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Technically, no. A starter probably won't be named until right before Notre Dame.
He'll have a chance in fall camp, but I don't think he'll beat Buechele assuming there are no more injuries.
Just my opinion.
I know he got injured but is Jerrod Heard completly out of the running?
Technically, no. A starter probably won't be named until right before Notre Dame.
He'll have a chance in fall camp, but I don't think he'll beat Buechele assuming there are no more injuries.
Just my opinion.
RB Eno Benjamin of Wylie East has committed to Iowa.
DE Taquon Graham (Temple)
If we can run those goal line "pick the hole" for Swoopes got to go with that as well. He showed good patience and an ability to power thru openings. Having that option for scoring from 5 yards and in is huge IMO.
Last edited by pgardn; 04-18-2016 at 08:18 PM.
Agreed, it's pretty astonishing to hear the feedback from players and coaches about Buechele. All say how much of a gym rat he is and how much work he puts in. I don't think I've heard such high remarks of an incoming freshman and a quarterback of all things. He's got the right mindset. I was impressed with how well Shane played given the short amount of time he's been on campus. One can only hope he'll still improve from now until opening day with summer workouts and fall camp still ahead.
HORNSPORTS:
The Orange and White game might have felt incomplete after weather caused a cancellation at halftime of the spring scrimmage, but the event was a success on the recruiting front for the Texas class. While Shane Buechele showed glimpses of what is to come, recruits on campus took notice. As we spoke with many of them after the event, there was a palpable buzz coming from nearly all of them. Let’s start with two of the biggest name prospects on campus.
Bellaire Episcopal OL Walker Little brought his family to Austin, and the word was that Texas took a big step within this recruitment. The hype even went so far that a source near the program contacted me to tell me that he thought Little had given Texas a soft commitment. In checking with some folks near Walker, we were told that was not true, but they did give the visit high marks. Texas showed Little a true red carpet treatment, and his parents really enjoyed the atmosphere and experience. The Longhorns are still going to have a fight on their hands against some monster programs, but the bottom line is that Walker really likes the program and coaching staff. He sees Texas as a great opportunity for him both on and off the field.
+++++
Temple defensive end Taquon Graham has been a frequent visitor to Austin this spring. The dynamic pass rusher hasn’t kept his feelings for Texas private, and we were told by a source close to him that he had a great time once again at the game. Graham has a very strong relationship with Vance Bedford, and his relationship with Brick Haley is getting better each time the two get together. At this point we believe it is a matter of when rather than if for Taquon. His mom signed off on a commitment to Texas after visiting with him earlier in the spring, and 2015 signee Davion Curtis is one of his best friends. Graham is reportedly considering a summer commitment, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see this timeline get moved up if the coaches push for it.
+++++
2018 Sachse quarterback Jalen Mayden seems to be the top target on the Texas board in his class. Mayden camped in Austin last summer, and he’s been invited to campus just about every time they open the doors. We caught up with Mayden following his visit to get a read on his experience.
On how he enjoyed the spring game:
“Good! I wish I could have seen more of the offense, but it got shut down early.”
His thoughts on the new offense:
“I like it a lot. It reminded me of my High School. I like how they used the wide receivers and spread them out to the sidelines. I would like to see the quarterback be more active in the offense. They definitely have a good group of wide receivers though."
On if he got to talk to the coaches:
“Yeah, I talked with Coach Strong. We talked about spring ball, and he told me what he wanted to see out of me this year. Coach Gilbert told me he was going to check me out in the spring. He’s going to come up to Dallas to watch me, like really watch me. He wants to come to really focus on me and evaluate me.”
On if he talked with any players at the game:
“Yeah, I talked with (Charles) Omenihu. He went to my rival school, so I know him pretty well. I also talked with Shane (Buechele). I just told him good game and he told me they looked sloppy and need to get better.”
+++++
Lake Dallas (TX) corner Kobe Boyce made his first trip back to Austin since committing a few weeks ago. He visited campus with his father and a friend, and he also had the opportunity to bond with a few of his fellow commitments.
