This was actually a pretty eventful week on the recruiting front, particularly as it relates to some top national out-of-state prospects. Let's jump right in with some notes ...
As we reported on Monday, the Longhorns are actively recruiting Rivals 100 cornerback Geno Smith out of Atlanta St. Pius X School. Maybe the most interesting part of this story is that Texas has been on Smith going back to February and it's flown under the radar. Duane Akina has stayed in contact with the blue-chip corner and Stacy Searels visited his school during the spring evaluation period.
Obviously, the next step for Texas is to get Smith on campus if the Horns are to have a chance. Smith plans to sit down his mother in the next couple weeks and talk about possible summer visit destinations. Texas, USC and Alabama were three schools he mentioned as desired stops.
Smith said distance will not be a key factor in his decision, but he did note that his mom would probably prefer him to stay closer to home if she has her way. However, if he can find a good fit somewhere that's a little further off (like Texas), he believes she'll support whatever decision he makes.
"The most important things is to find a place where I feel the most comfortable and my relationship with the coaches," Smith said. "The next would be the scheme they run on defense. And a place I know if I graduate from there, I have an opportunity to be successful in the business world as well as football."
We'll keep touch with Smith to see if anything heats up with him and Texas in terms of a possible summer stop, but he's another guy you can add to the UT defensive back search. (Suchomel)
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Add five-star offensive lineman Andrus Peat to the list of likely visitors for the Horns' June 5 one-day camp.
Peat's coach at Tempe Corona Del Sol, Tom Joseph, said they're in the process of setting up travel arrangements for the camp. Peat has an obligation just prior to the UT camp but the plan is for him to fly in on June 4, participate in the camp the following day and then probably fly right back home.
This one's not set in stone just yet, but the probability of getting the ultra-talented tackle on campus is huge for UT's chances. A summer stop at Notre Dame has also been talked about by Peat as the other trip he'd like to make.
Getting Peat around the current Longhorn commitments, most of whom will be at UT's camp, should bode well for Texas. As will his growing relationship with UT QB commit Connor Brewer.
"Connor texted him the other day and told Andrus he wants him blocking for him at Texas," coach Joseph said. (Suchomel)
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In case you missed it in last week's War Room or in our report on Thursday confirming the news, Nelson Agholor is expected to take an unofficial visit to Texas this summer.
Agholor, a five-star athlete out of Tampa Berkeley Prep (UT is recruiting him as a DB), is focused on his spring season and has not confirmed the visit, but his coach, Dominick Ciao, told us on Thursday morning that he didn't have any specific details on the visit, but it's his understanding that Agholor is planning to be in the Lone Star State sometime this summer and will visit both Texas and TCU unofficially. We've heard it will probably be an early-June visit, but coach Ciao could not confirm any specifics of the probable trip.
The mother of one of Agholor's friends is helping guide Agholor through the recruiting process, and she has family in Texas, coach Ciao said. That has helped in setting up the visit.
Like with Peat, this one's not set in stone, but it's in the plans and that in itself is a big step in the right direction for Texas. (Suchomel)
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On the flipside, one player who is not expecting to visit Texas for the camp, nor for a summer unofficial visit is Jacksonville Bolles OT John Theus.
As for a possible visit to Texas, the five-star lineman told us on Thursday said via text, "Not this summer. Maybe for an official in the fall." (Suchomel)
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We reported earlier in the week that UT assistant coach Bo Davis had visited to defensive end prospect Torshiro Davis, yet another OOS Rivals100 member (Shreveport Woodlawn).
Davis, as most of you know, will be at UT's camp on June 5.
A couple notes of interest on this one ...
Davis' team is switching to a 3-4 alignment this fall and Davis will play outside linebacker. Actually, he said, most college schools have talked to him about playing that same position ... including Texas.
"They've mostly said outside linebacker, then on third down, I'd put my hand on the ground," Davis said.
Along with UT, a number of other schools visited Davis this week, including two stops by LSU and one by Alabama.
