm not sure we may have others, but that's the one he mentioned," Mrs. Estelle said. "I'll say this though, he's impressed with Texas, but he wants the opportunity to go and look at some other campuses and talk to some other coaches. But we were very impressed with Texas."
"I liked the things they have in place for their players. It's a real family feel, like they're taking great care of the kids and encircling them in their family," Mrs. Estelle said. "The players came across as if they felt like they were part of a family ... in watching their camaraderie with the coaches themselves when the game was over."
"That was coach (Mack) Brown's thing, for Kennedy to go home and talk things over," Mrs. Estelle said. "So we're going to let him do that. Just know he was impressed. And I'm impressed."
Once you have mama, it's usually gravy from there. Estelle is still holding on to the notion that he wants to visit Auburn so that he can compare them to Texas, but I'll be surprised if actually ever makes the trip. He doesn't have any solid plans to make an unofficial visit at this point. He will be returning to Austin next weekend for Texas Relays, though. That will be another good opportunity for him to speak with the UT staff if he hasn't already committed by then. This one feels like it could go down this week after speaking with his parents. Hopefully it won't last much longer.
*OL John Michael McGee- on the surface, it looks like Texas dropped the ball with this one. McGee came to town with genuine interest in UT and had hopes for an offer. According to his Facebook account, it looks like he'll be looking elsewhere as he was severly disappointed with how things went down yesterday. According to reports, he didn't receive any one-on-one time with the staff and basically got a pat on the back and a "keep working hard" from Stacy Searels after making the six-hour drive to Austin with his family. I expect him to commit to Oklahoma at some point unless Mack Brown decides to do major damage control in the future. If McGee was supposed to serve as an insurance policy in case things don't work out with OL Michael Starts or OL Andrus Peat, they didn't do a very good job of accomplishing that goal yesterday. The UT staff let a four-star All-American leave town not feeling wanted. I'll post more on this if we ever get a detailed report of what actually happened.
*OL Michael Starts- not much to report on him at this point. He decided to attend a church function yesterday and that's why he didn't make it to Austin. There aren't really any new developments other than him possibly attending Texas Relays this weekend. I'm sure the staff will make it a point to visit with him if he makes it to campus.
*ATH Kendall Sanders- like McGee, he left Austin without an offer in hand. However, his reaction has been completely the opposite. It looks like Sanders is finally coming around to the idea of playing DB for the Longhorns with an emphasis on being a major part of the special teams returning kicks and punts. Hearing from Mack Brown and Duane Akina that he has the opportunity to be a great DB apparently got him pretty pumped up. I'm still a bit confused as to why an offer was not extended yesterday, but it sounds like one is coming pretty soon. The fact that he's still committed to Oklahoma State may be a factor. My educated guess is he'll receive an offer this month and he'll pull the trigger shortly after. Yesterday's visit confirmed that Austin is the place he wants to be. Here's a more detailed breakdown from Recruitocosm:
http://recruitocosm.fantake.com/2011...anders-update/
Last edited by TFloss32; 04-04-2011 at 11:08 AM.
Texas had a surprise visitor yesterday. 2012 DE Dominique Banks of Denton Ryan made the trip to Austin with LB Alex De La Torre. He's definitely a guy Texas will take a closer look at once the spring evaluation period starts on April 18th.
Here's some info on the Cole and Brown's decision to go Texas from Gerry at 24/7:
Thought the timing was right to post some thoughts and info on the Malcom Brown and Tim Cole recruitment now that they have committed. Now that that has passed and I can share more on their recruitment, here you go:
Cole: Mom was big for Texas. She was pushing Texas hard. Cole, did really like Oklahoma, but wasn't going out of state or that far from home. He also liked TCU a lot having visited twice, but mom liked Texas. He was, at one time, a Texas A&M lean as everyone knows, but always liked Texas as well.
He made a thorough decision having been to Texas A&M multiple times, Texas multiple times, TCU twice and Oklahoma.
His decision, while not a negative on other schools, is very much an academic/athletic combination decision. Athletics is a vehicle for a big time degree.