“I already knew Major (Tennison), but I met Sam (Ehlinger) and Damion (Miller) today”.
Boyce enjoyed the game, but was a bit bummed that the weather interfered. “It was good, but I wish it didn’t get cancelled”, Boyce said. “I enjoyed it overall.” Boyce told us his father really enjoyed the visit as well, and as we’ve reported in the past he is incredibly solid to Texas. No worries for Texas with the talented corner, and Texas fans should be able to count on him to help recruit other prospects in this class.
+++++
Plano West linebacker Mohamed Sanogo is another frequent visitor to Austin. “Momo” has been tearing up the camp circuit, and he’s definitely on the Texas radar. Sanogo was in town for the Orange and White game, and he told us it was another good visit to Austin. “It was great, I saw really good things on the defensive side.” Sanogo told us he got to spend time with Brian Jean-Mary, and his relationship with the Texas coach is growing. “I’m pretty comfortable with him, he’s a pretty cool guy. All the linebackers I have spoken with say they like him as a coach as well.” Sanogo does not hold a Texas offer at this time, but Texas could be close to extending one. They’ve done a good job so far of keeping him engaged, and they are positioning themselves well for a second half recruitment
+++++
2018 Sachse defensive end Zachary Gilson joined Jalen Mayden on campus for the scrimmage. Gilson visited previously for the Texas junior day, and in the past he’s raved about the on campus experience. So how did he enjoy the spring game? “It was great.” Gilson said. “I love the atmosphere.” When asked what his favorite part of the visit was, Gilson answered “the home feeling that it gave to me. It’s just great.” Gilson is a player who is just starting to pick up interest. The Texas staff is well aware of the talented sop re, and if they get involved for him within the next year they have a strong chance of landing “Big Red.”
+++++
Nacogdoches corner Josh Thompson made another visit to Austin to take in the Texas spring game. Thompson is close with 2016 signee Brandon Jones, and Texas is letting Thompson know they are evaluating him closely. Thompson loves the Texas program, and he had a great trip up for the game. “The visit was amazing. The coaches were very straight forward with me, and they told me not to worry about anything because my time is coming. During the visit I felt real comfortable. The fans and players treated me well.” Thompson was also encouraged by the performance during the scrimmage. “They are going to be tough next year, plus they have a great group of players coming in this year.” With Texas watching him closely, we urge you to keep his name in mind throughout the year.
+++++
Wilmer-Hutchins ATH Herb Sparks doesn’t hold an offer from Texas, but that hasn’t stopped him from getting in front of the coaches as frequently as possible. We caught up with him afterwards, and the dynamic playmaker raved about his visit. “Man I loved it! That’s the best visit I’ve been on. The game was good, but it would have been better if it wasn’t cancelled. It was still a great game, and Shane (Buechele) is a baller.” Sparks spent some time with Jeff Traylor on campus, and he told us he plans to be back on campus this summer. “Yes, if they don’t offer in the spring I will be coming in for a camp.” Sparks is another name to keep in mind as we progress into the spring evaluation period.
+++++
2018 Yoakum twins Joshua and Jordan Moore made their second trip to Texas this spring, and it sounds like they had a great time. “The visit was great! The atmosphere was crazy, the fans were crazy! When something good happened, the stadium just suddenly erupted even though it was just a spring game. That’s pretty impressive to me that the fans were all in like that! A lot of big time players made big time plays, it was just a great overall visit and I’ll be back for sure,” said Joshua Moore.
His brother Jordan echoed the praise for the visit. “It was great, I love Texas. They are one of my favorites, and one of the best in the country!” The twins didn’t get much time with the coaches due to the fact they had to leave early when the rain started coming down. The Moore’s mother is a graduate of Texas, and it looks like both twins are feeling the Longhorns early on. “They most definitely just jumped to the top of the list,” said Joshua. The Texas coaches are laying the foundation for their recruitment, and it sounds like it is going very well. “As of now, we are slowly building this relationship. We’re taking as many unofficial visits there as possible to get to know everybody more deeply,” Joshua told us. Both players are four star caliber, and they both look like early takes according to the film. With a mother as a graduate, and those quotes, you have to like where Texas sits here.
