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(From Alex)
Mid-Camp Progress Report (for players on scholarship)
Offense
Quarterbacks
Shane Buechele (JR)
Sam Ehlinger (SO)
Cameron Rising (FR)
Casey Thompson (FR)
NOTES: It’s a much more robust QB room than Texas has had in recent memory with the two impressive freshmen backing up Ehlinger and Buechele who are still in a competition for the starting position. While Ehlinger has been the odds-on favorite through camp to end up being the guy who takes the first snap versus Maryland, we’ve heard that, in one person’s opinion, Shane Buechele has had a nice week in closed practices following last Saturday’s scrimmage. In fact, one person told a member of the OB staff that Buechele was the first QB up with the ones on Wednesday during team drills. This sort of thing feels like the ebb and flow of fall camp among QBs that everyone in Austin is used to at this point. It should be noted that another source, when checking up about this, said that over the course of camp, that “Sam (Ehlinger) has a better completion rate than any other QB,” and that reports of Buechele ‘pulling ahead,’ etc. over the last week were “fake news.” As much as Texas fans would love a settled and wrapped-up QB situation heading into the 2018 campaign, there doesn’t appear to be one currently. The good news to be gleaned from this is that both Ehlinger and Buechele have 100 percent looked better in the open portions of practice than they did last season, when the passing game in general looked sloppy and discombobulated. Another year in Herman and Beck’s offensive system has done a number on both players, meaning that, while there hasn’t been as much separation among the two of them as some might have anticipated, the separation between how the duo looked last season and how they look now is vast. It’s nearly impossible to imagine a scenario in 2018 where both Buechele and Ehlinger don’t both see meaningful game snaps barring injury to either.
Running Backs
Tre Watson (SR)
Kyle Porter (JR)
Kirk Johnson (JR)
Tristian Houston (JR)
Toneil Carter (SO)
Daniel Young (SO)
Keaontay Ingram (FR)
NOTES: The recent buzz from closed practices has revolved around two guys, both newcomers, and that shouldn’t be surprising based on the pathetic level of production Texas has gotten from the game-tested veterans on the roster. Grad transfer Tre Watson finally took the field as a full-go for the first time this week and it didn’t take long for him to make an impression, scoring on a long run in his first full-speed touch since injuring his ACL at Cal early last season. Watson doesn’t have impressive size out there and is not going to win any “first guy off the bus” eyeball-tests, but it’s clear he can move well and is a capable pass-catcher. True freshman Keaontay Ingram is a beast and has been the back who’s drawn the most buzz since the beginning of camp … and that enthusiasm hasn’t halted. Both Ehlinger and Buechele sang his praises to the media this week, and some folks close to the team believe both Ingram and Watson are showing more than enough to be penciled in as the odds-on favorites to handle early carries for the Horns once the real whistles blow. Kirk Johnson looks like the most incredible physical specimen Texas has at the position, and the good news with that young man is that he has not suffered any setbacks in his third attempt to return from various serious lower-body injuries. The bad news is that the staff basically views Johnson as a freshman who needs to prove himself in order to get on the football field, but the freshman who seems to have done exactly this in much quicker order is Ingram. With this said, Johnson has the upside and potential to be the biggest difference-maker in that RB room if healthy, motivated and given opportunity.
Receivers
John Burt (SR) - Playing solely at the “z” WR. He was injured at Thursday practice, but he will not be out for long from all we’re told. Burt has actually had a quietly solid camp from what we’ve seen and have been told, he hasn’t dropped a pass all year during open media windows of availability which is certainly new.
Jerrod Heard (SR) - Playing the “z” and “h”/slot WR but mainly “z”. Of all the players on the team who may be getting overlooked, Heard probably tops the list. He’s very fast and is more involved in the offense and special teams than most realize. Look for him to be used in a few different spots on offense, including jet sweeps, end arounds and screens to compliment deep targets.
Devin Duvernay (JR) - Playing solely at the “z” WR. He looks like the fastest man on the team and that is saying something; you can’t overthrow him which is helpful as the QBs are uncorking on deep patterns at practice at a much more frequent clip than we saw last season. Duvernay is the offense’s 1A option when it comes to popping the top off the defense -- or at least attempting to.