He knew mid-week Texas was going to be the school and would commit Sunday.
Brown: Went to Texas A&M eight times, Texas twice, TCU twice and Oklahoma. Liked all of them, of course. Wasn't ever a true threat to leave the state even though he liked Oklahoma a lot growing up.
Oklahoma really hammered home the three-technique in a 4-3 front to Brown. Made an impact. When it got down to it from a football perspective, that was the key. Playing a three-tech in a four man front was where he felt best as a prospect/player. With him not going to be a guy that goes out of state and with Cole pushing Texas, it put Texas over the top.
Anything else talked about, not big in his decision.
Biggest reason for choosing Texas: 4-3 defense as a three technique and Tim Cole. Playing the three-tech is huge for Brown and the people around him with a career in football as the goal.
One key thing to remember on Brown is he was 300-302-pounds this time last year and worked to get his weight down (280-283 since the beginning of the 2010 season) to keep his speed/quickness, which is his greatest strength. He's not that interested in being a 310-320-pound zero tech at the end of the day or isn't at this point in his football career.
The newest Longhorns...DT Malcom Brown and LB Tim Cole.
Good article on Texas' recruiting success despite their 5-7 season:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recru...ory?id=6289179
Here are the latest quotes from LB Tim Cole and DT Malcom Brown on their commitment to Texas. Sounds like they knew where they were going after visiting TCU's practice a while back. They watched that specific practice with none other than RB Johnathan Gray.
On choosing Texas...
"It's a good education. My uncle and I sat down and the coaches and I sat down. My uncle and I talked about the defense and it fits me really well," Brown said. "Basically, I want to be a Longhorn and I get a good education."
"There were a lot of things - the education, they've been a top 10 powerhouse for the longest," Cole said. "A lot of people kind of downed them for having a bad season, but who doesn't have a bad season every once in awhile? I feel like we can get back to winning and the overall campus is just great."
On when the duo had made a decision...
"Whenever me and Tim were leaving TCU, we got in the car and I was like 'I think I'm going to commit to Texas' and he was like 'For real?'," Brown said.
On committing to Texas on Sunday at the spring game...
"We discussed it but it wasn't completely for sure. I was like it's a possibility and I really like Texas but what sold it was yesterday and I pulled the trigger and I'll never look back," Cole said.
"I had glimpses of it in my mind, but really what sold me was yesterday when I first walked in and I saw all the recruits and how all them were talking to each other and it was something I really wanted to be a part of," Cole added. "That's what made me commit."
On other commitments' reaction to the Brenham duo committing to Texas...
"Basically, everybody was excited to be there to watch them play and stuff, and when everybody found out we committed they were like 'Oh yeah, let's do this now.' We're all ready for when we come up here," Brown said. "The coaches said we couldn't be coming at a better time. When we get there we're going to win a national championship or we're going to contribute to getting there."
On the reason why they chose to play for the Texas defense...
"Just the high energy and playing fast," Cole said, stating what stood out to him. "That's something (Brenham) coach (Glen) West takes part in. He tells us to play fast so that's something I'm used to."
"Basically, it's a 4-3 and they're an attacking defense so I get my chance to shine," Said Brown. "I'll be one-on-one with a lineman and do my thing."
On the overall feeling of finally committing...
"It was special," Brown said. "(Texas) Coach (Oscar) Giles said we have a chance to room together. It'll be fun. It's always been a dream. We've been talking about this since our freshman or sop re year, and we were like we were going to the same college. We sat down and thought it all out and came together on Texas."
"I feel relieved," Cole said. "I wouldn't say I was stressed but I was a little tense every day and now I can have a smile on my face. I'm just happy right now."
On their goals for next year...
"That's the good thing about getting it done. Next year I won't be answering what college are you going to. I'm already a Longhorn," Brown said. "We have big things to do and that's win state. Coach West has been talking to me about leading and getting the young guys right and it's not just him I want to do that too."
