For those who missed it earlier this afternoon, Mack Brown and a couple Longhorn assistants were in Shreveport on Thursday afternoon to stop by Evangel High School and on Thursday night do an in-home visit with top 2011 defensive end Jermauria Rasco.
We spoke with Rasco’s mother, Gwen, just before the Texas coaches were set to arrive at the house and she gave us an update on how the visit came about and where things are heading down the stretch of Rasco’s recruitment.
“I can tell you this. I’ve been to Texas several times. Jermauria has been there several times,” Ms Rasco said. “I talked to coach Brown myself the day before yesterday. He was wondering if we could get a visit in, but I told him it’s just not possible because it would have had to have been today and tomorrow. So they’re coming to the house.”
On the surface, UT not getting an official visit would appear to be a deal-breaker (when’s the last time a recruit committed late in the game without taking an official visit), but Rasco’s mother said it’s not a big factor since both she and Jermauria are so familiar with the Texas program after repeated trips to Austin over the past couple years.
“What more could they do for us or show us other than maybe buying us dinner?,” she said.
I asked Ms. Rasco (before the visit if Texas had a legitimate chance or if Texas was for all intents and purposes out of it.
“Texas is not out of it. Manny has been here, I’ve met him and I’m truly impressed. We have a relationship with Bo (Davis), a relationship with Oscar, a relationship with coach Brown,” Ms. Rasco said. “He’s maintained to be the same person through the whole process.”
Rasco will take an official visit to Florida this weekend and upon returning home on Sunday evening the family will tighten the circle and will likely not talk to any more coaches or media members.
Five schools remain standing, according to Ms. Rasco - Texas, Florida State, Florida, LSU and UCLA. Rasco has never tipped his hand publicly, but LSU is believed to be the team to beat.
Post-visit update - Writing this on the fly and we were able to connect with Ms. Rasco shortly after the in-home visit. Once again, Texas made a very strong impression. Ms. Rasco’s thoughts on the visit and UT’s point of focus on Thursday night:
“Coach Mack has been the same from the beginning to the ending of this. He wasn't here to pressure anybody. He asked me when we first originally eliminated Texas, he asked me if I would take a look at the defensive coaches he was going to bring in.
“I didn't know anything about Manny Diaz, but his character really sold me. He didn't come in like so many have through the recruiting process have. I look at it like buying a car. Everybody wants to sell you their vehicle. Manny didn't come to me like that. When we first me him, he said ‘I don’t know a whole lot about Texas, I know Texas is a good school, but I know more about football’ and we talked about football. He talked about how he planned to use Jermauria, I appreciated the honesty. He didn’t come in as a recruiter, he was a football coach. I respect that.
“Coach brown didn't want to put any pressure, it’s been the same thing from the beginning. There was no pressure, and that carries a lot of weight with me. He’s one person who hasn't changed. He has remained the same person throughout the process.
“I told him I'd call him back on Sunday or Monday to let him know what he (Jermauria) decided.”
Of note: Special thank to Ms. Rasco for being so gracious with her time after an incredibly busy Thursday. Prior to Texas coming in, Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher was also in. (Suchomel)
******
Next up, let’s take a look at the latest with Brenham defensive end Brandon Alexander …
This one’s getting tough to pin down, and the rumors are all over the place as of Sunday night. Here’s what we can say with confidence.
Mack Brown, Manny Diaz, Oscar Giles and Bo Davis were in Brenham on Wednesday, visiting the school on Wednesday afternoon and doing an in-home with Alexander and his family on Wednesday night.
There was a lot of talk that Texas had a strong chance of gaining a commitment from Alexander during the in-home on Wednesday night, but there was no commitment given.
On Thursday, Alexander took a visit to Baylor and this weekend, he’ll take an official visit to Arkansas. A little background on those visits … Arkansas was one of several schools that visited Alexander this week (Bobby Petrino was in on Tuesday) and Alexander’s family has a friend on the coaching staff at Baylor.