Collin Johnson (JR) - Playing solely at the “x” WR. He’s the most true, X WR Texas has on its roster and probably one of the most intriguing from an NFL draft standpoint, but some think he needs to pick it up and be more consistent, especially in scrimmage and live settings where he doesn’t appear as dominant and ridiculous as he does in the drills the media gets to observe vs. air. If we were basing our assumptions on that alone, we’d pencil in Johnson as an all-American without question.
Lil’Jordan Humphrey (JR) - Playing mainly at the “h” WR. The move inside for Humphrey looks to be a good one as having him and Johnson on the field at the same time could mean trouble for opposing defenses. Based on what we have seen and heard through the early parts of camp, it may be easier to imagine a big Humphrey breakout than one from his counterpart in Collin Johnson this season.
Davion Curtis (SO) - Playing mainly at the “z” WR. Quiet camp, haven’t seen much; haven’t heard much. He’s a little bit buried on the depth chart and should likely have goals to change that.
Jordan Pouncey (RS FR) - Playing mainly at the “h” WR. Perhaps the biggest surprise of fall camp (and a decent portion of spring football). Pouncey has hands like Lorenzo Joe and reminds you of that sort of reliable option over the middle and to the sidelines. Look for him to step into a 15-20% snap participation role in 2018 should his play continue to improve.
Joshua Moore (FR) - Playing at both the “h” and “z” WR. He’s fast. No. 14 is another guy who’s drawn more and more buzz as camp has gone on and who’s been noted by one person close to the team as being a true freshman who’s actually getting a chance to develop somewhat of a chemistry with both Sam Ehlinger and Shane Buechele, meaning he’s at least starting to get some run with the twos and not the groups catching balls from Thompson and Rising all the time. He’ll play this year.
Brennan Eagles (FR) - Playing solely at the “x” WR. Another freshman who will definitely play in 2018, if for no other reason than he’s the clear No. 2 on the depth chart behind Collin Johnson. Eagles was an unbelievable prospect coming in, but he’s taking some time right now to get adjusted to the college game. While there will be flashes from him in 2018, it’s unlikely we see the outright bursting onto the scene like a young Dez Bryant that many fans had as their most optimistic of possible outcomes regarding Eagles. He’s coming along.
Al’Vonte Woodard (FR) - Playing mainly at the “z” WR. Like a lot of these guys, Woodard is another freshman who it’s hard to imagine won’t be involved at least somehow when the real games start. He looks to be among the group of fastest guys in the WR room and has slinky arms that are sneakily thick and sinewy like grapevines. While he won’t likely have a huge impact in 2018, his skillset is the type that could, on the very high end, produce a player like James Washington that is clearly lethal at the Big 12 level.
Malcolm Epps (FR) - Playing solely at the “x” WR. He’s a transitioned TE that has moved to the X WR thanks to a lack of depth behind Collin Johnson. Johnson, Eagles and Epps are the only players that have the look of a prototypical X WR on the whole team. With this said, it’s hard to see Epps playing much this season. He’s definitely a bit heavy footed and lumbering at this point in his development.
D’Shawn Jamison (FR) - I’m not sure where Jamison really lines up the most. It seems like he’s just usually out there is 4 WR sets or times when they’re using jet sweep action or other exotic things which leads you to believe the young playmaker (who may still end up playing defense) will be used mostly as a gadget-type player and return man when the season kicks off more than anything.
Tight Ends
Andrew Beck (SR)
Cade Brewer (SO)
Reese Leitao (SO)
Rob Cummins (RS FR)
NOTES: When you talk to sources with the Texas football team, these days the nuggets you get can be completely un-sexy and the most prevalent subject in those types of conversations is Andrew Beck. The staff loves him. The players do, too. For all the things they want an inline TE and move-type H-back to be, Beck seems to exemplify those traits. For this reason, we’ll see him early and often. (Let’s just hope they don’t split him out wide when an easy substitution could be made to get a more athletic guy out there in those spots). Brewer is on the mend and back participating fully. Brewer is the group’s most dynamic proven receiving option coming into the season and should certainly see a snap percentage near Beck’s -- preferably in game situations where throwing the football is the more likely outcome. Between Leitao and Cummins, it’s surprisingly actually been Cummins, a converted DE, who’s looked beastlier, more vocal and simply better thus far in practices open to the media. The lack of information on Leitao from sources coupled with his quiet camp thus far could lead one to believe the guy needs to pick it up through the second half of preseason practices leading into game week.