+++++
2018 Rockwall linebacker Alston Orji is starting to pick up some momentum among 2018 recruits. He made his way to Austin this weekend, and Texas made a strong first impression for him. “I enjoyed my visit to Texas,” said Orji. “I got to catch up with Chris Warren and meet other players and coaches. It was a great football environment, and I’d like to visit again at another time if possible.” Orji got to spend some time with the coaches, and he found that he shares many of the same values with the Texas staff. “I had the opportunity to speak to several coaches, and I was happy to find out Texas values the same things I do regarding education.” While it’s early on in his recruitment, Orji told us he felt that Texas has a legitimate interest in him. “They showed an appropriate level of interest in me as a student-athlete, complimenting me on my game and my classroom work.” We spoke with a source who was with Orji on the visit, and he told us about another thing that is working in the Longhorns’ favor. Orji is Nigerian, and Texas has a well-do ented history of Nigerian players. His parents have done mission work with Sam and Emmanuel Acho’s parents, and they were unaware that Sam and Emmanuel attended Texas. Meanwhile, Charles Omenihu is already on campus, while Tope Imade and Denzel Okafor will be enrolling this fall. Put all of that together, and it seems like Texas would be a great fit for Orji and his family.
+++++
One final note. If Texas decides to roll with Shane Buechele as a starter this season, it could be a potential boost for recruiting. In talking to some sources inside the recruiting world, it was clear that Buechele opened some eyes on Saturday. Several people mentioned the buzz the young freshman created. If Buechele can succeed this season and show some positive development going forward, Texas could potentially surge with several skill prospects. Many prospects already have a high opinion on Sam Ehlinger, and if Texas can show they’ve got some real talent stocked up at quarterback they can really make some noise on the recruiting scene. It’s a very small sample size, but people are starting to see some rays of light at the end of the tunnel.
Good news for special teams.
OrangeBloods reporting all-state K Chris Naggar of Arlington High has been accepted into UT and will be discussing his enrollment with the coaches soon.
If they ask him to report in May for summer school, that will be the plan.
Senior film for K Chris Naggar.
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3384621/chris-naggar
A good recap of the Texas Spring Game:
http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_...hat-we-learned
Yeah...both of these.
New rule allows colleges to pay for two parents or guardians on official visits:
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/re...fficial-visits
2018 CB Anthony Cook (Houston Lamar) and 2018 QB Jalen Mayden (Sachse)
Some recruiting notes from 24/7...
-UT will supposedly go "all-in" on RB Toneil Carter of Houston Langham Creek during the spring evaluation period. The staff still has not had much contact with him since offering, but Coach Johnson will be making him a priority. As things stand, he's favoring A&M and LSU. This move is unrelated to RB JK Dobbins committing to Ohio State as he remains a top target.
-things have changed completely in the recruitment of OL Xavier Newman of DeSoto. UT now leads and A&M is reportedly out of the race, even though he was high on them before attending UT's spring game last Saturday. As of Monday morning, he was mentioning Colorado as his leader, but that is also no longer the case.
DE LaBryan Ray (Madison, AL)
http://247sports.com/Player/LaBryan-Ray-83597
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/2655798/labryan-ray
24/7 says the father of DE LaBryan Ray played with Coach Haley in college, so that's the connection.
Pumped to get this kid on campus.
Way too early 2017 class By: Eric Nahlin
Though Texas will miss on plenty of those names, even some who may seem farfetched at this point will end up in Austin if the team can simply improve by three games.
With the exception of Nick Saban, Charlie Strong does the best job in the country of creating late momentum in recruiting. We've written volumes on the reasons: he leaves many slots open which creates a snowball effect when it's most needed, he gets recruits to buy-in and #believe despite poor seasons, he relates to prospects and parents alike, his track record for development is as good as anyone's, etc.