So where is this one heading?
Before Texas came in for its visit on Wednesday, there was talk from people who know Alexander that he was heading to Texas, and we heard again on Thursday that Alexander had told several people that he plans to go to Texas. However, Alexander and his family are going through all options and doing extremely thorough evaluations before making a final decision, thus the visits to Baylor and Arkansas.
At this point, Texas A&M is still a major player while Baylor and Arkansas have a chance to close the gap down the stretch, but we believe Alexander lands at Texas if you’re to believe what he’s apparently told people this week.
Stay tuned on this one. (Suchomel)
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Not much new to report on Cedar Park offensive lineman click here if you missed it).
Drango is expected to talk with his family on Friday and decide if he’ll entertain the possibility of taking a visit to Texas. The Longhorns are hoping to bring the Rivals250 tackle in for a visit this weekend, but Drango, who is committed to Baylor, is still undecided on whether or not he’ll take that trip.
If Drango makes his way to the Forty Acres, he’ll undoubtedly pick up an official scholarship offer from UT, and the visit will obviously indicate a serious interest in Texas. If he declines the opportunity to visit, the book will be all but closed on this one and Drango is all but certain to stick with Baylor.
Remember, Drango does have a couple former Cedar Park teammates who are on the current UT roster, so Texas has that in its favor. But we’ve said it a few times … Drango is not a young man who makes decisions on the fly, and his sense of loyalty to the Baylor coaches is making this a very tough decision.
We’re trying to give Drango and his family some space as they work through a difficult process, but we’ll let you know when we’re able to get more information, likely on Friday. (Suchomel)
******
Quick hitter on Athens ATH Kendall Sanders, a player Texas checked on this week.
Ranked No. 28 on the most recent Lone Star Recruiting Top 100, Sanders sounds like he’s UT’s to grab if the Horns want him.
Sanders said he’d take a junior day visit to UT “without hesitation” if he gets an invitation. And if Texas offered?
“I would probably jump on it. I grew up watching them,” Sanders said. (Suchomel)
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Junior Day Visitors
Timothy Cole, LB, Brenham (Jan. 21)
Connor Brewer, QB, Scottsdale (AZ) Chapparal (Jan. 28)
Feb. 13
Trevor Knight, QB, San Antonio Reagan
Johnathan Gray, RB, Aledo
Trey Williams, RB, Spring DeKaney
Thomas Johnson, WR, Dallas Skyline
Kennedy Estelle, OL, Pearland Dawson
Curtis Riser, OL, DeSoto
Corey Coleman, ATH, Richardson Pearce
Paul Boyette, Jr., DT, Humble
Malcom Brown, DT, Brenham
Timothy Cole, LB, Brenham
Alex De La Torre, LB, Denton Ryan
Peter Jinkens, LB, Dallas Skyline
Feb.
Connor Brewer, QB, Scottsdale (AZ) Chapparal
Invited date unknown
Greg Brantley, OL, Carthage
Edward Pope, S, Carthage
Expected
Cayleb Jones, WR, Austin High
Javonte Magee, DE, San Antonio Sam Houston
LaDarrell McNeil, S, Dallas A. Maceo Smith
Could also be invited
Jeremiah Briscoe, QB, Houston Second Baptist
Matt Davis, QB, Klein Forest
TreMund Moore, WR, Brenham
Boone Feldt, OL, Pilot Point
Camrhon Hughes, OL, Harker Heights
Trey Keenan, OL, Argyle
John Michael McGee, OL, Texarkana Texas High
Michael Starts, OL, Waco La Vega
Troy Green, ATH, Brenham
Eric Davis, DE, Tyler John Tyler
Devonte Fields, DE, Arlington Martin
Damien Neroes, LB/DE, Garland
Alexander Lyons, LB, DeSoto
Bryson Echols, CB, DeSoto
Kendall Sanders, CB, Athens
Will Hines, CB, Waco
Corey Thompson, S, Fort Bend Elkins
******
College coaches have been making their way through the halls of Texarkana Texas, and today Texas offensive line coach Stacy Searels paid a visit to check out offensive tackle John Michael McGee.