Offensive Line
Calvin Anderson (SR)
Elijah Rodriguez (SR)
Patrick Vahe (SR)
Zach Shackelford (JR)
Denzel Okafor (JR)
Tope Imade (SO)
Derek Kerstetter (SO)
J.P. Urquidez (SO)
Patrick Hudson (SO)
Samuel Cosmi (RS FR)
Christian Jones (FR)
Rafiti Ghirmai (FR)
Junior Angilau (FR)
Reese Moore (FR)
NOTES: Calvin Anderson was the storyline coming into camp and continued to be once practices kicked off, due to the fact that he wasn’t anointed as a starter right off the way many expected. However, it has become clear over the last week that the staff does certainly view him that way at LT. The player who seemingly has been anointed a starter is LG Patrick Vahe who has taken every snap at LG during portions open to the media and it would be a smart bet to say all portions, period. Among the starting group, from the center to the right is where the most intrigue lies. The current most-used lineup is Zach Shackelford at center and Elijah Rodriguez at RG with a mix of Denzel Okafor, Samuel Cosmi and Derek Kerstetter all filling in at RT. The buzz in recent days has been all about the increased frequency of Cosmi’s work with the ones at RT. And Cosmi looks the part. His development has been one of the biggest stories of the entire camp. While it’s clear Cosmi needs a chance to start, it begs the question: what do you do with Derek Kerstetter, who was the team’s best lineman outside of Connor Williams last season as an inexperienced freshman at RT, and who is playing mainly in recent days with the second group at center? Things still need to happen along the offensive line to get the best five in there, and like the QB, this one doesn’t look to be decided and written in stone for some time -- moves and shifts will likely continue to occur even after the season kicks off. Aside from Kerstetter vying for a spot along the starting 5, you also have Okafor who can play guard or tackle, but who the staff believes it likes best at tackle for the time being. Staying at the tackle position, tremendous developmental depth exists in players like Reese Moore and Christian Jones (and to a certain degree Urquidez) however, it would be a disaster to play any of those guys in 2018. Developmental guard depth may be more ready: Patrick Hudson is strong as an ox but still needs work and is raw. In fact, Texas would likely be better off using true freshman Junior Angilau at this time if it found itself between a rock and a hard place as much as it may pain Texas fans to hear regarding Hudson. Hudson’s hands are heavy, but they are slow, just like his feet. The most ready of all guard depth, though, appears to be Tope Imade who has had a body transformation over the offseason in Yancy McKnight’s strength program. Some say he still needs to get the mental part totally right, but the light is coming on with that one and he’s not far off at all.
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Defense
Interior DL
Chris Nelson (SR)
D’Andre Christmas (JR)
Gerald Wilbon (JR)
Moro Ojomo (FR)
Keonte Coburn (FR)
Daniel Carson (FR)
NOTES: Nelson has been everything fans had hoped for coming into this part of the year: a guy to step up to the potential seen in him to start the 2017 season which would place him in position to have a terrific, Poona Ford-like senior year leading to possible All-Conference honors. Wilbon is the primary backup at the nose position while Christmas has seemingly fallen so far out of favor, it’s hard to even tell where he is on the depth chart at this time. Looking to 2019, the duo of Cobrun and Ojomo is of paramount importance. Both will be 30-40% snap participants as sophomores, and could see that level of work in their true freshman campaigns should injury strike. Ojomo, particularly, since he’s suited to play both at the nose and also at the strong-side, anchor end in Orlando’s 3-4. Coburn has been among the most impressive younger players to make waves during camp, and has been seen laying waste to older, stronger players like Patrick Hudson.