Last but not least ... one person who is close to Davis told another Rivals reporter earlier this week that he thinks Texas has a very good chance of eventually landing the star defender's pledge, thanks to the presence of Bo Davis. As in slightly greater than 50/50. We'll see. (Suchomel)
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Earlier this week, our Rivals.com LSU affiliate reported that Texas had offered five-star safety Landon Collins. At this point, we've heard a bit of conflicting information on this one. Collins' coach told us the offer didn't come through him, but he said it was possible that UT might have issued a 'ship to Collins directly. Collins' father said his son had told him UT did offer, but he was on the road and didn't have any details. Collins himself has been unavailable this week.
Regardless, things won't really get serious with this one until Collins makes it to UT for a visit. And if/when that happens, he'd certainly pick up an offer at this point. So, like just about every other prospect, the visit is key.
Dutchtown head coach Benny Saia said he has not had anyone from Texas come by the school yet this spring and he was unsure if a visit would happen during the spring evaluation period, which concludes at the end of May.
"They called but I haven't sat down face to face with anybody from Texas," Coach Saia said. "I gave them Landon's number. I'm assuming they hooked up that way. They called me and asked me what I thought about him and said they had seen his film. But I have not talked to them since that initial phone call probably a week or 10 days ago."
Collins recently told his coach that he'd narrowed his focus to Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, Florida State and Texas. Most people have this one pegged for LSU (Collins' hometown of Geismar is just outside of Baton Rouge). Coach Saia said there is some local pressure for the state's top prospect to stay in state, but he didn't think it was a foregone conclusion that Collins would eventually commit to LSU.
"There's a whole lot of pressure from the outside, the same as there is with kids from Texas sometimes," coach Saia said. "But I really think he's open to a lot of things right now." (Suchomel)
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Dallas (Texas) Parish Episcopal defensive tackle Niko Padilla has seen his stock rise over the last few days as coaches from all over have come through to check him out.
The 6-1, 270-pound defender already holds offers from Yale and Air Force, but it appears he could be close to adding more in the near future. Today, Texas receivers coach Darrell Wyatt stopped through to take a look, and afterward Padilla talked to his coach at Parish Episcopal about the Longhorns’ visit.
“He said they’re pretty interested. I had to go to class so I came back and talked to him after school about it and he said they were pretty interested,” Padilla said. “This is the first time they came by to see me.”
Texas has sent letters in the past but this was the first time he has seen Texas coaches. Padilla plans to keep in touch and see the Texas coaches again in the future.
“I plan to go to their camp this summer and I plan to go to as many camps as I can,” he said. “But I plan to go to their camp this summer.”
Wake Forest and Rice also came by and Baylor made a return trip with their defensive coordinator. Texas A&M, Kansas, and North Carolina are also among those Padilla says have expressed a lot of interest recently.
As for any favorites, Padilla says he is keeping an open mind right now, and did not grow up with a favorite college team. In fact the d-tackle says he didn’t watch college until this year, but has grown up loving the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL.
We’ll continue to keep an eye on it as things develop.(Howell)
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Right now is an active visit time for any of the players that are transferring to a new basketball program. One of those players is Ryan Harrow, who was a freshman point guard at N.C. State this last season. Rated as a five-star and No. 19 prospect out of high school, N.C. State didn’t turn out to be what he thought it would be.
“When he was in high school, he never went through the recruiting process. He liked Sidney Lowe and verballed as soon as he offered, and stayed committed to two and a half years. I think he’s going to take his time now. For the first time in over 10 years I didn’t see the kid smile,” said Harrow’s trainer and head of Vanguard Basketball Academy Mark Edwards. “When they let him play at the beginning of the season, everything was fine. Everyone started asking why he was behind the senior. [They] sat him behind the senior to learn the system. He’s a quick study. He wasn’t happy. There were some things that he wasn’t happy with early on.”
Edwards went on to say there wasn’t much of a basketball atmosphere at N.C. State. Players and coaches didn’t work in the gym afterwards, and that’s something Harrow really likes about Texas.