“They were here today. They came by and said hello. The offensive line coach came by and said hello,” McGee said.
“He seemed like a nice coach and I’m looking forward to talking him in the future and maybe getting out there to Austin or something for a visit.”
In the past few days Texas Tech has come by to watch a basketball game, Coach Patton from Oklahoma watched basketball practice, and coach Patterson and Anderson from TCU have stopped by the school.
He already holds offers from Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and Baylor, and will be attending the Oklahoma junior day this weekend. He is unsure about any other junior days he will attend at this point. As of today he has not been invited to the Texas junior day. (Howell)
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Another top lineman to keep an eye on is Boone Feldt from Pilot Point. He is the son of head coach Blake Feldt who also played at Texas Tech. His brother Cam is currently at Arkansas, and his uncle, Michael Feldt played at Texas.
He played left tackle for Pilot Point but is being recruited as an interior lineman.
Recently Texas wide receiver coach Darrell Wyatt stopped through Pilot Point to check him out and let him know they were still making evaluations since the staff was so new.
He attended the Texas A&M junior day last week and also plans to attend a Texas Tech junior day in the future. He has also been invited to junior days at Oklahoma St. and Kansas.
He is wide open about his college options. He has visited Texas A&M several times and loves what he has seen. Oklahoma St. has also made an impression along with Texas Tech and he has developed relationships with coaches at Kansas and Colorado. (Howell)
******
Last, but certainly not least, one big piece of team information …
We’ve heard rumors behind the scenes of linebacker Tariq Allen’s future with the team floating around dating back to last fall. We’ve learned this week after talking to numerous people that Allen has left the football program. He joins Tevin Mims and Tyrell Higgins as players who will not return from the 2009 roster.
Allen, out of Irving MacArthur, redshirted last year.
This post was edited on 1/27 11:34 PM by Suchomel
This post was edited on 1/27 11:35 PM by Suchomel
This post was edited on 1/28 8:22 AM by Jason Howell
We spoke with Rasco’s mother, Gwen, just before the Texas coaches were set to arrive at the house and she gave us an update on how the visit came about and where things are heading down the stretch of Rasco’s recruitment.
“I can tell you this. I’ve been to Texas several times. Jermauria has been there several times,” Ms Rasco said. “I talked to coach Brown myself the day before yesterday. He was wondering if we could get a visit in, but I told him it’s just not possible because it would have had to have been today and tomorrow. So they’re coming to the house.”
On the surface, UT not getting an official visit would appear to be a deal-breaker (when’s the last time a recruit committed late in the game without taking an official visit), but Rasco’s mother said it’s not a big factor since both she and Jermauria are so familiar with the Texas program after repeated trips to Austin over the past couple years.
“What more could they do for us or show us other than maybe buying us dinner?,” she said.
I asked Ms. Rasco (before the visit if Texas had a legitimate chance or if Texas was for all intents and purposes out of it.
“Texas is not out of it. Manny has been here, I’ve met him and I’m truly impressed. We have a relationship with Bo (Davis), a relationship with Oscar, a relationship with coach Brown,” Ms. Rasco said. “He’s maintained to be the same person through the whole process.”
Rasco will take an official visit to Florida this weekend and upon returning home on Sunday evening the family will tighten the circle and will likely not talk to any more coaches or media members.
Five schools remain standing, according to Ms. Rasco - Texas, Florida State, Florida, LSU and UCLA. Rasco has never tipped his hand publicly, but LSU is believed to be the team to beat.
Post-visit update - Writing this on the fly and we were able to connect with Ms. Rasco shortly after the in-home visit. Once again, Texas made a very strong impression. Ms. Rasco’s thoughts on the visit and UT’s point of focus on Thursday night:
“Coach Mack has been the same from the beginning to the ending of this. He wasn't here to pressure anybody. He asked me when we first originally eliminated Texas, he asked me if I would take a look at the defensive coaches he was going to bring in.