Defensive Ends
Breckyn Hager (SR)
Charles Omenihu (SR)
Jamari Chisolm (SR)
Ta’Quon Graham (SO)
Andrew Fitzgerald (SO)
Marqez Bimage (SO)
Mike Williams (FR)
NOTES: Between Breckyn Hager and Charles Omenihu, there really isn’t that much more to say about this unit as far as the starters go. Both guys are important leaders on the team who have before them a journey through this 2018 season that both want desperately to parlay into an NFL payday. As for the depth behind them, it is role players in Jamari Chisolm and Andrew Fitzgerald along with primary depth in Marqez Bimage (who is listed as a linebacker on the official depth chart but most certainly plays the weak-side DE) and Ta’Quon Graham. Both Bimage and Graham should be expected to see major snap percentages this year as the group of four at the ends in base should be relatively concentrated.
Linebackers
Gary Johnson (SR)
Anthony Wheeler (SR)
Jeffrey McCulloch (JR) - injured
Malcolm Roach (JR)
Cameron Townsend (JR)
Demarco Boyd (SO) - suspended
Ayodele Adeoye (FR) - injured
Joseph Ossai (FR)
Byron Vaughns (FR)
NOTES: LB corps bellcow, starting rover (will LB) Gary Johnson narrowly escaped a bit of a scare in the Saturday scrimmage, suffering from what sources called a stinger. Anthony Wheeler is currently the starting mack (mike LB) and it’s a position which in the base defense is probably suitable enough to his hard-hitting, downfield, yet stiff and inefficient sideline-to-sideline style. Malcolm Roach will handle OLB duties in base, and could fill in for Wheeler in the team’s dime package as the mack as Roach is much more suited to play in space than Wheeler against the wide-open and fast offenses of the Big 12. We’re nearly certain to see Roach at inside linebacker versus Maryland, regardless -- at least for the first half as Wheeler is suspended to start that game thanks to a targeting call in last year’s bowl game which carried over. The thought was that this would be freshman Dele Adeoye’s time to step up and shine early on (as he has looked nothing short of great in practice according to sources), but Adeoye has already been ruled out in Week 1 due to a knee injury Wednesday that came with nebulous -- maybe even ominous -- wording from the Texas SID in alerting the media. (‘The Texas medical staff has determined that they will miss an extended period of time.’) Cameron Townsend has made the move back to defense, and like most players who flip-flop from one side of the ball to the other during their college careers, remains buried on both sides of it. It would not be surprising to see freshman Joseph Ossai actually play with the first group at times the OLB b-backer is on the field during the Maryland opener if regular second-teamer Jeffrey McCulloch is unable to make it back in time. McCulloch has a strained pec and his return is not one we have word on. However, one source did say that McCulloch was working out on the side and doing all the same work that fellow injured defender Davante Davis was doing on Thursday. Now that we know Davis is due back next week, perhaps it means the training staff has McCulloch on the same timeline.
Nickel Corner
P.J. Locke (SR)
Josh Thompson (SO)
Cornerbacks
Kris Boyd (SR)
Davante Davis (SR) - injured
Donovan Duvernay (SO)
Kobe Boyce (RS FR)
Jalen Green (FR)
Anthony Cook (FR)
NOTES: Davante Davis should be back from injury soon, but he’s hanging on to two things: 1) his seniority and 2) his impressive, breakout performance in the bowl game to help him hold onto a job. RS FR Kobe Boyce is not the physical specimen Davis is, but is definitely a player the staff already has a sense of trust with. Tom Herman said publicly during the time the new redshirt rule was being considered that had it have been in effect for 2017, that Boyce would have played. On top of this, Cook and Green are two extremely talented and impressive prospects with immense upside. It’s the reason Eric Cuffee transferred. It was clear to anyone with a set of eyes that he’d been recruited over.