“I used to ride up there 6 hours just to work him out,” Edwards stated. “They didn’t have a basketball environment. He needs a basketball environment. Kevin Durant…that’s something he did as a player ? grind. People know he’s legendary for being in the gym late nights at Texas. [We’ve heard] stories of him doing that at Texas. Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph, those Texas players did the same thing. That’s something that intrigues a player like Ryan. He turned himself into an unranked player in the number 19 player in the nation. He went from not being able to touch the rim end of sophomore year to dunking five times in his first game as a junior.”
The good news for Texas fans is this: right now, Harrow is in Austin visiting with his mother. This is all new to the 6-1, 160 pound point guard who didn’t go through the recruiting process at all as a high schooler.
“Him and his mom are having a whirlwind tour going through the process right now,” said the head of Vanguard Academy. “He got there this morning, probably a two day visit. Talk to the players the coaches and see what they have to offer. I think what’s important is what he can learn from the coaching staff. He likes young assistants that were willing the go to the gym and work.”
Harrow, who averaged 9.3 points and 3.3 assists per game, really likes Texas because the Longhorns were one of the first teams to notice him, and the he like the way the Longhorns let their guards play.
“I think one of the reasons why Ryan likes Texas I because of the success of the guards like D.J. Augustin,” stated Edwards. “They gave him the ball and let him make it happen. That is a draw for any guard. They know that they’re going to put the ball in their hands and let them make plays. Texas is a dream school. I know he loves Texas. That’s one of the few schools that expressed interest when he was young. I know he’s intrigued by the way D.J. Augustin and those guards get to play.”
According to Edwards, family environment will be a huge factor, and so will winning Mom over because of the close relationship the two have.
“I think he’s going to decide very quickly,” said Edwards about Harrow’s timetable after he finishes his visits soon. “The important thing for him is to take the visits and see the campus, see the facilities, and walk around. His conversations with the coaches are going to play a big part. Mom has to feel comfortable.” (McComas)
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As hinted at in the war room last week, it sounds like there are some hurdles in between DeAndre Daniels and Duke, and it appears like the Blue Devils are not in the running for his services. Could this again be a Texas/Kansas battle? We'll see. (McComas)
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Recently, another big-time guard made a visit to Austin. 2012 combo guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera took an unofficial to Texas last week, and it sounds like the visit went very well.
“He was impressed. He really liked it,” said Smith-Rivera’s AAU coach Jared Quarles of the visit. “It made him want to be in Texas. He toured the campus, saw the facilities. He was really impressed. Coach Barnes walked him around for a couple of hours. I don’t know if he expected to be with coach that long. Coach Ogden basically set everything up. I know the really enjoyed it. He really liked Coach Barnes’ attitude; straight forward, letting him know where he stood, where he fit in the program. Told him he could get better in his program, [there’s] something he can benefit from, especially with the guards they’ve had.”
That wasn’t the only news about the 6-3, 210 combo guard. Recently, the No. 25 player of the 2012 class made the decision to attend the prestigious, basketball factory Oak Hill Academy for his senior year.
“He just wanted to concentrate on his craft and play his true position and play a real high level basketball before college,” said Quarles about the move to Oak Hill. Quarels went on to indicate that attending Oak Hill wouldn’t influence his recruitment in any way. He’ll be joining Indy Spiece teammate, and Texas target, A.J. Hammons at Oak Hill. Hammons is expected to make it to Austin for an unofficial visit after his classes end in a couple of weeks.
Smith-Rivera will be making a couple of other visits soon before the summer circuit really heats up.
“He’s going to Louisville this weekend,” stated Quarels. "He’s got a visit to UCLA scheduled. He’s going to be busy. He’s trying to get to the schools he really has interest in.”
Those are all unofficial visits, but as for officials, Quarles stated that Texas would be one of the schools that would gain an official visit once that process began. Also, the combo guard has some family near the Central Texas area as well as Dallas, which can’t hurt Texas’ chances.
“He was really impressed,” Quarles again said about the visit. “He was comfortable with the coaching staff. Texas jumped in kind of late, but they’ve done their job with him.” (McComas)
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Note: We'll have part II of the War Room that will focus on the initial 2013 rankings posted over the weekend.