Assuming Texas wins eight, Strong and the staff will be able to sell trajectory, a young and exciting roster on both sides of the ball, a by God quarterback (seriously, it has to be divined), and, perhaps most important going forward, an improving ability to sell the University away from the football field and foster a family environment.
Essentially, Strong's pitch is becoming more and more fine tuned thanks to his ability to collate his strengths with Mack Brown's.
This ability casts an even wider net on the trail, but just as importantly helps thwart other school's sales pitches, some which might not be on the up and up.
Since I believe Texas will win eight games in 2016, I'm bullish on how I think the class will finish. Keeping in mind recruiting is almost entirely unpredictable and filled with plot twists.
QB Sam Ehlinger, Westlake (Westlake, TX) - TEXAS: Coach Ehlinger as far as recruiting goes.
RB JK Dobbins, La Grange (La Grange, TX) - fOHIO STATE: I'm riding with this until JK tells me not to.
WR Damion Miller, John Tyler (Tyler, TX) - TEXAS: Texas has the offense. Texas will have the quarterbacks. I'm feeling good here.
WR Mannie Netherly, Crosby (Crosby, TX) - TEXAS A&M: Tate's a flighty diva to put it mildly. Sumlin has issues, to put it mildly. The UT offense has caught Netherly's eye. I'm doing simple math here.
WR Tyrell Shavers, Lewisville (Lewisville, TX): He doesn't talk a whole lot but the little I've interacted with him has given me confidence. He seems like a kid who will gravitate to the personalities on campus and obviously the offense suits him. He's raw as a route runner but can play early because of the nature of the offense.
TE Major Tennison, Bullard (Bullard, TX) - TEXAS: Tennison's a key piece because he's so rare from a size/skill standpoint. I like his ability in this offense because he affords Texas the ability to keep the tempo up while transitioning seamlessly from 11 personnel to what amounts to 10 without having to subs ute.
OT Walker Little, Episcopal (Bellaire, TX): I was talking to a friend the other day and stated, "eight years ago Little to Texas would be a done deal because he's a 'Texas' type of kid.'" I'm starting to feel he'll end up at Texas in 2017 too.
OT Stephan Zabie, Westlake (Austin, TX): No offer yet but he has such a high ceiling I just can't imagine they don't extend one. And if they do, I like him to follow Ehlie.
OG Xavier Newman, Desoto (Desoto, TX): We've discussed him a lot in the past couple days. Things are looking good here and he'll be a better take than his composite ranking (86) indicates.
OL Grayson Reed, Cy Creek (Houston, TX) - TEXAS A&M: Admittedly he seems happy with his recent commitment to A&M so obviously I'm projecting here. Texas may need some help with another middling season for A&M. I'm not sure they don't just let Reed go and focus elsewhere. I have him here because I needed a feasible fourth.
DL Lagaryonn Carson, Liberty-Eylau (Texarkana, TX) - TEXAS: One of the early must-gets has been in the fold for sometime.
DT Marvin Wilson, Episcopal (Bellaire, TX): Yes, I'm going there. Proximity plus my prediction of Little to Texas plays a part here. UT is virtually the only school I can see the duo continuing being teammates.
DE Taquon Graham, Temple (Temple, TX): Somebody retweeted one of my tweets not to long ago that read to the effect, "Texas needs to go by Temple and see Taquon Graham and Davion Curtis." The initial tweet was a full year ago. Needless to say if Graham pulls the trigger, it'll be a big get. We feel real good here.
WDE No clue, can't venture a guess. I think K'Lavon Chaisson and Robert Beal will both give fans hope but right now I don't see either having a great chance. I do think Texas has a better chance with Chaisson, however, as he knows he's a good fit for the defense and his in-person/on-campus recruitment hasn't really begun. UT definitely needs a pass rushing WDE in this class, though Hager making the transition (for now) helps numbers and some guys who could help are on the way.