Safeties
Brandon Jones (JR)
Chris Brown (SO)
Montrell Estell (RS FR)
Caden Sterns (FR)
B.J. Foster (FR)
Demarvion Overshown (FR) - injured
NOTES: The group that needed the biggest injection of new blood for the 2018 season got it in the form of three elite new prospects and, boy, did it ever get it. Caden Sterns is a starter and has been one of, if not THE, biggest storyline of camp. Demarvion Overshown -- now injured and out for at least the first game of the season like Dele Adeoye -- had actually, by serendipitous circumstance, found himself practicing in the B-Backer role which would actually be the same as the “Cowboy” OLB/SS hybrid that plays in Orlando’s dime package. A big, box safety who can play the robber and who can also come down and hit. Chris Brown finds himself in an uncomfortable spot as a player feeling pressure from underneath him while it’s time for Brandon Jones to finally break out. Jones, a second-year starter in 2018 as a junior, was one of the top prospects in the whole state coming in. Despite high-level defensive coaching and out-of-these-world attributes, Jones is yet to really put it all together at the college level. He’ll need to focus on his angles to the ball carrier/receiver in coverage and on wrapping up more securely as a tackler. If those two things happen and a few lucky balls fall his way for interceptions the way they did for Deshon Elliott in 2017 -- you’ll be seeing him play soon enough on Sundays.
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(From Suchomel)
It’s been about a month since we’ve checked on Rivals100 running back Noah Cain, one of the Longhorns’ top targets in the 2019 class. The last time we dug around, things were still very much up in the air. At the time, LSU was expected by many to land Rivals100 back John Emery, which had opinions all over the place on where Cain might wind up. Some close to the situation felt LSU wouldn’t take Cain once Emery was on board.
In late July, Emery pulled a bit of a surprise by committing to Georgia, which will likely have a bit of a ripple effect on Cain’s recruitment. We circled back to a source to get his thoughts on where things now stand.
“He hasn’t said much so I haven’t directly heard a lot new with him. It just seems like he wants to go to LSU if all things are equal,” the source said. “LSU wasn’t going to take him because they thought they would get Emery. Well that’s now changed, but I think it might be a bit of a disaster down there (at LSU) this year. If that happens, then everyone else gets in. Then Texas, Penn State, maybe even a school like Oklahoma are right there. But I do think LS Uwould have to mess it up.”
For his part, Cain has always said he’d be very patient with the process and see how the schools on his list performed during the 2018 season. More specifically in regards to Texas, he said he wants to see improvement from the offensive line. So there is still a lot of room for movement in this one.
In late July, Cain’s parents took a visit to Penn State (Cain had previously visited with his father). The source I spoke with had mentioned Penn State as a darkhorse candidate when we spoke with him prior to the visit and it sounds like Penn State is still expected to be a big player in this one.
“His dad has said they really liked it. It actually seemed like he might be leaning there for a second,” the source said. “I don’t know if luster form that visit has worn off.
“I think right now it would be LSU, but I think they might mess it up. I don’t’ have a lot of confidence in them this year.”
And Texas?
“Oh, I think he’d go there, but I’m not sure that’s his first choice. But I wouldn’t rule him out with Texas. He likes it there, likes the coaches there. I could certainly see him going to Texas if they show him some things this fall. I have more confidence in them having a good season than LSU.”
My thoughts: Cain is an intelligent young man who always plays things close to the vest, so you’ll not going to hear him tip his hand on which team has the inside track. That being said, I’ve had a few people tell me that LSU seems to be his first choice, and the Emery commitment to Georgia probably increased LSU’s odds. But Cain has been pretty open that he’ll be watching things closely this fall, so anyone making any concrete predictions on this one is doing some guessing. If Texas goes out this year, plays well on offense and wins nine or 10 games, I like UT’s chances as much as anyone. If Texas struggles on offense, or if LSU is surprisingly good, this one may fall LSU’s way.
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Things have been pretty quiet with Mansfield Legacy defensive tackle Taurean Carter in regards to Texas ever since he visited for the Heat Wave party in late July. There’s actually been a lot of buzz about Arkansas after Carter visited there last month as well, and both Texas and Arkansas made Carter’s final four on Thursday (along with Texas Tech and Michigan State).
Carter told us this week he has two official visits set right now – one to Arkansas on October 5 and one to Michigan State on October 19. He’s already taken an official visit to Texas Tech in June.
The timing of this one could be interesting for Texas. Carter plans to announce his commitment on his father’s birthday on October 24. If Texas wants to get him on campus for an OV before that, the Longhorns are home on October 13 so that weekend could be a possibility, but right now Carter's in a grouping of other d-linemen that the staff continues to evaluate so Texas may choose to watch this one a little longer.