This post was edited on 5/13 12:02 AM by Suchomel
As we reported on Monday, the Longhorns are actively recruiting Rivals 100 cornerback Geno Smith out of Atlanta St. Pius X School. Maybe the most interesting part of this story is that Texas has been on Smith going back to February and it's flown under the radar. Duane Akina has stayed in contact with the blue-chip corner and Stacy Searels visited his school during the spring evaluation period.
Obviously, the next step for Texas is to get Smith on campus if the Horns are to have a chance. Smith plans to sit down his mother in the next couple weeks and talk about possible summer visit destinations. Texas, USC and Alabama were three schools he mentioned as desired stops.
Smith said distance will not be a key factor in his decision, but he did note that his mom would probably prefer him to stay closer to home if she has her way. However, if he can find a good fit somewhere that's a little further off (like Texas), he believes she'll support whatever decision he makes.
"The most important things is to find a place where I feel the most comfortable and my relationship with the coaches," Smith said. "The next would be the scheme they run on defense. And a place I know if I graduate from there, I have an opportunity to be successful in the business world as well as football."
We'll keep touch with Smith to see if anything heats up with him and Texas in terms of a possible summer stop, but he's another guy you can add to the UT defensive back search. (Suchomel)
******
Add five-star offensive lineman Andrus Peat to the list of likely visitors for the Horns' June 5 one-day camp.
Peat's coach at Tempe Corona Del Sol, Tom Joseph, said they're in the process of setting up travel arrangements for the camp. Peat has an obligation just prior to the UT camp but the plan is for him to fly in on June 4, participate in the camp the following day and then probably fly right back home.
This one's not set in stone just yet, but the probability of getting the ultra-talented tackle on campus is huge for UT's chances. A summer stop at Notre Dame has also been talked about by Peat as the other trip he'd like to make.
Getting Peat around the current Longhorn commitments, most of whom will be at UT's camp, should bode well for Texas. As will his growing relationship with UT QB commit Connor Brewer.
"Connor texted him the other day and told Andrus he wants him blocking for him at Texas," coach Joseph said. (Suchomel)
******
In case you missed it in last week's War Room or in our report on Thursday confirming the news, Nelson Agholor is expected to take an unofficial visit to Texas this summer.
Agholor, a five-star athlete out of Tampa Berkeley Prep (UT is recruiting him as a DB), is focused on his spring season and has not confirmed the visit, but his coach, Dominick Ciao, told us on Thursday morning that he didn't have any specific details on the visit, but it's his understanding that Agholor is planning to be in the Lone Star State sometime this summer and will visit both Texas and TCU unofficially. We've heard it will probably be an early-June visit, but coach Ciao could not confirm any specifics of the probable trip.
The mother of one of Agholor's friends is helping guide Agholor through the recruiting process, and she has family in Texas, coach Ciao said. That has helped in setting up the visit.
Like with Peat, this one's not set in stone, but it's in the plans and that in itself is a big step in the right direction for Texas. (Suchomel)
******
On the flipside, one player who is not expecting to visit Texas for the camp, nor for a summer unofficial visit is Jacksonville Bolles OT John Theus.
As for a possible visit to Texas, the five-star lineman told us on Thursday said via text, "Not this summer. Maybe for an official in the fall." (Suchomel)
******
We reported earlier in the week that UT assistant coach Bo Davis had visited to defensive end prospect Torshiro Davis, yet another OOS Rivals100 member (Shreveport Woodlawn).
Davis, as most of you know, will be at UT's camp on June 5.
A couple notes of interest on this one ...
Davis' team is switching to a 3-4 alignment this fall and Davis will play outside linebacker. Actually, he said, most college schools have talked to him about playing that same position ... including Texas.
"They've mostly said outside linebacker, then on third down, I'd put my hand on the ground," Davis said.
Along with UT, a number of other schools visited Davis this week, including two stops by LSU and one by Alabama.
