--- WR John Burt continues to list Texas as his leader. He has Auburn at No. 2 and Florida State is now at No. 3. Burt will visit Texas at the end of the month and he said he wants to make a decision relatively soon. When I asked if a decision during his stay in Austin was a possibility, Burt said he wasn't necessarily planning on committing but he said it's not out of the question either.
--- LB Malik Jefferson put up an impressive SPARQ score, including a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash. Jefferson wasn't working out today, saving his energy for tonight's SPARQ championships (most of the finalists did the same). Jefferson said he's still not sure if he'll be visiting Texas on July 18.
--- WR Ryan Newsome will visit Texas on July 18, but there's an interesting twist. Newsome won't participate at UT's camp, but instead will do a 1-on-1 workout with Zach Gentry before the camp.
Newsome was well on his way to a spot in the SPARQ championship before he tweaked his hamstring. He didn't work out for the rest of the day.
--- RB Soso Jamabo hasn't heard much from Texas, but said if the UT coaches want him to come visit he'll definitely get down to Austin for a visit to check things out.
--- I was talking with the father of 2016 S Deontay Anderson and he said a visit to UT's camp on July 18 is a strong possibility. Initially, Mr. Anderson didn't think they'd be able to make it due to other travel plans, but he said their schedule might work out. Anderson is visiting Alabama earlier in the week of UT's camp and is going to hit Ole Miss and Mississippi State on his way back from 'Bama. They'll get home on July 17 and Mr. Anderson said they very well may head to Austin on the 18th. He's going to put in a call to the Texas coaches.
--- Deionte Thompson's father was decked out in Alabama gear but he said an official visit to Texas is still a possibility. Deionte had said at one point he was going to take visits but recently backed off those statements and said he will not take any trips. Part of the reason for the change of heart is because the Alabama coaches have told him they'd prefer he doesn't take visits, but Mr. Thompson said there's still a chance they take an official to UT.
--- OL Matthew Burrell said Texas is still in the picture for him, but I was unable to get any further comments. Why? Burrell informed me he doesn't talk to Rivals for some reason.
On to the next one ...
--- Didn't get a chance to interview Holton Hill because they cut off all interviews just as I was starting, but Hill did say (as Jason Howell reported last week) that he'll be in Austin for the camp on the 18th.
--- Top national CB Iman Marshall said Texas is very much in the picture for him and he wants to try to get to Austin for an unofficial visit. He wants to save his official visits for the East Coast and the Midwest, but Marshall sounded like he is genuinely interested in getting to Austin. Marshall looked damn good in 1 on 1s today.
--- DB Xavier Lewis will announce his commitment tonight. Texas is one of his four finalists but just about everyone expects Lewis to commit to LSU. I asked him what he thought about people thinking he's locked in for LSU and he wouldn't budge, saying everyone will just have to wait. Lewis said UT's prestige and coach Chris Vaughn are the biggest reasons the Longhorns are in the mix.
--- DB Kendall Sheffield is here (I didn't see him but a couple others said he is) but he's not participating due to his ankle injury.
--- DE Keisean Lucier-South has official visits set up to Notre Dame and Michigan. Most think he'll wind up at UCLA and Lucier-South admits that the in-state schools have a slight advantage because he's more familiar with them, but he said he is open to leaving the state. The Rivals100 DE said he stays in touch with Chris Rumph regularly and he wants to take a visit to Texas. I asked if that meant he'd for sure take an official to UT and he said others are still in the running as well, but Texas has a shot.
--- I didn't get to talk to RB Nick Brossette (hopefully later today) but Texas continues to pursue him aggressively. He talked to UT this week and I'm hearing the Longhorns are a legit threat to pry him away from LSU.
--- Kris Boyd was going to commit here at The Opening but said he informed the people too late so they couldn't get him scheduled. That would not seem to bode well for Texas.
Boyd did say he'll be in Austin for the camp on July 18. He said wherever he goes, it'll be a school that is also going to recruit his younger brother. The two that are doing that, he said, are Texas and Florida State.
--------------------
I talked to Malik Jefferson and he told me a certain Texas coach reached out to him shortly after his Sparq testing.
"Coach Strong actually messaged me after my Sparq rating and told me great job and congratulated me," Jefferson said. "I just went out there and did what I was supposed to do. I didn't try to think about it and it just happened."
He did not list off any of his top choices, but said all of the schools in Texas are recruiting him the hardest. Another interesting note was how hard the Texas A&M commits have been trying to recruit him.
"They've been in my room a lot. They are recruiting me harder than the coaches are, that's the crazy part. Making friendships is great with all of these guys but if we don't go to the same school they understand and are still going to support me." (Gaspar)
Ryan Newsome told me Texas is "really high" on his list and all of the Texas coaches are recruiting him extremely hard.
"They tell me I'm the best slot in the nation and there's no reason to go anywhere else," Newsome said. "I'll be up there for the (July 18) camp so I'm pretty excited. My mom and I haven't really seen the rest of the campus. We've seen the athletic facilities but not the academic portion. I hear it's pretty outstanding.
"A lot of guys say academics are really important but they don't really mean it. I mean it. I want to set myself up for the rest of my life, for the next 40 years not just the next four. Texas is a great place to do that."