Carter’s teammate Enoch Jackson is committed to Arkansas, and it sounds like the Razorbacks are a growing threat for teammate Jalen Catalon as well. Carter told us he and Catalon talk about playing together “all the time” and said Arkansas and Texas are the two schools most often discussed. They’d like to go to college together, but it’s not set in stone.
“We just don’t know for sure yet. He’s going to the school that best fits him,” Carter said.
Carter said Arkansas, Texas and Texas Tech are in communication the most. He said he talks to Oscar Giles and Tom Herman about once a week.
“I kind of like it as a family environment,” Carter said of Texas. “They really treat me as one of their own. That’s what I really like about it. And me and coach Giles really get along.”
Among his four leaders, Carter said no single school is standing out. TCU, which had been high on his list during the summer, was cut out this week.
“That’s why I want to take official visits, just kind of figure it out. I don’t have a list right now,” Carter said.
With Enoch Jackson having committed to Arkansas earlier this month, that could be a situation to monitor closely, especially once Carter takes his official visit there. He is still high on Texas, but the Longhorns are continuing to explore all options along the d-line so we'll likely have to watch this one in the fall to see if Texas pushes for Carter's commitment.
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Linebacker David Gbenda didn’t tip his hand at all when we talked to him early this week, saying he’s unsure of when he’ll announce, or which schools are sitting near the top of his list.
We’ll continue to watch this one closely, but nothing has really changed from what we’ve reported the last couple weeks. What once looked like a two-team race between Texas and Texas A&M now seems to have the Longhorns out in front after A&M fell off.
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JUCO linebacker Caleb Johnson (Fullerton Ca. C.C.) picked up an offer from Texas this week. Bryan Carrington reached out to him a couple weeks ago, the rest of the staff liked his tape when they watched and the offer was presented. Johnson is committed to Iowa State, but said Texas is very much under consideration. In fact, he’s planning to set up a UT official visit soon.
Johnson has some Gary Johnson-like characteristics in the way he runs and tracks plays all over the field. So what did the Texas coaches tell the speedster linebacker they like?
“They pretty much said the same thing. They brought up Gary Johnson, said he was about 202 when he went in, now he’s 228,” Johnson said. “I’m like 215 right now. Then they said the speed, explosiveness, mine is very similar to Gary Johnson. He’s leaving next year, they think I could come on and play immediately.”
Along with schools like Iowa State, Texas and Arkansas (all have offered), Johnson said schools like Oregon, Utah and Cal have been talking to him. Alabama was in touch and Johnson visited there (unofficially) but Johnson said the contact there has cooled.
Johnson will enroll at the school of his choice in January and will have three years to play two seasons of Division I ball. Out of high school, he said he had schools like Wyoming and Fresno State showing interest, but his academics in a couple areas weren’t up to par so he went the JUCO route.
I expect Johnson to visit Texas sometime in the fall, and I’d be shocked if the Longhorns didn’t give him a lot to think about, despite his current Iowa State commitment.
“I’m committed to Iowa State. It could have been a little early, but I didn’t just commit there for no reason. But Texas definitely, that’s a huge program, that’s big,” Johnson said. “I feel like Texas isn’t too different from California culture from what I’ve heard.”
Johnson has already taken his ISU official visit. He’ll take an official visit to Arkansas on October 20. As for Texas, he’s had an eye on the program for a while.
“What stands out is probably just the history of Texas. Growing up, that’s one of the schools that’s everyone’s kind of a dream school, especially watching them play in the national championship with Vince Young. It’s just huge, I can’t even describe it,” Johnson said.
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A quick note on JUCO DE Jacoby Jones …
The Butler Community College product has stayed in close contact with Texas and he’s well aware of UT’s depth chart, which should allow him a chance to play early next year should he commit to UT.
“They have two seniors leaving. They have a bunch of young guys, so they need someone ready to come in,” Jones said. “That’s important. I know I’m a playmaker so I can come in. For me, I’m looking for playing time.”