“I didn't know anything about Manny Diaz, but his character really sold me. He didn't come in like so many have through the recruiting process have. I look at it like buying a car. Everybody wants to sell you their vehicle. Manny didn't come to me like that. When we first me him, he said ‘I don’t know a whole lot about Texas, I know Texas is a good school, but I know more about football’ and we talked about football. He talked about how he planned to use Jermauria, I appreciated the honesty. He didn’t come in as a recruiter, he was a football coach. I respect that.
“Coach brown didn't want to put any pressure, it’s been the same thing from the beginning. There was no pressure, and that carries a lot of weight with me. He’s one person who hasn't changed. He has remained the same person throughout the process.
“I told him I'd call him back on Sunday or Monday to let him know what he (Jermauria) decided.”
Of note: Special thank to Ms. Rasco for being so gracious with her time after an incredibly busy Thursday. Prior to Texas coming in, Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher was also in. (Suchomel)
******
Next up, let’s take a look at the latest with Brenham defensive end Brandon Alexander …
This one’s getting tough to pin down, and the rumors are all over the place as of Sunday night. Here’s what we can say with confidence.
Mack Brown, Manny Diaz, Oscar Giles and Bo Davis were in Brenham on Wednesday, visiting the school on Wednesday afternoon and doing an in-home with Alexander and his family on Wednesday night.
There was a lot of talk that Texas had a strong chance of gaining a commitment from Alexander during the in-home on Wednesday night, but there was no commitment given.
On Thursday, Alexander took a visit to Baylor and this weekend, he’ll take an official visit to Arkansas. A little background on those visits … Arkansas was one of several schools that visited Alexander this week (Bobby Petrino was in on Tuesday) and Alexander’s family has a friend on the coaching staff at Baylor.
So where is this one heading?
Before Texas came in for its visit on Wednesday, there was talk from people who know Alexander that he was heading to Texas, and we heard again on Thursday that Alexander had told several people that he plans to go to Texas. However, Alexander and his family are going through all options and doing extremely thorough evaluations before making a final decision, thus the visits to Baylor and Arkansas.
At this point, Texas A&M is still a major player while Baylor and Arkansas have a chance to close the gap down the stretch, but we believe Alexander lands at Texas if you’re to believe what he’s apparently told people this week.
Stay tuned on this one. (Suchomel)
******
Not much new to report on Cedar Park offensive lineman click here if you missed it).
Drango is expected to talk with his family on Friday and decide if he’ll entertain the possibility of taking a visit to Texas. The Longhorns are hoping to bring the Rivals250 tackle in for a visit this weekend, but Drango, who is committed to Baylor, is still undecided on whether or not he’ll take that trip.
If Drango makes his way to the Forty Acres, he’ll undoubtedly pick up an official scholarship offer from UT, and the visit will obviously indicate a serious interest in Texas. If he declines the opportunity to visit, the book will be all but closed on this one and Drango is all but certain to stick with Baylor.
Remember, Drango does have a couple former Cedar Park teammates who are on the current UT roster, so Texas has that in its favor. But we’ve said it a few times … Drango is not a young man who makes decisions on the fly, and his sense of loyalty to the Baylor coaches is making this a very tough decision.
We’re trying to give Drango and his family some space as they work through a difficult process, but we’ll let you know when we’re able to get more information, likely on Friday. (Suchomel)
******
Quick hitter on Athens ATH Kendall Sanders, a player Texas checked on this week.
Ranked No. 28 on the most recent Lone Star Recruiting Top 100, Sanders sounds like he’s UT’s to grab if the Horns want him.
Sanders said he’d take a junior day visit to UT “without hesitation” if he gets an invitation. And if Texas offered?
