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(From Suchomel)
The number of official visitors for this weekend is a little lower than previously expected due to a variety of circumstances (baseball playoffs, state track meets, bumping others back to the fall) but Texas will still host some of its top recruiting targets beginning on Friday. An updated look at the guys who are expected to be on campus …
DB Marcus Banks – Spring Dekaney – Banks has fluctuated between being a Texas lean to being a UT-A&M battle to being an LSU lean to now being pretty open. Texas has made a strong impression on him every time he’s visited and there’s no reason to think it won’t happen again this weekend. He has already visited Texas A&M and will visit LSU in June. Those three figure to be the favorites, although Banks has a long list of offers and may wind up taking all five visits before deciding. He does want to make a commitment this summer, so this weekend will be key for UT’s chances.
OL Tyler Johnson – Conroe Oak Ridge – The Rivals100 member was just on campus two weekends ago for the Orange-White game and he’ll get a much deeper look at the Texas program this weekend on his official visit. Johnson doesn’t like to tip his hand much on what he’s thinking, but it’s pretty obvious if you read between the lines of his social media activity that the Longhorns are in a great spot here. He has said he’ll take his time with the process, but look for Texas to solidify its spot atop his list.
ATH Makiya Tongue – Baton Rouge University Lab – Tongue told another Rivals.com recruiter a little more than a month ago that Texas was the team standing out the most. He’s a guy who could line up on either side of the ball, so it’ll be interesting to hear what kind of message Texas delivers to him this weekend.
CB Derek Stingley Jr – Baton Rouge Dunham – The nation’s top corner, Stingley has been on campus before but it’s been a while. He has a really good relationship with Texas CB coach Jason Washington. There won’t be any fireworks this weekend but Texas should stay in contention until the end. More on Stingley in a bit.
LB/DE NaNa Osafo-Mensah – Fort Worth Nolan Catholic – You all know the score here. He’s down to Texas and Notre Dame and will make his decision on May 19. Osafo-Mensah told us this week that he’s torn between the two. More on him in a bit.
Brayden Liebrock – Chandler (AZ) – This will be Liebrock’s second visit to Texas, so the interest is obviously strong. Our West Coast guys who know Liebrock better than I do think Texas is a real threat here (and this was before the official visit was set up) and say he’s not locked in to staying close to home. Showing him how he’d be utilized in the offense will be key (he’s a fantastic receiver at the tight end position).
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NaNa Osafo-Mensah told me this week he truly couldn’t make a decision right now if he had to choose between Texas and Notre Dame. That may be true, but if it’s dead even coming into the last weekend, I’ll take my chances on UT winning out.
A couple interesting quotes that I held back from Thursday morning’s update …
On how he’ll separate the two:
“Each place has pros and cons. Notre Dame is incredibly cold, yes. I don’t like the cold, so that’s something I would have to adapt to. Texas, it doesn’t provide me the amount of diversity like Notre Dame does, how they have all the different exchange students, different people from different places. Texas, the majority, like 95 percent are all from Texas. I’m just going to consider all those factors and just see what I come out with.”
On if his parents would prefer him to stay closer to home:
“They honestly wouldn’t mind, either or. Texas, they would be able to come to almost every game. Even Notre Dame, my dad and my mom, even though they work a ton, they would try to get a condo up there so they could go to all the games.”
On if playing in a league that throws the ball like the Big 12 is a factor:
“It is a passing league, and I really do like that about the Big 12. This year, I was looking at the draft because the NFL is my dream, and I saw there were only like nine players or something like that drafted from the Big 12. It was a low number. They didn’t say how many from Notre Dame, but seeing those two people go top 10, was a really big thing to me. The thing about it, independent gives you a chance to play against so many different kinds of players, so many different kinds of teams like a run-heavy team and a pass-heavy team. That’s something I really like about Notre Dame too.”
Based on his comments, this one is really a tough call. That being said, I heard some grapevine chatter this weekend that makes me think the Longhorns are in a better position heading into the visit than Osafo-Mensah is letting on. If things go well this weekend, which they should, I like UT’s chances.
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When wide receiver Garrett Wilson committed to Ohio State on Sunday night, it was obviously a tough blow to for the Longhorns. Before the announcement went public, Wilson told me he felt “100 percent about it,” as did his family.
When I asked Wilson on Sunday what it was about Ohio State, he mentioned the tradition and the ability to compete for national championships pretty much every year. Hard to argue that, but it also makes one wonder if Texas is able to turn in a successful 2018 season and show Wilson the program is close to competing at a championship level, might he be willing to give the Longhorns another look?