Jones has visited N.C. State. He said Oklahoma and Oregon will get officials, and Texas will as well. There’s been a lot of speculation that OU may be the team to beat after Jones visited there just before the dead period, but he said those claims are overblown.
“I haven’t come out with a top school yet. I think that’s speculation because I visited there last,” Jones said.
Jones was trying to set up a UT visit during his bye week, but said Texas is on the road that week so he’ll have to look at other dates. Regardless, he should be back in Austin sometime this fall.
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(Ketch)
With the release of the updated Rivals250 this week for the 2019 recruiting class, I thought I'd break down the numbers by region in an effort to get a snapshot of what has taken place around the state this year, while also taking a look at what still remains available.
Overall, 29 prospects from the state of Texas reside in the newly released Rivals250 and an amazing 23 of those 29 are either in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex or in the Greater Houston Area.
In the 20 years that I have compiled rankings in the Lone Star State, there has never been an in-state recruiting class with as much top talent concentrated in those two areas. It's just never happened before.
Let's go region by region
Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex
1. Theo Wease (No.2 nationally) - WR- Allen - Committed to Oklahoma
2. Trejan Bridges (No.25 nationally) - WR - Lewisville Hebron - Committed to Oklahoma
3. Brian Williams (No.35 nationally) - DB - Dallas Bishop Dunne - Committed to Texas A&M
4. Lewis Cine (No.84 nationally) - DB - Cedar Hill Trinity - Undecided
5. Demani Richardson (No.87 nationally) - DB - Waxahachie - Committed to Texas A&M
6. Marquez Beason (No.91 nationally) Ath - Duncanville - Committed to Illinois
7. Austin Stonger (No.117 nationally) - TE -Plano Prestonwood - Committed to Oklahoma
8. Dylan Wright (No.119 nationally) - WR - West Mesquite - Committed to Texas A&M
9. Jalen Catalon - (No.153 nationally) - DB - Mansfield Legacy - Undecided
10. Nana Osafo-Mensah (No.174 nationally) - DE - Fort Worth Nolan Catholic - Committed to Notre Dame
11. Kam Brown (No.188 nationally) - WR - Colleyville Heritage - Committed to Texas A&M
12. Marcel Brooks (No.195 nationally) - OLB - Flower Mound Marcus - Committed to LSU
13. E.J. Ndoma-Ogar (No.239 nationally) - OL - Allen - Committed to Oklahoma
14. Titus Swen (No.246 nationally) - RB - Fort Worth Eaton - Undecided
Breakdown: The Metroplex is back! After a quiet spell last year, nearly half of the state's top talent resides in this part of the state and more than half of those players are committed to either Oklahoma or Texas A&M. Considering that the Longhorns have zero commitments from the top 14 players in the Metroplex at this stage of the recruiting process, finding a way to land Cine and/or Catalon is pretty critical in terms of being able to claim any presence in the most important recruiting map of the year in the state of Texas.
Greater Houston Area
1. Kenyon Green (No.13 nationally) - OL - Humble Atascocita - Committed to Texas A&M
2. Erick Young (No.28 nationally) - CB - Richmond Bush - Committed to Texas A&M
3. Arjei Henderson (No.34 nationally) - WR - Richmond Travis - Committed to Oklahoma
4. Jalen Curry(No.73 nationally) - WR - Houston St. Pius X- Undecided
5. Tyler Johnson (No.78 nationally) - OL - Conroe Oak Ridge - Committed to Texas
6. Marcus Stripling (No.86 nationally) - DE - Houston Mayde Creek - Undecided
7. Isaiah Spiller (No.192 nationally) - RB - Spring Collins - Committed to Texas A&M
8. Nelson Ceaser (No.206 nationally) DE - Missouri City Ridge Point - Committed to Houston
9. Jamal Morris (No.225 nationally) - S - Richmond Bush - Committed to Oklahoma
Breakdown: It's probably not as dominant of a performance as Texas had in Houston a year ago, but with three of the top seven players already committed and Stripling soon to follow, it's impossible to ignore the fact that the Aggies are winning in this critical region this year, with Oklahoma having as much presence in Houston as it has ever had.