Newsome injured his hamstring running the 40 in the Sparq testing, but the good news for him is he plans to be back out on the field tomorrow. (Gaspar)
This post was edited on 7/8 5:18 PM by Suchomel
This post was edited on 7/8 6:07 PM by Taylor Gaspar
--- LB Malik Jefferson put up an impressive SPARQ score, including a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash. Jefferson wasn't working out today, saving his energy for tonight's SPARQ championships (most of the finalists did the same). Jefferson said he's still not sure if he'll be visiting Texas on July 18.
--- WR Ryan Newsome will visit Texas on July 18, but there's an interesting twist. Newsome won't participate at UT's camp, but instead will do a 1-on-1 workout with Zach Gentry before the camp.
Newsome was well on his way to a spot in the SPARQ championship before he tweaked his hamstring. He didn't work out for the rest of the day.
--- RB Soso Jamabo hasn't heard much from Texas, but said if the UT coaches want him to come visit he'll definitely get down to Austin for a visit to check things out.
--- I was talking with the father of 2016 S Deontay Anderson and he said a visit to UT's camp on July 18 is a strong possibility. Initially, Mr. Anderson didn't think they'd be able to make it due to other travel plans, but he said their schedule might work out. Anderson is visiting Alabama earlier in the week of UT's camp and is going to hit Ole Miss and Mississippi State on his way back from 'Bama. They'll get home on July 17 and Mr. Anderson said they very well may head to Austin on the 18th. He's going to put in a call to the Texas coaches.
--- Deionte Thompson's father was decked out in Alabama gear but he said an official visit to Texas is still a possibility. Deionte had said at one point he was going to take visits but recently backed off those statements and said he will not take any trips. Part of the reason for the change of heart is because the Alabama coaches have told him they'd prefer he doesn't take visits, but Mr. Thompson said there's still a chance they take an official to UT.
--- OL Matthew Burrell said Texas is still in the picture for him, but I was unable to get any further comments. Why? Burrell informed me he doesn't talk to Rivals for some reason.
On to the next one ...
--- Didn't get a chance to interview Holton Hill because they cut off all interviews just as I was starting, but Hill did say (as Jason Howell reported last week) that he'll be in Austin for the camp on the 18th.
--- Top national CB Iman Marshall said Texas is very much in the picture for him and he wants to try to get to Austin for an unofficial visit. He wants to save his official visits for the East Coast and the Midwest, but Marshall sounded like he is genuinely interested in getting to Austin. Marshall looked damn good in 1 on 1s today.
--- DB Xavier Lewis will announce his commitment tonight. Texas is one of his four finalists but just about everyone expects Lewis to commit to LSU. I asked him what he thought about people thinking he's locked in for LSU and he wouldn't budge, saying everyone will just have to wait. Lewis said UT's prestige and coach Chris Vaughn are the biggest reasons the Longhorns are in the mix.
--- DB Kendall Sheffield is here (I didn't see him but a couple others said he is) but he's not participating due to his ankle injury.
--- DE Keisean Lucier-South has official visits set up to Notre Dame and Michigan. Most think he'll wind up at UCLA and Lucier-South admits that the in-state schools have a slight advantage because he's more familiar with them, but he said he is open to leaving the state. The Rivals100 DE said he stays in touch with Chris Rumph regularly and he wants to take a visit to Texas. I asked if that meant he'd for sure take an official to UT and he said others are still in the running as well, but Texas has a shot.
--- I didn't get to talk to RB Nick Brossette (hopefully later today) but Texas continues to pursue him aggressively. He talked to UT this week and I'm hearing the Longhorns are a legit threat to pry him away from LSU.
--- Kris Boyd was going to commit here at The Opening but said he informed the people too late so they couldn't get him scheduled. That would not seem to bode well for Texas.
Boyd did say he'll be in Austin for the camp on July 18. He said wherever he goes, it'll be a school that is also going to recruit his younger brother. The two that are doing that, he said, are Texas and Florida State.
--------------------
I talked to Malik Jefferson and he told me a certain Texas coach reached out to him shortly after his Sparq testing.
"Coach Strong actually messaged me after my Sparq rating and told me great job and congratulated me," Jefferson said. "I just went out there and did what I was supposed to do. I didn't try to think about it and it just happened."
He did not list off any of his top choices, but said all of the schools in Texas are recruiting him the hardest. Another interesting note was how hard the Texas A&M commits have been trying to recruit him.
"They've been in my room a lot. They are recruiting me harder than the coaches are, that's the crazy part. Making friendships is great with all of these guys but if we don't go to the same school they understand and are still going to support me." (Gaspar)
Ryan Newsome told me Texas is "really high" on his list and all of the Texas coaches are recruiting him extremely hard.
"They tell me I'm the best slot in the nation and there's no reason to go anywhere else," Newsome said. "I'll be up there for the (July 18) camp so I'm pretty excited. My mom and I haven't really seen the rest of the campus. We've seen the athletic facilities but not the academic portion. I hear it's pretty outstanding.
"A lot of guys say academics are really important but they don't really mean it. I mean it. I want to set myself up for the rest of my life, for the next 40 years not just the next four. Texas is a great place to do that."
Newsome injured his hamstring running the 40 in the Sparq testing, but the good news for him is he plans to be back out on the field tomorrow. (Gaspar)
This post was edited on 7/8 5:18 PM by Suchomel
This post was edited on 7/8 6:07 PM by Taylor Gaspar