OLB Baron Browning, Kennedale (Kennedale, TX): There's talk TCU is the favorite and if it's not them it will be UCLA. A TCU moderator has said UCLA may try and hire Baron's older brother as a GA. If that happens then all bets are off. UCLA wouldn't make that hire without a prior understanding. I don't know if any of that's true. What I do know is Strong landed Browning's kindred spirits, Malik Jefferson and Jeffrey McCulloch, in back-to-back cycles when others elsewhere thought they were lost causes. I'm going to stick to my read and the feedback I'm getting on this one.
ILB Anthony Hines, Plano East (Plano, TX): Hines is another huge need even if you're encouraged like I was with Anthony Wheeler on Saturday. He's an inside linebacker with outside athleticism. I'm a bit worried about him going OOS but often when a recruitment makes too much sense it swings in that school's direction.
OLB Levi Jones, Westlake (Austin, TX): I'm going to swim against the currents somewhat here and predict Strong wins this recruitment after building a trusting relationship with Jones' parents. For a family with the Jones' means, proximity isn't a big deal like it is with others, but as a former NFL linebacker himself, Robert Jones will have to love a scheme that highlights linebacker athleticism. If Jones doesn't make it into the class, I think the third linebacker will be someone who has yet to hit the public radar.
S Derrick Tucker, Manvel (Manvel, TX): If Strong operated like most coaches and used car salesmen, I think Tucker would already be in the class, but Strong isn't one to pressure for early commitments. I love Delpit. I love Okudah. I like Barnes. I wouldn't pick Texas for any, though UT likely has the best chance for Okudah at this time, which is telling on the other two. Both Delpit and Barnes will visit at some point but there are a lot of built in negatives Texas is facing with each.
CB Kobe Boyce, Lake Dallas, (Lake Dallas, TX) - TEXAS: Lil Mamba brings a lot to the table and to the class as a possible field corner who won't be a commitment you have to baby and nurture through the process.
CB Kary Vincent, Memorial (Port Arthur, TX): I don't have high confidence with this one, but he always gives Justin positive feedback and I know, while he coveted a Florida offer and in fact politicked for it, he's not showing much Gatah love as before. Of course with his dad being a former A&M wide receiver they'll be a factor, but they were quite late to the party and my hot-stove speculation is Sumlin is sitting on a hot-stove.
CB Again, no idea here. I could see Texas picking away at Chevin Calloway. His recruitment basically just started this past weekend with his visit and interaction with the coaches. I could also see an athletic stud like Timarcus Davis or Langston Frederick earning a scholarship. Or, Strong could just go to Louisiana, Florida, or elsewhere and use his evaluation x-ray vision to see something other schools are missing in a sleeper.
K LOL, wtf is a kicker
It's important to keep in mind with big-name early enrollees like Baron Browning, Anthony Hines, and JK Dobbins announcing well before NSD, Texas could get a late bounce that catches the eye of other big-name recruits.
Keys to the class: win a Hateful 8 (is that a good movie?) then land Browning and Hines.
We're nearly guaranteed a wild cycle yet again.
OL Xavier Newman of DeSoto has committed to UT.
So that dude who was posting racist at recruits while pretending to be a longhorn fan probably wishes he wouldn't have done that. I've seen a lot of stupid people on the Internet but that dude may be tops.
OL Xavier Newman of DeSoto discusses his commitment to UT (24/7):
“First of all, I liked all those schools,” Newman said. "They were all great options. But Texas stood out to me the most. I called Coach (Charlie) Strong and told him I had some good news and committed."
“He was really excited, and I’m really excited. I can’t believe it. It just feels so good to be a Texas Longhorn.”
“I loved it (the visit to UT),” Newman said. “I was really impressed with the fan base. I can’t say enough about them. They left me speechless. I also liked the new offense. I think it will be a great fit for me because we run a lot of up-tempo at DeSoto.”
“I love what Coach Strong is building, and I want to be a part of it,” Newman said. “I think that Texas is going to get back to where it used to be. It’s going to be a winning, powerful program.”
Cliffs?
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