North Texas
1. Branson Brgg (No.200 nationally) - OL - Crandall - Committed to Stanford
Greater Austin Area
1. Garrett Wilson (No.44 nationally) - WR - Austin Lake Travis - Committed to Ohio State
2. Elijah Higgins (No.121 nationally) - WR - Austin Bowie - Undecided
Greater San Antonio Area
1. DeMarvin Leal (No.122 nationally) - DE - Converse Judson - Committed to Texas A&M
South Texas
1. Jordan Whittington (No.31 nationally) - Ath - Cuero - Committed to Texas
Other areas of the state
1. Baylor Cupp (No.214 nationally) - TE - Brock - Committed to Texas A&M
Other notes to take from the numbers
a. In a year where the Metroplex and Houston combine to claim nearly 80 percent of the state's top talent, Texas has a single commitment from both regions ... combined.
b. It's impossible for my brain to process neither East Texas nor the Golden Triangle having a single player listed in the top 250. We could haggle over whether Crandall or Conroe should be considered East Texas, but the bottom line is that I have never seen a year where those areas of the state rated so poorly.
c. While we're on the subject of dry areas of the state, there's basically zero representation south of Waxahachie and north of downtown Austin.
d. The only Big 12 schools with commitments among the top 29 players in Texas via the current rankings are Oklahoma and Texas.
Out of State Commitments Saving the Day
I will concede that nothing above registers as anything other than a swift kick in the family parts, so let's end this rankings discussion with a look at how important Tom Herman's out of state commitments are to the bigger puzzle.
Here's what the state of Texas rankings would look like if you included Texas commitments and one other very key target.
1. Theo Wease (No.2 nationally) - WR- Allen - Committed to Oklahoma
2. Kenyon Green (No.13 nationally) - OL - Humble Atascocita - Committed to Texas A&M
3. Trejan Bridges (No.25 nationally) - WR - Lewisville Hebron - Committed to Oklahoma
4. Erick Young (No.28 nationally) - CB - Richmond Bush - Committed to Texas A&M
5. Jordan Whittington (No.31 nationally) - Ath - Cuero - Committed to Texas
6. Arjei Henderson (No.34 nationally) - WR - Richmond Travis - Committed to Oklahoma
7. Brian Williams (No.35 nationally) - DB - Dallas Bishop Dunne - Committed to Texas A&M
8. Garrett Wilson (No.44 nationally) - WR - Austin Lake Travis - Committed to Ohio State
9. Jake Smith (No.65 nationally) - WR Scottsdale, Arizona - Committed to Texas
10. Noah Cain (No.71 nationally) - RB - IMG Academy - Undecided
11. Jalen Curry(No.73 nationally) - WR - Houston St. Pius X- Undecided
12. Tyler Johnson (No.78 nationally) - OL - Conroe Oak Ridge - Committed to Texas
13. Lewis Cine (No.84 nationally) - DB - Cedar Hill Trinity - Undecided
14. Marcus Stripling (No.86 nationally) - DE - Houston Mayde Creek) - Undecided
15. Demani Richardson (No.87 nationally) - DB - Waxahachie - Committed to Texas A&M
16. Marquez Beason (No.91 nationally) - Ath - Dallas Bishop Dunne - Committed to Illinois
17. Brayden Leibrock (No.104 nationally) - TE- Chandler, Arizona - Committed to Texas
18. De'Gabriel Floyd (No.113 nationally) - LB - Westlake Village, Ca. - Committed to Texas
19. Austin Stonger (No.117 nationally) - TE -Plano Prestonwood - Committed to Oklahoma
20. Dylan Wright (No.119 nationally) - WR - West Mesquite - Committed to Texas A&M
21. Elijah Higgins (No.121 nationally) - WR - Austin Bowie - Undecided
22. DeMarvin Leal (No.122 nationally) - DE - Converse Judson - Committed to Texas A&M
23. Chris Adimora (No.135 nationally) - DB - Lakewood, Ca. - Committed to Texas
24. Kenyatta Watson (No.148 nationally) - DB - Powder Springs, Ga. - Committed to Texas
25. Jalen Catalon - (No.153 nationally) - DB - Mansfield Legacy - Undecided