"All my goals for next year are to go all out and make the best of my season," Cole added. "We're trying to get to the state championship but we have to take it one day at a time. We have to start in the offseason today. We have to make sure we win every day and make sure we have no regrets."
"I'm glad it's over so I can focus on the Brenham Cubs and helping us win a state championship,” Brown said. “I'm done with recruiting. I'm a Longhorn, and that's it.”
Last edited by TFloss32; 04-05-2011 at 09:19 AM.
Awesome picture.
Is that gray in the black?Awesome picture.
+1. Badass picture. Love that RB Johnathan Gray is in it on the far left. You know he wanted to throw up the "Hook 'Em" in this one. For those that are wondering who's who:
BACK ROW (left to right): OL Camrhon Hughes (Harker Heights), DT Malcom Brown (Brenham), LB Tim Cole (Brenham), DE Caleb Bluiett (Beaumont West Brook).
FRONT ROW (left to right): RB Johnathan Gray (Aledo), WR Cayleb Jones (Austin High), LB Peter Jinkens (Dallas Skyline), OL Curtis Riser (DeSoto), WR Thomas Johnson (Dallas Skyline), LB Alex De La Torre (Denton Ryan), DT Paul Boyette, Jr. (Humble).
KNEELING: ATH, Orlando "Duke" Thomas (Copperas Cove).
NOT PICTURED: QB Connor Brewer (Chaparral), DB Bryson Echols (DeSoto), DT Alex Norman (Dallas Bishop Dunne), DE Hassan Ridgeway (Mansfield).
Even if that picture was incidental, you still have to feel good about Gray being there and hanging out with those guys. That can have a big impact on a 18 year old. Just like Cole said
Speaking of Cole, it looks like he's genuinely happy in that picture. Nice to see that considering his decision to commit to Texas was probably pretty tough living so close to College Station.
Some small updates based on articles I've read...
*WR, Dorial Green-Beckham- his brother is responding nicely to treatment at St. Jude in Memphis. Turns out he'll eventually be able to go home to Springfield, MO and receive his remaining treatments there. Green-Beckham's adopted father and coach, John Beckham, has since said that Dorial is now able to focus on recruiting more because of this recent development. Beckham mentioned that they'll definitely be making visits to Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri this summer. They currently have Texas, Auburn, Miami, Florida and Notre Dame as "maybes." They'll sit down at some point in the next few weeks and prioritize the list of "maybes" since they won't be able to visit every school due to lost time with the treatment of Dorial's younger brother. The article made it sound like Dorial would like to stay closer to home to be by his brother (hence the definite visits to closer schools), but hopefully Beckham's previous relationship with Darrell Wyatt will be enough to get them to Austin for a visit. Turns out Arkansas' campus in Fayetteville is the closest to Dorial's hometown of Springfield, MO.
*OL, Michael Starts- he's a recruit who hasn't spoken much during this whole process. He currently lists Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech as his four favorites. On the surface it appears as if he favors Texas and Texas A&M because he prefers the atmosphere that a bigger school provides, but he also likes the idea of staying close to home which gives Baylor a shot. Even with that said, the fact is it's still Baylor football. He mentioned that he's talked to Stacy Searels at least once a week since the first Texas Junior Day and has developed a great relationship with him, but he also keeps in close contact with the Aggies' defensive staff. Remember, A&M is recruiting him for their defensive line and Starts has made it known that he prefers playing on the defensive side of the ball. He says he'll ultimately play wherever the coaches think he fits best, but this could give A&M a leg up on the compe ion. He stated that he wants to make a decision before the summer begins.
Last edited by TFloss32; 04-07-2011 at 09:33 AM.
Some videos and pictures from the weekend of the spring game:
http://www.texassports.com/allaccess/?media=240694
http://mackbrown-texasfootball.com/view.gal?id=91145
http://www.texassports.com/view.gal?id=91146
http://www.texassports.com/allaccess/?media=240466
Per OL Kennedy Estelle's mother this morning, he still wants to take one more visit before making his final decision. Sounds like he's planning to get to Auburn at some point. Texas remains his top school.