“I would probably jump on it. I grew up watching them,” Sanders said. (Suchomel)
******
Junior Day Visitors
Timothy Cole, LB, Brenham (Jan. 21)
Connor Brewer, QB, Scottsdale (AZ) Chapparal (Jan. 28)
Feb. 13
Trevor Knight, QB, San Antonio Reagan
Johnathan Gray, RB, Aledo
Trey Williams, RB, Spring DeKaney
Thomas Johnson, WR, Dallas Skyline
Kennedy Estelle, OL, Pearland Dawson
Curtis Riser, OL, DeSoto
Corey Coleman, ATH, Richardson Pearce
Paul Boyette, Jr., DT, Humble
Malcom Brown, DT, Brenham
Timothy Cole, LB, Brenham
Alex De La Torre, LB, Denton Ryan
Peter Jinkens, LB, Dallas Skyline
Feb.
Connor Brewer, QB, Scottsdale (AZ) Chapparal
Invited date unknown
Greg Brantley, OL, Carthage
Edward Pope, S, Carthage
Expected
Cayleb Jones, WR, Austin High
Javonte Magee, DE, San Antonio Sam Houston
LaDarrell McNeil, S, Dallas A. Maceo Smith
Could also be invited
Jeremiah Briscoe, QB, Houston Second Baptist
Matt Davis, QB, Klein Forest
TreMund Moore, WR, Brenham
Boone Feldt, OL, Pilot Point
Camrhon Hughes, OL, Harker Heights
Trey Keenan, OL, Argyle
John Michael McGee, OL, Texarkana Texas High
Michael Starts, OL, Waco La Vega
Troy Green, ATH, Brenham
Eric Davis, DE, Tyler John Tyler
Devonte Fields, DE, Arlington Martin
Damien Neroes, LB/DE, Garland
Alexander Lyons, LB, DeSoto
Bryson Echols, CB, DeSoto
Kendall Sanders, CB, Athens
Will Hines, CB, Waco
Corey Thompson, S, Fort Bend Elkins
******
College coaches have been making their way through the halls of Texarkana Texas, and today Texas offensive line coach Stacy Searels paid a visit to check out offensive tackle John Michael McGee.
“They were here today. They came by and said hello. The offensive line coach came by and said hello,” McGee said.
“He seemed like a nice coach and I’m looking forward to talking him in the future and maybe getting out there to Austin or something for a visit.”
In the past few days Texas Tech has come by to watch a basketball game, Coach Patton from Oklahoma watched basketball practice, and coach Patterson and Anderson from TCU have stopped by the school.
He already holds offers from Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and Baylor, and will be attending the Oklahoma junior day this weekend. He is unsure about any other junior days he will attend at this point. As of today he has not been invited to the Texas junior day. (Howell)
******
Another top lineman to keep an eye on is Boone Feldt from Pilot Point. He is the son of head coach Blake Feldt who also played at Texas Tech. His brother Cam is currently at Arkansas, and his uncle, Michael Feldt played at Texas.
He played left tackle for Pilot Point but is being recruited as an interior lineman.
Recently Texas wide receiver coach Darrell Wyatt stopped through Pilot Point to check him out and let him know they were still making evaluations since the staff was so new.
He attended the Texas A&M junior day last week and also plans to attend a Texas Tech junior day in the future. He has also been invited to junior days at Oklahoma St. and Kansas.
He is wide open about his college options. He has visited Texas A&M several times and loves what he has seen. Oklahoma St. has also made an impression along with Texas Tech and he has developed relationships with coaches at Kansas and Colorado. (Howell)
******
Last, but certainly not least, one big piece of team information …
We’ve heard rumors behind the scenes of linebacker Tariq Allen’s future with the team floating around dating back to last fall. We’ve learned this week after talking to numerous people that Allen has left the football program. He joins Tevin Mims and Tyrell Higgins as players who will not return from the 2009 roster.
Allen, out of Irving MacArthur, redshirted last year.
This post was edited on 1/27 11:34 PM by Suchomel
This post was edited on 1/27 11:35 PM by Suchomel
This post was edited on 1/28 8:22 AM by Jason Howell
