Harbaugh taking DL coach to the Chargers
- By TedYettis54
- Inside the 40 Acres
- 1 Replies
That would mean their HC, DC, DL Coach, and Strength coach are gone.
They have a stud DT....
mgoblue.com
They have a stud DT....
Mason Graham - Football - University of Michigan Athletics
Mason Graham (55) DL - CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS CAREER HIGHS • Tackles: 6 - at Minnesota (Oct. 7, 2023) • Solos: 3, 2x - las...
Recruiting Q&A - Thoughts on KJ Lacey's commitment; chances with top OL/DL; favorite sammich
- By Suchomel
- Inside the 40 Acres
- 13 Replies
How many years have you been in the crooting biz?
I’m gonna have to break out the calculator for this one. I started with OB in 2002 but I actually covered some recruiting for a couple of years for Horns Illustrated magazine prior to joining Ketch over here. So, if my math is correct, I’m at about 24 years of stalking recruits.
Ketch and I (along with another buddy of ours) were close to starting our own recruiting website way back when before the original version of Rivals.com was launched. I can’t even remember what year that would have been but I can picture is sitting in my apartment hashing out a plan … we had a logo drawn up for the website and everything. Ketch then got a great opportunity to join this new groups of websites that would be called Rivals so he jumped at it, I went to work for Horns Illustrated and a couple of years later we reconnected here at OB.
In theory, when will we start recruiting for 2025?
Obviously, Texas is doing some recruiting for the 2025 class (and has been) but this staff has shown that it’s just never in a rush to push for early commitments. Of the players that wound up signing with Texas in the 2024 class, UT didn’t get its second commitment until May. The big run for this staff usually starts in the summer. In June/July of last year, the staff added 11 commitments, exactly half of the total number of players in the 2024 class.
Look for intensity to start picking up a bit in the spring when some guys hit campus for spring practices or the Orange-White game, but we really begin to get a sense of who is serious about Texas (and vice versa) during June official visits.
In 2024, why is Texas again playing catch-up specific to elite (top 20) in-state recruits?
I must admit that I expected Texas to be creating a bit more buzz with the top in-state talent after the season UT put together last year and the fact that Texas is joining the SEC, but it’s been somewhat of a slow start with the elite of the elite. The top two players in the state are both committed to out-of-state schools and the Longhorns really aren’t outright leaders for many of the state’s top 20 players.
Maybe recruits want to make sure last year wasn’t a flash in the pan? Maybe they want to see how Texas holds up in the SEC to make sure they don’t stumble like A&M continually does? I don’t have an exact answer for you, but if there’s one thing that this staff has shown, it’s that you really shouldn’t panic early in the recruiting process.
Do we land Jordon Davison?
I’ve thought going back to a summer interview with running back Jordon Davison that it would come down to Texas or Ohio State for the five-star back, and I continue to feel that way. I do like Texas’ chances to win out for Davison, but my biggest concern is that UT has a pretty stacked running back depth chart with a lot of young talent.
All’s quiet tomorrow?
It’s possible that the staff has a trick up its sleeve, but as of right now I’m not expecting any surprises. Steve Sarkisian will meet with the media tomorrow at 11 a.m. so there’s a small part of me that thinks maybe he’ll have something to address in the 2024 cycle, but I’m expecting most of that conversation to center on the transfer portal additions and the upcoming start of spring football.
Who does Texas take among the following at DE/Edge and how many do they take other than Lance Jackson ?
Smith Orogpo
Max Granville
Nick Townsend (if not a TE)
Michael Riles
Chad Woodfork
Demaryon Morgan
Edge rushers are always going to be a priority but I’m not sure there’s a need for a huge number at that position in the 2025 cycle. Along with Lance Jackson, I’d expect they’ll take a couple of others and of the guys you listed I’d focus on Chad Woodfork, Kamauryn Morgan and Michael Riles. A lot of that will be sorted out in the spring and summer when we see who takes official visits.
Regarding OL, how would you rate Fasusi/Rogers/Haywood ?
Are all 3 OT's ?
Who do we have the best shot at?
Man, that’s a tough question. I absolutely love the film on all three of those guys so it’s hard to put them in any sort of order. I’d probably go Michael Fasusi, Lamont Rogers and then Ty Haywood, but I wouldn’t have an issue to anyone ranking those three in any order. I love the athleticism of Fasusi and Rogers though, so I’ll put those two on top.
Yes, all three are offensive tackles. As for UT’s best shot, I’d probably rank the Horns’ chances in the same order I ranked the players – Fasusi, Rogers, Haywood.
Favorite sammich?
Easiest question of the week by far … I love me a good Reuben sandwich.
With the QB room being locked in for the next three years, do you think KJ Lacey is willing to wait two years?
Lacey's a pretty practical kid from my experiences with him. I would think he'd have no problem be patient for a couple of years, especially if Texas can show that Arch Manning essentially did the same thing before taking over for Quinn Ewers and he had tremendous success in part to sitting and learning for a bit.
Did Boobie Feaster enjoy Texas Junior Day?
I need to reach out to Feaster directly but I can almost guarantee he’ll give the junior day positive reviews. I’m hoping to maybe catch up with Feaster this weekend.
Does Sark hold on to Lacey? (I think he will if we show up on Offense like we should next year)
What scenario do you think it would take to flip Dakorian Moore from LSU?
There’s going to be a lot of action with KJ Lacey over the next eight months, so the staff will obviously have to work to hold onto his commitment. But yes, as of right now, I favor Texas holding onto him in the long run despite the efforts of other programs. Auburn might be the biggest threat right now. Lacey has always been open about enjoying the experience of seeing college football games in person, so I expect that’ll continue next fall.
When Dakorien Moore first committed to LSU last August, I thought it was highly unlikely that he’d wind up sticking with that commitment. Six months later, his pledge seems as strong as ever. LSU has some real recruiting momentum in the 2025 class, including 5-star QB Bryce Underwood, so that’s probably helping the Tigers’ cause. In order for Texas to flip him, the staff obviously needs to get him on campus several more times, and some kind of disruption in Baton Rouge might need to happen as well (on-field struggles, coaching shake-up, etc.).