ATH Kiante Griffin of Lewisville Hebron has committed to Baylor.
DT Alex Norman of Dallas Bishop Dunne was invited to the 2012 Under Armour All-American Game per his coach. He's been shooting up the rankings lately and looks to be one of the sleepers in the 2012 class. That makes a total of six Longhorn commitments on the roster so far. That number will jump to eight if RB Johnathan Gray and OL Kennedy Estelle commit to Texas as well. Here's the updated list:
QB, Connor Brewer, Chaparral (Scottsdale, AZ)
WR, Cayleb Jones, Austin High
WR, Thomas Johnson, Dallas Skyline
DT, Malcom Brown, Brenham
DT, Alex Norman, Dallas Bishop Dunne
CB, Bryson Echols, DeSoto
Here's a list of prospects that will be in Austin this weekend for Texas Relays:
2011
OL, Josh Cochran, Hallsville
DE, Cedric Reed, Cleveland
ATH, Mykkele Thompson, San Antonio Stevens
2012
OL, Kennedy Estelle, Pearland Dawson
DB, Nick Coleman, San Antonio East Central
ATH, Corey Coleman, Richardson Pearce
*Estelle does not have any plans to meet with the UT staff at this point.
The search for the last defensive back in the 2012 class goes on and a new name has emerged. The UT staff will be meeting with CB Ryan Reid of Sherman this weekend after he participates in the Texas Relays. Not much is known about him at this point and he looks to be one of those annual late bloomers that the staff will paying close attention to once the spring evaluation period starts up on April 18th. Reid is a recent transfer to Sherman HS from South Oak Cliff HS in Dallas. He currently holds offers from Baylor, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.
DB, Ryan Reid, Sherman (5-11, 187)
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/footbal...an-Reid-121661
With ATH Kendall Sanders of Athens back in the mix, it's looking like Texas may want to close the 2012 class with an ATH type as well as an additional DB. I'm sure the picture will become more clear once the staff hits the road again in a little over a week. Here is a list of the in-state guys Texas has on the radar to fill those remaining spots (in no particular order of importance):
ATH, Corey Coleman, Richardson Pearce
ATH, Kendall Sanders, Athens
DB, Nick Coleman, San Antonio East Central
DB, Ryan Reid, Sherman
DB, Justin Thomas, West Orange-Stark
DB, Leo Thomas, San Antonio Sam Houston
Not a great year for DB's. Do you know why we're not recruiting LaDarrell McNeil?
Two small updates...
*DB Ryan Reid met with Darrell Wyatt today and was shown around the facilities. He wasn't offered a scholarship, but he will remain in that group of guys that the staff will be evaluating over the next couple of weeks.
*OL Kennedy Estelle still has no plans to meet with the coaches this weekend while he's in town for Texas Relays. He mentioned that he will be making his mind up at some point in the upcoming week where his next visit will be. He's narrowed it down to two options: Auburn and Alabama or Florida State. It won't be all three.
Here are two new names to make a mental note of:
DB, DeVante Harris, Mesquite Horn (5-11, 160)
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/footbal...-Harris-113226
DE, Torshiro Davis, Woodlawn (Shreveport, LA) (6-3, 222)
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/footbal...o-Davis-121419
Harris is another guy we can add to the list of candidates for that last DB scholarship. He currently has offers from Mississippi State, North Texas, SMU and Virginia. Texas is also possibly looking for another DE in this class. Turns out Davis (even though committed to LSU) is being called on by Texas at the moment likely because Davis' coach and Bo Davis are very good friends. Maybe this is a guy that the UT staff will check out during spring evaluations. The majority of the SEC has already offered him so it's probably safe to assume he's more than legit. The following is a list of DEs that are still on Texas' radar:
DE, Torshiro Davis, Woodlawn (Shreveport, LA)
DE, Devonte Fields, Arlington Martin
DE, Taiwan Johnson, Manvel
DE, Channing Ward, Aberdeen (Aberdeen, MS)
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