Yeah, now we just need to close and pick up some stud O-lineman.
Very excited about getting Gray. Think this will have a domino effect on some of the OL we're pursuing like Estelle and the OOS studs. Pretty impressive class by Mack this year. The new hires are definitely going after it. This takes a little sting out of the Mavs loss tonight.
Yeah, now we just need to close and pick up some stud O-lineman.
Supposedly now Corey Joseph(definately not nba ready) is also leaving with the other two. 247 says there is still a chance that Joseph and Thompson could still stay though.
Hamilton is definitely gone. As of yesterday, Thompson and Joseph were entering the draft without agents. Joseph obviously needs to come back, but I'm hoping Thompson will as well. He's pretty undersized for his position and his free throw shooting needs a lot of work. He may very well want to take his chances at better draft position and a bigger paycheck with other studs deciding to stay in school.
Nice article and video on RB Johnathan Gray's press conference from yesterday:
http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/ncf...ory?id=6408807
Hamilton is a nice player that probably can make it OK with two years college experience. Thompson and Joseph are simply not ready. College basketball AND the NBA suffer with the volume of one and dones. If you can truly dominate in a greatly diluted college game that's one thing, but Thompson and Joseph are not at that point yet.
especially joseph. I have no idea why that dude left, he needs a lot more work than Bradley did. Have fun rotting on a bench
More updates and follow-up info from the busy recruiting week...
*There isn't much to report on Stacy Searels' visit to Tempe, AZ to see OL Andrus Peat other than what I wrote on Thursday, but there are some good quotes from his high school coach that I'll post below. Not only was he adamant about the importance of Texas being so proactive in Peat's recruitment (Searels was the first coach to call Peat when the spring evaluation period started and he was the first coach by Corona Del Sol HS), but he also mentioned that he didn't believe Nebraska lead in Peat's recruitment simply because his brother signed with the Huskers earlier in the year.
“Everybody says that and I think they are kind of hoping that was a package deal for them,” Joseph said about the Husker faithful. “But I wouldn’t say Nebraska has the edge.”
“He (Peat) really doesn’t care if he’s east of the Mississippi, west of the Mississippi. He just wants to go somewhere that he's wanted. That’s why it was great that coach Searels came out,” Joseph said.
“He just has so much potential to be great. Size wise, he's 6-7 and 298 right now. He doesn't even shave yet, has size 16 feet,” said coach Joseph. “His upper body strength may be a bit of a weakness right now, but his hips, his thighs and his backside are huge. He has a lot of power in his lower half. He has long arms. And he's a good worker."
“He’s going to be a good 6-7 and 318-320 when someone gets him. He carries it so well. He really has knack for the game itself. He wants to be great at it. He doesn't want to be good, he wants to be great. He’s kind of a silent leader too. The kids look up to him and he kind of leads by example.”
Searels has plans to be back by Corona Del HS in May to see Peat go through spring drills. In the meantime, Peat will be planning out his future trip to Austin. If QB Connor Brewer had his way, Peat would be making the trip with him to the UT summer camp in June.
*Speaking of Brewer, Searels did make it to Chapparal HS to see him after visiting with Peat. They didn't get to talk directly because of NCAA rules, but they were able to chat via Facebook aftewards. Brewer was excited that Searels took the opportunity to come by. For those that are interested, Brewer is reporting that he's now up to 200 lbs. and feels just as flexible and mobile as he ever has. He's been really pulling his weight attempting to do his part when it comes to UT's recruitment of Peat. Bryan Harsin is scheduled to see Brewer when Chaparral HS starts their spring drills in the beginning of May. See Brewer's quotes below about Searels' visit:
“It was good. I was excited for him to come up,” Brewer said. “I know his main reason to come over was to come and see Andrus. I’ve been talking to Andrus a lot. I think Texas has a great shot at getting Andrus if we can get him to campus. But seeing (Searels), it was a good trip for us. When he came to talk to our coaches, that was cool. They really liked him. I understand why he's a great guy and going to be a great coach for Texas.”
“From when I was talking to him and talking to my coach after meeting him, he liked Andrus a lot. He really wants him to come take a visit to Texas,” Brewer said. “I know I'm coming up for the June 5 camp, the one they’re trying to get the commits to. Hopefully Andrus can come up with me. Even if I'm not there when he goes, I hope he goes and has a good visit.”
*Following up on ATH Daniel Brooks of Rockdale...Darrell Wyatt went by his school yesterday even though students were off for Good Friday. Wyatt had the opportunity to watch some tape and visit with the Rockdale coaches. The thought is UT will be recruiting him as a DB, but some believe he could find his niche as a D.J. Monroe or Ramonce Taylor type of player. He prefers to play RB and has been shooting down schools that want him to play different positions, so we'll see where things go. Wyatt and Akina are having to be very selective with their final offers to skill players because scholarship numbers are tight right now. An interesting "in" that UT currently has with Brooks...Wyatt ran track at Kansas State with Brooks' uncle.
*Oscar Giles made his way by Katy Morton Ranch to see DE Danielle Hunter on Tuesday. Although OU currently leads in Hunter's recruitment, offers from in-state schools like UT and A&M would change things significantly. He's made it known that he'd like to stay close to home if possible.
*Status quo with ATH Kendall Sanders of Athens. The UT staff followed up their Monday visit with their one phone call on Thursday. They used the opportunity to assure him that they're still evaluating him. There are some rumors out there that the staff is waiting on him to decommit from Oklahoma State before offering, but there's really know way of knowing what's going on there. I think the more plausible scenario is the staff has yet to determine if an offer to Sanders would count towards the WR or DB scholarship numbers.