Last but not least ... one person who is close to Davis told another Rivals reporter earlier this week that he thinks Texas has a very good chance of eventually landing the star defender's pledge, thanks to the presence of Bo Davis. As in slightly greater than 50/50. We'll see. (Suchomel)
******
Earlier this week, our Rivals.com LSU affiliate reported that Texas had offered five-star safety Landon Collins. At this point, we've heard a bit of conflicting information on this one. Collins' coach told us the offer didn't come through him, but he said it was possible that UT might have issued a 'ship to Collins directly. Collins' father said his son had told him UT did offer, but he was on the road and didn't have any details. Collins himself has been unavailable this week.
Regardless, things won't really get serious with this one until Collins makes it to UT for a visit. And if/when that happens, he'd certainly pick up an offer at this point. So, like just about every other prospect, the visit is key.
Dutchtown head coach Benny Saia said he has not had anyone from Texas come by the school yet this spring and he was unsure if a visit would happen during the spring evaluation period, which concludes at the end of May.
"They called but I haven't sat down face to face with anybody from Texas," Coach Saia said. "I gave them Landon's number. I'm assuming they hooked up that way. They called me and asked me what I thought about him and said they had seen his film. But I have not talked to them since that initial phone call probably a week or 10 days ago."
Collins recently told his coach that he'd narrowed his focus to Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, Florida State and Texas. Most people have this one pegged for LSU (Collins' hometown of Geismar is just outside of Baton Rouge). Coach Saia said there is some local pressure for the state's top prospect to stay in state, but he didn't think it was a foregone conclusion that Collins would eventually commit to LSU.
"There's a whole lot of pressure from the outside, the same as there is with kids from Texas sometimes," coach Saia said. "But I really think he's open to a lot of things right now." (Suchomel)
******
Dallas (Texas) Parish Episcopal defensive tackle Niko Padilla has seen his stock rise over the last few days as coaches from all over have come through to check him out.
The 6-1, 270-pound defender already holds offers from Yale and Air Force, but it appears he could be close to adding more in the near future. Today, Texas receivers coach Darrell Wyatt stopped through to take a look, and afterward Padilla talked to his coach at Parish Episcopal about the Longhorns’ visit.
“He said they’re pretty interested. I had to go to class so I came back and talked to him after school about it and he said they were pretty interested,” Padilla said. “This is the first time they came by to see me.”
Texas has sent letters in the past but this was the first time he has seen Texas coaches. Padilla plans to keep in touch and see the Texas coaches again in the future.
“I plan to go to their camp this summer and I plan to go to as many camps as I can,” he said. “But I plan to go to their camp this summer.”
Wake Forest and Rice also came by and Baylor made a return trip with their defensive coordinator. Texas A&M, Kansas, and North Carolina are also among those Padilla says have expressed a lot of interest recently.
As for any favorites, Padilla says he is keeping an open mind right now, and did not grow up with a favorite college team. In fact the d-tackle says he didn’t watch college until this year, but has grown up loving the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL.
We’ll continue to keep an eye on it as things develop.(Howell)
******
Right now is an active visit time for any of the players that are transferring to a new basketball program. One of those players is Ryan Harrow, who was a freshman point guard at N.C. State this last season. Rated as a five-star and No. 19 prospect out of high school, N.C. State didn’t turn out to be what he thought it would be.
“When he was in high school, he never went through the recruiting process. He liked Sidney Lowe and verballed as soon as he offered, and stayed committed to two and a half years. I think he’s going to take his time now. For the first time in over 10 years I didn’t see the kid smile,” said Harrow’s trainer and head of Vanguard Basketball Academy Mark Edwards. “When they let him play at the beginning of the season, everything was fine. Everyone started asking why he was behind the senior. [They] sat him behind the senior to learn the system. He’s a quick study. He wasn’t happy. There were some things that he wasn’t happy with early on.”
Edwards went on to say there wasn’t much of a basketball atmosphere at N.C. State. Players and coaches didn’t work in the gym afterwards, and that’s something Harrow really likes about Texas.