“I feel solid about it. I feel like I’m going to remain solid but I’m open to all coaches talking to me. If they have something to offer that they didn’t have before, I’m open to hearing that. But I have a feeling I’m going to be really solid about it,” Wilson said.
Doesn’t sound like it would be an easy flip, but it also sounds like he’s willing to keep an open mind. If Texas can turn in a big 2018 with improved play on the offensive side of the ball, Texas could have an outside shot of landing the Lake Travis standout.
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Five-star cornerback Derek Stingley Jr will take his UT visit this weekend, and he’s always spoken very highly of the Longhorns when I’ve talked to him. Most feel he’ll follow the usual pattern of top Louisiana prospects and sign with in-state LSU, but Stingley swears to me he’s open to going anywhere that he feels fits him best.
This will be his first visit to Texas since last summer, and he’s anxious to see some of the changes that have been made.
“I’m hoping to see everything. The construction, the last time I went they didn’t have the locker rooms, the weight rooms, all that. I just want to see what all that looks like,” Stingley said.
As for what Texas can show him to win him over, Stingley said it’s more about continuing to develop relationships with the UT staff. He already feels very comfortable with DB coach Jason Washington, and hopes to build on that this weekend.
“There’s nothing they can really show me because the relationships we already have right now are pretty high and I like where things are at right now,” Stingley said. “Coach Washington, I like his personality because every time, he’s always laughing, always smiling, joking around. I like people who are like that.”
Stingley doesn’t have any other visits set up at this time and said he’ll likely wait until the fall to take his other trips. Generally speaking, what has Texas on his radar?
“I guess you could say everything about them,” Stingley said. “The coaches are nice, they have a good environment, Austin is a good place to be, they have a lot of things to do there. So I guess you could say the overall atmosphere.”
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Texas continues to work on Texas A&M commitment Demani Richardson, as do others like Ohio State, Georgia and Alabama. There’s been a lot of talk this spring about Richardson possibly visiting Texas on various weekends, but I’ve been hearing for the last month or so that he’d kind of solidified his pledge to the Aggies.
I caught up with Richardson this week, and he didn’t sound like he’d put the nail in the coffin on his recruitment, but he wasn’t really giving any other schools a hard look either.
“It’s the coaches, how hard they recruit me,” he said of A&M. “They show they really want me. And it seems like a good school to go to for my future. Just everything really, the facilities are great.”
As for the possibility of a Texas visit … “Not really. I’m still kind of thinking about it, but not really.”
Richardson said he’ll watch to see how other schools do this fall and that could impact things. He does hear from Craig Naivar quite a bit and Naivar is trying to get him to visit, so it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that he pops in to Austin at some point. But as of right now, he’s pretty locked in to his A&M pledge.
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(From McComas)
If Shaka Smart is trying to keep everyone guessing and information about his assistant coach vacancy to himself, he’s doing a great job of it. I spent this morning and afternoon reaching out to sources with ties to the Texas program as well as people outside the program, including some nationally that always have their pulse on college hoops. No one has heard a thing.
I asked a couple of sources if I was going crazy for thinking it’s odd there’s nothing floating around. “You’re not,” responded one of them, who referred to the process as very under the radar.
The educated guess, which is the best I can do at this point, is this opening gets filled this month. Originally, I was told Smart would really take his time with this hire, and that’s proven true.
Guard Andrew Jones was around the Texas program this week hanging out, doing some basketball work, and more. He remains in a battle with Leukemia, obviously, but the progression continues. And speaking of guards around the program, Kerwin Roach II remains a full participant with his team, and heard again that he did not receive a NBA Combine invite. But I also heard again that it might not matter. Time will tell.
On the recruiting front, Texas is still pushing as hard as it can to land Albany graduate transfer guard Joe Cremo. Tyrese Maxey, a 2019 five-star guard, announced today he plans to make his college commitment on May 9th. My bet is he ends up reclassifying too. Barring a big surprise, Kentucky is the leader. Texas has done a good job selling Maxey on the idea of staying home and representing his state, but UK’s lead will likely be too much. Jaden McDaniels, a 6-9 wing/forward, is a definite name to follow in the 2019 class. From what I’ve heard, the Longhorns have done a good job of getting in on the recruitment early, and have established themselves as a main factor.
Also, heard that Alabama transfer Braxton Key reached out to Texas. Key picked Alabama over Texas out of Oak Hill Academy, and is a talented combo forward that had a good freshman season before a tough, injury-filled sophomore campaign. He could be a name to follow if Texas misses on Cremo and loses Roach, although I think the focus would still be on adding someone that can help next season. Key would have to sit out next season. Plus, he’s reportedly visiting Virginia this weekend and also Miami. (McComas)