He didn't leave, he's doing what Damion did by putting your name in and getting feedback on your draft stock and how you're being scouted. He'll almost certainly get a 2nd round grade and return for another season at UT. I've heard Lex Wangmene is also doing the same thing, and it's smart to do so.
Lex Wangmene? LOLZ, I wouldn't draft him if I were a d-league GM.
I hope the Canadian frosh are just testing the water and come back. UT can be really good again in 2011-12 if they do.
I just don't know if you are helping yourself in the long run bringing in guys (with the exception of Durant - he was a once in a generation player) when you only get one year with them.
Barnes is not getting a chance to truly build a team with the early entries (one and dones) being the rule and not the exception with their most prized recruits.
Football is so different than basketball in this regard because you usually get at least three years from even the top players. The physical size and strength is the key item for the football guys.
Update on the out-of-state targets from Recruitocosm:
http://recruitocosm.fantake.com/2011...#comment-87741
There may not be a load of recruiting news for the next couple of days because the UT staff has a speaking engagement in Houston today. For those of you who live close and want to attend, it starts at 6 p.m. and there's no pre-registration or admission required. Maybe someone can attend and give us a report. Here's the location:
Post Oak Hilton
2001 Post Oak Blvd.
Houston, TX 77056
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&bi...ed=0CBgQ8gEwAA
Per 24/7 Hook 'Em, UT is apparently throwing their name in the hat for another five-star prospect. S Landon Collins of Geismar, LA had a phone conversation with Duane Akina last week. Akina let him know that UT was interested and did his best to gauge Collins' stance on leaving Louisana to play his college football. Collins said he was probably going to call the UT staff again in the upcoming days and mentioned he'd like to make a trip to Austin at some point in the future to check out the UT campus. Texas is now in pursuit of Louisana's top two prospects: Collins and DE Torshiro Davis. Interesting quote from Collins to leave you with:
“It’s a big opportunity (LSU) to play close to home and my family be able to drive a little ways to see me play,” Collins said. “But I have no problems going out of state either. I can deal with being out of state. I don’t like to stay home anyways.”
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/footbal...Collins-102551
I wanted to add that S Landon Collins was actually the one to initiate contact with UT. He dropped Akina a line and that's how everything started. Collins would be a very tough pull, but it's pretty cool that an SEC kid went out of his way to call Texas.
*Stacy Searels did make it by Waco La Vega last week to check on OL Michael Starts. There's still not much to report on him and nobody can confirm a leader in his recruitment as he doesn't talk to the media very often. He's still set for a decision by the end of the summer. Remember, UT is the only school recruiting him for the offensive line specifically. TCU and Texas A&M have offered him a position on the defensive line and Baylor has told him he can have his pick of offense or defense.
*I wrote last Tuesday that Duane Akina visited San Antonio Sam Houston see DT Javonte Magee. It was actually Oscar Giles that made the visit. The latest on Magee is Baylor sits out front (believe it or not!). Looks like the Bears are about to offer Magee's high school teammates, S Leo Thomas and OL Ralphael Green, and that could be a game-changer. I assume Magee skipping the UT spring game in favor of going to Waco didn't sit well with the staff. He will definitely have an invite to UT's summer camp in June and it will be important to get him around the current commitments and other recruits. If Magee skips out on the camp like he did the spring game, it's possible the staff closes up this recruitment. If he does end up attending, it'll be interesting to see how long the staff will continue to pursue him passed that point with three DTs already in the mix.
*While we're talking about offensive lineman, OL Kennedy Estelle of Pearland Dawson has still not made a decision on his next visit. He'll be choosing between Alabama and Auburn or a trip to Tallahassee to see Florida State. The commitment of RB Johnathan Gray has only helped UT that much more in their recruitment of Estelle. Outside of a surprise commitment from someone else, he looks to be the next UT commitment and #17 of the 2012 class.
Gray could skip his senior year and start for Texas this fall if he was allowed to. He is the best offensive recruit Brown has gotten since VY.
I am looking forward to seeing Gray in austin, but lets not get too crazy...
Uh. WTF?
Word on OL Kennedy Estelle today is his out-of-state visits could come as late as this summer because of his busy school schedule. Not only will he be competing at the state level for track, he'll also be taking on spring football. All of this could leave him without time to make any recruiting trips until school ends. It's still a possibility that Estelle doesn't make any out-of-state visits at all. He could tire of the recruiting process by that point and simply give his commitment. Not to be discouraged...this is one guy that UT will stay on until the very end if need be (doesn't sound like this will go beyond summer).
Latest quotes from OL Kennedy Estelle. Looks like his timeline for a decision is right before school starts back up again at the end of summer.
"Really, my family has been talking about colleges, the one my parents are leaning to is Texas," Estelle said. "They think it would bet better for my family. Most of my family lives in Texas, so they would be able to watch me play."
"I'm not going to make decision until the beginning of the season," Estelle said. "I'm still open. I'm trying to get down to top three but I haven't been able to do that yet."
Some recruiting percentages on UT's targets from Recruitocosm:
http://recruitocosm.fantake.com/2011...#comment-89031
UT will be hosting 2013 OL Kent Perkins of Lake Highlands on Thursday, May 12th. Perkins supposedly loves the Longhorns and is expected to be recruited on the national level. He mentioned Texas is one of the schools recruiting him the hardest right now.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/footbal...-Perkins-95719
LB Peter Jinkens of Dallas Skyline has accepted an invitation to play in the 2012 Under Armour All-American Game. Half of the current 2012 UT commitments will be playing in that game.
DT Javonte Magee of San Antonio Sam Houston stated today that he has plans to be in Austin on June 5th for UT's summer camp even though he most likely won't participate. He tends to be flaky with his plans, so hopefully he follows through with the visit. Good news for now.
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