“I used to ride up there 6 hours just to work him out,” Edwards stated. “They didn’t have a basketball environment. He needs a basketball environment. Kevin Durant…that’s something he did as a player ? grind. People know he’s legendary for being in the gym late nights at Texas. [We’ve heard] stories of him doing that at Texas. Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph, those Texas players did the same thing. That’s something that intrigues a player like Ryan. He turned himself into an unranked player in the number 19 player in the nation. He went from not being able to touch the rim end of sophomore year to dunking five times in his first game as a junior.”
The good news for Texas fans is this: right now, Harrow is in Austin visiting with his mother. This is all new to the 6-1, 160 pound point guard who didn’t go through the recruiting process at all as a high schooler.
“Him and his mom are having a whirlwind tour going through the process right now,” said the head of Vanguard Academy. “He got there this morning, probably a two day visit. Talk to the players the coaches and see what they have to offer. I think what’s important is what he can learn from the coaching staff. He likes young assistants that were willing the go to the gym and work.”
Harrow, who averaged 9.3 points and 3.3 assists per game, really likes Texas because the Longhorns were one of the first teams to notice him, and the he like the way the Longhorns let their guards play.
“I think one of the reasons why Ryan likes Texas I because of the success of the guards like D.J. Augustin,” stated Edwards. “They gave him the ball and let him make it happen. That is a draw for any guard. They know that they’re going to put the ball in their hands and let them make plays. Texas is a dream school. I know he loves Texas. That’s one of the few schools that expressed interest when he was young. I know he’s intrigued by the way D.J. Augustin and those guards get to play.”
According to Edwards, family environment will be a huge factor, and so will winning Mom over because of the close relationship the two have.
“I think he’s going to decide very quickly,” said Edwards about Harrow’s timetable after he finishes his visits soon. “The important thing for him is to take the visits and see the campus, see the facilities, and walk around. His conversations with the coaches are going to play a big part. Mom has to feel comfortable.” (McComas)
******
As hinted at in the war room last week, it sounds like there are some hurdles in between DeAndre Daniels and Duke, and it appears like the Blue Devils are not in the running for his services. Could this again be a Texas/Kansas battle? We'll see. (McComas)
******
Recently, another big-time guard made a visit to Austin. 2012 combo guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera took an unofficial to Texas last week, and it sounds like the visit went very well.
“He was impressed. He really liked it,” said Smith-Rivera’s AAU coach Jared Quarles of the visit. “It made him want to be in Texas. He toured the campus, saw the facilities. He was really impressed. Coach Barnes walked him around for a couple of hours. I don’t know if he expected to be with coach that long. Coach Ogden basically set everything up. I know the really enjoyed it. He really liked Coach Barnes’ attitude; straight forward, letting him know where he stood, where he fit in the program. Told him he could get better in his program, [there’s] something he can benefit from, especially with the guards they’ve had.”
That wasn’t the only news about the 6-3, 210 combo guard. Recently, the No. 25 player of the 2012 class made the decision to attend the prestigious, basketball factory Oak Hill Academy for his senior year.
“He just wanted to concentrate on his craft and play his true position and play a real high level basketball before college,” said Quarles about the move to Oak Hill. Quarels went on to indicate that attending Oak Hill wouldn’t influence his recruitment in any way. He’ll be joining Indy Spiece teammate, and Texas target, A.J. Hammons at Oak Hill. Hammons is expected to make it to Austin for an unofficial visit after his classes end in a couple of weeks.
Smith-Rivera will be making a couple of other visits soon before the summer circuit really heats up.
“He’s going to Louisville this weekend,” stated Quarels. "He’s got a visit to UCLA scheduled. He’s going to be busy. He’s trying to get to the schools he really has interest in.”
Those are all unofficial visits, but as for officials, Quarles stated that Texas would be one of the schools that would gain an official visit once that process began. Also, the combo guard has some family near the Central Texas area as well as Dallas, which can’t hurt Texas’ chances.
“He was really impressed,” Quarles again said about the visit. “He was comfortable with the coaching staff. Texas jumped in kind of late, but they’ve done their job with him.” (McComas)
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Note: We'll have part II of the War Room that will focus on the initial 2013 rankings posted over the weekend.
This post was edited on 5/13 12:02 AM by Suchomel
